Grant Programs
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, as enacted in the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, was signed into law by President Biden in November 2021 and is the largest federal investment in public transportation in the nation’s history. The legislation reauthorizes surface transportation programs for FY 2022-2026 and provides advance appropriations for certain programs. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law authorizes up to $108 billion to support federal public transportation programs, including $91 billion in guaranteed funding.
| Title | Description | Grant Type Sort descending |
|---|---|---|
| Public Transportation Emergency Relief Program - 5324 | Helps states and public transportation systems pay for protecting, repairing, and/or replacing equipment and facilities that may suffer or have suffered serious damage as a result of an emergency, including natural disasters such as floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes. It provides authorization for Section 5307 and 5311 funds to be used for disaster relief in response to a declared disaster. | |
| Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program; Tribal Transit Competitive Program | The Tribal Transit Program is a set-aside from the Formula Grants for Rural Areas program consisting of a $30 million formula program and a $5 million discretionary grant program subject to the availability of appropriations. A 10-percent local match is required under the discretionary program, however, there is no local match required under the formula program. | Competitive |
| Public Transportation COVID-19 Research Demonstration Grant Program | This program will fund grants through public transit agencies to develop, deploy, and demonstrate innovative solutions that address COVID-19 related concerns to increase operating efficiencies and improve mobility. | Competitive |
| Areas of Persistent Poverty Program | This program provides competitive funding for planning studies or financial plans to improve transit services in areas experiencing long-term economic distress. | Competitive |
| Mobility on Demand (MOD) Sandbox Demonstration Program - 5312 | Funds projects that promote innovative business models to deliver high quality, seamless and equitable mobility options for all travelers. | Competitive |
| Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Grants | This program provides competitive funding to support innovative capital projects for the transportation disadvantaged that will improve the coordination of transportation services and non-emergency medical transportation services. | Competitive |
| American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 | The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP), which President Biden signed on March 11, 2021, includes $30.5 billion in federal funding to support the nation’s public transportation systems as they continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and support the President’s call to vaccinate the U.S. population. | Competitive |
| Public Transportation Innovation - 5312 | Provides funding to develop innovative products and services assisting transit agencies in better meeting the needs of their customers. | Competitive |
| Integrated Mobility Innovation | FTA's Integrated Mobility Innovation (IMI) Program funds projects that demonstrate innovative and effective practices, partnerships and technologies to enhance public transportation effectiveness, increase efficiency, expand quality, promote safety and improve the traveler experience. | Competitive |
| Route Planning Restoration Program | The Route Planning Restoration Program provides funds under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for public transportation planning associated with the restoration of transit service reduced due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | Competitive |
| Safety Research and Demonstration Program | The Safety Research and Demonstration (SRD) Program is part of a larger safety research effort at the U.S. Department of Transportation that provides technical and financial support for transit agencies to pursue innovative approaches to eliminate or mitigate safety hazards. The SRD program focuses on demonstration of technologies and safer designs. | Competitive |
| Enhancing Mobility Innovation | FTA’s Enhancing Mobility Innovation program advances a vision of mobility for all – safe, reliable, equitable, and accessible services that support complete trips for all travelers. The program promotes technology projects that center the passenger experience and encourage people to get on board, such as integrated fare payment systems and user-friendly software for demand-response public transportation. | Competitive |
| Zero Emission Research Opportunity (ZERO) | On November 22, 2016, FTA announced the opportunity for nonprofit organizations to apply for funding to conduct research, demonstrations, testing, and evaluation of zero emission and related technology for public transportation applications. | Competitive |
| Redesign of Transit Bus Operator Compartment to Improve Safety, Operational Efficiency, and Passenger Accessibility (Bus Operator Compartment) Program | This program supports research projects to develop transit bus operator compartment designs that improve bus operator and public safety as well as bus operator access to vehicle instruments and controls without hindering the accessibility of passengers. | Competitive |
| Bus Exportable Power Systems (BEPS) | FTA’s Bus Exportable Power Systems (BEPS) program enables public transportation agencies, communities, and states to access resilient and flexible power options through hybrid electric bus fleet vehicles during major power disruptions. This program builds on BEPS technologies developed under FTA’s previous research grants that provided the ability to address a need for generating power immediately after natural disasters by transforming hybrid electric and fuel cell buses into mobile power generators. | Competitive |
| Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Grants Program (formerly TIGER) | US DOT’s Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program funds investments in transportation infrastructure, including transit. | Competitive |
| Passenger Ferry Grant Program - Section 5307 | Provides competitive funding to public ferry systems in urbanized areas. | Competitive |
| FTA Ferry Programs | Provides funding to the Passenger Ferry Grant Program, Electric or Low-Emitting Ferry Pilot Program, and Ferry Service for Rural Communities Program. | Competitive |
| Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone Program | In keeping with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s focus on addressing the deteriorating conditions and disproportionately high fatality rates on our rural transportation infrastructure, FTA’s Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) Program supports projects that will address the transportation challenges faced by areas of persistent poverty. | Competitive |
| All Stations Accessibility Program | The All Stations Accessibility Program provides competitive funding to assist in the financing of capital projects to repair, improve, modify, retrofit, or relocate infrastructure of stations or facilities for passenger use, including load-bearing members that are an essential part of the structural frame; or (2) for planning projects to develop or modify a plan for pursuing public transportation accessibility projects, assessments of accessibility, or assessments of planned modifications to stations or facilities for passenger use. | Competitive |