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Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) Opportunity: Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (Rural) - FY 2025/2026

Agency: U.S. Department of Transportation
CFDA: 20.938
Federal FON: RSTGP-25-26-RURAL
Office: Office of the Secretary of Transportation (OST)
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 05/06/2024 (Application)
Solicitation Date: 03/25/2024
   
Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Unspecified
Actual Funds: $780,000,000 (Estimated)
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to support surface infrastructure projects with significant national or regional impact or that will improve and expand surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas. In particular, this program will provide support for highway, bridge, and tunnel projects that help improve freight, safety, and provide or in-crease access to agricultural, commercial, energy, or transportation facilities that support the economy of a rural area. Support will be provided for projects that are consistent with the funding agency's strategic goals to improve safety; economic strength and global competitiveness; equity; and climate and sustainability.

Eligible projects include:

  • Highway, bridge, or tunnel projects that are eligible under the National Highway Performance Program, the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, or the Tribal Transportation Program
  • Highway freight projects that are eligible under the National Highway Freight Program
  • Highway safety improvement projects, including projects to improve high-risk rural roads, as defined under the Highway Safety Improvement Program
  • Projects on publicly owned highways or bridges that provide, or increase access to, agricultural, commercial, energy, or intermodal facilities that support the economy of rural areas
  • Projects to develop, establish, or maintain integrated mobility management systems, transportation demand management systems, or on-demand mobility services

Eligible uses of funds include:

  • Development-phase activities, including planning, feasibility analysis, revenue forecasting, environmental review, preliminary engineering and design work, and other preconstruction activities
  • Construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, acquisition of real property, environmental mitigation, construction contingencies, acquisition of equipment, and operational improvements

All projects must meet the following requirements:

  • Generate regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits
  • Demonstrate cost effectiveness
  • Contribute to the accomplishment of one or more of the national goals under Title 23, Section 150 of the U.S Code (U.S.C.)
  • Be based on the results of preliminary engineering
  • Be reasonably expected to begin construction no later than 18 months after the date of obligation of funds

Projects must be located in rural areas. For the purposes of this program, rural areas are defined as areas outside of urbanized areas that have a population of over 200,000 individuals. Refer to page 16 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding rural and urbanized areas.

Optional webinars are scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.

This program is related to the funding agency's National Infrastructure Project Assistance Grants Program (Mega) and Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects Grants Program (INFRA), known in eCivis Grants Network as US16990 and US16842, respectively.

Last Updated: April 12, 2024

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are:

  • States
  • Regional transportation planning organizations
  • Units of local government
  • Tribal governments or consortia of tribal governments
  • Multijurisdictional groups of eligible entities

Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) organized as units of local government or multijurisdictional groups of local governments, as well as ports or port authorities organized as units of local government, are eligible to apply.

Multiple states or entities that submit a joint application must identify a lead applicant as the primary point of contact.

For the purposes of this program, states include any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or Puerto Rico. Otherwise eligible entities located in or serving U.S. territories are eligible.

Projects must be located in rural areas. For the purposes of this program, rural areas are defined as areas outside of urbanized areas that have a population of over 200,000 individuals. Refer to page 16 of the NOFA file for additional information regarding rural and urbanized areas.

The funding agency seeks to award rural projects that address deteriorating conditions and disproportionately high fatality rates and transportation costs in rural communities.

Applicants may also apply for the funding agency's National Infrastructure Project Assistance Grants Program (Mega) and/or Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects Grants Program (INFRA), known in eCivis Grants Network as US16990 and US16842, respectively; however, applicants may not apply for the same project through all three programs. To maximize their potential of receiving federal support, applicants are encouraged to apply for multiple programs. Unless they opt out of a specific program, applicants will be considered across all three programs. Each applicant may submit three unique applications per program, for a total application limit of nine. This limit only applies to applications where the applicant is the lead applicant; there is no limit on applications for which an applicant can be listed as a partnering agency.

An application may describe a project that contains more than one component; however, an applicant should not add multiple components to a single application merely to aggregate costs or to avoid submitting multiple applications. An application may also describe and request funds for a network of projects, which is a single award that funds multiple projects addressing the same transportation problem.

Federal agencies are not eligible to apply.

Previous award recipients include:

  • City of San Luis (AZ)
  • Georgia Department of Transportation (GA)
  • Michigan Department of Transportation (MI)
  • Madera County (CA)
  • Rosebud Sioux Tribe (SD)

Refer to the Award file for additional information on previous award recipients.

Eligible Applicants:
Local Government
Consortia
Native American Tribe
State Government
Application Notes:

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 6, 2024.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

Applications must include:

  • SF 424
  • SF 424C
  • Project information form
  • Project description (5 pages max)
  • Project location file
  • Project budget (5 pages max)
  • Funding commitment documentation
  • Outcome criteria (15 pages max)
  • Benefit/cost analysis narrative
  • Benefit/cost analysis calculations
  • Project readiness (5 pages max)
  • Project requirements (5 pages max)
  • Letters of support (optional)

The funding agency expects the application to be prepared with standard formatting preferences, such as single-spacing, one-inch margins, and a standard 12-point font such as Times New Roman. In general, documents should be submitted in .pdf format; however, the project information form must be submitted in Excel format, and applicants are encouraged to submit the benefit/cost analysis calculations in Excel format as well. The project location file must be submitted as a zipped Shapefile or KML/KMZ. If possible, website links to supporting documents should be provided rather than copies of these supporting materials.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
  • SAM (System for Award Management) registration

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam.

Optional webinars will be held for this program as follows:

How to Apply for the MPDG Opportunity - Smaller Scale Projects:
April 3, 2024
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com

How to Apply for the MPDG Opportunity - Larger Scale Projects:
April 5, 2024
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com

How to Prepare a Benefit/Cost Analysis:
April 9, 2024
2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com

Recordings of the webinars can be found online at www.transportation.gov/grants/mpdg-webinars.

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Project outcome criteria:
    • Safety
    • State of good repair
    • Economic impacts, freight movement, and job creation
    • Climate change, resiliency, and the environment
    • Equity, multimodal options, and quality of life
    • Innovation areas: technology, project delivery, and financing
  • Economic analysis rating
  • Project readiness rating:
    • Environmental risk
    • Technical capacity assessment
    • Financial completeness assessment
  • Additional considerations:
    • Geographic diversity
    • Statutory requirements
  • Previous awards

Refer to the NOFA and WebinarSchedule files for additional application information.

Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Unspecified
Actual Funds: $780,000,000 (Estimated)
Match Notes:

In general, applicants must provide at least 20 percent of total project costs.

Up to 100 percent of total project costs may be covered for projects that will further the completion of a designated segment of the Appalachian Development Highway System under Title 40, Section 14501 of the U.S. Code (U.S.C), or address a surface transportation infrastructure need identified for the Denali access system program under Section 309 of the Denali Commission Act of 1998.

Other federal assistance may be used to satisfy the matching requirement; however, the total federal assistance, including funds from the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) and Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) programs, known in eCivis Grants Network as US1116 and US12985, respectively, for a project is limited to 80 percent of the total project costs.

Matching contributions may not include:

  • Funds used as cost share for another federal program, unless otherwise authorized by statute
  • Previously incurred costs or previously expended or encumbered funds
Funding Notes:

Approximately $780 million is available to support awards through this program.

The total funding available for this program will be allocated as follows:

  • At least 90 percent will be allocated for awards of at least $25 million
  • Up to 10 percent will be allocated for awards of less than $25 million
  • A total of 15 percent will be allocated to projects in states that have rural roadway fatalities as a result of lane departures that are greater than the national average
  • A total of 25 percent will be allocated to projects that further the completion of designated routes of the Appalachian Development Highway System under Title 40, Section 14501 of the U.S.C.

Projects are expected to begin construction no later than 18 months after the date of obligation of funds.

Funds may not be used for standalone operating costs of on-demand mobility services.

For FY 2023/2024, 18 awards ranging from $360,378 to $70,350,785 were distributed through this program. For FY 2022, a total of $273.9 million was distributed via 12 awards ranging from $959,304 to $69 million. Refer to the Award file for details.

Contacts:

Aubrei Barton
(202) 841-7786

Program Staff
MPDGrants@dot.gov

Agency Address
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, D.C. 20590

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to the program contacts provided. Answers to common questions and requests for clarifications will be posted online at www.transportation.gov/grants.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov.

The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.

Files:
NOFA File: US16993_NOFA_FY2025-26.pdf (626.9 Kb)
Guide File: US16993_Guide_FY2025-26.pdf (242.8 Kb)
Application File: US16993_Application_FY2025-26.zip (349.2 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16993_Announcement_FY2025-26.pdf (127.9 Kb)
Award File: US16993_Award_FY2025-26.pdf (3.3 Mb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16993_WebinarSchedule_FY2025-26.pdf (118.6 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16993_FAQ_FY2025-26.pdf (250.9 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16993_WebinarPresentation_FY2025-26.zip (1.7 Mb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Guide file contains detailed application instructions. The Application folder contains a required form for submission, as well as an application checklist. The Announcement file contains the announcement of this program's solicitation. The WebinarSchedule file contains information regarding optional webinars scheduled for this program. The FAQ file contains a list of answers to frequently asked questions regarding this program. The WebinarPresentation folder contains the presentation slides from this program's webinars. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients.

April 12, 2024
The presentation slides from this program's webinars have been released and attached in the WebinarPresentation folder. In addition, recordings of the webinars have been released, and a link to the presentations is available in the Application section.

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Grant Categories
Community Development
Rural Issues
Human Services
Transportation