Regional Planning Commission Of Greater Birmingham

Regional Planning Commission Of Greater Birmingham, a U.S. local government entity and council of governments headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, serves as the prime recipient of federal grants for regional transportation planning, specialized mobility services for seniors and individuals with disabilities, economic development strategy, and brownfields assessment across a six-county area in central Alabama (Blount, Chilton, Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair, and Walker counties).

RPCGB operates exclusively as a grant recipient with no federal contract prime or subcontractor footprint. The organization's grant portfolio spans six federal agencies, with the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) dominating the award count. ARC accounts for 21 of 44 total awards, concentrated in local economic development (LED) administrative grants and community revitalization funding under CFDA 23.002; FTA accounts for 11 awards focused on mobility services and planning. The Economic Development Administration, Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, and the Department of Transportation's Immediate Office of the Secretary round out the customer set, collectively covering 98% of awards.

RPCGB's capability portfolio centers on three substantive areas. First, specialized transportation services for vulnerable populations: the organization serves as the designated recipient and pass-through for Enhanced Mobility of Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities grants (CFDA 20.513), with recent awards including a $2.9 million formula grant (April 2026) and a $2.86 million formula grant (August 2025) providing capital and operating assistance for vehicle acquisition, GPS systems, bus cameras, preventive maintenance, and purchased transportation services distributed to subrecipients including Clastran, Kid One, Travelers Aid, United Ability, and Glenwood. Second, regional transportation planning and land-use studies: a $1.1 million FTA grant (September 2022, extending through March 2030) funds transportation and land-use planning to connect persistently impoverished Birmingham-area residents to jobs and services, with consultant-led study activities and RPCGB internal data collection and mapping work. A $1.49 million SMART Grants award (July 2023) supports development of a Regional Mobility Engine prototype, a cloud-based platform to consolidate transit operations and traffic data across the region. Third, regional economic and community development: an $840,000 EDA grant (January 2023) supports Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) development for the six-county region; a $100,000 ARC community revitalization grant (October 2023) funds transportation, economic development, and infrastructure planning; and a $500,000 EPA brownfields assessment cooperative agreement (July 2022) conducts environmental site assessments and cleanup planning across the region.

Award activity has declined materially since 2023: RPCGB received seven awards in both 2022 and 2023, one award in 2024, two in 2025, and one in 2026 year-to-date. The organization's combined obligated dollars across all 44 awards total $32.6 million. Recent grant awards through 2033 signal continued FTA mobility services funding, but the trajectory suggests tightening pipeline in planning and development grant categories. The organization distributes capital and operational funding to multiple transportation and human services subrecipients across the region, functioning as the regional planning authority and transit-planning focal point for federal agencies.