Closed · DOT-OST-2025-2316 · CFDA 20.930 · Discretionary
Small Community Air Service Development Program
Federal grant opportunity posted by 69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy, cataloged on Grants.gov.
- up to $12M
- Award range
- Closed
- Status
- May 4, 2026
- Close date
- 40
- Expected awards
The verdict
Small Community Air Service Development Program is a closed discretionary listing from 69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy that offered Up to $12,000,000 across 40 expected awards. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number.
- up to $12M
- award range
- Closed
- application status
- 40
- expected awards
- 20.930
- CFDA program
Opportunity snapshot. This Grants.gov announcement - Small Community Air Service Development Program - is cataloged under number DOT-OST-2025-2316 and tied to CFDA assistance listing 20.930, posted by 69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy. Grants.gov currently shows the opportunity as closed, first posted on March 20, 2026 and last updated on March 23, 2026. The funding category is Discretionary, delivered as a grant.
Award economics. The award range on file is Up to $12,000,000. The agency has projected $12.0 million in total estimated funding for this announcement. It expects to issue 40 awards. If the agency funds the expected 40 awards from the $12.0 million estimated pool, the average award works out to roughly $300,000. 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 closed on May 4, 2026. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number, so monitoring the parent program page is the most reliable way to catch re-announcements. 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. Before acting on the deadline or award figures above, verify them directly on the official Grants.gov listing, amendments can change dates and amounts after this page was last refreshed.
Award Range
Up to $12,000,000
Close Date
May 4, 2026
To participate, interested communities, or consortia of communities, must submit applications of no more than 20 one-sided pages each (excluding the completed Application for Federal Domestic Assistance (SF-424), Summary Information schedule, application cover, and table of contents (each of which may not exceed one page in length), and any letters from the community or an air carrier showing support for the application). These applications, including all required information, must be submitted to www.grants.gov no later than 4 PM EDT on May 4, 2026. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit applications in advance of the deadline. Please be aware that applicants must complete the grants.gov registration process before submitting an application, and that this process usually takes two to four weeks to complete. The Department will not accept late-filed applications except under limited circumstances related to technical difficulties. Additional information on applying through grants.gov is in Appendix A, including a notice regarding late-filed applications.
Posted
March 20, 2026
Est. Total Funding
$12,000,000
Expected Awards
40
Instrument
Grant
Description
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION The Small Community Program was established by the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (Pub. L. No. 106-181), reauthorized by the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (Pub. L. No. 108-176), and subsequently reauthorized by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. No. 112-95) as amended, the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 (Pub. L. No. 115-63), the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. No. 115-254) (FAA 2018), and the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub. L. No. 118-63, May 16, 2024 (FAA 2024). The program is codified at 49 U.S.C. § 41743. The program is designed to provide financial assistance to small communities to help them enhance their air service. The Department provides this assistance in the form of grants that are disbursed on a reimbursable basis. The Small Community Program is authorized to receive appropriations under 49 U.S.C. § 41743(e)(2). Appropriations are provided for this program for FY 2024 award selection pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Pub. L. No. 118-42) and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (Pub. L. No. 119-4). The Assistance Listing (formerly the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA)) number for this solicitation is 20.930, titled Payments for Small Community Air Service Development. Federal Awarding Agency Contact: For further information concerning the technical requirements set out in this Order, please contact Brooke Chapman at Brooke.Chapman@dot.gov or (202) 366-0577. A TDD is available for individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing at (202) 366-3993. The Department may post answers to questions and other important clarifications in the above-captioned docket on www.regulations.gov and on the program website at https://www.transportation.gov/policy/aviation-policy/small-community-rural-air-service/SCASDP. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION No more than four communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, from the same State may be selected to participate in the program in any fiscal year. No more than 40 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, may be selected to participate in the program in each year for which the funds are appropriated. Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are not eligible to compete. Pursuant to the authorities described above, the Department will make up to $12 million available for FY 2024 grant awards to carry out this program. There is no minimum or maximum individual award amount, and the amounts awarded will vary depending upon the features and merits of the selected applications. In past years, the Department’s individual grant sizes have ranged from $20,000 to nearly $1.6 million. Funding amounts made available for reimbursement may be impacted by future limitations placed on the spending authority and appropriations enacted for the Department. The Department may, at its discretion, issue partial funding awards up to the level authorized and provided that the above conditions are met. Additional information on the budget process may be found in OMB A-11: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/circulars/. Finally, as more fully discussed in Section F.1.a, the Department intends to award FY 2024 grants for durations of three years to complete studies, four years for marketing and promotion (including advertising and public relations) of the airport, community, carrier, or destination, and five years for projects that target a revenue guarantee, subsidy, or other financial incentives.
Eligibility
Grants.gov lists this opportunity under eligibility category code 25. These codes correspond to applicant types (state/local government, tribal organization, nonprofit, educational institution, individual, small business, etc.) defined in Grants.gov's own eligibility reference. See the current Grants.gov eligibility categories or check the official listing below for this opportunity's exact eligibility statement.
Official Listing on Grants.gov
View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.
Parent Grant Program
Highway Safety Improvement Program
U.S. Department of Transportation
Agency Contact
Vince Corsaro Transportation Analyst Phone 202-366-1842
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 | the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov |