DVRPC can assist local governments in applying for competitive grants under the IIJA by providing application data, support letters, and coordinating activities and applications for regional initiatives.
As the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization, DVRPC gives local elected officials a stronger role in guiding federal transportation investments through the Long-Range Plan and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).
Thanks to IIJA funding, DVRPC has hired a consultant to perform pre-application related engineering tasks at no cost to municipalities for projects eligible for the Transportation Alternatives Set Aside Program (TASA).
Check the Latest News and Releases section for recent Notices of Funding Opportunities and other news.
Access USDOT’s grants program homepage and sign up to receive direct notices from funding agencies.
Latest News and Releases
Summary of IIJA Competitive Awards to the DVRPC Region (New Funding)
September 17, 2024 - FHWA is now accepting applications for its National Scenic Byways Program (NSBP) grant opportunity. The program provides funding to States and Indian Tribes to implement eligible projects on highways designated as National Scenic Byways or All-American Roads (America's Byways®), State scenic byways, or Indian Tribe scenic byways; and to plan, design, and develop a State or Indian Tribe scenic byway program. Applications must be submitted through grants.gov by December 16, 2024.
August 27, 2024 - FHWA announced the availability of $800 million in funding under the Low Carbon Transportation Materials Grants (LCTM) Program to tackle the climate crisis. LCTM will support the use of low-carbon materials and products used in transportation that reduce air pollution, specifically greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). Applications are due by November 25, 2024.
August 21, 2024 - DVRPC staff presented the strategy for utilizing Carbon Reduction Program funds to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the region’s transportation system. A presentation of the Carbon Reduction Program Funding Strategy is available below. A recording of the presentation is available here. (passcode: XA@x&46h)
August 15, 2024 - The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced the availability of more than $9 million in competitive grants for its FY 2024 Public Transportation on Indian Reservations (Tribal Transit) Program. The program is open to Federally recognized Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages, groups, or communities as identified by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Eligible activities include planning, capital, and operating assistance for tribal transit services in rural areas. Applications must be submitted via grants.gov by November 13, 2024.
May 16, 2024 - The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of State and Community Energy Programs announced the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) Grant Program. The program provides discretionary grants for eligible entities to implement strategies to: Reduce fossil fuel emissions; Reduce the total energy use of the applicants; and Improve energy efficiency in the transportation, building, and other appropriate sectors. Applications are due October 31, 2024 for local governments.
November 21, 2023 - The Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change Grant program (Community Change Grants) is accepting applications for $2 billion in grants to fund community-driven projects that address climate challenges and reduce pollution while strengthening communities through thoughtful implementation. Review the NOFO for further information and details about the application process. The NOFO is open for one year and will close on November 21, 2024, with EPA reviewing applications on a rolling basis.
Upcoming Opportunities
Overview
Background
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also referred to as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was signed into law on November 15, 2021. The $1.2 trillion IIJA reauthorizes the nation’s surface transportation and drinking water and wastewater legislation, and includes an additional $550 billion in funding for new programs in transportation, energy transmission, resilience, broadband, and others, approximately half of which goes to the U.S. Department of Transportation over the next five years.
The bill focuses on making investments that will address equity, sustainability, resilience, climate change, safety, and asset condition. IIJA expands eligibility and changes some policy requirements in legacy programs, and establishes several new formula-funded and discretionary programs. Click on a program below for more information:
Transportation Programs
National Electric Vehicle Formula Program and Electric Vehicle Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grants
Establishes a new formula and competitive grant program to “strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging infrastructure and hydrogen fueling infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure along designed alternative fuel corridors or in certain other locations that will be accessible to all drivers...”
$5 billion dollars in formula funds will be awarded to the state DOTs for investment in designated and planned Alternative Fuel Corridors. $2.5 billion dollars will be available in a discretionary grant program open to state and local governments, MPOs, and Authorities.
Grant funds can be used for “fueling infrastructure, including certain development phase activities and the acquisition or installation of infrastructure that is directly related to vehicle charging or fueling”. This includes funding to upgrade electric facilities to power the chargers. Funds can be used as operating assistance to the private entity for the first five years of operation.
Fifty percent of the discretionary grant funds must be spent in designated alternative fuel corridors and fifty percent of all funds must be reserved for community grants for projects expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to expand or fill gaps in access to alternative fueling, with priority given to rural areas, low- and moderate-income neighborhoods, and communities with a low ratio of private parking spaces to households or a high ratio of multi-unit dwellings to single family homes.
