FY 2024 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program; Tribal Transit Program
Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program; Tribal Transit Competitive Program
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-08-15/pdf/2024-18239.pdf
https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2024-08-15/html/2024-18239.htm
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Table of Contents:
- Basic Information
- Eligibility
- Program Description
- Application Contents and Format
- Submission Requirements and Deadlines
- Application Review Information
- Award Notices
- Post-Award Requirements and Administration
A. Basic Information
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for $9,169,076 in competitive grants for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Public Transportation on Indian Reservations (Tribal Transit) Program under Assistance Listing Number 20.509.
- This is an initial announcement for the FY 2024 round of this program.
- As required by Federal public transportation law, funds will be awarded competitively for any purpose eligible under FTA’s Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program, including planning, capital, and operating assistance for tribal public transit services in rural areas.
- Planning awards are capped at $50,000.
- If more funding becomes available for the program before projects are selected, FTA may add it to the total funding available for award under this NOFO.
Topic | Description |
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Prior Awards |
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Dates |
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Eligible Activities |
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Application Instructions |
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For Further Information, Contact: |
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B. Eligibility
Topic | Description |
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Eligible Applicant Type |
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Additional Applicant Eligibility Requirements |
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Eligible Projects |
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Additional Project Eligibility Information |
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Cost Sharing |
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C. Program Description
Purpose, Program Goals and Objectives, and Legislative Authority
- Federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5311(c)(2)(A)) authorizes FTA to award competitive grants to Indian tribes for any purpose eligible under FTA’s Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program, 49 U.S.C. 5311, including planning, capital, and operating assistance.
- Tribes may apply for this funding directly.
- The Tribal Transit Program (TTP) supports FTA’s strategic goals and objectives through investments that:
- Enhance safety,
- Renew our transit systems,
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the public transportation sector,
- Improve equity, and
- Connect communities.
- More information about these goals and objectives can be found in the Department of Transportation’s Strategic Plan.
- The grant awards under the program directly support public transit service on tribal lands in rural areas to accomplish these objectives.
Allowable and Unallowable Costs
- In FY 2024, there is a $50,000 maximum cap on planning grant awards, but no minimum.
- There is no minimum or maximum grant award amount for operating and capital projects.
- Capital, operating, or planning projects may be awarded less than the amount applied for.
- Refer to the table in Section B, Eligible Projects, for information on activities that are allowable in this grant program.
- Allowable direct and indirect expenses must be consistent with the Governmentwide Uniform Administrative Requirements and Cost Principles (2 CFR 200) and FTA Circular 5010.1E.
- Grants under this program have a cap of 10 percent for indirect cost even if a tribe has a higher approved indirect cost rate from another Federal agency.
D. Application Contents and Format
Application Package
A complete proposal submission consists of two forms and their supporting attachments:
- the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance (available at Grants.gov) and
- the supplemental form for the FY 2024 TTP.
The Tribal Transit Supplemental Form guides applicants to provide all of the information required by this NOFO.
- The Supplemental Form and any supporting documents must be attached to the “Attachments” section of the SF-424.
- All sections of the SF-424 and the Supplemental Form must be completed unless the form states a section is optional.
- The information input into the Supplemental Form will be used to evaluate the project and determine whether or not the proposal will be funded according to the selection criteria described in Section F (Application Review Information) below.
Information required on the SF-424 and Supplemental Form, as indicated on each form, includes:
- Name: Name of federally recognized tribe and, if appropriate, the specific tribal agency submitting the application
- UEI: Unique Entity ID (UEI) assigned by SAM.gov
- Contact: Contact information, including contact name, title, address, phone number, and email address
- District: Congressional district(s) where project will take place
The Supplemental Form also requires the following information:
- Description of Transit Service Provided and Area Served.
- Project Information, including the following:
- Project Title: A brief descriptive title of the project
- Project Executive Summary: A short paragraph describing the proposed project
- Project Purpose: Start-up of a new transit service, expansion of existing service, replacement of equipment or assets, or planning study
- Project type: Capital, operating, or planning
- Project Budget: Provide a detailed budget for each proposed part of the project.
