What we do
Investments in transit and infrastructure not only build projects — they build stronger families and greater opportunity by creating economic mobility, good jobs, community wealth, and a better quality of life.
We provide technical assistance to communities to maximize the benefits of the IIJA/BIL and are a go-to resource for coalitions seeking to secure infrastructure funding through local, regional and state ballot initiatives. Building on the success that our team achieved in passing the nation’s largest-ever local infrastructure initiative, Los Angeles County’s $120 billion Measure M, AFA and our companion 501(c)(4) Accelerator for America Action have helped local leaders generate $40 billion in local infrastructure funding. Now, with United for Infrastructure (creators of Infrastructure Week) becoming a project of Accelerator for America Action in 2022, we are the country’s leading advocate for infrastructure investment at all levels.
i3 – A Project of Accelerator for America
In January of 2023 Accelerator for America joined with Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners to launch the Innovative Infrastructure Initiative (i3) as a program of AFA. The i3 is dedicated to working with local governments to advance innovative delivery and non-traditional financing models for public infrastructure projects nationwide.
Since its passage in 2021, billions of dollars from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) have been deployed across all fifty states to fund hundreds of critical local infrastructure projects in communities big and small. While we’re witnessing unprecedented levels of engagement across BIL programs, still too many localities remain on the sidelines letting this once in a generation opportunity pass by. In an effort to inspire more cities and local leaders to get in the game, Accelerator for America and our partners at Drexel’s Nowak Metro Finance Lab have joined the Local Infrastructure Hub to produce a series of Local Infrastructure Case Stories focused on a specific program within the BIL, IRA, or other federal legislation.
Through this partnership we are celebrating and lifting up the communities who have secured BIL discretionary grants for their public infrastructure projects, as well as highlighting local projects that were developed and/or implemented prior to the BIL, but are eligible under the Law’s programs. The stories layout the problem that needed solving, how local leaders approached project development, engaged partners and the community, and secured the total funding necessary for implementation. Featured stories show how infrastructure projects can be used to advance economic mobility, racial equity, environmental sustainability, and overall community resilience.
You can find our Case Stories through the Local Infrastructure Hub’s Resources Page below.
Waterloo, IA Mayor Quentin Hart and Andy Van Fleet, Chair of the Waterloo Fiber Utility, celebrate the groundbreaking on Waterloo’s municipally owned fiber network. You can read more about this project through our BEAD Case Story HERE.
IIJA Investment Guide
Our IIJA/BIL Guide saves Mayors and their staff time and effort by highlighting the $352 billion in programs created or reauthorized through the legislation that have the greatest impact on cities and local governments. It also provides direct connections to the agencies and departments administering them.
New Partnership on Infrastructure
To maximize the return on investment for American workers and underserved communities through federal stimulus legislation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Accelerator for America, WSP USA, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, Meridiam NA, Mastercard’s City Possible team, the ACEC Research Institute, and HNTB launched the New Partnership on Infrastructure to deliver specific and actionable recommendations to improve how infrastructure is funded and delivered to the public through “America’s New Playbook for Infrastructure.”
impact
Our team works with cities across the country to support local Transit and Infrastructure measures. Since our founding in 2017, we’ve helped local communities nationwide generate more than $40 billion in Transit and Infrastructure funding.