AZ State Match Advantage for Rural Transportation (SMART) Fund

About the Program

The AZ SMART Fund was established by the Arizona Legislature in 2022 to assist eligible cities, towns, counties and the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) in competing for federal discretionary surface transportation grants.

Projects eligible for AZ SMART are surface transportation projects including road, bridge, transit, rail, and related facilities such as bicycle and pedestrian paths, trails, etc., which are eligible for the Federal Grant identified in the AZ SMART application. This is not an exhaustive list of eligible Projects and Applicants should consult the federal statutes establishing the applicable Federal Grant or the NOFO or NOFA for additional, eligible surface transportation project types. 

The Fund is administered by ADOT, and all awards must be approved by the State Transportation Board (STB). The AZ SMART monies are allocated to certain categories of eligible applicants. See current funding and awarded applications here. This information is updated after each STB meeting.

In 2024, the Legislature amended the program in House Bill 2318, which became effective on September 14, 2024. The State Transportation Board approved the Request For Grant Application and Agreement (RFGAA) at the State Transportation Board Meeting of October 18, 2024. The RFGAA has been posted to the AZ SMART website and applications will be accepted beginning on November 1, 2024. 

Eligible Applicants

Eligible Applicants for the AZ SMART Program are those entities eligible to receive a federal discretionary grant for surface transportation purposes. Applicants must be identified in federal statute or a current NOFO or NOFA for the specific grant as an Eligible Applicant.

Eligible Uses

Applicants may request AZ SMART Funds for any of the following eligible uses associated with developing a project for, applying for, or providing a local, non-federal match on a federal grant. Certain restrictions and deadlines apply. 

• Reimbursement of up to 50% of the eligible costs associated with Grant Development and Submission of an application for a federal discretionary grant. Limited to counties with a population of less than 100,000 and cities and towns with a population of less than 10,000. 
• Reimbursement of non-federal match for a federal grant. 
• Reimbursement of design and other engineering services expenditures that meet federal standards for projects eligible for a federal grant. For the purposes of the AZ SMART Fund, design and other engineering services includes preliminary engineering through final design related to a road, bridge, rail or transit infrastructure construction project that the Applicant intends to submit for a federal grant in a future year.