The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is seeking applications for the 2023 SMART Grants Program to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety.
Donor Name: U.S. Department of Transportation
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 10/10/2023
Size of the Grant: up to $2,000,000
Grant Duration: 18 months
Details:
The SMART Grants Program will focus on building data and technology capacity and expertise for State, local, and Tribal governments. Technology investment is most beneficial when tailored to the needs of the community. The SMART Grants Program recognizes that many public sector agencies are challenged to find the resources and personnel to engage with new technologies; this is reflected in the program design, which builds in the time and support needed for projects to succeed. The SMART Grants Program will support and grow a strong, diverse, and local workforce.
SMART Grants Program Priorities
- As established in BIL, projects funded by the SMART Grants Program use advanced data, technology, and applications to provide significant benefits to a local area, a State, a region, or the United States. These benefits are identified in BIL and align to the following categories:
- Safety and reliability: Improve the safety of systems for pedestrians, bicyclists, and the broader traveling public. Improve emergency response.
- Resiliency: Increase the reliability and resiliency of the transportation system, including cybersecurity and resiliency and adaptation to climate change effects.
- Equity and access: Connect or expand access for underserved or disadvantaged populations. Improve access to jobs, education, and essential services.
- Climate: Reduce congestion and/or air pollution, including greenhouse gas emissions. Improve energy efficiency.
- Partnerships: Contribute to economic competitiveness and incentivize private sector investments or partnerships, including technical and financial commitments on the proposed solution. Demonstrate committed leadership and capacity from the applicant, partners, and community.
- Integration: Improve integration of systems and promote connectivity of infrastructure, connected vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and the broader traveling public.
- The Department will prioritize SMART Grant funding applications that demonstrate the following characteristics, as identified in BIL:
- Fit, scale, and adoption: Right-size the proposed solution to population density and demographics, the physical attributes of the community and transportation system, and the transportation needs of the community. Confirm technologies are capable of being integrated with existing transportation systems, including transit. Leverage technologies in repeatable ways that can be scaled and adopted by communities.
- Data sharing, cybersecurity, and privacy: Promote public and private sharing of data and best practices and the use of open platforms, open data formats, technology-neutral requirements, and interoperability. Promote industry best practices regarding cybersecurity and technology standards. Safeguard individual privacy.
- Workforce development: Promote a skilled and inclusive workforce.
- Measurement and validation: Allow for the measurement and validation of the cost savings and performance improvements associated with the installation and use of smart city or community technologies and practices.
Funding Information
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the SMART Grants Program with $500,000,000 in advanced appropriations, including $100,000,000 for 2023. This Notice makes available up to approximately $50,000,000 for 2023 Stage 1 grants under the SMART Grants Program. USDOT anticipates approximately $50,000,000 in 2023 funding will be awarded for Stage 2 projects in a future Notice of Funding Opportunity to be issued in calendar year 2024. USDOT anticipates using up to 2 percent of funding for administrative costs.
Award Size
USDOT expects to award up to 30 Stage 1 grants of up to $2,000,000 per award. There is an anticipated minimum award size of $250,000.
Period of Performance
The expected period of performance for Stage 1 SMART grant agreements is up to 18 months.
Eligible Costs
Eligible development and construction activities for grant funding are the following:
- planning;
- feasibility analyses;
- revenue forecasting;
- environmental review;
- permitting;
- preliminary engineering and design work;
- systems development or information technology work;
- acquisition of real property (including land and improvements to land relating to an eligible project);
- construction;
- reconstruction;
- rehabilitation;
- replacement;
- environmental mitigation;
- construction contingencies; and
- acquisition of equipment, including vehicles.
Eligible Projects
Following technology areas are eligible projects under SMART:
- Coordinated Automation
- Connected Vehicles
- Intelligent, Sensor-Based Infrastructure
- Systems Integration
- Commerce Delivery and Logistics
- Leveraging Use of Innovative Aviation Technology
- Smart Grid
- Smart Technology Traffic Signals.
Eligibility Criteria
Eligible applicants for the SMART Grants Program include:
- a State;
- a political subdivision of a State;
- a federally recognized Tribal government;
- a public transit agency or authority;
- a public toll authority;
- a metropolitan planning organization; or
- a group of two or more eligible entities
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