Total funding: $7.5 billion over five years; $5 billion in formula funding and $2.5 billion in discretionary funding. Maximum individual grant amount is $15 million at 80% federal share, and up to 1% can be used to provide technical assistance to eligible entities, and 5% can be used on educational and community engagement activities.
Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grant Program
Establishes a new PROTECT grant program to provide grants for resilience improvements. Funding is distributed both by formula and through competitive grants. Formula funds are provided to each state based on their share of the overall base apportionment.
Eligible projects include the use of natural infrastructure or construction or modification of storm surge, flood protection, or aquatic ecosystem restoration elements related to highway projects, public transportation facilities, intercity rail facilities or service, or port facilities.
Funding: $7.3 billion over five years by formula; $1.4 billion for competitive grants. Federal share is 80%; other Federal funds may be used for the other 20%.
Bridge Investment Program
Creates a new competitive “bridge investment program” to encourage bridge repair that will improve safety, efficiency, and reliability of people and freight movement, and leverages nonfederal contributions. Allows for bridge bundling and culvert work as well. Allows the awarding of grants. Large project ($100 million or more) grants will be $50 million or greater but not more than 50% of the project cost and may be carried out through a multiyear agreement; small project grants will be a minimum of $2.5 million, but not more than 80% of the project cost.
To be eligible, projects must begin within 18 months after funds are obligated and preliminary engineering must be complete. Eligible projects include development phase activities, construction, and bridge protection (such as seismic retrofits). The bill lays out in very specific detail how projects will be evaluated and chosen.
Funding: $12.5 billion over five years; including $3.265 billion in contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund, and $9.2 billion in advance appropriations from the General Fund.
Congestion Relief Program
Establishes a new competitive congestion relief program to provide discretionary grants to “advance innovative, integrated, and multimodal solutions to congestion relief in the most congested metropolitan areas…” The program’s goals are “to reduce highway congestion, reduce economic and environmental costs associated with that congestion - including transportation emissions, and optimize highway capacity and usage of highway and transit systems…” These goals would be accomplished through intermodal integration, shifts in travel patterns (time of day and mode), and pricing.
Eligible projects include: Integrated congestion management systems; HOV toll lanes, cordon pricing, parking pricing, or congestion pricing; mobility services such as commuter buses and vans; and incentive programs to encourage carpooling. Priority is given to urbanized areas experiencing a high degree of recurrent congestion. Projects must include analysis of potential effects on low-income drivers and may include mitigation measures to deal with adverse financial effects on low-income drivers.
Funding: $250 million over five years. Minimum grant award is $10 million, federal share is 80%.
Strengthening Mobility And Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grant Program
New competitive SMART grant program that builds upon the success of the Smart City Challenge "to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems in a variety of communities to improve transportation efficiency and safety." Also allows for "regional partnerships" composed of two or more eligible entities located in jurisdictions with a combined population of 50,000-400,000. Selection criteria include: extent to which the applicant community has a public transportation system or other transit options; population density; continuity of committed leadership and functional capacity; open data commitment; likelihood of success, including through technical and financial commitments from the public and private sectors; extent to which the project will use advanced data, technology, and applications to provide significant benefits including congestion reduction; safety of bikes and pedestrians; access to opportunities, especially for underserved or disadvantaged populations; economic competitiveness; system reliability; connectivity between modes; private sector investments; pollution reduction; resilience; and emergency response.
Priority will be given to projects that would be scalable; encourage data sharing and best practices; encourage innovation; promote a skilled workforce; allow for measurement and validation of cost savings and performance improvements; encourage adoption of smart technologies by other communities; promote industry practices regarding cybersecurity; and safeguarding individual privacy. Projects should demonstrate at least one of: coordinated automation; connected vehicles; intelligent, sensor-based infrastructure; systems integration; commerce delivery and logistics; leveraging use of innovative aviation technology; smart grid; and smart technology traffic signals. Eligible uses include development phase and construction phase activities.
Funding: $500 million over five years.
Healthy Streets Program
Establishes a new discretionary grant program to expand the use of cool pavement and porous pavement, and expand tree cover. Goals of the program are to mitigate urban heat islands, improve air quality, reduce the extent of impervious surfaces, reduce stormwater run-off and flood risks, and reduce heat impacts to infrastructure and road users.
