Let ARC help you find the funding opportunities most relevant to the Atlanta region.
|
|
|
|
|
Announcements
|
This newsletter’s objective is to inform stakeholders around the Atlanta region of discretionary competitive funding opportunities, with an emphasis on IIJA. But as announcements of other programs of general interest are made, we’ll share those also.
Big Wins for the Atlanta Region!
The month of March brought news of three significant federal discretionary funding announcements. Two projects received funding under the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program:
ARC, Clayton County, and the cities of College Park, East Point, and Hapeville have received a $50 million federal grant for a multi-use trail connecting the Atlanta BeltLine and the Flint River. The goal is to reconnect communities that have long been divided by the construction of major transportation projects, such as roads and railways. Read ARC's press release.
The City of Atlanta received$157,645,161 for construction of a first phase of The Stitch. This initial phase will be a multi-use 14-acre greenspace over I-75/85 (Downtown Connector). This transformative project aims to reconnect Downtown and Midtown Atlanta, previously divided by the highway system. Read the City's press release.
A third project received funding under the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART program. Henry County was selected to receive $825,000 to develop a plan and implement a pilot program for emergency vehicle signal preemption at key intersections.
|
Need a Letter of Support for Your Project?
ARC has created a new portal to standardize and streamline the process for requesting letters of support for your funding applications. The form, accessible through our main IIJA page, asks you to answer a few questions about the project. This will help us customize the letter to be as targeted as possible. The earlier the request is made, the better, but please plan to upload the required information no later than two weeks before the submittal deadline.
If possible, we would also like to conduct a site visit or meet with you via Teams/Zoom early in the application development cycle to learn more about the project’s need, purpose and scope. And we’re always available as a resource if you need data or want to discuss potential partnership opportunities for any other discretionary programs.
|
|
|
|
|
Funding Opportunities
Key Regional Programs |
|
|
|
|
|
NEWMultimodal Project Discretionary Grants (MEGA/INFRA/RURAL) |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Office of the Secretary
Application Due Date: May 6, 2024
Purpose: The MPDG is a collective term for three programs. The National Infrastructure Project Assistance Program (MEGA) will support large, complex projects that are difficult to fund by other means and likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits. The Nationally Significant Freight & Highway Projects program (INFRA) awards competitive grants for multimodal freight and highway projects of national or regional significance to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas. The Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program (RURAL) will support projects to improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural
areas to increase connectivity, improve the safety and reliability of the movement of people and freight, and generate regional economic growth and improve quality of life.
Details: Applications for up to $5.2 billion of FY 2025 and FY 2026 funding across three programs are due May 6, 2024. Up to $1.7 billion will be made available for the Mega program, up to $2.7 billion will be made available for the INFRA program, and up to $780 million will be made available for the Rural program. MEGA and INFRA grants may be used for up to 60 percent of future eligible project costs (80% for RURAL). Other Federal assistance may satisfy the overall share requirement for these grant, but total Federal assistance may not exceed 80 percent of future total eligible project costs (100% for RURAL).
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
NEWActive Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Application Due Date: June 17, 2024
Purpose: ATIIP is a new competitive grant program to construct projects to provide safe and connected active transportation facilities in active transportation networks or active transportation spines. Active transportation networks are active transportation facilities that connect between destinations within a community or metropolitan region, including schools, workplaces, residences, businesses, recreation areas, medical facilities, and other community areas. Active transportation spines are active transportation facilities that connect between communities, metropolitan regions, or States.
Details: Applications for $44.6 million of FY 2023 funding are due June 17, 2024. ATIIP will award two types of grants: Planning and Design grants and Construction grants. Projects seeking Planning and Design grants must have planning and design costs of at least $100,000 to be eligible. Awards are expected to range between a minimum of $100,000 and $2 million. Projects seeking Construction grants must have total costs of at least $15 million to be eligible. Awards are expected to range between a minimum of $7.5 million and $15.0 million.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
Bridge Investment Program
|
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Application Due Date: March 19, 2024
Purpose: The Bridge Investment Program will support projects to improve bridge and culvert condition, safety, efficiency, and reliability.
