Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program NOFO
Posted by 69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement — Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program NOFO — is cataloged under number DOT-OST-2024-103 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 20.943, posted by 69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as open, first posted on December 19, 2024 and last updated on March 27, 2025. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.
Award economics. The award range on file is $200,000 -- $750,000. The agency has projected $27.0 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 50 awards. If the agency funds the expected 50 awards from the $27.0 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $540,000. Cost sharing is not required, so applicants do not need to commit matching funds to be competitive on this opportunity. Federal award ranges are often upper bounds; actual allocations reflect program appropriations, the strength of the applicant pool, and the evaluation committee's scoring.
Deadline and action path. This opportunity is open, but Grants.gov has not published a hard closing date — check the official listing for the current deadline and any posted amendments. Every Grants.gov submission requires an active SAM.gov registration and a Unique Entity ID. Review the Eligibility section below carefully — federal eligibility categories (nonprofit, state or local government, tribal, individual, educational institution, small business) have distinct registration and reporting requirements. Pre-application outreach to the listed agency contact is permitted and often welcomed — it helps clarify scope and scoring priorities.
Award Range
$200,000 -- $750,000
Close Date
Not specified
April 17, 2025. Applications will open at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 18, 2025 and will close at 4:59 p.m. ET on April 17, 2025. Grants are awarded first-come, first-served, with applications reviewed in the order in which they are received.
Posted
December 19, 2024
Est. Total Funding
$27,000,000
Expected Awards
50
Instrument
Grant
Description
New versions of the Notice of Funding Opportunity documents have been published on March 13, 2025 and are available under the "Related Documents" tab.  Note that the application portal opening date has been rescheduled to March 18, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for Rural and Tribal Assistance (RTA) Pilot Program grants. A total of $27 million is available to award for planning and design phase activities for developing transportation projects in rural or tribal communities. Grants will support hiring staff or expert firms to provide technical, legal, or financial assistance to advance transportation projects that would be reasonably expected to be eligible for select Department of Transportation discretionary grant or credit programs. There is no local match required to participate in this program. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants with an eligible project who meet the merit criteria described in the Notice of Funding Opportunity. The application form to apply for Program funding will be available beginning at 2:00 p.m. ET on March 18, 2025 on the Program's webpage: https://www.transportation.gov/buildamerica/RuralandTribalGrants. This is the only place where applications can be submitted and will be accepted. Do not submit applications through grants.gov. A pdf (one each for Single Project and Multi-Community grants) of the application questions is included in the NOFO package available under the "Related Documents" tab of this grants.gov page and is also available on the Program's webpage link above. Two types of grants will be awarded: Single Project grants and Multi-Community grants, which will fund projects in, at minimum, three separate communities submitted under a single application. Single Project grants: $10 million available to award Min. award amount: $200,000 Max. award amount: $750,000 Multi-Community grants: $17 million available to award Min. award amount: $500,000 Max. award amount: $2.25 million $10 million of Program funding is set aside for tribal governments. Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply early, given the first-come, first-served award process. The application portal will close at 4:59 p.m. ET on April 17, 2025; however, award funding may be committed before this date. ** Section 21205 of Division B of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Public Law 117-58) (Rural and Tribal Infrastructure Advancement) creates a pilot program to provide grants to fund financial, technical, and legal assistance to states and rural and tribal communities.
Eligibility
00;01;02;04;07;25
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Agency Contact
Susan Wilson <br/>Grantor <br/>Phone 202-366-0765
Key Dates
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Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.
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| Sources | Public official public datasets |