Maximizing Award Success: Navigating Federal Grant Applications

All federal competitive grant opportunities must be posted through Grants.gov. Get tips and guidance on How to Navigate Grants.gov to Submit Applications.

Searching for funding opportunities on Grants.gov will...

Project Spotlights

The following examples highlight how USDOT discretionary grants are being used to improve transportation infrastructure and expand access for rural communities across the country. 

FRA’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (...

Grant Applicant Roadmap

The competitive grant funding process begins with Congressional legislation and concludes with the closeout of the awarded project.

The grant lifecycle is broken down into three stages:

Use the...

Federal Funding and Financing: Grants

This section of the Grant Applicant Toolkit defines what a federal grant is.

The following linked sections also explain how a grant differs from several other common types of Federal Government funding and financing: 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration: Key Grant Programs

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s mission is to reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities involving vehicles used for commerce, including large trucks and buses. FMCSA supports programs and grants that improve commercial vehicle and driver safety, safety...

Federal Railroad Administration: Key Grant Programs

The Federal Railroad Administration monitors railroad compliance with federally mandated safety standards including track maintenance, inspection standards, and operating practices to enable the safe, reliable, and efficient movement of people and goods for a stronger...

Federal Highway Administration: Key Grant Programs

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) seeks to deliver a world-class system that advances safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility choices for all while strengthening the Nation’s economy.

Through financial and technical assistance to state, Tribal, and local...

USDOT’s Role in Rural Transportation

The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) is a multidisciplinary organization that conducts work in all modes of transportation, such as aviation, highway, rail, and transit, with the overarching goal of delivering an efficient and reliable transportation system.

The Critical Role of Rural Communities in the U.S. Transportation System

USDOT Discretionary Grant Programs, by Mode

The linked sections below provide information about each of the discretionary grant programs that USDOT offers, organized by USDOT’s operating administrations (OAs or “modes”). 

Descriptions of these grant programs are also available in the DOT Discretionary Grants Dashboard....