Funding: $500 million over five years. Federal share is 80% unless a community can prove a hardship that qualifies them for 100%. Maximum grant award is $15 million.
Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program
New competitive grant program to construct eligible projects to “provide safe and connected active transportation facilities in an active transportation network or active transportation spine.”
Eligible projects are active transportation projects (or groups of projects) that are regional in nature and that cost more than $15 million (or more than $100,000 in the case of planning and design costs).
Funding: Authorizes $1 billion over five years. Federal share: 80%; can be 100% for projects in areas with a poverty rate over 40%.
Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program
Creates a new competitive grant program for "Vision Zero'' grants. Defines a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan as "a plan aimed at preventing transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries in a locality, commonly referred to as a "Vision Zero" or "Toward Zero Deaths" plan." Elements of the plan include goals and timeline for eliminating fatalities and serious injuries; analyses of crash location and community input; a data driven approach to identify projects or strategies; and mechanisms for evaluating outcomes and effectiveness.
Eligible projects include development of the plan itself; planning, design, and development activities to execute on projects and strategies; or to carry out the projects or strategies themselves. Projects will be chosen based on whether the proposed project: is likely to significantly reduce or eliminate transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries involving various road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and commercial operators, within the proposed time frame; demonstrates engagement with a variety of public and private stakeholders; seeks to adopt innovative technologies or strategies to promote safety; employs low-cost, high-impact strategies that improve safety over a wider geographical area; ensures, or will ensure, equitable investment in the safety needs of underserved communities in preventing transportation-related fatalities and injuries; includes evidence-based projects or strategies; and achieves such other conditions as the U.S. DOT Secretary considers to be necessary.
Funding: $5 billion over five years. Federal share is 80%.
Railroad Crossing Elimination Program
Creates a new competitive grant program for “highway-rail or pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods.” Goals are to eliminate highway-rail grade crossings frequently blocked by trains; improve the health and safety of communities; reduce the impacts that freight movement has on underserved communities; and improve the mobility of people and goods.
Eligible projects include grade separation, track relocation, improvement or installation of protective features, other safety projects, a group of any of the above projects, and planning and design of eligible projects.
Funding: $3 billion over five years. Minimum grant size is $1 million except for planning grants. Federal share is 80%.
National Infrastructure Project Assistance Grants
New competitive grant program to support freight-related projects, including roads and bridges, intermodal facilities, grade separation or elimination, intercity passenger rail, public transportation, or a combination of these. 50% of the funding is for projects between $100 million and $500 million; 50% is for projects over $500 million. To be eligible, projects must: be likely to generate national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits; need significant federal funding; be cost-effective; have one or more stable sources of non-federal funding and financing to construct, operate, and maintain the project, and cover any cost increases; and project applicant must have sufficient legal, financial, and technical capacity.
Evaluation criteria includes: extent to which the project supports achieving a state of good repair; the level of benefits a project is expected to generate including avoided costs due to closure or reduction of asset use, reductions in maintenance costs, safety benefits, improved person or freight throughput, and environmental and health benefits; benefit-cost ratio; number of persons or volume of freight supported by the project; and national and regional economic benefits of the project. Other considerations include: how the projects contribute to geographical diversity and balance between rural and urban communities; multi-state benefit; the extent to which a project uses materials or approaches that reduce greenhouse gases or reduce the need for maintenance of other projects and technologies that will allow for future connectivity and automation; whether the project would benefit a historically disadvantaged community or population or area of persistent poverty; whether the project benefits users of multiple modes of transportation; and whether the project improves connectivity between modes of transportation.
Funding: $5 billion over five years. Federal share is 60%; other grants can be awarded to eligible projects through other programs, but total federal support cannot exceed 80%. Loans or finance repaid with local funds or revenues are part of the local share.
Reduction of Truck Emissions at Port Facilities Program
New discretionary program of competitive grants to reduce truck idling and emissions at ports, including through the advancement of port electrification. Competitive grants are intended to test, evaluate, and deploy projects that reduce port-related emissions. Will include a study to address how ports and intermodal port transfer facilities would benefit from increased opportunities to reduce emissions at ports, and how emerging technologies and strategies can contribute.
Funding: $400 million over five years, including $250 million in contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund; and $150 million in advance appropriations from the General Fund.
