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Last week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $3.33 billion in grant awards for 132 projects through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) Grant Program as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. The funding is aimed at reconnecting communities that were cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving entire neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity, like schools, jobs, medical offices, and places of worship. The Department has created a Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Virtual Story Map that spotlights the stories of four communities (Atlanta, Columbus, Philadelphia and Portland), the historic context for the program, and the future it seeks through funding the reconnection of communities. View all of the FY 2023 RCN awards in the full screen map here.
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U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced more than $50 million in grant awards for 34 technology demonstration projects across the country through the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program. The competitive grant program, established by President Biden’s historic Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, provides $500 million over five years for State, local, and Tribal governments to leverage advances in technology to create safer, more efficient, and more innovative transportation systems.
- As job opportunities continue to grow alongside the transportation industry’s transition to electric vehicles (EVs), the Joint Office has launched a new webpage on workforce development. This new platform contains resources to support workforce development activities for an electrified transportation system, making it easier for your community to plan and execute a clean energy future. The Joint Office recently hosted a webinar discussing workforce training programs, job creation, and local and economic hiring preferences in the transition to electrified transportation.
- As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s work to build out a convenient, reliable, and made-in-America national network of EV chargers, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has posted a Request for Information (RFI) to solicit feedback from stakeholders on updating FHWA’s minimum standards and requirements for EV charging stations to allow for new technology and continued innovation. Responses are due by April 5, 2024.
Upcoming Events
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On March 25 from 2:30-4:00 p.m. ET, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and the DOT Climate Change Center are co-hosting a webinar to educate State, regional, Tribal, and local decisionmakers and other stakeholders on how transit-oriented development (TOD) can be a transportation decarbonization strategy. Participants will hear success stories and learn about opportunities to receive federal funding for TOD projects. The webinar will highlight a Choice Neighborhoods project in Norfolk, VA as well as the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG)’s Section 108 Loan Guarantee Program. Registration is now open. This session is a part of the DOT Climate Change Center’s 2024 Webinar Series on climate change and transportation topics, ranging from greenhouse gas reduction strategies to climate resilience activities to research and technology advancements.
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The National Center for Applied Transit Technology, sponsored by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), is hosting free virtual workshops for transit agency staff with minimal experience in geographic information systems (GIS). The workshop will include three virtual half-day sessions, each from 1:30-4:30 p.m. ET, on March 26, 27, and 28. Topics include an introduction to GIS, route and system mapping, and conducting ridership and market analyses. AICP credits will be provided, and priority is given to small-urban, rural, and tribal transit agencies. Register here for a workshop.
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Registration is now open for the National Rural Technical Assistance Program (RTAP)’s “Rural and Tribal Transit Training - Capital Projects” on April 22-24 in Spokane, WA. This free workshop provides a thorough overview of the capital project development process for small rural and Tribal transit providers and offers guidance to those who are taking on sizable construction projects despite limited prior experience. RTAP is a technical assistance center sponsored by FTA.
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There is still time to register for the 2024 Equity in Roadway Safety webinar series. These webinars will feature noteworthy tools and strategies that can support your agency in making progress towards closing disparities in traffic fatalities and serious injuries to reach zero deaths. FHWA will be supporting opportunities for professional development certifications. The 2024 series includes the following events (all sessions are scheduled for 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET):
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March 27, 2024 - Tools and Strategies for Equitable Design
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May 22, 2024 - Equitable Data Analysis
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July 24, 2024 - Roadway Safety for People Experiencing Homelessness
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 below list 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!
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FHWA announced today that it has opened 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), made possible by the President’s Investing in America Agenda, is a competitive grant program that will focus on building networks of connected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure improvements, including to better connect trail networks between communities. As part of the program, FHWA will award competitive grants to help communities plan, design, or construct safe and connected active transportation networks such as sidewalks, bikeways, and trails that connect destinations such as schools, workplaces, residences, businesses, recreation areas and medical facilities within a community or metropolitan region. Grants will also be provided for projects used for trails, pedestrian facilities, bikeways and other routes that serve as backbones to connect two or more communities, metropolitan regions or states. 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. FHWA is hosting two informational webinars – register for the April 9 webinar or the April 10 webinar for Tribal nations. Applications are due by June 17, 2024.
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DOT's Build America Bureau released a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a new program authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law: the Innovative Finance and Asset Concession Grant Program. This program makes $100 million available over five years to assist public entities in facilitating and evaluating public-private partnerships and exploring innovative financing and delivery opportunities for Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) eligible projects. The NOFO allocates funds for fiscal years 2022, 2023, and 2024, totaling $57.72 million in available grant funding. Applications are due May 10, 2024. Two types of grants will be available:
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Technical Assistance Grants will be awarded to build organizational capacity to develop, review, or enter into asset concessions to advance TIFIA-eligible projects. Register for the Technical Assistance Grants webinar on March 21 at 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET.
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Expert Services Grants will be awarded for project development of identified assets, including hiring professional services to explore opportunities for leverage. Applicants can seek either type of grant but must choose one for this round of funding. Grants up to $2 million are available, with the first million requiring no local match. Register for the Expert Services Grants webinar on March 21 at 2:30-3:30 p.m. ET.
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FHWA launched the Low Carbon Transportation Materials Program, which is aimed at lowering air pollution, specifically greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), through reimbursement and incentive funding for low carbon construction materials and products used in transportation. FHWA is making $1.2 billion available to States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico through a Request for Applications (RFA) to fund activities and projects that reduce pollution, including carbon emissions, through the use of low-embodied carbon materials and products. States can refer to the Request for Applications (RFA) for State Departments of Transportation page for application information and program details. Applications are due by June 10, 2024. A Frequently Asked Questions for the State RFA will be posted soon. Later this year, FHWA will also make $800 million available to target non-state applicants, including cities, Tribes, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, and other agencies through a NOFO.
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DOT’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) published a $450 million NOFO for the Federal Fiscal Year 2024 Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP). PIDP grants support efforts by ports and industry stakeholders to improve port and related freight infrastructure to meet the nation’s freight transportation needs and ensure port infrastructure can meet anticipated growth in freight volumes. The PIDP provides funding to ports in both urban and rural areas for planning and capital projects. Funds for the PIDP are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that improve the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around, or within a port. View the PIDP NOFO. Applications are due by May 10, 2024.
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The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program is accepting applications in response to its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 NOFO. The FY24 SS4A NOFO has multiple application deadlines depending on the grant type. Implementation Grant applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 16, 2024. Planning and Demonstration Grant applicants have three deadlines: April 4, May 16, and August 29, 2024 (by 5:00 p.m. ET). A number of webinars have been held to provide more information; the presentation slides and webinar recordings are posted on the SS4A Webinar Series page.
Other Grant Opportunities
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Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) is making more than $180 million in grants across four different programs to promote roadway safety. These grants, part of the funding included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, are open to State, territorial, and Tribal organizations; local jurisdictions; academic institutions; and other training programs and entities to promote commercial motor vehicle (CMV) safety-related activities. Grant applications for the fiscal year 2024 cycle are due by 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday, April 19, 2024. The full NOFO can be found at grants.gov. Details regarding funding amounts, application requirements, and applicant and project eligibility can be found on FMCSA’s Grants website. (For those new to Grants.gov check out this DOT Navigator page with helpful tips).
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FHWA is accepting applications for its $250 million Congestion Relief Program, which offers competitive grants to advance innovative, multimodal solutions to reduce vehicular traffic in the most congested metropolitan areas of the United States. The Congestion Relief Program is accepting applications for the first round through a NOFO that provides $150 million in grants for fiscal years 2022, 2023 and 2024. The grants are available to States, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, cities, and municipalities for projects in urban areas with a population of at least one million. Applications are due by April 22, 2024.
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FTA is accepting applications for its $1.5 billion FY 2024 Low- or No-Emission Program to support state and local efforts to buy or modernize buses, improve bus facilities, and support workforce development. The funding opportunity will advance FTA’s priorities of strengthening U.S. bus manufacturing, containing vehicle costs, and accelerating the delivery of new vehicles. The opportunity introduces streamlined application requirements for tribes requesting less than $1 million, making it easier for tribes with relatively small requests to apply. Applications are due by April 25, 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.
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.
- HUD has announced the Preservation and Reinvestment Initiative for Community Enhancement (PRICE) NOFO to provide $225 million in funding for communities across the country to preserve and revitalize manufactured housing units and eligible manufactured housing communities (MHCs). This grant competition is first-of-its-kind and builds on HUD’s recent actions to support residents of manufactured housing. Of the $225 million available in PRICE funding, $200 million is reserved for the main PRICE competition (PRICE Main), of which at least $10 million is intended for Indian Tribes or Tribally Designated Housing Entities and Tribal organizations, and $25 million is reserved for a pilot program (PRICE Replacement Pilot) to assist in the redevelopment of manufactured housing communities as affordable replacement housing. The PRICE NOFO can be viewed here. HUD is hosting a series of program information webinars now through the end of April to provide more information about this funding opportunity. The application due date is June 5, 2024.
- The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s $3 billion Clean Ports Program funds zero-emission port equipment and infrastructure as well as climate and air quality planning at U.S. ports. The Clean Ports Program includes two separate funding opportunities: the Zero-Emission Technology Deployment Competition and the Climate and Air Quality Planning Competition. The two NOFOs will be used to fund approximately $2.8 billion in zero-emission technology deployment at ports, as well as approximately $150 million for climate and air quality planning. Both NOFOs are open now until the application deadline at 11:59 p.m. on May 28, 2024. EPA anticipates notifying selectees by September 2024 and awarding the grants by December 2024.
- The next webinar in HUD’s Community Disaster Preparedness Webinar Series will provide comprehensive guidance on how to establish a compliant tiered environmental review process and a deeper understanding of tiering specifically for Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grantees implementing a disaster recovery homeowner rehabilitation program. Specifically, the webinar will focus on the Tiered Environmental Review: Disaster Recovery Homeowner Rehabilitation Program and will be held on March 26 at 1:30-3:30 p.m. ET. View all webinars in this series on the Community Disaster Preparedness Webinar Series page.
- The National League of Cities (NLC) has released a new resource, the Civic Mapping Initiative, to help local governments and transit planners identify opportunities for improving public transit access to critical civic infrastructure and resources. The Civic Mapping Initiative offers easily navigable maps that allow local policymakers to measure the proximity of local transit stops to public services such as Head Start centers and community colleges so that access can be improved where needed.
- Bloomberg Cities published a short piece and audio clip entitled “Winning local strategies for capitalizing on federal dollars” that offers insights on successful efforts by local governments to secure federal infrastructure funding.
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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