RAISE no more; Trump administration changes grant program name to BUILD

The administration of President Donald Trump has renamed a grant program for transportation projects, according to a recently amended notice.

What had been the Rebuilding Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program is now the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program. The program began in the late 2000’s as the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program before being renamed to BUILD in the first Trump administration.

The amendment to the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) also removes references to executive orders rescinded by Trump as well as new ones issued that require removal of diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. The definition of “Historically Disadvantaged Communities” is now to be the exact same definition of Areas of Persistent Poverty.

The amendment also reduces the amount available in the current fiscal year from $1.5 billion to $150 million. Projects that seek to convert bus fleets to zero emissions are no longer eligible for funding.

Albemarle County was awarded just over $2 million in FY2022 for planning for the Three Notched Trail.

“This planning project is intended to provide a guiding document that Albemarle County can use to develop a shared use path that provides a multimodal connection between the City of Charlottesville, the community of Crozet, and the communities and recreational and tourism resources of Western Albemarle and Nelson County,” reads the description in a database of awarded projects.

Albemarle County announced in January that the firm Vanasse Hangen Brustlin (VHB) has been selected to develop a master plan. (read that story)

Another project funded in part through RAISE is one to expand capacity of Long Bridge over the Potomac River. The Virginia Passenger Rail Authority secured $20 million in federal funds and ground was broken last fall.

For more on how this affects a portion of Wisconsin, take a look at this post on the website Urban Milwaukee.

Before you go: This article was originally sent out as part of the Charlottesville Community Engagement newsletter in the February 3, 2025 edition. Both are functions of Town Crier Productions. You can support the work by purchasing a paid subscription or contributing monthly through Patreon. You can also send in a check or send an email, but drop me a line first