The Department of Transportation has issued many new grant opportunities and a good way to track them is through this funding announcement website. In May, DOT released the FY22 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for Safe Streets and Roads for All grants, live on Grants.gov. The deadline for applications is September 15, 2022.

The $27.5 billion Bridge Investment Program and the $1 billion Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, are among the other new grant opportunities listed on the DOT website. 

As the Department of Transportation and other federal agencies roll out notices of grant opportunities, a good reference is the White House guidebook on the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law).  It provides details on what’s available, who to contact, and how to get ready to rebuild. This resource is updated regularly and can be found online at Build.gov.   

While many IIJA grants, such as the $42.5 billion Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, go to state governments for distribution, cities and counties can apply directly for other competitive National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) grants.  For example, the NTIA released a NOFO for the $1 billion Middle Mile Broadband grant program on May 13 with applications due September 30, 2022.  Applications must prioritize at least one of these priorities:

• Connecting middle mile infrastructure to last mile networks that provide or plan to provide broadband service to households in unserved areas.
• Connecting non-contiguous trust lands.
• Offering wholesale broadband service at reasonable rates on a carrier-neutral basis.