Rural Funding Opportunities
The U.S. DOT has released a list of open NOFOs funded through the ROUTES initiative that are relevant to rural transportation. This list is not representative of all current federal grant opportunities, but rather those most applicable to supporting rural and tribal communities.
Historical background on each of these programs can be found here.
Current ROUTES NOFOs:
| Program | NOFO Close Date | Available Funding | Application Link |
| Rural & Tribal Assistance Pilot Program | Rolling Basis | $3,400,000 | Apply Here |
| Reconnecting Communities & Neighborhoods Grant Program | September 28, 2023 | $3,300,000,000 | Apply Here or Here |
| Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning Program | October 10, 2023 | $13,460,978 | Apply Here |
| SMART Grants, Stage 1 | October 10, 2023 | $50,000,000 | Apply Here |
| Airport Terminals Program | October 16, 2023 | $970,000,000 | Apply Here |
| Nationally Significant Federal Lands & Tribal Projects Program | November 6, 2023 | $88,290,000 | Apply Here |
| EV Charger Reliability & Accessibility Accelerator Program | November 13, 2023 | $100,000,000 | Apply Here |
| Thriving Communities Program | November 15, 2023 | $25,000,000 | Apply Here |
For a more thorough listing of upcoming U.S. DOT NOFOs, checkout this site, though all federal grants are available for review at grants.gov. To find transportation related funding opportunities, select "All Department of Transportation" under the "Agency" menu.
The ROUTES Program
Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) is an initiative to address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure by developing user-friendly tools and information, aggregating DOT resources, and providing technical assistance.
The ROUTES initiative aims to ensure rural transportation infrastructure’s unique challenges are considered in order to meet priority transportation goals of safety, mobility, and economic competitiveness.
