Counties directly eligible for $848 million through new USDOT PROTECT transportation resilience grants

Key Takeaways

On April 21, Earth Day 2023, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the availability of $848 million in FY 2022 and FY 2023 funding for the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Grant Program. Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL/P.L. 117-58), PROTECT funds can be used to plan for and improve the resiliency of local infrastructure. Counties are directly eligible to apply through USDOT until the deadline at 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 18.

PROTECT grants have four funding categories:

Under both Planning Grants and Resilience Grants, only the following are eligible for award:

• Highway projects eligible for assistance under title 23
• Public transportation facilities or services eligible for assistance under chapter 53 of title 49
• Facilities or services for intercity rail passenger transportation (as defined in sec. 24102, title 49)
• Port facilities

Due to the combination of FY 2022 and 2023 funding, the NOFO has different obligation dates. Awards made using FY 2022 funds must be obligated by September 30, 2025, while FY 2023 funds have a September 30, 2026, obligation deadline. USDOT will consider the project timeline and its readiness when deciding in which FY to award funding.

Planning awards have no limitations; however, the NOFO establishes certain restrictions for resilience grant awards, including:

• No more than 40 percent can fund new capacity
• No more than 10 percent can fund development phase activities (planning, environmental reviews, etc.)
• No more than 25 percent can fund a facility or service for intercity passenger rail

Finally, the program sets aside at least 25 percent of annual funding – roughly $212 million for FY 2022 and 2023 – for projects located in rural areas, defined as any area outside of an Urbanized Area with a population over 200,000. The NOFO defines an Urbanized Area as “an area with a population of 50,000 or more designated by the Bureau of the Census.”

America’s counties are innovating to improve the resilience of their county infrastructure, both by building new and retrofitting old. As intergovernmental partners, we appreciate federal funding opportunities like PROTECT grants that help counties meet our vast public infrastructure responsibilities. Collectively, all levels of government can improve the resilience of the national transportation network.

To view additional current and future funding opportunities made available by the BIL, use NACo’s funding matrix for counties and check out the page’s future funding timeline.