The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) at the Department of Transportation (DOT) has published a notice in the FEDERAL REGISTER soliciting grant applications from tribes for FY 2017 and FY 2018 Tribal Transportation Safety Funds (TTSF). The most recent transportation reauthorization, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, established the TTSF as a set-aside of not more than two percent of the funds made available each fiscal year under the Tribal Transportation Program (TTP). The intent of the TTSF is to prevent and reduce deaths or serious injuries in transportation-related crashes on tribal lands. Since the TTSF grant cycle is nearing a one-year lag in application and funding, FHWA has made the decision to combine the FY 2017 and FY 2018 grant years in one application cycle, essentially creating twice the funding for this year’s cycle. The deadline to submit applications is December 11, 2017.
The FAST Act established a list of eligible projects, of which there are three categories: (1) safety plans; (2) data assessment, improvement, and analysis activities; and (3) infrastructure improvements. A full list of eligible projects can be found in the FEDERAL REGISTER notice: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2017-09-21/pdf/2017-20111.pdf
Federally recognized tribes are the only entities eligible to apply for the TTSF. This restriction, however, does not preclude a tribe from partnering with a non-tribal entity to submit an application. Although no cost sharing or match is required, if the total amount of funding requested for “highly qualified” or “qualified” applications exceeds the amount of available funding, FHWA will give priority consideration to those projects that can show that other funding sources will be committed to complement the TTSF funding request. Further information on this grant opportunity, including a link to the application, can be found in the FEDERAL REGISTER notice.
Please let us know if we may provide additional information about the Tribal Transportation Safety Funds grant opportunity.