Details: Funds under the Bridge Investment Program are being awarded via two "rolling" NOFOs which will remain open continuously. Approximately $2.4 billion is available each year for both bridge projects (under this NOFO) and large bridge projects (separate NOFO). Up to $20 million is available each year for planning grants, with no minimum or maximum grant award size. Applications for FY 2023 and FY 2024 funding for bridge projects (less than $100 million total cost) are due March 19, 2024. The minimum award amount is $2.5 million and the maximum is $80 million. For application deadlines for FY 2025 and FY 2026 funds, refer to the NOFO.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)
|
Agency: Department of Transportation / Office of the Secretary
Application Due Date: April 4, 2024 (Planning & Demonstration) / May 16, 2024 (Planning & Demonstration; Implementation) / August 29, 2024 (Planning & Demonstration)
Purpose: The Office of the Secretary's Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant program provides supplemental funding to support local initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets, commonly referred to as ‘‘Vision Zero’’ or ‘‘Toward Zero Death.
Details: Applications for up to $1.26 billion of FY 2024 funds (and residual FY 2023 funds) are now being accepted. For Implementation Grants, a pre-application review worksheet must be submitted by April 17, 2024, with complete applications due by May 16, 2024. For Implementation Grants, DOT expects the minimum award will be $2,500,000 and the maximum award will be $25,000,000. Planning and Demonstration Grant applications have three deadlines: April 4, 2024; May 16, 2024; and August 29, 2024. Applications will be reviewed and selections made in three groups from the submittals received by each deadline. For Planning and Demonstration Grants, award amounts will be based on estimated costs, with an expected minimum of $100,000 and an
expected maximum of $10,000,000 for all applicants.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
Congestion Relief Program
|
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Application Due Date: April 22, 2024
Purpose: Advance innovative, integrated, and multimodal solutions to reduce congestion and the related economic and environmental costs in the most congested metropolitan areas with an urbanized area population of 1 million+.
Details: Applications for up to $150 million of FY 2022, 2023 and 2024 funds are due April 22, 2024. Projects must be located in an urbanized area of more than one million people and the minimum award amount will be $10 million. There is no maximum award amount specified in the NOFO. A 20% match amount is required.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
FTA 5339(b) Program - Bus and Bus Facilities Competitive Grants
|
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Application Due Date: April 25, 2024
Purpose: The purpose of the Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program is to assist in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing or leasing buses or related equipment, and rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing or leasing bus-related facilities.
Details: Applications for $390 million of FY 2024 funding are due April 25, 2024. This is a combined NOFO with the FTA 5339(c) Low or No Emission Grant program.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
FTA 5339(c) Program - Low or No Emission (Bus) Grants
|
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Transit Administration
Application Due Date: April 25, 2024
Purpose: The purpose of the Low-No Program is to support the transition of the nation’s transit fleet to the lowest polluting and most energy efficient transit vehicles. The Low-No Program provides funding to state and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities.
Details: Applications for $1.1 billion of FY 2024 funding are due April 25, 2024. This is a combined NOFO with the FTA 5339(b) Bus and Bus Facilities Program.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
Bridge Investment Program (Large Bridge)
|
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Application Due Date: August 1, 2024
Purpose: The Bridge Investment Program will support projects to improve bridge and culvert condition, safety, efficiency, and reliability.
Details: Funds under the Bridge Investment Program are being awarded via two "rolling" NOFOs which will remain open continuously. Approximately $2.4 billion is available each year for both large bridge projects (under this NOFO) and planning and regular bridge projects (separate NOFO). Applications for FY 2023 and 2024 funding for the Large Bridge Project component of the program were due November 27, 2023. Applications for FY 2025 and FY 2026 funding are currently being accepted and are due August 1, 2024 and August 1, 2025, respectively. The project must have total eligible costs greater than $100 million to qualify for the program. Award amounts will be a minimum of $50 million, but no more than 50% of the eligible costs.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No major programs had application periods which closed in March. |
|
|
|
|
|
Railroad Crossing Elimination Program |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Railroad Administration
Purpose: The purpose of the RCE Program is to fund highway-rail or pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods. It provides a funding opportunity to improve American rail infrastructure to enhance rail safety, improve the health and safety of communities, eliminate highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossings that are frequently blocked by trains, and reduce the impacts that freight movement and railroad operations may have on underserved communities.
