The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) will be awarding $19 million in Tribal Transit Program grants.
The program supports transit services for federally recognized American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Villages, groups, or communities. Funding can be used to purchase new transit vehicles to transport commuters, upgrade bus facilities with state-of-the-art technologies, and expand transit services to reach more communities.
“Under President (Donald) Trump and Secretary (Sean) Duffy, America is building again, including in our tribal nations,” Matthew Cahill, Federal Transit Administration chief counsel, said. The U.S. Department of Transportation “is investing tens of millions into developing better infrastructure, promoting economic development, and improving the safety of our transit systems for our tribal and Alaska native communities.”
To qualify, applicants must be federally recognized Indian tribes and Alaska Native Villages, groups, or communities as identified by the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs. Applicants also must provide transit service in a rural area with a population of less than 50,000 as identified in the 2020 census. Urban areas can be in the service area so long as rural areas are also served.
The FTA will take into account multiple criteria including the size of the transit systems, and if the applicant has received other federal transit funds.
The application deadline is Aug. 25.