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 descending | Description | Grant Type |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Passenger Ferry Grant Program - Section 5307 | Provides competitive funding to public ferry systems in urbanized areas. | 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |