Technical Assistance
Call for Planning Assistance and Project Ideas
NMCOG’s Technical Assistance Program is a funding program that enables and assists our nine communities in creating plans and implementing projects; this year, the program is augmented by federal funding to help our communities identify, apply for, and administer grants.
Submit your ideas here by November 30, 2023 for priority consideration!
What’s New This Year
NMCOG’s work is funded through a variety of sources: state and federal funding, community assessments, and grant programs. This year, we invite our communities to submit their project ideas using a simplified form. We will work with project contacts to develop a scope of work and schedule that meets the requirements of a particular funding source.
The intent of this approach is to simplify the application process for our communities while providing us with insight into the breadth of assistance that our communities need. Additionally, through this collaborative approach, our staff may be able to identify additional funding sources for projects beyond NMCOG’s available funding and help our communities align projects with regional, state, and federal goals.
Project Categories
Ideas for assistance may range from requests to identifying and applying for state or federal grant funding to technical assistance with specific planning projects. Projects can be requested by specific individual communities, a collaboration between two or more communities, or on a regional level. Examples of potential projects include, but are not limited to, ideas listed below:
Connecting Communities with Funding
Identification and understanding of top project priorities
Research, assessment, and identification of federal, state, and other funding opportunities
Review of grant application guidelines and preparation of applications and/or identification of specialty skills needed (e.g. specialized technical assessment, engineering, cost benefit analysis)
Assessment of municipal grant reporting capacity and determination if assistance is needed
Providing Direct Technical Assistance
Open Space and Recreation Plans
Housing Production Plans
Data collection and analysis
Brownfields site analysis
Energy and climate resiliency plans
Open Streets project study and implementation
Neighborhood or district plans
Economic development planning
Planning for MBTA Communities compliance
Public engagement and outreach
Mobility planning
Requests for technical assistance should align with the Community Compact program and standard planning areas of work: housing, economic development, climate resilience, mobility, historic preservation, land use, comprehensive planning, and public engagement.
If your community has a request for a project that requires expertise beyond NMCOG staff capacity, NMCOG will endeavor to connect you with outside resources to support that request.
Timing / Schedule
For priority consideration, please submit your project requests by November 30, 2023. A NMCOG staff member will reach out to the project contact to schedule a call to discuss project goals, scope, timeline, and funding.
Requests received after November 30, 2023 will be evaluated on a rolling basis and as funding remains available. In some cases, NMCOG staff may be able to identify and assist communities in applying for outside funding sources to complete a project.
Next Steps
Please use this online form to apply for assistance. After submitting an application, a NMCOG staff member will reach out within three business days to set up a call to discuss the project in greater detail.
About NMCOG Technical Assistance
NMCOG provides technical assistance to its nine member communities through the agency's transportation program, under the District Local Technical Assistance (DLTA) program, or through other state, regional and local contracts and programs. NMCOG staff serve as the Sealer of Weights and Measures for the communities of Billerica, Chelmsford, Dracut, Littleton, Lowell, Tewksbury and Westford. In addition, NMCOG GIS provides technical assistance in parcel mapping, data collection, aerial imagery acquisition, and other GIS-related services.