The new Rural & Tribal Assistance Pilot Program allocates $3.4 million to eligible applicants on a first-come, first-served basis. Individual awards will range in value up to the statutory limit of $360,000 with no local funding match required to participate in this program.

Grants may be used to hire staff or advisors to assist with early development-phase activities, including feasibility studies, preliminary engineering and design, environmental review, revenue forecasting, financial feasibility analysis, statutory and regulatory analysis, and drafting and negotiation of agreements.

Eligible applicants include:

• Local governments or political subdivisions with projects outside urbanized areas with a population more than 150,000 residents as determined by the Census
  
  
• State governments applying on behalf of a project outside urbanized areas of more than 150,000 residents
  
  
• Federally recognized Indian Tribes
  
  
• The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
  
  

As part of the Administration’s commitment to advancing equity and opportunity for all American Indians and Alaska Natives, the Rural & Tribal Assistance Pilot Program will set aside up to $800,000 for each fiscal year for tribal applicants.

The Build America Bureau, which is responsible for supporting transportation infrastructure development projects in the United States, has created a simple 4-page funding application and will begin accepting submissions on August 14th, 2023, at 2pm ET.

The Department of Transportation hosted a free informational webinar to provide more information for interested applicants. A recording of the webinar (code: *1P9RsQJ) and copy of the presentation have been posted. A follow-up webinar has been schedueld for July 20, 2023 at 3 p.m. ET. While participation in the webinar is not mandatory to receive funding, it is encouraged and provides an opportunity for potential applicants to learn about the application process and what activities can be funded through this pilot program.

The Rural & Tribal Assistance Pilot Program joins the Thriving Communities Program, the Regional Infrastructure Accelerators and other new technical assistance opportunities at DOT to ensure communities have the needed tools to access federal funding and financing for transformative infrastructure projects. Additional DOT technical assistance resources can be found on the DOT Navigator.