How to Apply for RAISE Grants

Application Forms and Instructions

Applicants should thoroughly review the FY 2025 RAISE NOFO which outlines the required and recommended documents to submit under the FY 2025 competition. 

Round 1: Reservation of Funds for FY 2024 RAISE Projects of Merit 

• The Department will carryover all applications that advanced to the Highly Rated List, but were not selected for funding. These projects were designated as FY 2024 Projects of Merit. 
• If an applicant submitted an application for funding under the FY 2024 RAISE NOFO, advanced to the Highly Rated List, but was not selected and thus designated a Project of Merit, such applicant must notify the Department by emailing RAISEgrants@dot.gov by 11:59 December 2, 2024, if the applicant wishes for that application to be reconsidered for award using this reservation of funding.
• FY 2024 RAISE Projects of Merit seeking reconsideration of their unawarded application will not be permitted to modify, amend, or supplement applications. To maximize chances of obtaining an award, FY 2024 RAISE Project of Merit applications may request consideration under the reserved funds, and they may also submit new applications for Round 2 of this NOFO. The FY 2024 Project of Merit application(s) will count against an entity’s three-application limit. 

Round 2: Funding for FY 2025 Applications

• In addition to Round 1, the Department intends to make another round of selections using a portion of the $1.5 billion in BIL funds and/or additional funding that may become available for the program under the FY 2025 Appropriations Act. Please note, all FY 2025 annual appropriations amounts are subject to availability of funding. DOT cannot guarantee that Congress will appropriate additional funding to RAISE via a future FY 2025 appropriation. 
• All interested applicants must submit applications in Grants.gov no later than 11:59 pm eastern on January 30, 2025. 
• Round 2 applicants should review the application checklist below to ensure your application package is complete and in the proper format. Most documents are to be drafted by the applicant. The program does not have templates. Instructions for what should be included in each form are in Section D of the NOFO. The SF-424 is a standard form that must be filled out and completed within the Grants.gov package. The Project Information Form is an attachment that is provided in the Grants.gov download package. 

RAISE Application Checklist 

*Only capital project applications submit Benefit-Cost Analysis narratives and calculations.

Prepare to Submit the Application on Grants.gov: Round 2 Applicants Only

The following parameters can be used to locate the RAISE 2025 Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov:  

To apply for RAISE discretionary grant funding under this announcement, Round 2 applicants are expected to be registered as an organization with Grants.gov. To learn more about registering as an organization with Grants.gov, please see the instructions at https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-registration.

Please be aware that you must complete the Grants.gov registration process before submitting the Final Application. Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process that usually takes 2-4 weeks to complete; however, processing delays may occur and it can take additional time for first-time registrants to receive confirmation and a user password. It is highly recommended that applicants start the registration process as early as possible to prevent delays that may preclude submitting an application by the deadlines specified. Final Applications must be submitted by 11:59:59 PM E.D.T. on January 30, 2025. Applicants are strongly encouraged to make submissions in advance of the deadline. Late applications will not be accepted.

To Register on Grants.gov, Applicants Must:

1.    Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number;
2.    Register with the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.SAM.gov;
3.    Create a Grants.gov username and password; and
4.    The E-Business Point of Contact (POC) at your organization must respond to the registration email from Grants.gov and login at Grants.gov to authorize you as an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR). Please note that there can be more than one AOR for an organization.

Unique Entity Identifiers (UEI) and DUNS Numbers:

• Please note, on April 4, 2022, the unique entity identifier used across the Federal government changed from the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number to the Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) (generated by SAM.gov).
• If your entity is currently registered in SAM.gov, your UEI has already been assigned and is viewable in SAM.gov. This includes inactive registrations.  
• For information and instructions on each of these processes, please see instructions at https://www.grants.gov/applicants/applicant-faqs.

Grants.gov Supporting Resources:

• If applicants experience difficulties at any point during registration or application process, please call the Grants.gov Support at 1-800-518-4726.
• A complete list of Grants.gov applicant resources can be found here: https://www.grants.gov/applicants
• Note: When uploading attachments at Grants.gov please use generally accepted formats such as .pdf, .doc, and .xls. While you may imbed picture files such as .jpg, .gif, .bmp, in your files, please do not save and submit the attachment in these formats. Additionally, the following formats will not be accepted: .com, .bat, .exe, .vbs, .cfg, .dat, .db, .dbf, .dll, .ini, .log, .ora, .sys, and .zip.

Late Application Policy:

• Applications that Grants.gov time stamps after 11:59:59 PM E.D.T on January 30, 2025 will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly encouraged to make submissions days, if not weeks, in advance of the deadline, and applicants facing technical issues are advised to contact the Grants.gov helpdesk well in advance of the deadline. 
   

Additional Resources:

• BCA Guidance
• BCA Spreadsheet Template
• FY 2025 RAISE Environmental Risk Assessment Guidance
• DOT Navigator
• Applicant Roadmap