The following are USDOT, FTA, and additional resources that may be helpful for potential applicants of the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program (Tribal Transit Program or TTP). 

General Application Resources 

• Applying for FTA Funding 
  • Provides an overview of applying for FTA funding and includes a brief background on FTA’s Transit Award Management System (TrAMS), FTA’s system for awarding and managing grants and cooperative agreements.  
• DOT How to Navigate Grants.gov to Submit Applications 
  • All Federal grant opportunities must be posted through Grants.gov. This page includes tips and guidance on how to navigate Grants.gov. 
• DOT Webinars: Navigating USDOT Funding and Technical Assistance 
  • Webinars hosted by DOT to help potential grant applicants with navigating DOT funding and technical assistance. 

FTA Tribal Resources 

• FTA Tribal Governments 
  • Includes FTA funding opportunities for tribal governments, requirements and resources, Tribal Transit Liaisons, technical assistance, current initiatives, and information on award announcements. 
• FTA Tribal Liaisons 
  • Tribal Liaisons at FTA Regional Offices are available to assist tribal grant recipients. Each FTA Region that serves tribal recipients designates at least one Tribal Transit Liaison. 
• DOT Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) 
  • The ROUTES Initiative supports rural stakeholders through user-friendly tools, information, and direct technical assistance. 
• National Rural Transportation Assistance Program (National RTAP) 
  • National RTAP addresses the training and technical assistance needs of rural and tribal transit programs across the nation and supports state RTAP programs. 

Resources for Administrative and National Policy Requirements 

Buy America

• For Buy America and Domestic Preferences for Infrastructure Projects, as expressed in Executive Order 14005, “Ensuring the Future Is Made in All of America by All of America’s Workers” (86 FR 7475), the Executive Branch should maximize, consistent with law, the use of goods, products, and materials produced in, and services offered in, the United States. Therefore, all capital procurements must comply with FTA's Buy America requirements (49 U.S.C. 5323(j)), which require that all iron, steel, and manufactured products be produced in the United States.
• In addition, any award must comply with the Build America, Buy America Act (BABA) (Pub. L. 117-58, sections 70901-27). BABA provides that none of the funds provided under an award made pursuant to this notice may be used for a project unless all iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials are produced in the United States. FTA's Buy America requirements are consistent with BABA requirements for iron, steel, and manufactured products. 
• Any proposal that will require a waiver of any domestic preference standard must identify the items for which a waiver will be sought in the application. Applicants should not proceed with the expectation that waivers will be granted. 

Disadvantaged Business Enterprise

• Recipients of planning, capital, or operating assistance that will award prime contracts (excluding transit vehicle purchases), the cumulative total of which exceeds $250,000 in FTA funds in a Federal fiscal year, must comply with the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) program regulations (49 CFR part 26) through the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program.
• Projects that include transit vehicle acquisitions are subject to the transit vehicle manufacturer (TVM) rule of the DBE program regulations (49 CFR 26.49). The TVM rule requires recipients procuring transit vehicles to limit eligible bidders to certified TVMs.
  • To become a certified TVM, a manufacturer of transit vehicles must submit a DBE program plan and annual goal to FTA for approval. A list of certified TVMs is posted on FTA's webpage. Recipients should contact FTA before accepting bids from entities not appearing on this list.  
• For more information on DBE requirements, contact Nicole Payne, FTA Office of Civil Rights, (202) 366-6293. 

Federal Contract Compliance

•  As a condition of grant award and consistent with E.O. 11246, Equal Employment Opportunity (30 FR 12319, and as amended), all Federally assisted construction contractors are required to make good faith efforts to meet Federal Contract Compliance requirements, including the goals of 6.9 percent of construction project hours being performed by women, in addition to goals that vary based on geography for construction work hours and for work being performed by people of color.  
• Under section 503 of the Rehabilitation Act and its implementing regulations, affirmative action obligations for certain contractors include an aspirational employment goal of 7 percent workers with disabilities. 

Standard Assurances

• Through FTA's Standard Assurances, the applicant assures it will comply with all applicable federal statutes, regulations, executive orders, directives, FTA circulars, and other federal administrative requirements in carrying out any project supported by the FTA grant.  
  • The applicant acknowledges that it is under a continuing obligation to comply with the terms and conditions of the grant agreement issued for its project with FTA.  
  • The applicant understands that federal laws, regulations, policies, and administrative practices might be modified from time to time and may affect the implementation of the project.  
  • The applicant agrees that the most recent Federal requirements will apply to the project, unless FTA issues a written determination otherwise.  
  • The applicant must submit the Certifications and Assurances before receiving a grant if it does not have current certifications on file. 

Project Signage and Public Acknowledgments

• Recipients are encouraged to post project signage to provide more visibility to their federally supported projects.
  • Recipients employing project signage are required to use the official Investing in America emblem in accordance with the Official Investing in America Emblem Style Guide.  
    • Costs associated with signage and public acknowledgments must be reasonable and limited.  
    • Signs or public acknowledgments should not be produced, displayed, or published if doing so results in unreasonable cost, expense, or recipient burden.  
    • The recipient is encouraged to use recycled or recovered materials when procuring signs. 
• Recipients are also encouraged to include public acknowledgments in collateral materials (e.g., press releases, marketing materials, website, etc.) satisfactory in form and substance to DOT, that identifies the nature of the project and indicates that “the project is funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.”