In March of 2024, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled three significant notices of funding opportunities (NOFO), marking a pivotal moment in the development of the nation’s transportation infrastructure. The three competitive grant opportunities - the Fiscal Year (FY) 2025-2026 Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) program, the FY 2023-2024 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program, and the FY 2024 Maritime Administration’s (MARAD) Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) program - will inject a historic $8 billion in federal funding for the enhancement and construction of the transportation and supply chain network nationwide.

The MPDG opportunity includes funding for three separate grant programs. Of the $5.1 billion allocated, $2.7 billion is included for the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects grants program (INFRA), which awards grants to multimodal freight and highway projects with a focus on improving the safety, accessibility, efficiency, and reliability of the movement of freight and people in and across rural and urban areas. An additional $1.7 billion is for the National Infrastructure Project Assistance grants program (Mega), which invests in large, complex projects that have national or regional economic, mobility, or safety benefits. The final $780 million is allocated for the Rural Surface Transportation Grant program (Rural), which awards funding to similar projects as Mega and INFRA, but is dedicated specifically to projects in rural areas.¹ While the project, applicant, and cost eligibilities all vary by program, DOT will be seeking to make awards under the MPDG opportunity that align with the Biden Administration’s strategic goals to improve safety, economic strength and global competitiveness, equity, environmental justice, and sustainability.

Unlike MPDG - which funds a variety of transportation projects - the CRISI program is focused entirely on enhancing the nation’s rail infrastructure. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will administer more than $2.4 billion in awards this cycle, that will go towards improving railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability, mitigating congestion at both intercity passenger rail and freight rail chokepoints, enhancing multi-modal connections, and building or improving passenger rail corridors. Important projects under this program are those that increase safety, support economic vitality and job creation, and increase capacity and supply chain resilience. The FRA will also fund projects that align with the Biden Administrations’ priorities, especially those that explicitly address climate change, gender equity and racial equity. In addition to the funding made available for the CRISI Program, the NOFO includes funds for eligible projects under the Magnetic Levitation Technology Deployment Program (Maglev Grants Program).

Additionally, DOT announced the release of $450 million for the PIDP, which uses federal funding to modernize ports and strengthen supply chains. Specifically, awards will be made to projects that focus on improving the safety, efficiency, or reliability of the movement of goods through ports and intermodal connections to ports. Similar to MPDG and CRISI, the Biden Administration will prioritize projects that advance their goals of climate and sustainability, equity, and workforce development.

Together, these grant announcements amount to some of the largest funding opportunities for transportation investment ever issued by the Federal government. These announcements offer a massive opportunity to public and private entities looking to make significant improvements to the transportation network, enhance the nation’s supply chain, and expand the capacity for people and goods movement throughout the United States.

Dentons’ national, bipartisan government solutions team acts as a fully integrated federal practice and executes comprehensive policy strategies on behalf of our clients. Our team is comprised of professionals with experience helping our clients obtain federal funding through competitive grant programs, including Dentons’ Senior Policy Advisor and former Congressman Jeff Denham, who authored the CRISI Program in the 2015 FAST Act. Dentons’ in-depth knowledge of federal programs allows us to consistently and effectively maximize opportunities for each of our clients, resulting in millions of dollars of secured funding. In addition to advocacy and counsel, Dentons can continuously monitor for eligible grant opportunities and connect your organization with experienced grant writers to properly draft and structure grant applications. If you are interested in applying or learning more about these grants, we encourage you to reach out to our team who can help provide guidance on the opportunities available to your organization. 

1. Rural is defined as an urban area that had a population less than 200,000 in the 2020 Census, or outside of any urban area ↩