Who is a member?
Our members are the local governments of Massachusetts and their elected and appointed leadership.
A conference committee has been named to reconcile differences between House and Senate bills that would leverage interest from the state’s rainy day fund to improve the competitive position of the state and its municipalities for federal dollars.
Gov. Maura Healey proposed the concept in a bill she filed last October. The Senate approved its version of the bill on Jan. 11, and the House passed its bill on Feb. 28.
Healey’s bill proposes the creation of a Commonwealth Federal Matching and Debt Reduction Fund to provide a funding source for the state and communities across the Commonwealth to be used to meet the required local match for grants. The proposal would use $750 million in interest generated annually by the state’s stabilization fund.
The bill also proposes $12 million for technical assistance to help municipalities with grant tracking, grant writing and implementation.
The state’s Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office is already available to support municipalities as they consider, apply for and implement various federal funding initiatives. The office is leading the Massachusetts Federal Funds Partnership, which meets monthly to provide information about upcoming grant opportunities and other federal funds topics.
The Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office created a Federal Grant Intake Form for Local Governments for communities to notify the office of in-progress or submitted federal grant applications, as well as projects that could be eligible for federal funding. Additional information for municipalities is available on the office’s website, and questions or requests can be directed to FedFundsInfra@mass.gov.