Build Kansas Fund reports roughly $110 million mobilized; launches grant-writing assistance program

Matthew, an Infrastructure Hub staff member, updated the State Building Advisory Commission on the Build Kansas Fund’s recent performance, new assistance programs and federal developments that could affect federal grant guidance.

The Kansas Infrastructure Hub announced that the Build Kansas Fund has helped secure about $75 million in federal funding alongside $34.6 million in state match commitments — a combined total of roughly $110 million — and that staff are launching a Grant Application and Administration Assistance Program aimed at small cities (population under 10,000) and counties (under 50,000).

The fund’s role and why it matters

The Build Kansas Fund provides state matching dollars and technical assistance to local applicants pursuing competitive federal grants under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Matthew said the Hub’s approach is additive: state commitments are not disbursed until projects win federal awards.

Matthew also walked the committee through recent federal developments. He said President Trump’s Jan. 20 executive actions rescinded prior implementation guidance for the IIJA and the Inflation Reduction Act but did not rescind funding itself. “That rescission was only a rescission of guidance. It was not a rescission of funding,” Matthew said, noting a subsequent Office of Management and Budget memo clarified that some language in an ‘‘Unleashing American Energy’’ order had been misunderstood and the pause was intended only for EV charging and fueling infrastructure funding.

Recent awards and performance metrics

Matthew listed multiple federal awards that have used Build Kansas Fund match, including a $25 million RAISE/BUILD grant to the Port Authority of Stafford County plus $5 million in Build Kansas support for a transload facility near St. John; railroad crossing planning grants that used Build Kansas funds for Spring Hill ($107,500 state match; $1,720,000 federal) and Liberal ($305,000 state match; about $1,600,000 federal); and three Airport Infrastructure Grants (Emporia, Sabetha and Stanton County) for taxiway improvements that used Build Kansas match.

Matthew said the Hub has approved 68 Build Kansas Fund applications (not counting the three applications for advice on today’s agenda). Of those, 38 have won federal awards, 11 are awaiting federal award notices and 19 were not awarded. That yields an award rate Matthew called ‘‘66 percent.’’ He said the Hub has committed about $34.6 million of Build Kansas funding to awarded projects and that the committed state funds have helped unlock just over $75 million in federal funding, a return-on-investment Matthew summarized as about 219 percent.

Tools, outreach and new assistance program

Matthew showed the committee a public dashboard on the Hub website (kshub.gov) that maps awarded and pending projects across Kansas, tracks sector distribution (transportation, energy, resilience, water) and displays commitments against a $200 million Build Kansas Fund target. He also noted a monthly webinar series on grant education (first Wednesday of each month) and the Kansas Infrastructure Summit scheduled for April 23 in Lindsborg.

To address capacity and competitiveness challenges in small communities, the Hub proposed the Grant Application and Administration Assistance Program. Matthew said the Hub will use $500,000 in HUB operations funding approved last April to help smaller cities and counties hire professional grant writers or pay for administrative assistance for federal applications. The program targets jurisdictions with fewer resources and intends to raise the number of competitive federal submissions from small communities.

Staff said some federal programs are highly oversubscribed; Matthew cited the Active Transportation Infrastructure and Investment Program (ATIIP) as an example that had roughly 350 applications requesting more than $1 billion against $45 million in awards, and he noted five Kansas ATIIP applicants were not selected. Matthew and other staff emphasized that non-awarded state match commitments are recycled back into the Build Kansas Fund for future allocation.

What the commission asked

Commission members asked for clarifications on scope and funding. Senator Patty asked whether Wichita’s interchange project references sidewalks; Matthew confirmed sidewalk and transit-stop improvements were part of that project’s planning scope. Representative Halgorsen and Representative Helgerson questioned the balance of funding across project types, and Matthew said water programs generally have smaller dollar pools than transportation programs and grants are often oversubscribed.

Ending note

Matthew encouraged commission members to consult kshub.gov for program listings, award details and upcoming grant opportunities and noted the Hub continues in‑person outreach across the state. He said staff logged more than 1,000 contacts in the last year and plan regional visits to northwest Kansas communities in the coming month.