$1.5 Billion Available through the 2023 RAISE Grant Program, Now Accepting Applications!

The U.S. Department of Transportation has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program for 2023. The program helps communities around the country carry out projects with significant local or regional impact. RAISE discretionary grants help project sponsors at the State and local levels, including municipalities, Tribal governments, counties, and others complete critical freight and passenger transportation infrastructure projects. 

Half of the FY23 RAISE funding will go to projects in rural areas and half of the funding will go to projects in urban areas. At least $15 million in funding is guaranteed to go towards projects located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities, and projects located in these areas will be eligible for up to 100 percent federal cost share, as directed by Congress in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. As was the case last year, the Department is encouraging applicants to consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity.  

For the FY 2023 RAISE Discretionary Grants, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is offering a series of webinars that delve into various aspects of the RAISE application process. These webinars will be recorded and are a great resource for prospective RAISE applicants, as the webinars come from the funding source and share the guidance of USDOT.

• These webinars will be announced in the coming weeks, please periodically check this webpage.
• If interested, you can view the RAISE FY22 Webinar Series here.
• There is also a FY23 RAISE Application FAQs webpage here.

The NOFO is available here and you can learn how to apply here. The deadline for applications is 11:59 PM EST on February 28, 2023. 

The Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success (ROUTES) Initiative aims to address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure by disseminating resources on its website and providing technical assistance. If you want to learn more about ROUTES, or how it can help your community, you can reach the ROUTES team at [email protected].