Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Applicant |
A person applying for a grant opportunity, either as an individual applicant submitting on their own behalf or as an organizational applicant submitting applications on behalf of an organization, such as a state government, nonprofit organization, private business, or any other type of institution. |
| Award |
Financial assistance provided to an eligible recipient providing support or stimulation to accomplish a public purpose, including grants and other agreements. |
| Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) | Also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), Pub. L. 117-58 (Nov. 15, 2021). provides an investment of $1.2 trillion into United States infrastructure, competitiveness, and communities. BIL was signed into law on November 15, 2021 |
| Competitive Grant | Competitive grant (also referred to as a discretionary grant) means a grant in which the Federal granting agency, in keeping with specific statutory authority that enables the agency to exercise judgment (“discretion”), selects the recipient and/or the amount of Federal funding awarded through a competitive process or based on merit of proposals. A competitive grant may be selected on a non-competitive basis, as appropriate. |
| Formula Grant |
Formula grant programs are a type of non-discretionary award based on a predetermined formula. |
| Grant Agreement | A legal instrument of financial assistance between a Federal awarding agency and a grant recipient, consistent with 31 U.S.C. 6302, 6304. Defines agreement between the two, such as roles of granting agency and grant recipient, award amount, statement of work, schedule, reporting requirements, etc. |
| Local Government | An umbrella term encompassing the governments of counties and cities, as well as boroughs, municipalities, towns, townships, parishes, local public authorities (e.g., public housing agencies), special districts, school districts, intrastate districts, and any other agency or instrumentality of a multi-, regional, or intra-state or local government, not to include state or federal entities. |
| Match | Cost sharing or matching means the portion of project costs not paid by Federal funds or contributions (unless otherwise authorized by Federal statute), as per 2 CFR Part 200. See also § 200.306. Typically the grant recipient would be required to provide their own funds or funds from another source to cover this portion of the project costs. |
| Mode | A way of moving people or goods, including air, highway, transit, rail, pipeline, and marine. Highway, transit, and rail are often referred to as surface transportation modes. |
| Non-Competitive Award | Non-competitive award means an award made by the Federal awarding agency to specific recipients in accordance with statutory, eligibility and compliance requirements, such that in keeping with specific statutory authority the agency has no ability to exercise judgment (“discretion”). A non-competitive award amount could be determined specifically or by formula. |
| Nonprofit entity | Any corporation, trust, association, cooperative, or other organization such as a 501(c)(3) that is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, charitable, or similar purposes in the public interest, is not organized primarily for profit, and uses net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operations of the organization. |
| Operating Administration | A unit of the U.S. Department of Transportation with its own management and organizational structure generally focused on a mode of transportation. |
| Pass-Through Entity | A non-federal entity (e.g., a state government) that provides a subaward to a subrecipient to carry out part of a federal program. |
| Recipient | A non-federal entity that receives a federal award directly from a federal awarding agency to carry out an activity under a federal program (i.e., a grant awardee). The term recipient does not include subrecipients. |
| Subaward | The financial award provided by a pass-through entity to a subrecipient for the subrecipient to carry out part of a federal award received by the pass-through entity. |
| Subrecipient | A non-federal entity that receives a subaward from a pass-through entity to carry out part of a federal program (i.e., an entity receiving grant funds from a direct, “pass-through” recipient). |
| Third-Party In-Kind Contributions | The value of non-cash contributions (i.e. property and services) contributed by non-federal third parties, without charge, to a non-federal entity under a federal award to benefit a federally assisted project or program. |
| Unique Entity Identifier | A Unique Entity Identifier is a form of required government-wide identification for single business entities applying for and receiving federal awards through the System for Award Management (SAM). |
Abbreviations
Federal Agencies
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ARC |
Appalachian Regional Commission |
| BIA |
Bureau of Indian Affairs |
| BTS | Bureau of Transportation Statistics |
| DHS | U.S. Department of Homeland Security |
| DOC |
U.S. Department of Commerce |
| DOE | U.S. Department of Energy |
| DOI | U.S. Department of Interior |
| DOT | U.S. Department of Transportation |
| DRA | Delta Regional Authority |
| EDA | Economic Development Administration |
| EPA | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency |
| FAA | Federal Aviation Administration |
| FEMA | Federal Emergency Management Agency |
| FHWA | Federal Highway Administration |
| FMCSA | Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration |
| FRA | Federal Railroad Administration |
| FTA | Federal Transit Administration |
| GLS | Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway Development Corporation |
| MARAD | Maritime Administration |
| NBRC | Northern Border Regional Commission |
| NHTSA | National Highway Traffic Safety Administration |
| NRCS | Natural Resources Conservation Service |
| NPS | National Park Service |
| OA | Operating Administration |
| OIG | Office of the Inspector General |
| OST | Office of the Secretary of Transportation |
| PHMSA | Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration |
| RD | Rural Development (USDA) |
| SCRC | Southeast Crescent Regional Commission |
| USDA | U.S. Department of Agriculture |
| USDOT | U.S. Department of Transportation |
| VA | U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs |
Other Abbreviations
| Abbreviation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| BCA |
Benefit-Cost Analysis |
| BIL |
Bipartisan Infrastructure Law |
| CFR | Code of Federal Regulations |
| FOA | Funding Opportunity Announcement |
| IHE |
Institute of Higher Education |
| NEPA | National Environmental Policy Act |
| NOFA | Notice of Funds Availability |
| NOFO | Notice of Funding Opportunity |
| ROUTES | Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success |
| TIFIA | Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act |
| UEI | Unique Entity Identifier |
| U.S.C. | United States Code |
Last updated: Monday, March 17, 2025