Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program
General Grant Program Information
The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program is intended advance transportation infrastructure projects in rural and Tribal communities by supporting development-phase activities for projects reasonably expected to be eligible for certain DOT credit and grant programs. Grants will fund financial, technical, and legal assistance to states and rural and Tribal communities.
The grants are intended to increase organizational capacity in communities that may not have resources available to evaluate and develop projects that qualify for federal funding and financing programs. Grants reimburse expenses incurred to hire staff or procure third-party advisory firms to assist with project development.
These no-match grants are on a first-come, first-served basis, with applications accepted beginning March 4, 2025, at 2 p.m. (ET). The application portal will close on April 3, 2025, at 4:59 p.m. (ET).
Eligibility Information
Eligible Applicants
Applicants for the program must be one of the following:
- A unit of local government or political subdivision that is located outside of an urbanized area that has a population of more than 150,000 residents, as determined by the Bureau of the Census. Examples of local governments and political subdivisions include the following:
- County;
- Borough;
- Municipality;
- City;
- Town;
- Township;
- Parish (under the state of Louisiana);
- Local public authority, including any public housing agency under the United States Housing Act of 1937;
- Special district;
- School district;
- Council of governments, whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under State law; or
- Any other agency or instrumentality of a multi-, regional, or intra-State or local government.
- A state, territory, or possession of the United States seeking to advance a project in a location outside of an urbanized area that has a population of more than 150,000 residents as determined by the Bureau of the Census;
- A federally recognized Indian Tribe; or
- The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands.
Eligible Projects
Per the Rural and Tribal Assistance (RTA) Program’s requirements, projects that receive a grant award under this program must be reasonably expected to be eligible for any one or more of the DOT’s lending or grant programs listed below. This requirement is used to define the eligible project types for RTA Program funding; it does not commit the applicant to apply to any of these programs.
The applicable programs are listed below:
- TIFIA Credit Program
- RRIF Credit Program
- INFRA Grant Program
- Mega Grant Program
- BUILD Grant Program
- National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program
See Appendix A in the NOFO for more information on these programs.
Funding Information
On December 19, 2024, the Bureau issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) that offers $27 million in technical assistance grants to rural and Tribal communities for the planning and design phase development of transportation projects.
This program has two types of grants:
- Single project grants ranging from $200,000 up to $750,000 each, and
- Multi-community grants ranging from $500,000 up to $2.25 million each to fund projects in at least three eligible communities submitted in a single application.
There is no local funding match required to participate in this program.
The Bureau designated up to $10 million for Tribal applicants.
Contact Information
For additional information, visit the Build America Bureau's Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program page.
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.
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