Grant Details

The Municipal Assistance Program (MAP) is created to help local governments efficiently and effectively plan and implement a variety of services, improvements, and soundly managed development. MAP funding may be used for four categories of shared service activities:

1. High Impact Projects - These are proposals involving multi-municipal projects that have significant administrative or service impacts for a large geographic area and/or a large population base.
2. Regionalization/Consolidation/Sharing of Services - Grants may be awarded to defer a portion of start-up or service expansion costs associated with groups of two or more municipalities/counties working jointly or cooperatively by intergovernmental agreement in performance of any government function.
3. Boundary Change - Applications for funding for financial analyses, feasibility studies, and public outreach and education programs for locally initiated boundary change activities will receive priority consideration and consideration for a reduced local match.
4. Shared Capacity - Grants may be awarded to defer costs associated with a group of two or more municipalities/counties who seek to create a shared position that will perform specific functions or services for all partners.

MAP funding may be used for three categories of planning activities:

• Community Plans, including but not limited to:
  • Comprehensive plans, including traditional functional elements and non-traditional works such as market analysis, feasibility analysis of development opportunities and scenarios, sustainability assessment, and design concept renderings; and
  • Functional or area plans like economic development plans, redevelopment plans, downtown or neighborhood plans, corridor development plans, etc.
• Plan Implementation, including but not limited to:
  • A zoning, subdivision and land development, or official map ordinance;
  • Development of a regulatory or program tool such as traditional neighborhood development, planned residential development, or transferable development rights;
  • Transportation capital improvements plan and impact fee ordinance;
  • Effort to implement a multimunicipal comprehensive plan under Article XI of the PA Municipalities Planning Code, like a specific plan or tax revenue and fee sharing program;
  • Design guidelines;
  • Advisory guidelines (required by the PA MPC) published by county planning commissions to promote general consistency with an adopted county comprehensive plan;
  • Implementation activities will be given greater consideration for funding if recommended in the adopted comprehensive plan of participating municipality(ies).
• Transit Revitalization Investment District (TRID) Planning Studies, prepared as prescribed by Act 238 of 2004.