AFA Releases Local Case Stories through the Local Infrastructure Hub

Colleagues,

A primary mission of Accelerator for America is to help local communities access transformational tools and funding to make big changes in their residents’ lives and to share lessons learned to help other communities do the same.

Today, along with our research partners at the Drexel University Nowak Metro Finance Lab, we are excited to share the first in a series of Case Stories, produced through a partnership with the Local Infrastructure Hub, showcasing local infrastructure projects eligible under or funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law or Inflation Reduction Act and the dedicated public servants and community members who made them possible.

These first two Case Stories, announced during last week’s Local Infrastructure Hub webinar, Bridging the Gap: Funding Broadband for All, focus on how the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic pushed two communities – Mesa, AZ and Waterloo, IA – to take meaningful steps to close the digital divide with new high-quality, affordable broadband options for their residents. You can read the Case Stories, and keep up with future ones, on the Local Infrastructure Hub’s website here. 

The Local Infrastructure Hub was created to help local governments seize the promise of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act and to inspire the next generation of leaders to make historic investments that will improve the lives of their residents. AFA is honored to partner with the Hub to bring these impactful infrastructure projects to life through in-depth interviews with the local elected leaders and staff who have worked on them through their years of development and progress.

Each Case Story will be told through the project’s connection to or eligibility under programs within the BIL/IIJA or IRA and will highlight how infrastructure development can be used to advance economic mobility, racial equity, and climate resiliency. It is our hope that these Case Stories will inspire other communities to apply for funding through federal discretionary programs and utilize the new direct pay and tax credit programs of the IRA, to help maximize the impact of this historic era of federal funding. 

Are you a local official with a great local infrastructure project? We would like to hear from you! AFA is currently interviewing local leaders and their project partners for Case Story development. Please reach out to our Director of Infrastructure, Ross van Dongen, at ross@acceleratorforamerica.org to learn more. 

Thank you for all you do.

Mary Ellen Wiederwohl
President and CEO | Accelerator for America