RCP Eligibility Checklist
Project funded by RCP Program advance community-centered transportation connection projects, with a priority for projects that benefit disadvantaged communities. RCP Program focuses on improving access to daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation; fostering equitable development and restoration; and providing technical assistance to further these goals.
The table and information below help applicants determine their eligibility for RCP Community Planning and Capital Construction grants. While this can support the application process it is not a replacement for the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and applicants should review the NOFO before completing the application process. If you have other questions not discussed here also review our FAQS.
Both grant applications must be submitted by 11:59 PM EDT on Monday, September 30, 2024.
Key Information Table
| Community Planning Grant | Capital Construction Grant | |
|---|---|---|
| Eligible Facility | Highway or other surface transportation facility that creates a barrier to community connectivity, including barriers to mobility, access, or economic development due to high speeds, grade separations, or other design factors. Eligible facilities include limited access highways, viaducts, any other principal arterial facilities, and other facilities such as transit lines and rail lines. | Eligible facilities are the same for both Community Planning Grants and Capital Construction Grants. |
| Eligible Applicants |
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| Eligible Projects | Planning Grants fund the study of removing, retrofitting, or mitigating an existing facility to restore community connectivity; public engagement; and other transportation planning activities. | Capital Construction Grants fund a project to remove, retrofit, mitigate, or to replace an existing eligible facility with a new facility that reconnects communities |
| Funding Amount |
For the period covered by the NOFO, BIL allocates a total of $150 million for Planning Grants and Technical Assisting funding: FY 2024 ($50 million), FY 2025 ($50 million), and FY 2026 ($50million). If additional funding is provided for the RCP program during FY 2024 or FY 2025, DOT intends to use those funds for projects selected to receive a grant under this NOFO. |
For the period covered by the NOFO, BIL allocates a total of $457 million for Capital Construction Grants: FY2024 ($150 million), FY2025 ($152 million), and FY2026 ($157 million). If additional funding is provided for the RCP program during FY 2024 or FY 2025, DOT intends to use those funds for projects selected to receive a grant under this NOFO. |
| Cost Share | Community Planning Grants: 80% RCP funds and 20% local match | Capital Construction Grants: 50% RCP funds and 50% local match. Other Federal funds may be used to bring the total Federal share up to a maximum of 80% of the total cost of the project. |
Eligible Projects and Activities
Planning Grant
- Public engagement activities, including community visioning or other place-based strategies for public input and meaningful involvement into project plans.
- Planning studies to assess the feasibility of removing, retrofitting, or mitigating an existing eligible facility to reconnect communities, including assessments of:
- Current traffic patterns on the facility and the surrounding street network.
- Capacity of existing transportation networks to maintain mobility needs.
- Alternative roadway designs or other uses for the right-of-way.
- The project’s impact on mobility of freight and people.
- The project’s impact on safety.
- The estimated cost to restore community connectivity and to convert the facility to a different design or use, compared to any expected maintenance or reconstruction costs.
- The project’s anticipated economic impact and development opportunities.
- The project’s environmental, public health, and community impacts.
- Other planning activities in advance of the project, such as:
- Conceptual and preliminary engineering, or design and planning studies that support the environmental review for a construction project.
- Associated needs such as locally-driven land use and zoning reform, transit-oriented development, housing supply, in particular affordable housing, managing gentrification and neighborhood change, proposed project impact mitigation, climate resilience and sustainability, green and open space, local history and culture, access and mobility barriers, jobs and workforce, or other necessary planning activities as put forth by the applicant that do not result in construction.
Capital Construction Grant
- Eligible projects include those for which:
- adequate planning activities, such as engaging with the public to understand the public’s needs and interests, evaluating relevant data, and/or developing a conceptual design have been completed.
- projects are consistent with the Long-Range Statewide Transportation Plan, included in the Metropolitan Long-Range Plan (if applicable), and in the Metropolitan Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) and / or Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Tribal Transportation Improvement Program (TTIP) or equivalent, as applicable, prior to the obligation of the award. Transit projects must be included in the investment prioritization of the relevant Transit Asset Management (TAM) Plan by the time of the obligation of the award.
- Eligible construction grant activities include:
- preliminary and detailed design activities and associated environmental studies
- preconstruction
- construction