- This budget must list the amount and percent of both the Federal funding requested and any additional non-Federal funds, if any, that will be used to pay for the project.
- Applicants are encouraged to identify scaled or reduced funding options in case they are awarded a lower amount than requested.
- If an applicant indicates that a project is scalable, the applicant must include a minimum funding amount that would be required to meet the project objectives and explain how the project budget would be affected by a reduced award.
- FTA may award a lower amount of funding for any project, whether or not a scalable option is provided.
- If applying for more than one project type (planning, capital, or operating), please specify the total amount of funds requested for each project type.
- Applicants must also provide their annual operating budget as an attachment and describe it in the “Financial Commitment and Operating Capacity” section of the supplemental form.
- Responses to evaluation review criteria: The form includes text boxes for the applicant to address each of the evaluation review criteria identified in Section F.
Additional details about how to fill out the SF-424 and Supplemental Form are available at this link.
E. Submission Requirements and Deadlines
How to Obtain Forms
The SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance (available at Grants.gov) and the supplemental form for the FY 2024 TTP.
Application Deadline and How to Submit
Submission Requirements
Project proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on 11/13/2024.
- Proposals submitted after the deadline will only be considered under extraordinary circumstances not under the applicant’s control.
- Applications are time and date stamped by Grants.gov upon successful submission.
- Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted.
Submission Confirmation
Within 48 hours after submitting an electronic application, the applicant should receive an email confirmation message from Grants.gov that the application has been received by Grants.gov.
- However, if the applicant receives a notice that the application was incomplete, then the applicant must fix the application and resubmit it before the submission deadline.
- A re-submitted application must include all original attachments (even if only some of them were updated) and the applicant must check the resubmission box on the updated form.
Submission Tips |
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Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)
Each applicant is required to:
- Be registered in SAM before submitting an application;
- Provide a valid unique entity identifier in its application; and
- Continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times when the applicant is applying for a grant or has an active grant from a Federal Agency.
SAM Tips |
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Intergovernmental Review
This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372, “Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.”
F. Application Review Information
Eligibility Review
FTA will reject any applications from ineligible applicants or for ineligible projects. Also see Section B, Eligibility Information, above.
Evaluation Review Criteria
An evaluation committee will rate projects using the evaluation criteria below. Capital or operating assistance projects will be rated as Highly Recommended, Recommended, or Not Recommended. Applications for planning projects are rated Pass or Fail. Applications are rated based on how they respond to evaluation criteria.
Evaluation Criteria for Capital and Operating Assistance Projects
- Capital and operating assistance projects will be rated based on the evaluation criteria below.
- Projects will be rated based on the information provided in the supplemental form, but additional information may also be provided as attachments to support the responses in the supplemental form.
- Any additional documentation must be directly referenced on the supplemental form, including the file name and page number where the additional information can be found.
Evaluation Criteria for Capital and Operating Assistance Projects |
To address each criterion, applicants should: |
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Planning and Local/Regional Prioritization |
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Project Readiness |
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Demonstration of Need |
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Demonstration of Benefits |
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Financial Commitment and Capacity |
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Evaluation Criteria for Planning Projects
- Planning projects are rated differently from capital and operating projects. If an applicant is only requesting a planning grant, the evaluation criteria for capital and operating projects should not be addressed.
Applications for planning grants will be rated on based on: |
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Review and Selection Process
An FTA evaluation committee will review proposals under the project evaluation criteria.
- FTA may seek clarification about any statement in an application.
- After considering the findings of the evaluation committee, the FTA Administrator will determine the final selection and amount of funding for each project.
- Geographic diversity and the applicant’s receipt and management of other Federal transit funds may be considered in FTA’s award decisions.
FTA intends to fund as many projects as possible.
- Only eligible activities from eligible recipients will be considered for funding.
- Applicants may receive less than the amount originally requested.
- In those cases, applicants must show that the proposed project or subset of proposed activities can still be completed with the amount awarded.
Risk Review
- FTA analyzes risk for all recipients through the Financial Commitment and Capacity Evaluation criterion described above.
