Smart Growth America is now accepting applications for the second round of our Community Connectors program, a national initiative helping small and mid-sized cities repair the damage caused by divisive and dangerous roads. With support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, this program supports locally led efforts to reconnect communities and improve street safety—particularly in neighborhoods harmed by past infrastructure decisions.

Across the country, neighborhoods have been split apart by highways and high-speed roads that were built through the heart of communities—especially Black and Brown neighborhoods—under the guise of progress. These roads disconnect families, harm local economies, and make it dangerous or impossible for people to walk, bike, or access daily needs safely without a car.

While Congress recently rescinded over $2.4 billion from the Reconnecting Communities program—including funding already promised to local projects—this moment demands that we keep pushing forward.

Communities can still work at the local and state levels to repair the harm. Our second year of the Community Connectors program will help cities and community-based organizations plan and implement people-centered road redesigns, such as Complete Streets and quick builds, as well as strengthen relationships between city leaders and community members.

We’re seeking three teams from cities with populations between 50,000 and 500,000 to join a yearlong cohort (Sept 2025–June 2026) focused on transforming divisive or dangerous arterial roads. Each team—which must be made up of a local government and a community-based organization—will receive:

• $25,000 to implement a temporary safety demonstration project,
• Up to $20,000 in expert design support, and
• Full travel costs to a required in-person convening in fall 2025.
  

Don’t miss an opportunity to join a peer learning cohort and gain hands-on experience making people-centered, equity-driven changes, setting the stage for longer-term transformation.

Applications are due by August 31, 2025. Click here to apply.