Details: The previous NOFO was released in July 2022.
|
|
|
|
Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Purpose: For the community portion of the program, funds will be made available to install EV charging and alternative fuel in locations on public roads, schools, parks, and in publicly accessible parking facilities. These grants will be prioritized for rural areas, low-and moderate-income neighborhoods, and communities with low ratios of private parking, or high ratios of multiunit dwellings. For the corridor portion of the program, funds will be used to deploy EV charging and hydrogen/propane/natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors.
Details: The previous NOFO was released in March 2023.
|
|
|
|
Clean School Bus Program |
Agency: Environmental Protection Agency
Purpose: For the community portion of the program, funds will be made available to install EV charging and alternative fuel in locations on public roads, schools, parks, and in publicly accessible parking facilities. These grants will be prioritized for rural areas, low-and moderate-income neighborhoods, and communities with low ratios of private parking, or high ratios of multiunit dwellings. For the corridor portion of the program, funds will be used to deploy EV charging and hydrogen/propane/natural gas fueling infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors.
Details: The previous NOFO was released in March 2023.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Funding Opportunities
Other Programs Relevant to the Atlanta Region |
|
|
|
NEW |
Strategic Innovation for Revenue Collection (SIRC) |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Application Due Date: May 27, 2024
Purpose: Test the feasibility of a road usage fee and other user-based alternative revenue mechanisms to help maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund, through pilot projects at the State, local, and regional level.
Details: Applications for $26.9 million of FY 2022 and 2023 funds are due May 27, 2024. Applications for up to an additional $15 million of FY 2024 are also being accepted, but a due date has not yet been established. A minimum 20% match is required for first time SIRC program applicants (30% for previous applicants). There is no defined maximum funding award amount, but the intent is to select five or more projects for each year of funding.
Review the NOFO
|
|
|
|
Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement Grants |
NEW |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Railroad Administration
Application Due Date: May 28, 2024
Purpose: The purpose of the CRISI Program is to invest in a wide range of projects within the United States to improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability; mitigate congestion at both intercity passenger rail and freight rail chokepoints to support more efficient travel and goods movement; enhance multi-modal connections; and lead to new or substantially improved Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation corridors.
Details: Applications for approximately $2.5 billion in FY 2023 and FY 2024 funding are due May 28, 2024. A minimum of 25% will be reserved for projects in rural areas. At least $150 million will be reserved for intercity passenger capital projects and $32.7 million for measures to prevent trespassing. Up to $7 million will be available for MAGLEV projects and $5 million for workforce development programs. Some funds available under this NOFO are derived from other programs and appropriations in previous fiscal years.
Review the
NOFO
|
|
|
|
Prioritization Process Pilot Program |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Application Due Date: May 1, 2024
Purpose: The vision of the PPPP is to fund the development and implementation of pilot prioritization processes that address and integrate the components of existing transportation programs and support projects that improve safety, climate change and sustainability, equity, and economic strength and global competitiveness consistent with DOT's strategic goals. The program will support data-driven approaches to planning that, upon completion, can be evaluated for public benefit. The program provides funding to develop and implement a publicly accessible, transparent prioritization process for the ranking and selection of projects for inclusion in short-range and long-range transportation plans for state or metropolitan areas.
Details: Applications for up to $30 million of FY 2022, 2023 and 2024 funding are due May 1, 2024. Only MPOs serving an urbanized area greater than 200,000 population are eligible to apply. No match is required.
Review the NOFO
|
|
|
|
Deployment of Technologies to Enhance Grid Flexibility (Smart Grid Grants - IIJA Section 40107 / GRIP Program) |
Agency: Department of Energy
Application Due Date: May 22, 2024
Purpose: Funding and expansion of eligible activities under the Smart Grid Investment Matching Grant Program established under section 1306 of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007.