Carbon Reduction Program
Creates a new formula program to reduce transportation emissions. Formula funds are provided to each state based on their share of the overall base apportionment. Of those funds, 65% are suballocated to areas within the state by population. Requires coordination with MPOs and the commitment of obligation authority for all projects in areas with a population of 50,000 and above.
Eligible projects include: establishing or operating a traffic monitoring, management, and control facility; public transportation projects; bicycle and pedestrian facilities; advance transportation and congestion management technologies; ITS capital improvements and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications equipment; efficient street lighting and traffic control devices; congestion pricing, mode shift, and transportation demand management (TDM); projects to reduce environmental and community impacts of freight movement; alternative fuel vehicle deployment support; diesel retrofits; certain CMAQ-eligible projects; and port congestion reduction. Funds can be used for any Surface Transportation Block Grant-eligible use if a state can demonstrate a reduction in transportation emissions. Within two years, a state in consultation with any MPOs, must develop a carbon reduction strategy.
Funding: $6.4 billion over five years.
Reconnecting Communities
Establishes a new pilot program to study the feasibility and impacts of removing an existing transportation facility (including limited access highway, viaduct, and other principal arterial facility) that “creates a barrier to community activity” including mobility, access, economic development, and design factors such as high speeds or grade separations.
Funds can be used to conduct studies, planning, and construction. Planning grants can be awarded (up to $2 million per recipient and federal share of 80%, including to MPOs or other units of local government) to perform the necessary planning functions to establish the feasibility and impacts, and conduct public engagement. Allows for the provision of technical assistance to build organizational or community capacity for planning and innovative solution development. Gives priority consideration to communities that are “economically disadvantaged.” Owners of these facilities can also receive capital construction grants, up to $5 million per recipient and a federal share of 50%, to remove an eligible facility or replace it in a more context-sensitive manner.
Funding: $1 billion over five years; $500 million in contract authority from the Highway Trust Fund and $500 million in advance appropriations from the General Fund.
Clean School Bus Program
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021 authorizes EPA to offer rebates to replace existing school buses with clean and zero-emission (ZE) models. The 2022 Clean School Bus (CSB) Rebates process includes SAM.gov account registration, application submission, review and selection by EPA, purchase order submission and request for payment, payment receipt, new bus delivery and old bus replacement, and close out. The program guidance and application process differ from prior EPA school bus rebate programs in many ways, so please review the summary of program requirements below and the detailed Program Guide before proceeding.
On May 20, 2022 DVRPC, PECO Energy Company, the Eastern Pennsylvania for Clean Transportation, and the US EPA held an information webinar on the Clean School Bus Program.
Broadband, Drinking Water, Energy, and Environmental Programs
Broadband
Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment Grant Program
Creates a formula-based grant program for states to use to award subgrants for unserved service projects and underserved service projects; connecting eligible community anchor institutions; data collection, broadband mapping, and planning; installing internet and Wi-Fi infrastructure or providing reduced-cost broadband within a multi-family residential building, with priority given to a residential building that has a substantial share of unserved households, and is in a location in which the percentage of individuals with a household income that is at or below 150 percent of the poverty line applicable to a family of the size involved; and broadband adoption, including programs to provide affordable internet-capable devices.
Eligible applicants include cooperatives, nonprofit organizations, public-private partnerships, private companies, public or private utilities, public utility districts, and local governments.
Funding: $42.45 billion to be distributed to the states based on proportion of total unserved and underserved locations, with an initial allocation of $100 million per state.
Digital Equity Capacity and Competitive Grant Programs
Establishes a program to fund planning for and then promotion of digital inclusion and equity for communities that lack the skills, technologies and support needed to take advantage of broadband connections.
Eligible projects must focus on specific populations in the types of communities identified above, and project scopes can include development and implementation of digital inclusion activities; facilitating the adoption of broadband in order to provide educational and employment opportunities; implementing training programs that cover basic, advanced, and applied skills, or other workforce development programs; making available equipment, instrumentation, networking capability, hardware and software, or digital network technology for broadband services at low or no cost; and construct, upgrade, expend, or operate new or existing public access computing centers through community anchor institutions.
Funding: $250 million for each of the first 5 fiscal years in which funds are made available to carry out this section; and such sums as may be necessary for each fiscal year after the end.
