Rural and Tribal Assistance (RTA) Pilot Program

The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program, administered by the Build America Bureau (the Bureau), was created under Public Law 117-58 to advance transportation infrastructure projects in rural and tribal communities by supporting planning and development-phase activities for projects reasonably expected to be eligible for certain U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or the Department) credit and grant programs. However, there is no requirement for grantees to apply for other DOT funding programs in the future. RTA Program funding is for planning and design phase activities of transportation infrastructure projects that meet the Program’s eligibility requirements discussed in Section II. Grant recipients may hire staff or procure the services of expert firms to develop their projects. Section II. D lists example activities that would be eligible under this Program. Grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applications. Section IV discusses the application. The review process and criteria used to select applications for award is discussed in Section VI. Section V includes the Program’s submission requirements for applying, including when the application window opens.