Funder: 69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy
Due Dates: June 16, 2025 (11:59 p.m. EST)
Funding Amounts: Total: $20 million | Typical award: $975,000–$2,000,000 for 2 years (option for 3rd year)
Summary: Supports U.S. public entities in developing infrastructure priorities and financing strategies to accelerate projects eligible for TIFIA funding.
Key Information: No cost sharing required; priority to new applicants; construction costs are not eligible.
Description
The Regional Infrastructure Accelerator (RIA) Program, administered by the Build America Bureau within the U.S. Department of Transportation, provides cooperative agreements to eligible U.S. public entities. The program aims to accelerate the development and delivery of transportation infrastructure projects that are eligible for the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) Credit Program. Funding supports the establishment and operation of RIAs, which serve defined geographic areas and act as resources to expedite project delivery through improved planning, innovative financing, and technical assistance.
RIAs are expected to:
- Serve a defined geographic area (state, multi-state, urban/metropolitan, rural, or other multi-jurisdictional regions)
- Act as a resource to qualified entities in their area
- Demonstrate effectiveness in expediting TIFIA-eligible projects
Projects do not need to apply for or receive TIFIA credit assistance to be eligible, but applicants considering innovative financing methods are strongly encouraged to apply.
Due Dates
- Application Deadline: June 16, 2025, by 11:59 p.m. EST
- Applications must be submitted via Grants.gov
- The registration process for Grants.gov and SAM.gov can take 4–6 weeks; early preparation is strongly advised.
Funding Amount
- Total Program Funding: $20,000,000
- Award Range: $975,000 to $2,000,000 per cooperative agreement
- Number of Awards: Expected 6–10 (may vary based on applications)
- Duration: 2 years, with an option for a 3rd year based on performance and funding availability
- Cost Sharing: No matching or cost share required
Eligibility
Eligible applicants include:
- U.S. public entities such as:
- States or multi-state/multi-jurisdictional groups
- Municipalities and counties
- Special purpose districts or public authorities with a transportation function (e.g., port authorities, public transportation agencies)
- Tribal governments or consortia
- Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs)
- Regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs)
- Regional Transportation Commissions
- Political subdivisions of state or local government
- Combinations of the above
- Partnerships with private entities, consulting, or engineering firms are allowed, but a public entity must be the lead applicant.
- All applicants, jurisdictions, and proposed projects must be located in the U.S. or its territories.
- Priority is given to new applicants (those not previously funded as RIAs).
- Projects and sponsors must meet TIFIA eligibility requirements.
Application Process
- Submission: Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.
- Required Registrations: Applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and be registered in SAM.gov.
- Application Components:
- Standard Form 424 (SF-424)
- Cover page (with applicant/sponsor name, location, region, category, and budget)
- Application narrative (max 30 pages, excluding cover and table of contents), including:
- Applicant description and organizational structure
- Description of the proposed geographic/jurisdictional region
- Accelerator proposal (operations, services, timeline, initial project pipeline)
- Budget, sources, and uses of funds
- Response to selection criteria
- Supporting documents (maps, letters of support, etc.)
- Formatting: Single-spaced, 12-point font, 1-inch margins
- Late Applications: Only considered if technical issues with Grants.gov are documented and reported before the deadline.
Additional Information
- Allowable Activities: Project planning, feasibility studies, market analysis, revenue forecasting, preliminary engineering/design, compliance analyses, and technical assistance.
- Non-Allowable Activities: Construction costs are not eligible.
- Selection Criteria: Experience/qualifications, partnerships, business model, project pipeline, readiness, self-sustainability, and risk assessment.
- Reporting: Semi-annual progress and performance reports required.
- Federal Involvement: Substantial, including technical assistance, monitoring, and participation in key meetings.
- Evaluation: Recipients may be required to participate in program evaluation and data collection.
External Links
Contact Information