Middle Mile Broadband Infrastructure Program
Provides grants for the expansion and extension of middle mile infrastructure to reduce the cost of connecting unserved and underserved areas to the internet and to promote broadband connection resiliency through the creation of alternative network connection paths that can be designed to prevent single points of failure on a broadband network.
Funding: $1 billion for fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Drinking Water
Advanced Drinking Water Technology Grant Program
Creates the Advanced Drinking Water Technology Grant Program by amending the Safe Drinking Water Act.
Eligible entities are owners or operators of public water systems that serve a population of not more than 100,000 people; a disadvantaged community; or with a population of less than 10,000 individuals that does not have the capacity to incur debt sufficient to finance a project or activity.
Activities eligible for funding through this program include the employment of new, existing, or emerging, yet proven, technologies, including technology that could address cybersecurity vulnerabilities, that enhance treatment, monitoring, affordability, efficiency, or safety of the drinking water provided by the public water system.
Funding: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, to remain available until expended.
Competitive Grants for Underserved Communities Pilot Program
Establishes a pilot program for states to grant additional funds to underserved communities to implement projects funded through the Connection to Public Water Systems Assistance Program and the Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program.
Funding: $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Connection to Public Water Systems Assistance Program
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by establishing a competitive grant program for owners or operators of public water systems, or nonprofits that assist, or are seeking to assist, eligible individuals with connecting the household of the eligible individual to the public water system.
Funding: $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Lead Inventorying Utilization Grant Pilot Program
Creates a grant pilot program available to municipalities to carry out lead reduction projects that are demonstrated to exist or are suspected to exist, based on available data, information, or resources, including existing lead inventorying of those eligible entities.
Eligibility includes a municipality that is served by a community water system or a non-transient noncommunity water system in which not less than 30 percent of the service lines are known, or suspected, to contain lead, based on available data, information, or resources, including existing lead inventorying.
Priority will be given to municipalities that meet the affordability criteria of the State.
Funding: $10,000,000 available until expended.
Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program
Amends the Safe Drinking Water Act by establishing the Midsize and Large Drinking Water System Infrastructure Resilience and Sustainability Program.
Through the program, grants will be awarded, subject to availability of appropriations, for the purpose of increasing resilience to natural hazards and extreme weather events; and reducing cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
Eligible entities are public water systems that serve a community with a population of 10,000 or more, and eligible projects include planning, design, construction, implementation, operation, or maintenance.
Funding: $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, with 50 percent to entities that serve a population of between 10,000 and 100,000; and 50 percent to entities that serve a population equal to or greater than 100,000.
Operational Sustainability of Small Public Water Systems Grant Program
Establishes, subject to the availability of appropriations, a program to award grants to eligible entities for the purpose of improving the operational sustainability of one or more small systems.
Eligible entities include states, local governments, public corporations established by a unit of local government to provide water service, and nonprofit corporations, public trusts, or cooperative associations that own or operate a public water system. Activities eligible for funding through this program are the development of a detailed asset inventory, which may include drinking water sources, wells, storage, valves, treatment systems, distribution lines, hydrants, pumps, controls, and other essential infrastructure; the development of an infrastructure asset map, including a map that uses technology such as geographic information system software, and global positioning system software; the deployment of leak detection technology; the deployment of metering technology; training in asset management strategies, techniques, and technologies for appropriate staff employed; and the deployment of strategies, techniques, and technologies to enhance the operational sustainability and effective use of water resources through water reuse.
Funding: $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Rural and Low-Income Water Assistance Pilot Program
Creates a new pilot program to award grants to develop and implement programs to assist qualifying households with a need in maintaining access to drinking water and wastewater treatment.
Eligible entities include municipalities and other entities that own or operate a community water system, treatment works, or municipal separate storm sewer system; or have taken on an unsustainable level of debt due to customer nonpayment for the services provided by a community water system, treatment works, or municipal separate storm sewer system. Types of assistance that may be provided through this program are direct financial assistance; a lifeline rate; bill discounting; special hardship provisions; a percentage-of-income payment plan; or debt relief for the eligible entity or the community water system owned by the eligible entity for debt that is due to customer nonpayment for the services provided.
Additional program specifics will be determined based on the results of a Needs Assessment for Nationwide Rural and Urban Low-Income Community Water Assistance, which was mandated by the IIJA.
Energy
Clean Energy Demonstration Program on Current and Former Mine Land
Creates a new program to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of carrying out clean energy projects on current and former mine land. No more than five clean energy projects will be funded across geographically diverse regions, at least two of which shall be solar projects.
