Grant Details

New and Updated | Grant Search

National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program: Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage (AOP) Program - FY 2023-2026

Agency: U.S. Department of Transportation
CFDA: 20.205
Federal FON: 693JJ324NF00025
Office: Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: 09/23/2024 (Multiple)
Solicitation Date: 06/25/2024
   
Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Unspecified
Actual Funds: Unspecified
Range: $196,000,000 (Max)
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to support the replacement, removal, and repair of culverts or weirs that would meaningfully improve or restore fish passage for anadromous fish. Projects that involve weirs may include infrastructure to facilitate anadromous fish passage around or over the weir and weir improvements. All projects must involve, relate to, or be situated in proximity to a road/rail crossing, pipeline, highway, or other transportation infrastructure.

Eligible activities include:

  • Preliminary and detailed design activities and associated environmental studies
  • Predevelopment/pre-construction
  • Preliminary engineering
  • Acquisition of rights-of-way
  • Consultation and permitting activities
  • Completion of environmental review under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)
  • Replacement, removal, or repair of culverts or weirs, or weir improvements, including activities that are the subject of a settlement agreement or court order
  • Replacement of an eligible facility with a new facility that meaningfully restores fish passage
  • Performing data collection and monitoring prior to, during, and following construction activities

The funding agency recognizes that some projects may focus on subsets of activities within project development, such as environmental studies and reviews or preliminary engineering; or propose to complete project activities, such as final design and construction. Projects that include subsets of these activities are allowable.

Projects may also include capacity-building and stakeholder engagement activities.

Refer to pages 38-39 of the NOFA file for information regarding additional program requirements.

Priority will be given to projects that would improve fish passage for the following:

  • Anadromous fish stocks listed as an endangered species or a threatened species under Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
  • Anadromous fish stocks identified by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) that could reasonably become listed as an endangered species or a threatened species under Section 4 of the Endangered Species Act of 1973
  • Anadromous fish stocks identified by the NMFS or the USFWS as prey for endangered species, threatened species, or protected species, including southern resident orcas (Orcinus orca)
  • Anadromous fish stocks identified by the NMFS or the USFWS as climate resilient stocks

Priority will also be given to projects that would open up more than 200 meters of upstream habitat for anadromous fish before the end of the natural habitat.

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

Last Updated: September 05, 2024

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are:

  • States, including state departments of transportation, state fish and wildlife agencies, and other state entities, exclusive of those defined as local governments
  • Units of local government
  • Indian tribes

For the purposes of this program, the term state means any state of the United States and the District of Columbia, as well as American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and any agency or instrumentality thereof exclusive of local governments.

All projects must have a transportation nexus, which means they must involve, relate to, or be situated in proximity to a road/rail crossing, pipeline, highway, or other transportation infrastructure.

Multiple applicants may submit a joint application; however, one applicant must be identified as the lead applicant.

There is no limitation on the number of applications that may be submitted by the applicant. Applicants may bundle two or more projects as a single application.

Previous award recipients may apply for additional funding through this program for additional phases or components of their projects, but should demonstrate the extent to which previously funded projects met requirements.

Applicants may seek the same award amounts from multiple U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) discretionary programs or seek a combination of funding from multiple DOT programs; however, applicants must identify in the application any other DOT programs that they intend to apply for or utilize and what award amounts they will be seeking.

Ineligible entities, including federal entities, may partner with eligible entities on applications.

Previous award recipients include:

  • California Department of Transportation (CA)
  • Lane County Public Works (OR)
  • Virginia Department of Transportation (VA)
  • Puyallup Tribe of Indians (WA)
  • Cowlitz Indian Tribe (WA)

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 received by 11:59 p.m. ET on one of the following dates:

  • FY 2023: September 23, 2024
  • FY 2024: beginning on June 23, 2025, and by August 25, 2025
  • FY 2025: beginning on June 22, 2026, and by August 24, 2026
  • FY 2026: beginning on June 21, 2027, and by August 23, 2027

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

Applications must include:

  • SF 424
  • Grants.gov lobbying form
  • SF LLL
  • SF 424A or SF 424C (as applicable)
  • Project narrative (25 pages max):
    • Basic project information
    • Funds, sources, and uses of project funding
    • Project priorities
    • Project selection criteria
    • Project readiness and environmental risk
  • Maps and graphics (if applicable)
  • Other appendices (if applicable)

The project narrative must be formatted on single-spaced pages with one-inch margins using a standard 12-point font, such as Times New Roman. When possible, supporting documentation should be submitted as website links.

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:

July 15, 2024
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com

August 22, 2024
2:30 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com

A recording of the July 15, 2024, webinar can be found online at usdot.zoomgov.com/rec, which can be accessed using the passcode "+XPZ@iM5."

A recording of the August 22, 2024, webinar can be found online at usdot.zoomgov.com/rec, which can be accessed using the passcode "77*SQ7rW."

