Main Spotlight: A Call to Close the Civic Infrastructure Gap

Civic infrastructure — a system of places of gathering like parks, libraries, main streets, trails, plazas, and community centers — is foundational for healthy, safe, and prosperous communities. Numerous studies have shown that these shared places spark local economic activity, foster human connection across differences, and build the trust that can support a flourishing democracy.

Yet despite ongoing and clear evidence of its impact, civic infrastructure has never been treated by the federal government as essential infrastructure. Unlike roads, bridges, or airports, it remains chronically underfunded, and funding for it is scattered across agencies. In addition, programs and policies are often governed by inflexible rules and procedures that make it difficult for local leaders to get the investment they need to deliver for their communities. Recent shifts in federal policy — from funding cuts to delays and our current shutdown — further elevate the critical role that federal support plays in creating the fabric of our communities.

Creating a flexible and supportive federal approach to civic infrastructure is why a number of organizations formed Percent for Place, a national coalition dedicated to elevating civic infrastructure as a public good. Incubated by Reimagining the Civic Commons and Main Street America in 2021, the coalition has since grown to more than 30 organizations, all of which have committed to asking the federal government to allocate a small, ongoing share of spending on civic infrastructure and to reform regulatory barriers and patchwork approaches to investment. 

How Federal Support Falls Short

Percent for Place has identified three major obstacles to long-term, stable federal support for civic infrastructure projects in diverse American communities: fragmented federal programs, chronic underfunding, and inflexible rules and requirements. All of these obstacles make supporting local civic infrastructure projects difficult, especially given that local projects often rely on federal investment as a piece of the funding mix needed to actually deliver projects. 
This scattered support and inflexible programmatic rules make accessing and applying for federal funding difficult in three ways: 

Communities must apply for funding across different programs: There are at least 17 federal programs across seven agencies that can be used to fund civic infrastructure, but none of these programs have civic infrastructure as their primary focus. Local community leaders seeking to fund civic infrastructure have to adapt their project plans to fit into the goals of an eligible program, whether that program lies in agencies like HUD, the EPA, or USDOT. With funding siloed across different departments with different priorities, leaders must apply across multiple federal, state, and regional grants and loan programs just to support a single civic infrastructure initiative, leading to inefficiencies and delays.

There is not enough federal funding for civic infrastructure: In fiscal year 2025, the federal government spent less than 0.4% of all discretionary spending to support civic infrastructure. This amount pales in comparison to the unmet needs of civic infrastructure of local communities — a deficit that the Kinder Institute estimated was more than $12 billion nationwide in 2020, and that has likely grown since.

Inflexible rules and requirements drive inefficiency: Civic infrastructure takes many forms, and each local community tailors their civic infrastructure projects to meet local needs. Yet at the federal level, communities applying to agency funding programs often encounter rigid rules and narrow reporting requirements that make accessing that funding unnecessarily complex. In addition, federal programs typically prioritize outcomes that are far afield from what civic infrastructure can do, instead of the outcomes that civic infrastructure actually delivers (think greater trust or improved economic mobility). The result: inefficiency and red tape, and staff spending their scarce time navigating bureaucracy rather than delivering projects.

This system is particularly hard for small and rural communities, which have fewer staff to navigate the system, and often have to piece together multiple funding applications, reviews, and reporting requirements just to deliver a single park, library, or trail.

Americans Support Civic Infrastructure 

It is becoming more clear that civic infrastructure is not just a ​“nice to have amenity” — it’s a proven driver of solutions to the local issues that matter most to communities. Research has shown that civic infrastructure can reduce violent crime, improve disaster resilience, strengthen the social capital that supports upward economic mobility and improve mental health and combat loneliness. These far-reaching impacts are reason enough for the federal government to have a dedicated civic infrastructure agenda. 

Everyday Americans are also beginning to recognize the value of civic infrastructure. Recent surveys and studies show that 95% believe libraries give everyone a chance to succeed; 85% say parks are a key factor in where they choose to live. The average Main Street attracts more than 200,000 unique visitors every year. Increasingly, everyday Americans are using their votes and wallets to support funding and greater investment in civic infrastructure in their own communities. 

A New Federal Approach 

In its policy paper, Percent for Place proposes a comprehensive federal agenda designed to close the civic infrastructure gap and align national investment with community needs. This approach would prioritize flexible, locally-driven strategies that empower communities and residents to define success and tailor projects to their specific context.
To replace the current patchwork of siloed programs, the agenda calls for strengthened interagency collaboration under the leadership of a designated coordinating body. It recommends the establishment of a dedicated civic infrastructure fund, which would pool resources across federal agencies in order to provide communities with consistent, accessible streams of support.

The agenda also calls for expanding the way federal programs evaluate civic infrastructure project success, moving to a system that is grounded in proven, real-world outcomes, including strengthened social trust, improved health, enhanced public safety, and expanded economic mobility. 

Finally, the Percent for Place agenda emphasizes the need for long-term funding stability through durable funding commitments, regulatory reforms that streamline delivery of funds, and equitable eligibility criteria that ensure rural, suburban, and urban communities — all of which benefit from sustained federal investment that is rooted in local contexts.

A Call to Action

Across the country, more and more communities are demonstrating that civic infrastructure is not an afterthought — it is a proven solution for prosperous and healthy communities. These benefits give the federal government, which works on behalf of the well-being of all Americans, a mandate and authority to invest more deeply in civic infrastructure.
The Percent for Place coalition believes now is the moment to reimagine civic infrastructure policy and funding for the long term. A federal civic infrastructure strategy that is flexible, systemic, and sustained can support rural, suburban, and urban communities alike. It’s time to close the civic infrastructure gap — and unlock the health, safety, trust, and prosperity that every American community deserves.

To read the policy paper or join the coalition, please visit the Percent for Place coalition website.

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Downtown Decorations, a Main Street America Allied Member, is this quarter’s Main Spotlight advertiser. For more information about what they do to support Main Street organizations, click here.