The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) Discretionary Grants Dashboard provides communities with an overview of discretionary grant opportunities that can help meet their transportation infrastructure needs. The Dashboard also includes Federal grant programs outside of USDOT that may be of particular interest to rural communities. The below list spotlights just a few of the currently open funding opportunities – visit the Grants Dashboard to find more or check out the Key Notices of Funding Opportunity calendar of open and upcoming grant opportunities!
OPENING SOON: The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program will begin accepting submissions at 11:00 am PT on August 14, 2023. The NOFO combines two years of funding (Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023), $3.4 million in total, to provide grants to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Individual awards will range in value up to the statutory limit of $360,000. As part of the Administration’s commitment to advancing equity and opportunity for all American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program will set aside up to $800,000 for each fiscal year for Tribal applicants. The Build America Bureau has created a simple, four-page funding application, available here. USDOT is hosting an informational webinar on July 20th at 12:00 pm PT – register here to attend. Find the slides and recording from a previous webinar here.
Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program
USDOT has released the Fiscal Year 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Program, with up to $3.16 billion available for planning and construction projects. Applications are due by 8:59 p.m. PT on September 28, 2023.
This RCN NOFO is a combination of two major discretionary grant opportunities: The Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Programs. USDOT has combined these two programs into a single NOFO to provide a more efficient application process for project sponsors. While they remain separate programs for the purposes of award, the programs share many common characteristics, including:
- Prioritizing disadvantaged communities,
- Aiming to improve access to daily destinations such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, and recreation,
- Fostering equitable development and restoration, and
- Reconnecting communities by removing, retrofitting, mitigating, or replacing highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access, or economic development
Under the combined RCN Program, USDOT is offering three grant types: Community Planning Grants, Capital Construction Grants, and Regional Partnerships Challenge Grants. USDOT will host an “Interested in Applying?” webinar for prospective applicants on Tuesday, July 11th from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm PT. There is no need to register – simply use the appropriate webinar link at the designated time. The webinar will also be recorded and posted on the RCN website along with the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and additional information on eligibility, application and submission processes, and evaluation criteria.
FY2023 Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program to Support Major Transportation Projects in Urban, Tribal, and Rural Areas
USDOT is now taking applications for up to $5.575 billion in funding for projects of regional or national significance. This funding supports three major discretionary grant programs that involve surface transportation projects designed to strengthen supply chains, spur economic development, and improve safety and daily life. Applications for funding through the Rural, INFRA, and Mega grants are being solicited together under a single opportunity titled the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant program. The deadline for applications is 8:59 pm PT on August 21, 2023, Applicants may find the NOFO, Frequently Asked Questions, and other helpful resources here.
Available funding includes:
- $1.8 billion for the National Infrastructure Project Assistance (Mega) program: The Mega program supports large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and are likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits. Eligible projects could include highway, bridge, freight, port, passenger rail, and public transportation projects of national or regional significance.
- $3.1 billion for the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program: The INFRA program awards competitive grants to multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, accessibility, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas. Eligible projects will improve safety, generate economic benefits, reduce congestion, enhance resiliency, and hold the greatest promise to eliminate supply chain bottlenecks and improve critical freight movements.
- $675 million for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant (Rural) program: The Rural program supports projects that improve and expand our nation’s surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas in order to increase connectivity, improve the safety and reliability of the movement of people and freight, and generate regional economic growth and improve quality of life. Eligible projects for Rural grants include highway, bridge, and tunnel projects that help improve freight, safety, and provide or increase access to agricultural, commercial, energy, or transportation facilities that support the economy of a rural area. 90% of rural funding must be awarded in $25 million or greater amounts.