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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Areas of Persistent Poverty Program

What’s New

Overview

The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 116-260, Dec. 27, 2020) and the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (Public Law No: 117-103, March 15, 2022) makes available $20,041,870 (of which $20,000,000 is funding from Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 and $41,870 is from FY 2021). The Areas of Persistent Poverty Program awards grants to eligible applicants for planning, engineering, or development of technical or financing plans for projects eligible under Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code to assist Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities.

The Areas of Persistent Poverty Program supports the President’s initiatives to mobilize American ingenuity to build modern infrastructure and an equitable, clean energy future. By supporting increased transit access for environmental justice (EJ) populations, equity-focused community outreach and public engagement of underserved communities and adoption of equity-focused policies, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and addressing the effects of climate change, FTA’s AoPP Program advances the goals of Executive Order 13985: Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government; Executive Order 13990: Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis; and Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. 

Eligible Activities

FTA will competitively award grants for planning, engineering, or development of technical or financing plans for projects eligible under Chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code that will assist “Areas of Persistent Poverty” or “Historically Disadvantaged Communities”.  Eligible activities may include, planning, engineering, or development of technical or financing plans for improved transit services; new transit routes; engineering for transit facilities and improvements to existing facilities; innovative technologies; planning for low or no emission buses; planning for a new bus facility or intermodal center that supports transit services; integrated fare collections systems; or coordinated public transit human service transportation plans to improve transit service in an Area of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Community, or to provide new service such as transportation for services to address the opioid epidemic, as well as increase access to environmental justice populations, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the effects of climate change. For projects eligible under the Areas of Persistent Poverty Program applicants should reference FTA Circular 8100-1D - Program Guidance for Metropolitan Planning and State Planning and Research Program Grants and FTA Circular 9030.1E - Urbanized Area Formula Program: Program Guidance and Application Instructions.

Eligible Recipients

Eligible applicants include entities that are eligible recipients or subrecipients under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 49 U.S.C. 5310, or 49 U.S.C. 5311 that are located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities. Entities that are subrecipients or indirect recipients under these programs must apply through their ordinary pass-through entities or designated recipients. State departments of transportation may apply on behalf of eligible applicants within their States.

Identifying Areas of Persistent Poverty and Historically Disadvantaged Communities

As an additional resource applicants may use FTA’s mapping tool to determine if a proposed project is in an Area of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Community. FTA’s mapping tool allows applicants to map their project areas, determine eligibility, and identify their census tract numbers.

Statutory References

  • Urbanized Area Formula Grants (49 U.S.C. § 5307), Enhanced Mobility Formula Grants (49 U.S.C. § 5310), or Rural Areas Formula Grants (49 U.S.C. § 5311)
  • Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (Public Law No: 117-103, March 15, 2022)

Match

The minimum federal share for this program is not less than 90%.

Selected Projects

Grant Type: Competitive