U.S. DOT issues grant application for infrastructure program

The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity discretionary grant program, funded by the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity on Jan. 27 for $1.5 billion in grant funding.

This is the first discretionary funding program to accept applications as directed by the IIJA (also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law), and the funding level has been increased by approximately $500 million over last year.

Funds for the fiscal 2022 RAISE grant program — referred to as the Local and Regional Project Assistance Program in the IIJA — are to be awarded on a competitive basis for surface transportation infrastructure projects that will have a significant local or regional impact. RAISE discretionary grants were originally created as TIGER grants under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

At least $15 million in RAISE funding is guaranteed to go toward projects located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities.

Under the IIJA, RAISE expands the number of communities eligible for a 100% federal share of funding, specifically those in rural communities, areas of persistent poverty, and historically disadvantaged communities. To help reach this goal, the U.S. Department of Transportation has launched a tool that allows applicants to determine if their project location is considered as a historically disadvantaged community.

The RAISE application deadline is April 14, and selections will be announced no later than Aug. 12, 2022.

For more information, contact RAISE grant program staff at RAISEgrants@dot.gov. The Department of Transportation regularly posts answers to questions and requests for clarifications, as well as information about webinars for further guidance, at www.transportation.gov/RAISEgrants.