USDOT Technical Assistance, Resources, & Funding Opportunities

USDOT Technical Assistance Spotlight
• The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is hosting its next Equity in Roadway Safety webinar on May 22, 2024 from 10:00am – 12:00pm PT, focused on equitable data analysis. The session on Roadway Safety for People Experiencing Homelessness, initially scheduled for July 24, 2024, has been rescheduled for September 4, 2024 at 10:00am – 12:00pm PT. If you had registered for the July session, you will need to re-register to attend the webinar in September. Visit the website for more information and registration details, and past recordings of webinars such as Tools for Equitable Design.

Register here for:
May 22, 2024 webinar
September 4, 2024 webinar


• DOT’s Climate Change Center hosted a webinar on Intermodal Freight Decarbonization on April 26, 2024 – find the webinar recording here (passcode: 2fDVUj..) and webinar slides here. The next Climate Change Center webinar is on May 30, 2024 at 10:00 – 11:30am PT and focuses on climate adaptation and resilience in transportation. Register for this and other future U.S. DOT Climate Change Center 2024 webinars.

• DOT is hosting a second training on Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-making on June 14, 2024 at 9:00am – 12:00pm PT. Facilitated by DOT Civil Rights specialists, this training will introduce key Civil Rights principles, including Title VI, and draw from examples that address Civil Rights compliance in the transportation decision-making process. The training will also provide an overview of key public involvement concepts, approaches, and strategies from DOT’s Promising Practices for Meaningful Public Involvement in Transportation Decision-Making. The training has limited capacity and registration is required to attend – not all requests will be accommodated if registration exceeds capacity.
Register for the training!

• DOT’s Modernizing NEPA Challenge is intended to showcase how interactive and collaborative web-based tools can make National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents more accessible and transparent to the public, while also saving time in the review process. DOT is accepting submissions across two categories: 1) Public-Facing Interactive Documents and 2) Interagency Collaborative Tools and Documents. All submissions must be made through the “Apply for this Challenge” in the above website by Monday, July 15, 2024 at 2:00pm PT.

• DOT announced a final rule updating the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 (Uniform Act) regulation. The Uniform Act provides protections and assistance for people affected by federally-funded projects. The final rule includes equity considerations, including raising the benefit levels to account for inflation, provides new authority to ensure future benefit levels are adjusted expeditiously, and improves benefits and services for displaced individuals to advance the Administration’s equity goals.

• FHWA published the case study, “Using Public Engagement to Respond to Community Needs and Priorities: Rethinking I-94 and Reconnecting Communities in the Twin Cities.” The study highlights Phase 1 of the Rethinking I-94 project by the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) to improve community engagement and relationships, and ensure future transportation projects and investments equitably support communities previously divided by I-94 between Minnesota and St. Paul, Missouri. Rethinking I-94 establishes a livability framework addressing community input related to connectivity, equity, health and environment, public safety, and the establishment or reestablishment of trust between the agency and the community.

• DOT’s Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization (OSDBU) launched the U.S. DOT Connect to Capital as a component of a new comprehensive Access to Capital Initiative to help small businesses increase access to private equity capital investors. Learn more about the Connect to Capital initiative.

Upcoming USDOT Funding Resources and Opportunities
The 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 DOT that may be of particular interest to rural communities. The list below spotlights just a few of the currently open funding opportunities – visit the Grants Dashboard to find more or check out the calendar of open and upcoming grant opportunities!

New and Notable
• On May 13, 2024, DOT announced that it is accepting applications for the third year of its Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. Through this SMART Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), USDOT will accept applications for Stage 1 Planning and Prototyping grants. Later this year, recipients of Stage 1 grants will be eligible to expand their projects through the first of several Stage 2 grant opportunities. Applications are due July 12, 2024 at 2:00pm PT. For more information on applying, see the resources under How to Apply. A webinar on How to Apply for the FY 2024 Stage 1 SMART Grant NOFO will be held on May 28, 2024 at 10:00am PTregister for the webinar. A recording will be made available after the webinar.

• FHWA opened the Transportation Access Pilot Program to potential participants including States, MPOs, and regional transportation planning organizations. The program will allow FHWA to support transportation agencies as they develop accessibility data and define methods of analysis to incorporate access into the transportation planning process. To be considered for round one of the program, a letter of interest must be submitted by June 7, 2024. View eligibility and application requirements.

