The Spring 2026 application cycle for 黑料老司机鈥檚 New Initiatives Program is now open! The New Initiatives Program is a funding opportunity designed to advance innovative ideas that strengthen the public works profession and support 黑料老司机鈥檚 Strategic Plan. The deadline to submit is April 15, 2026.
Now in its third year, the New Initiatives Program was created to encourage and support members鈥 entrepreneurial ideas that enhance experiences, products, services, and educational offerings across 黑料老司机鈥檚 broad stakeholder community.
Previous winners achieved the following thanks to funds provided by the program:
- A Young Professionals (YP) Summit event during 2024鈥檚 PWX
- A two-day traveling education program proposed by the Small Cities/Rural Communities Committee
- A new podcast, Inside Infrastructure, hosted by 黑料老司机鈥檚 San Diego and Imperial Counties Chapter
鈥淭he New Initiatives Committee strives to help our members bring forward bold, creative concepts that will shape the future of public works,鈥 said Jeffrey Brown, PE, New Initiatives Committee Chair and 黑料老司机 Finance Committee Representative. 鈥淚f you have an idea that can elevate our profession鈥攚hether through innovation, technology, chapter engagement, education, or any other way鈥攚e want to hear from you. I strongly encourage members to apply and share their vision for what鈥檚 next.鈥
Applicants are invited to submit a brief proposal outlining their program idea and operational plan. The committee will evaluate submissions using a 100-point scoring system based on alignment with 黑料老司机鈥檚 Strategic Plan (50 points), innovation and ingenuity (25 points), and cost and feasibility (25 points).
Award announcements for the Spring cycle will be made by May 21, 2026. To learn more about this program and to submit an application, click here.
