Recipient Prerequisites
If you represent an organization that has never previously received FTA funding assistance, please contact Region 9 to discuss options and processes.
To apply for and manage FTA grants, your Recipient organization and staff Users must access and use FTA's Transit Award Management System (TrAMS).
There are specific steps that prospective Recipients must first address before applying for FTA grant funding. These include:
SAM Registration Status
To become a Recipient, eligible organizations must register with the federal System for Award Management (SAM). Instructions are available at www.sam.gov.
If a Recipient’s SAM status has expired or is set to expire, go to www.sam.gov to update it. TrAMS pulls important information from SAM and FTA cannot award grants while a Recipient’s SAM Status is “EXPIRED.”
Access to TrAMS
Recipients must provide information regarding the organization and staff ("Users") authorized to obtain and maintain access to TrAMS. (This is different than Organizational POCs – see below.)
Recipient Documents
These include all the signed forms necessary to establish an individual User's access to TrAMS, a Recipient organization's legal authority, and other requirements.
| Recipient Type | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Required Document | State DOT | Local Government or Transit District | Tribal Government |
| Delegation of Authority – signed by Governors providing authority for state agencies – typically, Departments of Transportation (state DOTs) – to apply for, receive, and manage FTA grants. |
Yes | No | No |
| Designated Recipients – made by Governors (or state DOTs, if delegated the authority) designating local governments or other agencies to apply directly for, receive, and manage grants for specified FTA formula programs. |
Yes | Must be identified in Governor's Designation for specified FTA formula program. | No |
| Authorizing Resolution – made by Boards of Directors, City Councils, or Tribal Councils for most non-state transit agency Recipients. |
No | Yes | Yes |
| Opinion of Counsel – Recipient's legal counsel explains the legal authority for the Recipient to apply for, receive, and manage FTA grants. |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Delegation of Authority for PIN User Roles – for TrAMS User Roles with PIN actions: Submitter, Official, Attorney; must reflect current staff authorities. |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Designation of Authority for FTA Systems User Manager – for Recipient User Manager role; must reflect current staff authorities. |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Certifications and Assurances (C&A) - Annually, Recipient's Legal Counsel and Official must PIN the C&A in TrAMS within 90 days of publication. |
Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apportionment Letter - States, as Designated Recipients, must provide documentation to FTA showing how the 5307 and 5339(a) formula apportionments will be allocated and/or split among multiple Direct Recipients in small urbanized areas. FTA can only make grants to Direct Recipients after the State provides an Apportionment letter to the FTA regional office.. |
Yes | No | No |
| Split Letter - Designated Recipients must provide documentation to FTA showing how the 5307, 5310, 5337, and 5339(a) formula apportionments will be split among multiple Direct Recipients in large urbanized areas. FTA can only make grants to Direct Recipients after the Designated Recipient provides a split or suballocation letter to the FTA regional office. |
No | Yes - Designated Recipients | No |
TrAMS Users
If changes to Recipient Users are needed, Recipient Users should work with the Recipient's User Manager. There should be no need to contact either FTA or the TrAMS Help Desk to grant, change, or remove Users' access to TrAMS.
If a Recipient Organization's User Manager role needs to be (re)assigned, the CEO must sign a completed Designation of Authority for FTA Systems User Manager form, which should then be sent to one of Region 9’s Local Security Managers (LSM) for TrAMS.
TrAMS Status
If it’s been more than a year since a Recipient has applied for a grant, or if the Recipient Profile information is not current or is inaccurate, the Recipient's TrAMS Status may be “Inactive.” If this is the case, the Recipient's User Manager must contact one of Region 9’s Local Security Managers (LSM) for TrAMS. FTA cannot award grants while a Recipient Organization’s TrAMS Status is “Inactive.”
| Region 9 Local Security Managers for TrAMS | |
|---|---|
| LSM | Telephone # |
| Delilah Harrington | 415-734-9460 |
| Phil Yue | 415-734-9476 |
| Stacy Alameida (for Recipients in Southern California) | 213-202-3953 |
Organizational POCs
Recipient User Managers should regularly check and update the Organizational Points of Contacts (POCs) for timely and important communications from FTA. For more information, see the Tip Sheet for User Managers on Updating Organizational Contacts in TrAMS.
From the Records tab → select Recipient Organization → select your Organization to view its Recipient Profile → select Related Actions → select POC and Union Information.
Disclaimer: The contents of this document do not have the force and effect of law and are not meant to bind the public in any way. This document is intended only to provide clarity to the public regarding existing requirements under the law or agency policies.