Closing Soon!
• The final deadline for Planning and Demonstration Grant applications is Thursday, August 29, 2024 at 2:00pn PT. Late applications will not be accepted. Applications must be submitted through Valid Eval. For more information, please visit the How to Apply page of the Safe Streets 4 All (SS4A) website. Applicants are encouraged to review the NOFO amendment, published on April 16, 2024, for the latest updates on the SS4A FY 2024 funding opportunity. A final round of questions and answers is now available on the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page of the SS4A website. New FAQs as of April 1, 2024, can be found by searching for *NEW* in the title.

Other Grant Opportunities
Closing in May

• FHWA’s Office of Freight Management and Operations is accepting applications for its new Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC). The application deadline for the program is May 27, 2024. The purpose of the program is to test the feasibility of a road usage fee and other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms to help maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund. The primary goal of the program is to fund pilot projects that develop feasibility research, tests, evaluations, or deployment of a road usage fee and other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms.

Closing in June
• FHWA’s Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program aims at lowering air pollution, specifically greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), through reimbursement and incentive funding for low carbon construction materials and products used in transportation. States can refer to the Request for Applications (RFA) for State Departments of Transportation page for application information and program details. Applications are due June 10, 2024. A Frequently Asked Questions for the State RFA will be posted soon.

• FHWA is accepting applications for up to $44.5 million in funding for projects that will strengthen safety and improve bicycling, walking and access to public transit in communities across the country. FHWA’s new Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) is a competitive grant program that focuses on building networks of connected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements, including how to better connect trail networks between communities. The funding is available for states, local and Tribal governments, as well as metropolitan and regional planning organizations, and applicants can apply for more than one grant. Applications are due June 17, 2024.

• The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is accepting applications for $316 million to support and modernize passenger ferry service in communities across the country. Funding is available for the Passenger Ferry Program ($51 million), the Electric or Low Emitting Ferry Program ($49 million), and the Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program ($216 million). Find more information on the FTA website. Applications are due via grants.gov by June 17, 2024.

In preparing your application for any of the above programs, be sure to read the specific Notice of Funding Opportunity and related program materials to ensure your project and organization are eligible and you are meeting other program/application requirements. General information to help prepare for DOT applications can also be found on the DOT Navigator, including the Discretionary Grant Preparation Checklist for Prospective Applicants.

Non-USDOT Capacity Building Resources and Opportunities
With the goal of passing along outside resources specifically designed to build local capacity, especially for disadvantaged urban, rural, and tribal communities, to successfully develop transportation projects and funding applications, the DOT Navigator Bulletin includes opportunities that have been shared with the Department. Their inclusion does not indicate USDOT endorsement.

• Smart Growth America developed the case study, “Benefits of Complete Streets: Monroe, Louisiana.” The case study focused on Monroe’s adoption of Complete Streets principles to redesign an arterial road linking historically disadvantaged communities to its downtown and making the city safer for walking, biking, and rolling. City staff used Smart Growth America’s Measuring the Benefits of Complete Streets tool to quantify the impacts of widening sidewalks, installing separated bicycle tracks and high-visibility crosswalks, and improving transit amenities. The tool is a resource to better understand how Complete Streets projects affect the health, safety, environment, and economy of communities.

• Smart Growth America and CityHealth published the “Complete Streets Policy Action Guide” to provide local policymakers with a step-by-step resource to create or improve policies promoting streets that are safe, comfortable, and convenient for all users. The resource provides a process and a checklist to develop effective Complete Streets policies that make walking, cycling, rolling, and transit safe and comfortable modes of transportation. Smart Growth America’s policy atlas inventories 1,700 Complete Street resolutions, policies, laws, taxes, and design guides enacted across U.S. jurisdictions.

• The U.S. Housing and Urban Development Agency (HUD) published the guide, “Resilient Transportation and Mobility Solutions,” to help communities implement safe active transportation and multimodal improvements to decarbonize their transportation systems. The guide highlights three types of improvements: Complete Streets, trails and greenways, and mobility hubs. The guide also has information about Federal funding sources available, informational resources, and current case studies. The publication is part of the work HUD supports for the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization.

Popular USDOT Navigator Grant Application Resources
Understanding Non-Federal Match Requirements
Grant Application Checklist for a Strong Transportation Workforce and Labor Plan
Checklist for a Strong Climate Change Mitigation, Adaptation and Resilience Grant Application
Federal Tools to Determine Disadvantaged Community Status
What Is a Benefit-Cost Analysis (BCA)?
Use of DOT Funds for Public Involvement

If you have information or resources you would like to be considered for inclusion in future USDOT Navigator biweekly bulletins, reach out to USDOTAssist@dot.gov.
Click the link below to join the listserv or visit the USDOT Navigator to find information and resources on applying for USDOT grants and planning for and delivering transformative infrastructure projects and services.
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