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Rural and Tribal Assistance (RTA) Pilot Program - FY 2024 (2)

Agency: U.S. Department of Transportation
CFDA: 20.943
Federal FON: DOT-OST-2025-103
Office: Office of the Secretary of Transportation Build America Bureau
Multipart Grant: No
Next Due: Rolling
Solicitation Date: 08/07/2025
   
Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $54,200,000 (Estimated)
Award Range: $250,000 (Min) / $2,500,000 (Max)
Summary:

The purpose of this program is to build organizational capacity in communities that may not have the resources available to evaluate and develop transportation infrastructure projects. This program aims to help applicants develop transportation infrastructure projects in rural and tribal communities that will be reasonably expected to be eligible for federal funding and financing programs for additional development phase activities or construction.

Projects that receive an award under this program must be reasonably expected to be eligible for any one or more of the funding agency's following lending or grant programs:

  • Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Credit Program, known in eCivis Grants Network as US1116
  • Railroad Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing (RRIF) Credit Program, known as US12985
  • Nationally Significant Freight and Highway Projects Program (INFRA) Grant Program, known as US16842
  • National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program (Mega) Grant Program, known as US16990
  • National Infrastructure Investments: Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program, known as US9244
  • National Culvert Removal, Replacement, and Restoration Grant Program, known as US17763

This requirement is used to define the eligible project types and do not commit the applicant to apply to any of these programs. Additional information regarding these programs can be found on pages 23-25 of the NOFA file.

Each awarded project will be expected to achieve the following performance goals, and applicants must identify in the application a minimum of two metrics for each goal:

  • Goal 1: provide benefits to the community through transportation projects
  • Goal 2: increase the capacity, knowledge, and skills of award recipients to execute transportation projects
  • Goal 3: engage, educate, and listen to the community throughout the project planning process
  • Goal 4: advance the transformational projects closer to delivery

Eligible activities may include:

  • Financial services:
    • Revenue forecasting
    • Economic assessments and cost/benefit analyses
    • Value for money analyses and procurement options
    • Evaluating opportunities for private financing and project bundling
    • Financial feasibility analysis and funding and financing optional analysis
    • Evaluation of costs to sustain the project, such as operations and maintenance costs
  • Technical services:
    • Project planning
    • Feasibility studies
    • Environmental review and permitting
    • Preliminary engineering and design
    • Funding application assistance
    • Public engagement
    • Property development and land use feasibility analysis
    • Public benefit studies
    • Cost estimation
  • Legal services:
    • Statutory and regulatory framework analyses
    • Drafting and negotiation of concession agreements
    • Drafting and negotiation of interagency agreements
    • Procurement support

An optional webinar is scheduled for this program. Refer to the Application section for details.

Eligibility Notes:

Eligible applicants are:

  • Units of local government or political subdivisions that are located outside of an urbanized area that has a population of more than 150,000 residents as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau; examples of local governments and political subdivisions include:
    • Counties
    • Boroughs
    • Municipalities
    • Cities
    • Towns
    • Townships
    • Parishes
    • Local public authorities, including any public housing agencies under the United States Housing Act of 1937
    • Special districts
    • School districts
    • Councils of governments, whether or not incorporated as a nonprofit corporation under state law
    • Any other agencies or instrumentalities of a multi-, regional, or intra-state or local government
  • States, territories, or possessions of the United States seeking to advance a project in a location outside of an urbanized area that has a population of more than 150,000 residents as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau
  • Federally recognized Indian tribes
  • The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands

For local governments, political subdivisions, or states seeking to apply to this program with a project in a rural area, a project is determined to be rural if it is located outside of an urbanized area that has a population of more than 150,000 residents as determined by the U.S. Census Bureau. The location of the project itself determines an applicant's eligibility for this program when applying as a rural applicant. Applicants may use one of the mapping tools listed on page 9 of the NOFA file to verify that a project's location is in a rural area.

A separate application is required for each project submitted for funding consideration. The maximum number of applications that may be submitted is two, and the maximum number of awards that an applicant may receive through this program is two.

Applicants that were awarded funding from this program's FY 2023 solicitation may not apply for funding for the same project.

Previous award recipients include:

  • City of Independence (OR)
  • Contra Costa County (CA)
  • City of Blair (NE)
  • Nulato Village (AK)
  • Match-E-Be-Nash-She-Wish Band of Pottawatomi Indians (MI)

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

Eligible Applicants:
Local Government
Native American Tribe
Schools/School Districts
State Government
Application Notes:

Applications will be accepted on a first-come, first-served rolling basis, beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on September 8 2025, and until 11:59 p.m. ET on October 8, 2025, or until all available funding is expended, whichever comes first.

Applications must be submitted via the online application form that will be accessible online at transportation.gov/buildamerica once the application portal opens. Emailed, mailed, or faxed applications will not be accepted.

Applications must include:

  • Name and contact information
  • Organization name, address, and website
  • Employer/taxpayer identification number (EIN/TIN)
  • Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
  • Organization congressional district and project congressional district
  • Eligible entity
  • Project title
  • Project location
  • Overall project description and total project cost
  • Federal debt delinquency
  • Appropriateness of services requested
  • Viability of grant services requested
  • Application certification

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.

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

August 26, 2025
2:00 p.m. ET
Registration: usdot.zoomgov.com/webinar/register

Applications will be evaluated according to the following criteria:

  • Appropriateness of services requested
  • Viability of grant funds requested

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

Match Required: No
Actual Funds: $54,200,000 (Estimated)
Award Range: $250,000 (Min) / $2,500,000 (Max)
Match Notes:

Matching funds are not required for this program.

Funding Notes:

An estimated $54.2 million is available to support approximately 21 to 216 awards ranging from $250,000 to $2.5 million through this program.

Of the total funding available, $20 million is set aside for eligible tribal applicants.

Of the total funding available, no more than 20 percent may be awarded for projects in a single state.

Funds will be provided on a reimbursement basis.

Award notifications are expected to be made in December 2025.

The project period may last up to 36 months.

For FY 2023, a total of $3.4 million was distributed via 13 awards ranging from $40,000 to $320,000 through this program. Refer to the Award file for details.

Contacts:

Program Staff
(202) 366-0765
RuralandTribalTA@dot.gov

Agency Address
Build America Bureau
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave., SE
W84-322
Washington, D.C. 20590

Contact Notes:

Questions should be directed to the program staff.

Applications must be submitted via the online application form that will be accessible online at transportation.gov/buildamerica once the application portal opens.

The agency address provided is for reference purposes only.

Files:
NOFA File: US16912_NOFA_FY2024_2.pdf (483.3 Kb)
Guide File: US16912_Guide_FY2024_2.pdf (255.5 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16912_Overview_FY2024_2.pdf (258.0 Kb)
Other Pre-Award File: US16912_AppTemplate_FY2024_2.pdf (184.4 Kb)
Award File: US16912_Award_FY2024_2.pdf (192.5 Kb)
File Notes:

The NOFA file contains the full solicitation for this program. The Guide file contains detailed application instructions. The Overview file contains general program information, including information regarding an optional webinar scheduled for this program. The AppTemplate file contains a sample of the online application and should be used for reference purposes only. The Award file contains information on previous award recipients.

Grant Keywords
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Grant Categories
Community Development
Rural Issues
Transportation