USDOT has posted a Notice of Funding Opportunity, or NOFO, for $1.56 billion in grants through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.

A Contractor News tally of 2021 grants showed the RAISE program gave out $953 million in 63 capital grants and $30 million in 27 planning grants, for a total of $983 million through 90 projects.

As the USDOT press release notes, this is the first discretionary funding program to accept applications under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “The $1.5 billion in available funding for 2022 represents a 50 percent increase in available funds compared to last year, when applicants requested $10 in funding for every $1 available. In 2021, RAISE funded 90 projects in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.,” the announcement states.

This USDOT map shows the distribution of RAISE grants across the US, with rural projects marked in orange and urban projects marked in green.

Metrics considered during review of applications for RAISE grants include: “statutory criteria of safety, environmental sustainability, quality of life, economic competitiveness and opportunity, state of good repair, partnership and innovation.”

However, this year, applications will also be considered based on mobility and community connectivity.

However, $15 million is earmarked for “Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities,” according to the press release. Also due to the passage of the infrastructure law, there are more communities eligible for a 100 percent share of federal funding, meaning the federal government will cover the costs of the entire project. In addition to Areas of Persistent Poverty and Historically Disadvantaged Communities, this will also cover rural communities.

USDOT is asking applicants to consider the project’s effects on climate change, furthering racial justice and “removing barriers to opportunity,” as the department did in 2021. This year, the department is also asking applicants to consider how projects can fuel workforce development.

"The RAISE program helps communities large and small fix and modernize their infrastructure,” USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “This year, thanks to the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we can support more projects than ever, and help make our transportation system safer, more accessible, and more sustainable for people across the country.”