The project must be located in an Economically Distressed Area as described in the Public Works and Economic Development Act of 1965.
Funding: Appropriated funding of $500,000,000 ($100,000,000 per year) for the period of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Small and Medium Publicly Owned Treatment Works Circuit Rider Program
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1281 et seq.) by establishing the Small And Medium Publicly Owned Treatment Works Circuit Rider Program.
Eligible nonprofits may use funds from this program to provide assistance to owners and operators of small and medium publicly owned treatment works to carry out
sludge collection; installation of anaerobic digesters; methane capture; methane transfer; facility upgrades and retrofits necessary to create or improve waste-to-energy systems; and other new and emerging, but proven, technologies that transform waste to energy. Funding: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, with individual grant amounts not to exceed $75,000.
Wastewater Efficiency Grant Pilot Program
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to create the Wastewater Efficiency Grant Pilot Program. The grants will be awarded to 15 owners or operators of publicly owned treatment works for the purpose of sludge collection; installation of anaerobic digesters; methane capture; methane transfer; facility upgrades and retrofits necessary to create or improve waste-to-energy systems; and other new and emerging, but proven, technologies that transform waste to energy.
Funding: $20,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, to remain available until expended. Maximum amount for each grant is $4,000,000.
Environmental
Brownfields Community-wide Assessment Grants
Amends Section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Community-wide Assessment Grants are appropriate when a specific site is not identified and the applicant plans to spend grant funds on more than one brownfield site in its community. Eligible applicants include local governments, regional councils, redevelopment agencies, state agencies, nonprofit organizations (except 501C4), land clearance authorities and tribes.
Funding: Up to $500,000 to assess sites contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum), and/or petroleum.
Brownfields Site Specific Assessment Grants
Amends Section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Site-specific Assessment Grant is appropriate when a specific site is identified and the applicant plans to spend grant funds on this one site only.Eligible applicants include local governments, regional councils, redevelopment agencies, state agencies, nonprofit organizations (except 501c4), land clearance authorities and tribes.
Funding: Up to $200,000 to assess a site contaminated by hazardous substances, pollutants, contaminants (including hazardous substances co-mingled with petroleum), and/or petroleum.
Brownfields Multipurpose (MP) Grants
Amends Section 104(k) of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 (CERCLA). Multipurpose (MP) Grants provide funding to carry out a range of eligible assessment and cleanup activities with a proposed target area, such as a neighborhood, a number of neighboring towns, a district, a corridor, a shared planning area or a census tract. The target area may not include communities that are located in distinctly different geographic areas..Eligible applicants include local governments, regional councils, redevelopment agencies, state agencies, nonprofit organizations (except 501C4), land clearance authorities and tribes.
Funding: Up to $800,000 per application. Projects must demonstrate how grant funds will result in at least one Phase II environmental site assessment;one brownfield site cleanup; and an overall plan for revitalization of one or more brownfield sites, if there is not already a plan in place.
Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program
Amends the Federal Water Pollution Control Act by establishing the Clean Water Infrastructure Resiliency and Sustainability Program.
The program funds municipal, and intermunicipal, interstate, or state agency planning, designing, or constructing projects (on a system-wide or area-wide basis) that increase the resilience of a publicly owned treatment works to a natural hazard or cybersecurity vulnerabilities through the conservation of water; enhancement of water use efficiency; enhancement of wastewater and stormwater management by increasing watershed preservation and protection; modification or relocation of an existing publicly owned treatment works, conveyance, or discharge system component that is at risk of being significantly impaired or damaged by a natural hazard; development and implementation of projects to increase the resilience of publicly owned treatment works to a natural hazard or cybersecurity vulnerabilities, as applicable; or enhancement of energy efficiency or the use and generation of recovered or renewable energy in the management, treatment, or conveyance of wastewater or stormwater.
Funding: $25,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026. Grant amounts are not to exceed 75 percent of total project cost, unless the project serves a community that has a population of fewer than 10,000 individuals, or meets the affordability criteria established by the State. In which case, the grant amount may not exceed 90 percent of the total cost of the proposed project. At the discretion of the Administrator, a grant may cover 100 percent of the total cost.
Connection to Publicly Owned Treatment Works Competitive Grant Program
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act is amended to establish a competitive grant program for eligible entities to provide funds to assist qualified individuals in covering the costs incurred by the qualified individual in connecting the household of the qualified individual to a publicly owned treatment works.
