Federal Grants - Local Opportunities 

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has developed a comprehensive list of resources to assist our local partners in accessing competitive federal funding. We encourage you to download our fact sheet on our available resources, contact information, and select grant opportunities for local partners here. This page will be continuously updated to provide local partners tailored, accurate, and current information on federal grants, technical assistance, and other resources tailored to your needs.

If you would like to partner with MDOT, please contact Sean Winkler at swinkler1@mdot.maryland.gov or (443 401-7788).

Awards

• USDOT announced funding, $2,000,000, under the Regional Infrastructure Accelerators (RIA) program, for Montgomery County Department of Transportation which will help their community build capacity and get transportation projects underway.
• USDOT announced planning and demonstration grant funding, $11,280,000, under Safe Streets and Roads for All, to six local jurisdictions to identify solutions to make streets, roads, and highways safer for all road users.
• USDOT announced funding, over $9 million, under the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) program to the City of Aberdeen, Baltimore City, the Town of Berlin, the City of Frederick and the City of Rockville.

Opportunities

The following list includes grant programs authorized under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Department of Transportation. For more information such as funding amounts, eligible recipients, or program-specific guidance, click on the program link to learn more.

• Areas of Persistent Poverty Program
• Bridge Investment Program (BIP)
• Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program
• Clean School Bus Rebates Program (CSB)
• Community Facilities Grant Program
• Congestion Relief Program
• Consolidated Rail Infrastructure & Safety Improvements Grant Program (CRISI)
• Distressed Area Recompete Pilot Program (Recomplete Pilot Program)
• Economic Adjustment Assistance Program
• FTA Ferry Programs
• Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program
• Grants for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Improvements at Public School Facilities program
• Low or No Emission Vehicle Program
• Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant Program
• Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT)
• Public Works Program
• Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program
• Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program
• Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program (RCN)
• Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program
• Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program
• Thriving Communities Program
• Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program

Resources

MDOT is growing our resources to support you.

• MDOT presented at the Maryland Association of Counties on how to leverage federal infrastructure funds. The slidedeck can be viewed here.
• Watch our federal grant video and webinar playlist
• Visit our websites to view submitted MDOT projects and to learn more information about Infrastructure Investment and Job Act (IIJA) grant opportunities.
• This is a list of compiled comments from denied grant proposals for grants from debriefs with USDOT.
• If you are interested in receiving a letter of support from MDOT for current or anticipated projects, please fill out this request.
• The State Highway Administration’s (SHA) District 3 Office maintains a federal grants fact sheet tailored to local partner needs in their region available here.
• The Build America Center (BAC) at the University of Maryland and National Transportation Center (NTC) at Morgan State University can provide assistance and resources aimed at building successful federal grant applications.
• Find the transportation funding under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) webinar recording, participants journal, and other resources on the FHWA Local Aid Support website.
• View the resources published by the Biden Administration to help communities access infrastructure and clean energy funding
• Through assistance with project planning or grant applications, Norfolk Southern is able to provide assistance to those looking to take advantage of state or federal infrastructure funding. Check out their page for more information.

US Mapping and Data Tools

Many U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) grants require the applicant to determine the level of disadvantage in a project area or their community. There are multiple federal mapping and data tools, which can make the process confusing. Always be sure to confirm in the Notice of Funding Opportunity which tools and definitions USDOT is seeking in your application.

The below is a list of tools that are commonly referred to in Notices of Funding Opportunity and are helpful assets to reference during grant development activities:

• USDOT Equitable Transportation Community (ETC) Explorer – an interactive mapping tool that utilizes census tracts and data to explore the cumulative burden communities experience from a multitude of sources.
• Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) – an interactive mapping tool that shows census tracts that are overburdened and underserved and are highlighted as being disadvantaged.
• USDOT Areas of Persistent Poverty and Historically Disadvantaged Communities – determining if your project is in an Area of Persistent Poverty is a commonly asked question by federal agencies.
• USDOT Rural Eligibility – USDOT has built a tool to determine if a project is in a defined rural area across its multi-modal discretionary grant and formula programs
• MDOT has recently updated its own Federal Discretionary Grants Interactive Map Application.

Be A Resource

If you are interested in sharing best grant and federal funding practices with your colleagues around the state, please share your contact information with us. We would welcome the opportunity to work with you to highlight local success stories and best practices. Please contact Sean Winkler at swinkler1@mdot.maryland.gov or (443 401-7788).

Success Stories

Project Highlight! MDOT was able to coordinate with state and local partners in supporting submissions to the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program. View the press release here.

Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Award - $11,753,586.67

The City of Salisbury seeks to fund the rapid overhaul and traffic calming of every City-owned arterial and collector. From 2015 to 2018, of the 3,456 crashes that occurred in City limits, 1,875 of those (54%) occurred on City-controlled streets, with the vast majority of pedestrian and bicyclist crashes happening on City streets (63% and 88% respectively). To address the safety needs of vulnerable road users, the City will apply their best practices, many of which are Proven Safety Countermeasures, including 21 miles of sidewalk infill segments on collectors and arterials, 4.5 miles of side paths along arterial streets to infill gaps in the network, approximately 100 new high-visibility crosswalks or crosswalks upgraded to high-visibility styles, 12 crosswalks upgraded with beacons, pedestrian signals at 24 intersections, at least 9 miles of bikeways, 36 streets and numerous intersections calmed to prevent excessive speeds, and approximately 160 intersections with permanent or interim curb extensions.

Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Award - $21,253,985

Prince George's County, Maryland seeks to implement seven safety and connectivity improvements along their High Injury Network and similar corridors. There is a demonstrated need to reduce crashes overall and more effectively connect the community with transit. The applicant is pursuing countermeasures that would improve visibility, slow vehicle speeds, and promote pedestrian and bicyclist safety in underserved communities. These countermeasures include, among many others, reduction of lane widths and street crossing distances, installation of ADA curbs and high-visibility crosswalks, use of Light Emitting Diode lighting, implementation of a road diet. The countermeasures also include installation of new sidewalks and medians as pedestrian refuges, rectangular rapid flashing beacons for bus stop crossings, and bicycle lanes to connect to existing networks. Some projects already have completed design plans

Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Award - $20,000,000

The Mondawmin Transit Hub Project will fund state of good repair investments at Mondawmin Transit Station, make station enhancements, reconstruct approximately nine intersections with complete streets enhancements, construct a dedicated bicycle trail, improve pedestrian-only right-of-way, safety enhancements for pedestrian infrastructure ADA upgrades, energy storage generation and stormwater management infrastructure improvements. The project is strong in safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, mobility and community connectivity, state of good repair, partnership and collaboration, and innovation. It will improve safety for underserved non-motorized travelers by improving connections to transit stations and will reduce crashes by creating protected pedestrian infrastructure and revising intersections to slow traffic and reduce pedestrian-car conflict points. The project also includes installation of electric vehicle chargers and conversion of hard infrastructure to green bioretention facilities. The benefits of the pedestrian and cycling infrastructure will help the surrounding community and provide active transportation options for people to access key destinations.

Low- and No-Emission Award Award - $14,875,975

The Montgomery County Department of Transportation will receive funding to buy zero-emission buses powered by hydrogen fuel cell technology. MCDOT, which operates close to 400 buses in Maryland's most populous county, has committed to transition to a zero-emission fleet by 2035.

Low- and No-Emission Award Award - $1,890,000

Maryland Transit Administration will receive funding on behalf of Anne Arundel County to buy diesel-electric hybrid buses as part of their five-year plan to transition to a zero-emission fleet.