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Conservation benefits to anadromous fish
  • Regional and watershed context
  • Ecosystem benefits
  • Project design, monitoring, and evaluation
  • Climate change, sustainability, and resilience
  • Equity and barriers to opportunity

The funding agency will also assess project readiness during the application evaluation process, including an assessment of environmental review and permitting risk, the applicant's qualifications, and financial completeness.

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

Match Required: Yes
Match Type: Unspecified
Actual Funds: Unspecified
Range: $196,000,000 (Max)
Match Notes:

In general, applicants must provide a nonfederal match of at least 20 percent of total project costs

Matching funds are not required for applicants that are Indian tribes.

Generally, federal funds may not be used as match, except in rare circumstances and with prior funding agency approval.

Previously incurred costs or previously expended or encumbered funds may not be used as a match.

Funding Notes:

Up to $196 million is available to support awards through this program. The funding agency may consider distributing awards as cooperative agreements on a case-by-case basis. There is no minimum or maximum award amount. The funding agency anticipates making awards ranging from $200,000 to $50 million, but awards outside of this range may also be made.

Funds will be provided on a reimbursement basis. At the funding agency's discretion, alternative funding arrangements may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

For award recipients that are a state department of transportation (DOT) or a non-state DOT for which a state DOT will serve as a pass-through entity, the project period will begin on the date that funds for this program are obligated in the Federal Management Information System (FMIS) and end on the project date listed in FMIS. For award recipients that are a non-state DOT entity, the project period will begin on the date of the award agreement executed by the funding agency and end on the project end date listed in the award agreement.

Costs of channel restoration, utility relocation, and acquisition of land for stream alignment will only be considered as part of a larger, eligible project. These costs are not eligible as standalone costs.

Funds may not be used for:

  • Pre-award costs, unless authorized in writing by the funding agency
  • Supporting or opposing union organizing
  • Replacing bridges with culverts
  • Projects proposing new bridges
  • Matching other federal funds

For FY 2022, a total of $195,877,358 million was distributed via 59 awards through this program. Refer to the Award file for details.

Contacts:

Ryan Buck
Agreement Officer
(202) 366-4229
CulvertAOP@dot.gov

Robin Hobbs
Agreement Officer/Team Leader
(202) 366-4004
CulvertAOP@dot.gov

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

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to the program staff. Questions submitted via email to the address provided are preferred. Questions and answers will be posted online at www.fhwa.dot.gov.

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

The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.

Files:
Other Pre-Award File: US17763_AppTemplate_FY2023-26.pdf (347.0 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17763_Q&A_FY2023-26.pdf (529.9 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17763_Webinar_FY2023-26.pdf (111.1 Kb)
Award File: US17763_Award_FY2023-26.pdf (508.1 Kb)
NOFA File: US17763_NOFA_FY2023-26.pdf (521.9 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US17763_Webinar2_FY2023-26.pdf (120.0 Kb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the revised full solicitation for this program. The AppTemplate file contains an application template for this program that should be used for reference purposes only. The Q&A file contains a list of questions and answers regarding this program. The Webinar and Webinar2 files contain information regarding optional webinars scheduled for this program. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients. Additional program resources can be found online at www.fhwa.dot.gov.

September 6, 2024
A recording of a webinar for this program has been released, and a link to the presentation is available in the Application section.

August 13, 2024
Information regarding the scheduling of an additional webinar for this program has been released and attached as the Webinar2 file. The Application section has been updated accordingly.

July 31, 2024
A recording of the webinar for this program has been released, and a link to the presentation is available in the Application section.

July 19, 2024
A revised full solicitation for this program has been released and attached as the NOFA file.

Grant Keywords
National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program, Culvert Aquatic Organism Passage Program, DOT, FHWA, state government, local government, tribe, tribal government, tribal, American Indian, Native American, culvert, weir, infrastructure, fish passage, dam, transport, transportation, replace, repair, fix, improve, improvement, fish, anadromous fish, road, roadway, rail crossing, pipeline, highway, transportation infrastructure, right-of-way, ROW, design, environmental study, environmental studies, pre-development, pre-construction, engineering, preliminary engineering, acquisition, consultation, permitting, permit, rehab, rebuild, redevelopment, refurbish, rehabilitate, rehabilitation, renovate, renovation, build, construct, construction, acquire, ecosystem, ecology, ecological, environment, environmentalism, environmental, migrate, migration, migratory route, AOP, Culvert AOP Program, predevelopment, climate change, environmental justice, rural community, tribal community, job creation, endangered species, threatened species, protected species, NEPA, fish stock, climate resilience, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, territory, territories, conservation, conserve, natural resource, preservation, protection, stewardship, restoration, restore, native species
Grant Categories
Community Development
Environment/Natural Resources
Rural Issues
Transportation