Program Status Update

The Build America Bureau expects to issue a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program and will increase the funding available to $54.2 million. Due to technical difficulties with the application portal in March 2025, we are unable to consider previous applications. If you are interested in this funding, you must submit a new application when we announce the submission date.

The Build America Bureau will continue to provide updates and information about the new NOFO on our Rural and Tribal Program Webpage, grants.gov, and the Build America Bureau’s LinkedIn. We encourage potential applicants to sign up to receive e-blasts about this program.

Please send your questions to RuralandTribalTA@dot.gov. Thank you for your patience and interest in this program!

Not sure if your project is rural? 

Your project is eligible if: 

The project is not in a Census Bureau 2020 designated urban area.
OR - The project is in a Census Bureau 2020 designated urban area with a population of 150,000 or less. 

Your project is not eligible if it is in a Census Bureau 2020 designated urban area that has a population of more than 150,000 people. 

Also, you may wish to visit: Rural Eligibility | US Department of Transportation.

For step-by-step instructions on using the eligibility tool, please view this tutorial.*  

Additional resource: Lookup an address to see if it is rural on Tigerweb* -- follow these instructions. 

*Accessibility statement: If you need assistance using this tool, please email RuralandTribalTA@dot.gov.

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) enhanced the Build America Bureau’s capacity to help more communities advance infrastructure projects that enhance the safety, efficiency, and quality of the country’s transportation system. A key enhancement was the creation of multiple new programs to be administered by the Bureau, resulting in enhanced technical assistance to support communities without the resources to explore innovative financing and project delivery methods for their projects. 

The IIJA created the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, which provides grants to support legal, technical, and financial advisors to help advance infrastructure projects.

Eligible project sponsors may receive grant funds to select advisors to assist with pre-development-phase activities, including: 
•    feasibility studies
•    project planning
•    revenue forecasting and funding and financing options analyses 
•    preliminary engineering and design work
•    environmental review
•    economic assessments and cost-benefit analyses
•    public benefits studies
•    statutory and regulatory framework analyses
•    value-for-money (VFM) studies  
•    evaluations of costs to sustain the project
•    evaluation opportunities for private financing and project bundling  

For more information, please email RuralandTribalTA@dot.gov.

FY23 Information:

View the 2023 Applications Dashboard.

Check out the Rural and Tribal Community Resources page for other programs.