Bad news first: Kansas City, Mo., did not win $50 million in Smart City grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Vulcan Inc. That honor goes to Columbus, Ohio, media there are reporting.

But hope isn’t completely lost.

The Transportation Department says it’s going to continue working with Kansas City and the other Smart City finalists. The agency will look for other federal resources to assist these communities make their proposals reality. Vulcan Inc., a company operated by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, will help out, too.

“Each of our finalist cities has demonstrated incredible vision and creativity in developing meaningful plans to use technology to improve the lives of their citizens and create a truly smart city,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.

“There has been a remarkable spirit of cooperation as these cities moved through the competition, and working together with our partners, we are excited to help empower all seven finalists to move forward in creating smart cities.”

What will that help look like?

• Vulcan Inc. is going to recruit other philanthropists who would be willing to back climate and electrification projects in each finalist’s city.
• Homeland Security’s science and technology division will consult on resiliency and disaster response projects.
• The Energy Department will offer advice on data management, transportation analysis and modeling, and other areas of expertise.
• The National Institute of Standards and Technology will try to build connections between cities, so they can share their research and best practices.

Want to take a look at what Kansas City proposed? Check out this video. The vision included autonomous shuttles at the airport, a network of sensors and other advances.