With infrastructure topping agendas across the nation, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has announced a slew of grant opportunities for communities to grab a slice of federal funding pie. Among them is the freshly unveiled Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program that pledges $27 million in aid to assist those communities with transportation projects. As highlighted on the MoDOT website, this program requires no matching funds from local entities—a significant barrier often faced by under-resourced areas.
Starting on March 4, applications for the Pilot Program will open, earmarking up to $10 million specifically for Tribal applicants. According to the same announcement, these funds will be distributed on the not so common first-come, first-serve basis—which is sure to set off a race among eligible communities. Supporting the applicants, the USDOT will host a free webinar on January 14, to shed light on the application process.
Other opportunities present themselves through the Build America Bureau, which has issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Regional Infrastructure Accelerators Program worth up to $10 million, designed to kickstart regional transportation projects. And there's more—the Road to Zero Community Traffic Safety Grants beckon organizations championing roadway safety innovations, while the RAISE program backs impactful local and regional infrastructure projects with significant funding.
Yet perhaps the most sprawling of these opportunities is the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program, dealt by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), with a mammoth offering of $876 million funding over two fiscal periods, intended for enhancing the resilience of transportation against the backdrop of an increasingly tempestuous planet.
