Application Notes:

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. ET on May 28, 2024.

Applications must be submitted online at www.ecivis.com/grants.gov. For supporting application materials that cannot be submitted online, such as oversized engineering drawings, an applicant may mail or deliver an original and two copies of such materials to the address provided in the Contact section. To ensure timely submission, applicants are encouraged to use other means of conveyance, such as a courier service.

Applications must include:

• SF 424
• SF 424A or SF 424C (as applicable)
• SF 424B or SF 424D (as applicable)
• SF LLL
• Certifications regarding debarment, suspension and other responsibility matters, drug-free workplace requirements, and lobbying
• Applicant financial capability questionnaire
• Project narrative (25 pages max)
• Statement of work
• Benefit-cost analysis
• Environmental compliance documentation (as applicable)
• Draft or finalized agreement
• Other relevant and available supporting documentation (optional; if applicable)

The page limit for the project narrative excludes cover pages, the table of contents, and supporting documentation. Supporting documents should be submitted via website links rather than hard copies, if possible. Attachments must be uploaded in the generally accepted formats listed on page 15 of the NOFA file.

The following are required in order to submit an application:

• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number
• SAM (System for Award Management) registration
• SPOC (state Single Point of Contact) notification

Applicants may obtain a UEI number and verify or renew SAM registration status at www.ecivis.com/sam. Applicants in states participating in the SPOC program must contact the relevant SPOC listed in the SPOC file before applying.

An optional webinar will be held for this program as follows:

April 9, 2024
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com/

Applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

• Project benefits
• Technical merit

Applications for Track 5 projects will also be evaluated according to specific criteria detailed on page 16 of the NOFA file.

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

Match Notes:

For CRISI-funded projects, applicants must provide at least 20 percent of the total costs via nonfederal contributions. Applicants that provide at least 50 percent of the total costs will receive preference.

The minimum 20 percent nonfederal match for CRISI-funded projects may be composed of state or local public-sector and/or private-sector funding. In-kind contributions, including the donation of services, materials, and equipment, may be credited as a project cost.

Preliminary engineering costs associated with eligible highway-rail grade crossing improvement and trespassing prevention projects may be used as matching contributions if the costs were incurred no earlier than November 15, 2021.

Amtrak or other rail carriers may use ticket and other nonfederal revenues generated from their operations and other sources as matching funds.

Funding Notes:

Up to $2,478,391,050 is available to support grants and/or cooperative agreements through this program. Applications that request funding in excess of $1 million are encouraged. Of the total funding available, certain funding amounts have been set aside for the following purposes:

• Rural area set-aside: at least $657,393,500, or 25 percent of available funding
• Intercity passenger rail set-aside: at least $150 million
• Trespassing measures set-aside: at least $32,724,132
• Magnetic levitation deployment projects set-aside: up to $5 million from current available funding, in addition to $2 million from the 2021 appropriation
• Workforce development: at least $5 million

Funding will be provided on a reimbursement basis.

For positive train control (PTC) projects, funds may not be used for maintenance and operating expenses incurred after a PTC system is placed in revenue service.

Funds may not be used for:

• Meeting cost sharing or matching requirements of any other federally financed award or program
• Pre-award costs, unless approved in writing by the funding agency

For FY 2022, over $1.4 billion was distributed via 70 awards through this program. For FY 2021, over $368 million was distributed via 46 awards ranging from up to $125,000 to up to $57.9 million through this program. Refer to the Award file for details.

April 8, 2024
Additional application information and forms have been released and attached as the BudgetGuide file and Application folder, respectively.