Eligibility includes owners or operators of a publicly owned treatment works that assists or is seeking to assist low-income or moderate-income individuals with connecting the household of the individual to the publicly owned treatment works; or nonprofit entities that assist low-income or moderate-income individuals with the costs associated with connecting the household of the individual to a publicly owned treatment works.
Funding: $40,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Grants for Construction and Refurbishing of Individual Household Decentralized Wastewater Systems for Individuals with Low or Moderate Income
This grant program is established by amending the Federal Water Pollution Control Act to make funds available to private nonprofit organizations assisting individual members of low-income or moderate-income households who have a combined income (for the most recent 12-month period for which information is available) equal to not more than 50 percent of the median nonmetropolitan household income for the State or territory in which the household is located, according to the most recent decennial census.
Eligible projects include construction, repair, or replacement of an individual household decentralized wastewater treatment system; or installation of a larger decentralized wastewater system designed to provide treatment for two or more households in which eligible individuals reside.
Funding: $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Rural and Low-Income Water Assistance Pilot Program
Creates a new pilot program to award grants to eligible entities to develop and implement programs to assist qualifying households with need in maintaining access to drinking water and wastewater treatment.
The types of assistance activities eligible for funding through this program include direct financial assistance; a lifeline rate; bill discounting; special hardship provisions; a percentage-of-income payment plan; or debt relief for the eligible entity or the community water system owned by the eligible entity for debt that is due to customer nonpayment for the services provided.
Additional program specifics will be determined following the Needs Assessment For Nationwide Rural And Urban Low-Income Community Water Assistance.
Small Publicly Owned Treatment Works Efficiency Grant Program
The program is created by amending the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, and provides grants to owners or operators of a small publicly owned treatment works that serve a population of not more than 10,000 people, or a disadvantaged community; or nonprofit organizations that seek to assist a small publicly owned treatment works.
Eligible activities include the replacement or repair of equipment that improves water or energy efficiency of small publicly owned treatment works, as identified in an efficiency audit.
Stormwater Control Infrastructure Project Grants
Provides funding for competitive planning and implementation grants to state, tribal, or local governments; or a local, regional, or other public entity that manages stormwater or wastewater resources or other related water infrastructure eligible entities to carry out stormwater control infrastructure projects that incorporate new and emerging, but proven, stormwater control technologies. Funding: $10,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026.
Water Data Sharing Pilot Program
Establishes a grant program to fund the creation of systems that improve the sharing of information concerning water quality, water infrastructure needs, and water technology, including cybersecurity technology, between States or among counties and other units of local government within a State.
Eligible entities include state, county, or other units of local government that have coastal watersheds with significant pollution levels, a water system with significant pollution levels, or significant individual water infrastructure deficits; or a regional consortium.
Funding: $15,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2022 through 2026, to remain available until expended.
Resources
Application Support Materials
DVRPC Application Resources
- DVRPC - Grant Application Letter of Support Request Form.
Please allow ten business days for DVRPC to fulfill requests. - DVRPC - GIS Mapping Assistance Request Form
- DVRPC - Project Consultation Request Form
- Map of the Philadelphia and Trenton Urbanized Areas to determine Rural Area (Non-Urbanized Areas) Designations: - 2010 DVRPC Region UZA (applicable UZA maps for 2023 grant programs)
- Thanks to IIJA funding, DVRPC has hired a consultant to perform pre-application related engineering tasks at no cost to municipalities for projects eligible for the Transportation Alternatives Set Aside Program (TASA).
Federal Application Resources
- FHWA - Fiscal Year 2023 Discretionary Grant Preparation Checklist for Prospective Applicants
- FHWA - Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
- FHWA - Climate Mapping for Resilience and Adaptation Tool
- US DOT - US DOT Equitable Transportation Community Explorer
- US DOT - List of IIJA Programs Covered by the Justice 40 Initiative
- US Census - US Census Urbanized Areas
- White House - Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool
Federal Program and NOFO Resources
- US DOT Upcoming 2023 NOFO Announcements
- White House Competitive Infrastructure Funding Opportunities for Local Governments [1.84 MB]
- FHWA IIJA/BIL Website
- FTA IIJA/BIL Website
- FRA IIJA/BIL Website
- MARAD IIJA/BIL Website
Fact Sheets