Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Grants (PROTECT)

Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation Grants

(PROTECT)

 

About:

The PROTECT grants are to be awarded on a competitive basis to make transportation infrastructure and service more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events under 23 U.S.C. 176. PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program funds, like the PROTECT Formula Program, can only be used for activities that are primarily for the purpose of resiliency or inherently resilience related.

 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity:

The U.S. Department of Transportation published a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for $848 million in grant funding through the PROTECT discretionary grant program on April 21, 2023. The total of $848 million represents a combination of FY2022 and FY2023 funds.

 

Important NOFO details:

 

Eligible Applicants

  • State DOT

  • MPO

  • Local gov’t

  • Federally-recognized Indian Tribes

  • Port Authority

  • Multijurisdictional group of entities

 

Project Categories

Planning Grants

  • Development of Resiliency Improvement Plans or other resilience/evacuation planning

  • Funding

    • Up to $45 million available

    • Min Award: $100,000

    • No Max Award size

Resilience Improvement

  • Improve the ability of an existing surface transportation asset to withstand one or more elements of a weather event or natural disaster

  • Increase the resilience of surface transportation infrastructure from the impacts of changing conditions, such as sea level rise, flooding, wildfires, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters

  • Funding

    • Up to $638 million available

    • Min Award: $500,000

    • No Max Award size

Community Resilience and Evacuation Routes

  • Strengthen and protect evacuation routes that are essential for providing and supporting evacuations caused by emergency events

  • Can include communication and ITS equipment and infrastructure

  • Funding

    • Up to $45 million available

    • Min Award: $500,000

    • No Max Award size

At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure

  • Enhance resilience of coastal highway and non-rail infrastructure that are subject to, or face increased long-term future risks of, a weather event, a natural disaster, or changing conditions

  • Funding

    • Up to $120 million available

    • Min Award: $500,000

    • No Max Award size

 

 

Merit Criteria

  • Planning Grants

    • Program Alignment

    • Schedule and Budget

    • Public Engagement, Partnerships and Collaboration

    • Innovation

  • Resiliency Grants

    • Vulnerability and Risk

    • Criticality to Community

    • Design Elements

    • Public Engagement, Partnerships and Collaboration

    • Equity and Justice40

    • Climate Change and Sustainability

    • Schedule and Budget

    • Innovation

 

Deadlines

  • 08/18/2023 - Applications due

  • Obligation due:

    • If awarded FY2022 funds – 09/30/2025

    • If awarded FY2023 funds – 09/30/2026

 

Additional Info

  • Applications must be submitted through grants.gov

  • Funding Set-Asides

    • Rural – not less than 25% ($212 million) for projects located in areas that are outside an urban area with a population over 200,000

    • Tribal – not less than 2% ($17 million) to Indian Tribes

  • Federal Cost Share

    • Planning Grants – 100%

    • Resiliency Grants – 80% (exception: Indian Tribes may receive up to 100%)

 

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