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. | |
| 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 |
| Bus Safety and Accessibility Research 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 |
| Transit Cooperative Research Program - 5312(i) | Research program that develops near-term, practical solutions such as best practices, transit security guidelines, testing prototypes, and new planning and management tools. | Competitive |
| Mobility, Access & Transportation Insecurity: Creating Links to Opportunity Research and Demonstration Program | Funds a research and demonstration effort to improve people’s access to affordable transportation, especially in areas that currently lack efficient and convenient transit options and measure the effect of reducing transportation insecurity through improved mobility access on people and their communities. | Competitive |
| Low and No-Emission Component Assessment Program (LoNo-CAP) | On September 29, 2016, FTA announced the opportunity for eligible institutions of higher education to apply for funding to conduct testing, evaluation, and analysis of low or no emission (LoNo) components intended for use in LoNo transit buses used to provide public transportation. The deadline for applications is November 28, 2016. | Competitive |
| Low or No Emission Grant Program - 5339(c) | Provides funding through a competitive process to states and transit agencies to purchase or lease low or no emission transit buses and related equipment, or to lease, construct, or rehabilitate facilities to support low or no emission transit buses. The program provides funding to support the wider deployment of advanced propulsion technologies within the nation’s transit fleet. | Competitive |
| Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending | Community Project Funding (CPF) is Congressionally directed spending. All projects were specifically allocated funding in the FY22 Consolidated Appropriations Act and are for the projects listed in the Joint Explanatory Statement (JES). | Competitive |
| Capital Investment Grants - 5309 | Provides funding through a multi-year competitive process for transit capital investments, including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit. Federal transit law requires transit agencies seeking CIG funding to complete a series of steps over several years to be eligible for funding. | Competitive |
| Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Program | Provides funding through a competitive allocation process to states and transit agencies to replace, rehabilitate and purchase buses and related equipment and to construct bus-related facilities. The competitive allocation provides funding for major improvements to bus transit systems that would not be achievable through formula allocations. | Competitive |
| Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for Transit Buses Demonstration and Automated Transit Bus Maintenance and Yard Operations Demonstration Program | Part of FTA’s Bus Automation Research program, the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) for Transit Buses Demonstration and Automated Transit Bus Maintenance and Yard Operations Demonstration program provides funding to help improve transit bus safety and efficiency, including in bus yards. | Competitive |
| Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development Planning – Section 20005(b) | Provides funding to local communities to integrate land use and transportation planning with a transit capital investment that will seek funding through the Capital Investment Grant (CIG) Program. | Competitive |
| Rail Vehicle Replacement Grants | Provides competitive awards to states and local governmental authorities to assist in funding capital projects to replace rail rolling stock. | Competitive |
| Accelerating Innovative Mobility | Accelerating Innovative Mobility (AIM) will highlight FTA’s commitment to support and advance innovation in the transit industry. | Competitive |