Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grants
General Grant Program Information
The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program provides funding for surface transportation infrastructure projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. The BUILD program allows project sponsors to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs.
The BUILD program, previously known as the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) discretionary grants, was established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 and operated under annual appropriations acts until authorized in November 2021.
A benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is required for this grant program. For more information about BCAs, see What Is a BCA? and the USDOT's Benefit-Cost Analysis Guidance for Discretionary Grants.
Eligibility Information
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants for BUILD Grants are:
- States and the District of Columbia;
- Any territory or possession of the United States;
- A unit of local government;
- A public agency or publicly chartered authority established by 1 or more States;
- A special purpose district or public authority with a transportation function, including a port authority;
- A Federally recognized Indian Tribe or a consortium of such Indian Tribes;
- A transit agency; and
- A multi-State or multijurisdictional group of entities that are separately eligible
Eligible Projects
Eligible project types are:
- Highway or bridge projects eligible under title 23;
- Public transportation projects eligible under chapter 53 title 49;
- Passenger and freight rail transportation projects;
- Port infrastructure investments including inland port
infrastructure and land ports of entry; - The surface transportation components of an airport project eligible for assistance under part B of subtitle VII;
- Projects investing in surface transportation facilities located on Tribal land, the title or maintenance responsibility of which is vested in the Federal Government;
- Projects to replace or rehabilitate a culvert or prevent stormwater runoff for the purpose of improving habitat for aquatic species that will advance the goal of the program;
- Intermodal projects whose components are otherwise an eligible project type;
- Any other surface transportation infrastructure project that the Secretary considers to be necessary to advance the goals of the program
Funding Information
Merit Criteria
The Department will review the statutorily required Merit Criteria for all applications and will then review Project Readiness and Economic Analysis only for a subset of projects determined by the Merit Criteria ratings. Project Readiness consists of Applicant Capacity, Project Risk, and Financial Completeness Reviews.
The statutorily required Merit Criteria are safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, mobility and community connectivity, economic competitiveness and opportunity, state of good repair, partnership and collaboration, and innovation. For each merit criterion, the Department will consider whether the benefits are clear, direct, and data driven, which will result in a rating of “high, “medium,” “low,” or “non-responsive.” Specific considerations for each merit criterion are described in the rating rubric in the NOFO.
Award Amounts
For capital projects located in urban areas, the minimum award is $5 million.
For capital projects located in rural areas, the minimum award is $1 million.
Planning projects do NOT have a minimum award size.
The maximum grant award is $25 million.
Federal Cost Share
The Federal cost share may not exceed 80% for urban projects that are NOT located in an Area of Persistent Poverty (APP)/Historically Disadvantaged Community (HDC).
However, Federal cost share may exceed 80% for projects that are rural, or located in an Area of Persistent Poverty, or located in a Historically Disadvantaged Community. Historically Disadvantaged Communities (HDC) will use the same definition as APP for the purpose of the FY 2026 BUILD NOFO.
Please see the FY 2026 BUILD Frequently Asked Questions for more information.
Contact Information
Andrea Jacobson
Grantor
BUILDgrants@dot.gov
Disclaimer:
The Dashboard provides users with a high-level overview of relevant Federal discretionary grant programs. The information in the Dashboard is maintained as a secondary resource and may not be updated with the most recent changes to each program's primary guidance materials. Accordingly, please refer to the Federal grant-making agency for the most comprehensive and up-to-date information on a grant opportunity in the Dashboard.