Grant Opportunities FAQs

Various federal agencies periodically publish Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for transportation related programs and projects. Most grant opportunities require cost sharing from non-federal sources and are highly competitive. To be informed of federal grant opportunities, register at grants.gov.

It depends on the grant. The NOFO will indicate specific requirements and if awardees can be direct recipients or not. Some grants require that ADOT administer projects on the non-CA (Certification Acceptance) applicant’s behalf. Most grant funds are federal aid and are bound by applicable requirements and processes specific to the NOFO.

In most cases, local match or non-federal funding will be required; the NOFO for each grant opportunity will specify the minimum match. It is important to note that the federal grant programs are highly competitive and the Grantor may consider the level of non-federal funding from the applicant as an evaluation criterion.

No. ADOT’s non-federal funds may only be used for ADOT projects. Local entities must use their own funds for matching federal grants.

It depends on the grant. The NOFO will indicate the eligible road classifications and/or projects. In general, however, if a road/project is not eligible for regular federal aid, it is unlikely it will be eligible under USDOT/FHWA grant programs. There may be grant opportunities specific to local, tribal, BIA or county road systems (visit grants.gov for available opportunities).

Yes. However, ADOT prefers to be the applicant for its system based on statewide priorities. Please contact the Grant Coordinator for further information.

ADOT’s LPA Section and the ADOT Project Manager will work with the local entity to determine:

• Project Development Administration (PDA) cost; and
• Construction Engineering (CE) cost.

The applicants should account for ADOT’s PDA cost and CE cost in their project cost estimates if they are anticipating ADOT to administer the project.

An IGA or a JPA is required if the local entity is the successful recipient, and the grant requires ADOT administer the project on behalf of the local entity. If the local entity is a CA agency or the grant allows for the local entity to be a direct recipient, an IGA/JPA may not be needed. When ADOT is submitting a grant application on behalf of a local entity that is an eligible grant recipient but not entitled to submit an application per the specific NOFO requirements, and ADOT will be administering the project if the local entity is the successful grant recipient, a letter of intent (LOI) signed by the local entity and ADOT is required before ADOT will submit the application on behalf of the local entity.

A letter of support (LOS) provided by ADOT indicates that ADOT is recommending the project for funding and does not constitute ADOT's agreement to administer the project. A letter of intent (LOI) is sent to ADOT by a local entity and requests ADOT to administer a project if the grant is awarded with necessary commitments including financial responsibilities and future IGA/JPA. The LOI is countersigned by ADOT to indicate it agrees to administer the project.

Please complete and submit the ADOT Grant Coordination Support Request Form 30 days (recommended processing time) prior to your grant deadline date.

NOTE: A letter of support from ADOT merely means that ADOT is recommending the project be considered for funding. It does not constitute ADOT’s agreement to administer the Project.

No. A team involved with grant development will review the request and respond back with the decision as timely as possible.

If a local entity submits a federal grant application without coordinating with ADOT and going through the grant support process, ADOT may not have the capacity or resources to administer the project on behalf of the applicant.  For a successful grant development, early coordination with ADOT is strongly recommended.