AZ Smart Fund FAQ

A: No. The AZ SMART Fund will not provide match funding beyond that required by the applicable federal grant. Excess match is the responsibility of the Applicant.

A: No. The legislation establishing the AZ SMART Fund did not allow for retroactive reimbursements. Only expenditures incurred and paid after September 24, 2022 are eligible to be included in an application for the AZ SMART Fund.

A: Yes, as long as the federal grant agreement has not been executed prior to the date of an award being approved by the State Transportation Board. If the federal grant agreement has already been executed, the match cannot be provided by the AZ SMART Fund.

A:Yes, as long as the federal grant has not yet been awarded, the match could be provided by the AZ SMART Fund if approved by the State Transportation Board.

A: Yes. If the application is approved by the State Transportation Board, invoices and proof of payment will be required before reimbursement can be made.

A: Yes. However, non-cash contributions must meet all of the following criteria:

• Identified in the AZ SMART application;
• Were incurred after September 24, 2022;
• Are tracked by, and verifiable from, the Applicant's records (such records will be required to be submitted for reimbursement);
• Are not included as contributions for any other state or federal award; and
• Are necessary and reasonable for accomplishment of Project or program objectives.

A: No. The AZ SMART Fund legislation does not require letters of support. In addition, the State Transportation Board has no authority to provide any preference for such letters and the Application does not enable them to be submitted.

A: No. AZ SMART is limited to federal discretionary grants. Congressionally Directed Spending does not qualify for the program.

A: The amount requested may not exceed the estimated cost for the applicable eligible use. In addition, the State Transportation Board may approve, deny, modify or request more information on any application.

Question: My city/town/county received an AZ SMART award for design and other engineering services for a project we intended to submit for a federal discretionary grant for construction. Subsequently, we received construction funding through another avenue (such as a legislative appropriation, private funds, federal earmark, formula federal aid, etc.). Do we need to repay the AZ SMART award?

Answer: Yes. Projects receive design funding from the AZ SMART Fund to facilitate a construction application for an applicable federal discretionary grant. If a federal discretionary grant is no longer needed to fund construction, the AZ SMART award must be repaid.

A: The enabling legislation restricts applicants to Arizona cities, towns and counties within certain population parameters. For more information, see Current Population Estimates prepared by the Office of Economic Opportunity, Arizona Department of Administration.

Question:
My city/town/county received an AZ SMART award for design and other engineering services for a project we intended to submit for a federal discretionary grant for construction. We applied for a federal discretionary grant but were not selected. Do we need to repay the AZ SMART award?

Answer:
No. However, many projects are eligible under more than one federal discretionary grant program, and applicants receiving an AZ SMART Fund award for design are strongly encouraged to apply for all federal discretionary grants for which their project is eligible.

In addition, applicants are encouraged to request follow up meetings with US DOT to learn why their application was not accepted and identify how it could be made more competitive. A revised application for the same grant in a future cycle may result in an award.

A: The statutes restrict the program to projects that will be submitted for a “federal discretionary grant program administered by any federal agency for surface transportation purposes." Therefore, transit and rail projects are eligible but not airport projects.

A: ADOT does not provide grant writing services or assistance.

A: These contracts are limited to ADOT. Applicants will need to procure their own grant writing services in accordance with state law.

A: It depends on the eligible use(s) for which the Applicant applies:

Developing and submitting a federal grant - Yes, all Applicants are responsible for procuring their own consultant and administering the services provided

Non-federal match for a federal grant - ADOT will administer the project if an Applicant is successful in securing a federal grant award, unless the federal grant allows and the Applicant elects to be a direct recipient. ADOT project development administration fees will apply to all ADOT-administered projects.

Design and other engineering services - ADOT will administer the project, and ADOT project development administration fees will apply.

A: COG/MPO approval is required by the AZ SMART legislation.

A: A letter in pdf format from the COG/MPO demonstrating approval of the project and the applicable federal grant is required to be uploaded during the Application process.