- Additionally, before making a Federal award with a total amount of Federal share greater than the simplified acquisition threshold, FTA must review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the Responsibility/Qualification records available in SAM.gov (see 41 U.S.C. 2313).
- An applicant can review and comment on any information in the Responsibility/Qualification records available in SAM.gov.
- Before making decisions in the risk review required by 2 CFR 200.206, FTA will consider any comments by the applicant, along with information available in the Responsibility/Qualification records in SAM.gov.
G. Award Notices
How Project Selections Are Announced
FTA will publish a list of the selected projects, including Federal dollar amounts, award recipients, and discretionary IDs associated with the projects, on FTA’s website.
- Discretionary IDs are used to track competitive awards in FTA’s grant management system.
- FTA does not notify unsuccessful applicants separately.
Pre-award Costs
If selected for award, FTA authorizes the grantee to incur pre-award costs for project expenses incurred after award announcement but before the grant is executed in FTA’s Transit Award Management System (TrAMS).
- However, pre-award costs are incurred at the recipient’s own risk and Federal requirements must be met for future reimbursement.
- Project costs incurred before project selections are announced may not be paid for with funds from this competition.
- Funds must be used only for the specific purposes requested in the application and described in the resulting award.
- Applicants are encouraged to discuss use of pre-award authority with their FTA Regional Office.
For more information about FTA’s policy on pre-award authority, please see the most recent Apportionment Notice.
How Funds Are Obligated
If selected, awardees will apply for a grant through TrAMS.
- Funds must be used only for the specific purposes requested in the application and described in the award announcement on FTA’s website.
- The appropriate FTA Regional Office will award the grant in TrAMS obligating the funds, and the Tribal Liaison will manage project agreements.
Project recipients should contact their FTA Regional Offices and Tribal Liaison for information about setting up grants in FTA’s TrAMS.
H. Post-Award Requirements and Administration
Administrative and National Policy Requirements
- Except as otherwise provided in this NOFO, TTP grants are subject to the requirements of 49 U.S.C. 5311(c)(1), as described in Chapter X of FTA Circular 9040.1G, as amended, for the Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program, and the Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards at 2 CFR part 200.
- All recipients must also follow the Award Management Requirements (FTA Circular 5010.1E, as amended).
- Grants are subject to terms of FTA’s most recent Master Agreement.
- To assist tribes with understanding requirements under the TTP, FTA conducts Tribal Transit Technical Assistance Workshops and Assessments. Technical assistance regarding these requirements is available from each FTA regional office. A list of Tribal Liaisons is available on FTA’s website.
Reporting Requirements
Post-award reporting requirements include submitting Federal Financial Report (FFR) and Milestone Progress Report (MPR) in TrAMS, and FTA’s National Transit Database (NTD) reporting (see FTA Circular 9040.1G).
- Reports to TrAMS and NTD are due annually.
- Applicants should include any goals, targets, and indicators referenced in their application for the project in the Executive Summary of the TrAMS application.
As part of completing the annual certifications and assurances required of FTA grant recipients, a successful applicant must report on the suspension or debarment status of itself and its principals. If the award recipient’s active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts from all Federal awarding agencies exceed $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of an award made pursuant to this Notice, the recipient must ensure the information available in the responsibility/qualification records through the System for Award Management (SAM.gov), about civil, criminal, or administrative proceedings is current and complete. This requirement is in addition to the requirement that an applicant maintain an active SAM registration.
For more information on these reporting requirements, please see 2 CFR Part 200, Appendix XII.
Tribal Transit Self-Governance Funding Agreements
- If awarded, grant funding made available through the TTP may be included in a Tribal Transportation Self-Governance Program (TTSGP) funding agreement if there is an existing Compact of Self-Governance in place between the tribe and the U.S. Department of Transportation.
- Funds administered under an executed funding agreement are subject to the agreement terms and conditions as well as the requirements and provisions of the TTSGP (23 U.S.C. § 207 and 49 CFR part 29) and the applicable Compact of Self-Governance, and may be used only for the purpose for which they were awarded.