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 Sort ascending | Description | Grant Type |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Urbanized Area Formula Grants - 5307 | Provides funding to public transit systems in Urbanized Areas (UZA) for public transportation capital, planning, job access and reverse commute projects, as well as operating expenses in certain circumstances. | Formula |
| Tribal Transit Formula Grants - 5311(c)(1)(B) | Provides funding to federally recognized Indian tribes to provide public transportation services on and around Indian reservations or tribal land in rural areas. Funding is provided as a set-aside within of the Formula Grants to Rural Areas program and allocated both by statutory formula and through a competitive discretionary program. | Formula |
| Transit Worker and Rider Safety Best Practices Research Project | Provides funding to support a research project to help the transit industry mitigate transit worker and rider assaults. | 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 |
| Technical Assistance & Standards Development - 5314(a) | Provides funding for technical assistance programs and activities that improve the management and delivery of public transportation and development of the transit industry workforce. | Formula |
| State of Good Repair Grants - 5337 | Provides capital assistance for maintenance, replacement, and rehabilitation projects of existing high-intensity fixed guideway and high-intensity motorbus systems to maintain a state of good repair. Additionally, SGR grants are eligible for developing and implementing Transit Asset Management plans. | Formula |
| Standards Development Program | The Transit Standards Development Program provides competitive funding to perform an assessment and develop voluntary standards and standards-related best practices, guidance, and tools in safety, and other areas to address transit industry needs. | 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 |
| Rural Transportation Assistance Program - 5311(b)(3) | Provides funding to states for developing training, technical assistance, research, and related support services in rural areas. The program also includes a national program that provides information and materials for use by local operators and state administering agencies and supports research and technical assistance projects of national interest. | Formula |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Condition Assessment Research and Demonstration Program | FTA’s Public Transportation Innovation Program (49 U.S.C. § 5312), authorizes FTA to fund research, development, demonstrations, and deployment projects to improve public transportation. The Real-Time Transit Infrastructure and Rolling Stock Condition Assessment Demonstration Program is a competitive demonstration opportunity under FTA's research emphasis area of infrastructure. This priority area supports the U.S. Department of Transportation's Infrastructure strategic goal, as well as the strategic objective of life cycle and preventive maintenance for asset management planning and... | 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 |
| 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 an approximately $36 million formula program and a $9 million competitive grant program subject to the availability of appropriations. There is no local match required under both the formula program and competitive program. | 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 |
| 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 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 |
| Positive Train Control Grants Program | Authorized by the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act (Section 3028), the fiscal year 2017 Commuter Rail Positive Train Control Grant Program offers funding to states, local governments and transit agencies that operate commuter rail systems to install positive train control systems required under 49 U.S.C. 20157 (Implementation of positive train control systems). | 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 |