FYs 2024 through 2026 - Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Competitive Grant Program Notice of Funding Opportunity

The Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Competitive Grant Program is a federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation through the Federal Highway Administration. The program is identified under Assistance Listing 20.284 and is offered as a discretionary grant opportunity. The intent of the PROTECT Competitive Grant Program is to improve the resilience of the surface transportation system, including highways, public transportation, ports, and intercity passenger rail. The notice provides up to 787 million dollars in PROTECT Competitive Grant Program funding from fiscal years 2024 through 2026, plus any remaining PROTECT Competitive Grant Program funding from prior years. The program is designed to protect surface transportation assets by making them more resilient and to protect communities through resilience improvements and strategies that support the continued operation or rapid recovery of surface transportation systems. Its stated goals also include protecting coastal infrastructure and supporting natural infrastructure that protects and enhances surface transportation assets. Funding is therefore focused on transportation resilience and infrastructure improvements. The opportunity includes Planning Grants, Resilience Improvement Grants, Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grants, and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants as referenced in the eligibility information. The source indicates that cost sharing or matching is required, but the provided material does not state the required percentage, ratio, or dollar amount. Eligible applicants include States, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, federally recognized Indian Tribes, public transportation agencies, port authorities, and Federal Land Managing Agencies when applying jointly with a State or group of States. Eligibility for At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants additionally includes U.S. territories and otherwise eligible entities subject to the coastal State and other requirements specified for that grant type. Eligibility varies by project type between Planning, Resilience Improvement, and Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grants and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants. Applicants should consult Section B.1 of the full notice for the detailed eligibility provisions applicable to the specific project type they intend to pursue. Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov. The Grants.gov listing provides an Apply function through which applicants can create a workspace for the opportunity. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 11:59 PM EST on October 9, 2026. Grants.gov attaches a time stamp when submission is complete, making completion of the electronic submission by the stated deadline necessary. The provided source does not identify a separate letter of intent, concept paper, pre-proposal, notice of intent, or other pre-application gating requirement. It also does not provide a detailed list of required application narratives, attachments, evaluation criteria, award notification dates, or performance period. The opportunity was posted on August 27, 2026, and the current and original application closing dates are both October 9, 2026. The Grants.gov archive date is November 8, 2026. The estimated total program funding is 787 million dollars and the expected number of awards is 80. Grants.gov reports an award ceiling of 60 million dollars. Although the Grants.gov synopsis displays an award floor of one dollar, that value is treated as an unusable placeholder rather than a substantive minimum award amount and therefore is not entered as the award floor. No recurring annual, biennial, quarterly, or other repeating application cycle is stated in the supplied material. For assistance with accessing the full announcement electronically, the source identifies the Grants.gov Contact Center at 1-800-518-4726 and support@grants.gov. The Contact Center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, except on federal holidays. Applicants should use the full funding notice for detailed project-specific eligibility, cost-share requirements, application requirements, evaluation provisions, and other conditions not reproduced in the Grants.gov synopsis.

Clearly connect the proposed project to improved resilience of the surface transportation system. Demonstrate how the project protects transportation assets or communities, supports continued operation or rapid recovery of transportation systems, protects coastal infrastructure, or uses natural infrastructure to protect and enhance surface transportation assets.