Details: Applications for a total of $3.9 billion of FY 2024 and FY 2025 funding for three related programs are being accepted. A singular NOFO was released covering this program and two others under the name of the Grid Resilience and Partnerships (GRIP) Program. Applications for this this program are due by May 22, 2024. Concept papers defining projects to be submitted under any of the three programs must be submitted by January 12, 2024.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
Preventing Outages and Enhancing the Resilience of the Electric Grid Grants (Grid Resiliency Utility and Industry Grants - IIJA Section 40101(c) / GRIP Program) |
Agency: Department of Energy
Application Due Date: May 22, 2024
Purpose: To make grants to eligible entities, States, and Tribes to prevent outages and enhance the resilience of the electric grid. This program includes $2.5 billion in competitive grants for industry and $2.5 billion in formula grants for states and American Indian tribes.
Details: Applications for a total of $3.9 billion of FY 2024 and FY 2025 funding for three related programs are being accepted. A singular NOFO was released covering this program and two others under the name of the Grid Resilience and Partnerships (GRIP) Program. Applications for this this program are due by May 22, 2024. Concept papers defining projects to be submitted under any of the three programs must be submitted by January 12, 2024.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
Program Upgrading Our Electric Grid and Ensuring Reliability and Resiliency (Innovative Grid Resilience Program - IIJA Section 40103(b) / GRIP Program) |
Agency: Department of Energy
Application Due Date: May 22, 2024
Purpose: To provide federal financial assistance to demonstrate innovative approaches to transmission, storage, and distribution infrastructure to harden and enhance resilience and reliability; and to demonstrate new approaches to enhance regional grid resilience.
Details: Applications for a total of $3.9 billion of FY 2024 and FY 2025 funding for three related programs are being accepted. A singular NOFO was released covering this program and two others under the name of the Grid Resilience and Partnerships (GRIP) Program. Applications for this this program are due by May 22, 2024. Concept papers defining projects to be submitted under any of the three programs must be submitted by January 12, 2024.
Review the funding notice
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
No major programs had application periods which closed in March.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Grants for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities |
Agency: Department of Energy
Purpose: To provide competitive grants to make energy efficiency, renewable energy, and alternative fueled vehicle upgrades and improvements at public schools.
Details: The previous NOFO was released in November 2022.
|
|
|
|
Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grants |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Railroad Administration
Purpose: To fund capital projects that reduce the state of good repair backlog, improve performance, or expand or establish new intercity passenger rail service, including privately operated intercity passenger rail service if an eligible applicant is involved.
Details: The previous NOFO was released in December 2022.
|
|
|
|
Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program |
Agency: Department of Transportation / Federal Highway Administration
Purpose: The Wildlife Crossings Pilot program will support projects that seek to reduce the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions, and in carrying out that purpose, improve habitat connectivity.
Details: The previous NOFO was released in April 2023.
|
|
|
|
Noteworthy IIJA Related Press Releases, Guidance and Other News |
|
|
|
WEBINARS AND LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Note: Must enter passcode d+Vhet=1 to view the recording. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
IIJA FUNDING AWARD ANNOUNCEMENTS
|
|
Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods - March 12, 2024
|
USDOT announced $3.33 billion in grant awards for 132 projects. In the Atlanta region, ARC received $50,000,000 for Reconnecting Atlanta's Southside Communities; Atlanta Beltline to Flint River Trail. The City of Atlanta and the Downtown Improvement District received $157,645,161 for phase 1 of the Stitch. There were three additional awards elsewhere in the state, with the City of Savannah, City of Athens and Macon-Bibb County receiving a cumulative $3,100,000.
Read the full announcement and view the entire project list
|
|
|
|
Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation - March 14, 2024
|
USDOT announced $54.5 million in grant awards to 34 projects. In the Atlanta region, Henry County received $825,000 for the Connected Vehicle Pilot and Plan Development initiative. There were no other awards in the state of Georgia.
Read the full announcement and view the entire project list
|
|
|
|
Airport Infrastructure Grants - March 19, 2024
|
FAA announced a third round of FY 2024 funding awards totaling $110 million. There were no awards specific to the Atlanta region, but the state received block grant funding for various improvements in the amount of $6,949,503. Elsewhere in the state, Savannah's airport received $7,230,276 of funding to upgrade its fuel farm.
View the entire project list
|
|
|
|
Contract Tower Program - March 21, 2024
|
FAA announced 20 awards totaling $20 million. In the Atlanta region, the Cobb County International Airport (McCollum Field) received $675,000 to replace obsolete equipment in its control tower.
View the entire project list
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
