October 11, 2022

Matching Grants for Local and Tribal Governments – New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration Local Government Division

A unique matching funds grant opportunity opens Monday, October 10th administered by the New Mexico Department of Finance and Administration (DFA) Local Government Division (LGD). $1M in legislative funds is available through 2022 House Bill 2 to local and tribal governments statewide. Funds will be provided for federal grants and any other type of Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP) grant funding for which a match is needed, including projects that are already underway.

This is expected to be a highly competitive opportunity. Priority consideration will be given to applicants seeking grants that will expand healthcare, affordable housing, hazardous mitigation efforts, or infrastructure projects; as well as to applicants seeking matching funds for rural or frontier communities; and/or applicants seeking matching funds for multiple or regional communities.

Even if your application would not be eligible for priority consideration, applying will help inform policy regarding where community needs for matching funds exist across the state and what would be appropriate for similar, larger funding efforts in the future.

  • Applications open at 8:00 am MT on Monday, October 10.
  • Application deadline is at 5:00 pm MT on Friday, October 28.
  • Award timeline is based on the number of applications received.
  • Use of funds is to be determined. No maximum cap has been placed on requests.

 “We’ve been trying to keep the door very wide on the applications for this grant…” to cover as many types or projects as possible, noted Project Manager Dr. Shanna Sasser, Rural & Frontier Equity Ombudsman and Project Manager. You are invited to contact Dr. Sasser or Nannette Gallegos with questions specific to your community’s projects. Contact information is listed below. An initial deadline of June 30, 2023 has been set to expend funds; however, this timeline has not been finalized due to the nature of infrastructure projects and the challenges in scheduling ahead of a specific deadline.

Key requirements:

  • Applicants must show that 100% of total project financing costs will be secured by an existing or pending grant with the addition of the requested matching funds.
  • Applicants must list the project on their Infrastructure Capital Improvement Plan (ICIP) for which they are seeking matching funds.
  • Each government entity may submit a single application under this opportunity.
  • This grant will fund matches where the applicant was required to commit funds when they applied but did not have to commit a firm source of where those funds would be obtained, or their original anticipated source did not come to fruition. Projects that are already underway, but not yet closed out are eligible.

Application questions:

  • Is this project on your ICIP? What is the ICIP Ranking?
  • How much has your entity contributed as matching funds?
  • Which agency (or entity) are you applying to for this grant in which you will use these matching funds?
  • How much is the total amount of funds this grant will provide?
  • Have you applied to other funding sources for this project? If so, please list the other sources.
  • Is this grant pursuing any of the following area for your community: Healthcare, water, wastewater, hazardous mitigation, broadband, or energy expansion?
  • Are these funds going to serve a rural or frontier community?
  • Are these funds serving multiple communities within a region?
  • Will this match complete the funding for 100% of the project?

Documentation demonstrating that application requirements have been met will be provided via email as part of the submission process.

The New Mexico DFA provides fiscal management support for state agencies, local governments, and community-based programs. You can listen to the online webinar and download the deck at: https://www.nmdfa.state.nm.us/matching-grant/. If you have unique situational or other questions, contact Dr. Shanna Sasser or Jeannette Gallegos at Matching.Grant@DFA.NM or 505-470-2750.

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