Grants Office Insights: Driving Change - A Guide to Transportation Infrastructure & Mobility Grants
April, 2025
In America’s cities and communities, the future of transportation is at a crossroads. This sector is constantly evolving, with new technologies and concepts emerging. With challenges like traffic congestion, aging infrastructure, climate change, and the push for equitable access, change can come with a substantial financial burden. But there's good news - smart transportation and mobility grants are helping cities, researchers, and innovators reshape how we move. Whether you're a city planner, a transit agency, or a nonprofit, transportation grants can provide the funding needed to turn ideas into impact. These grants often support pilot projects that explore innovative solutions such as autonomous vehicles, micro-mobility options (e.g., scooters, e-bikes), smart traffic management systems, and on-demand transit services. These initiatives aim to address challenges like congestion, accessibility for individuals with disabilities, and first/last-mile connectivity.
These grant programs may be government-funded (federal, state, or local) or offered through private foundations or public-private partnerships. Major sources of funding come from organizations like the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), local and regional transportation departments, and private foundations. In the State of Texas, a major source of funding is the Texas Department of Transportation -https://www.txdot.gov/business/grants-and-funding/public-transportation-grants.html
Examples of Federal Grant Programs:
Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program
U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)
This program provides grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. The eligibility requirements of BUILD allow project sponsors, including state and local governments, counties, Tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities, to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs. Projects include:
· Highway or bridge projects
· Public transportation projects
· Passenger or freight rail projects
· Surface transportation infrastructure
· Intermodal projects
Advanced Transportation Technology and Innovation Program (ATTAIN)
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
The FHWA provides funds to deploy, install, and operate advanced transportation technologies to improve safety, mobility, efficiency, system performance, intermodal connectivity, and infrastructure return on investment. These model deployments are expected to provide benefits in the form of:
· Advanced traveler information systems
· Advanced transportation management technologies
· Advanced transportation technologies to improve emergency evacuation and response by Federal, State, and local authorities
· Infrastructure maintenance, monitoring, and condition assessment
· Advanced public transportation systems
· Transportation system performance data collection, analysis, and dissemination systems
· Advanced safety systems, including vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications
Transportation mobility grants are powerful tools for driving positive change in our communities. By supporting diverse projects, these grants pave the way for more efficient, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation systems that benefit everyone. Understanding the landscape of available grants and developing compelling applications are crucial steps for organizations and agencies seeking to make a meaningful impact on how we move. With the right vision and plan, these grants can help test bold ideas and scale effective solutions. The funding is out there. The need is real. And the future is mobile.