10/2 - 10/4 | 2025 GEORGIA BIKE-WALK-LIVE SUMMIT | COLUMBUS
The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program is intended to advance transportation infrastructure projects in rural and Tribal communities by supporting development-phase activities for projects reasonably expected to be eligible for certain DOT credit and grant programs. Grants will fund financial, technical, and legal assistance to states and rural and Tribal communities. The grants are intended to increase organizational capacity in communities that may not have resources available to evaluate and develop projects that qualify for federal funding and financing programs. Grants reimburse expenses incurred to hire staff or procure third-party advisory firms to assist with project development.
Eligible project sponsors may receive grant funds to select advisors to assist with pre-development-phase activities, including: • feasibility studies • project planning • revenue forecasting and funding and financing options analyses • preliminary engineering and design work • environmental review • economic assessments and cost-benefit analyses • public benefits studies • statutory and regulatory framework analyses • value-for-money (VFM) studies • evaluations of costs to sustain the project • evaluation opportunities for private financing and project bundling
