San Antonio, Texas – The North American Development Bank (NADBank) has published a request for proposals for grant financing through the CAP for the implementation of critical projects in the water and solid waste sectors in economically distressed communities in the U.S.-Mexico border region.
For communities interested in applying for a grant for their project, NADBank will hold a virtual briefing session on October 25 at 2:00 p.m. (MST) to respond to questions regarding the program guidelines, which include the requirements to apply for financing, as well as filling out the application and the documentation that must be submitted in order to pass into selection process. It should be noted that this briefing is for informational purposes only, and attendance is not required to submit an application.
NADBank will begin accepting project proposals on October 12th and initiate the first selection process based on applications received by January 10, 2024. The selection and prioritization process will be based on factors related to environmental or human health benefits, project readiness, the degree of financial need and the characteristics of the beneficiary community including its vulnerability to environmental justice concerns. Applications can be submitted on a continuous basis and subsequent evaluation and selection activities will occur, at least, once per year.
NADBank will give higher priority to projects aimed at providing first-time access to water or wastewater services to unserved populations and projects that address deteriorated infrastructure resulting in excessive water losses or wastewater spills, as well as projects that employ sustainability measures resulting in water or energy savings in utilities, including the use of renewable energy sources. In the area of solid waste management, projects aimed at the proper closure of dumpsites and the prevention of transboundary environmental impacts will be given the highest priority, as well as projects that provide first-time waste disposal services and promote waste reduction.
Projects must be located within the U.S.-Mexico border region, defined as the area 100 kilometers north (62 miles) of the international boundary in the states of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas, or within 300 kilometers (186 miles) south of the boundary in the states of Baja California, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Sonora and Tamaulipas.
The Program is intended to support projects that may not be affordable without the participation of CAP funding. Project sponsors with the greatest financial need—for example, disadvantaged or underserved communities with a low median household income or with limited or no debt capacity—will be given higher priority. Likewise, priority will be given to emergency infrastructure repairs caused by a natural phenomenon that, if not addressed promptly, could lead to serious environmental or human health effects. Requests for emergency repairs are limited to maximum grant of US$250,000 and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
At least annually and subject to funding availability, NADBank will select a group of applications in order of priority for further consideration in its certification and financing approval process.
All CAP documents, including access to the online application, are available on the NADBank website at the following link: https://www.nadb.org/infrastructure-financing/grants/community-assistance-program-cap
NADBank established the CAP program in 2011 to support critical environmental infrastructure projects for economically distressed communities in the U.S.-Mexico border region. Since its inception, its guidelines have been updated twice, with the most recent update approved by the NADBank Board of Directors in June 2023. To date, a total of 27 water and solid waste projects have been approved to receive US$10.7 million in CAP grants.
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NADBank is a financial institution established and capitalized equally by the governments of Mexico and the United States, with the aim of financing environmental infrastructure projects along their shared border. As a pioneering institution in its field, the Bank works to develop environmentally and financially sustainable projects, with strong community support, within a framework of close collaboration and coordination between the two countries.