On March 3, 2016, the Montgomery County Commissioners announced an exciting new grant program for municipalities as part of the implementation of the county’s comprehensive plan,
Montco 2040: A Shared Vision. The Montco 2040 Implementation Grant Program is intended to assist municipalities in making targeted physical improvements that achieve real progress toward the goals of the plan. The program focuses on supporting local projects that specifically further the goals of the county comprehensive plan and the plan’s themes of Connected Communities, Sustainable Places, and Vibrant Economy.
While the program is open to a wide array of projects fitting within the comprehensive plan, specific Focus Categories that highlight recent county planning initiatives are announced prior to each funding year. Projects that fall under a Focus Category receive greater consideration during the application review. Grant amounts are available between $10,000 and $200,000, but a realistic average award is around $100,000.
The grant program has awarded over $3.7 million to 41 projects in 35 municipalities in Montgomery County. For further information on the grant program, contact Scott France at 610-278-3747.
2018 Cycle
On May 17, 2018, the Montgomery County Commissioners awarded 14 Montco 2040 Implementation Grants to 15 municipalities in the county. The 2018 grant awards totaled over $1,500,000. The county received 27 applications, totaling $3.5 million in requests, from municipalities for the 2018 cycle. Projects were evaluated in terms of impact, county and local planning consistency, project readiness, and funding attributes by a committee made up of planning commission board members and interdepartmental county staff. Projects were also given heightened consideration when addressing one of three focus categories for 2018: Walk Montco and Bike Montco – Trails, Paths, Sidewalk Connections and Bike Facilities; Downtown and Community Destination Support; or Adaptation and Resiliency.