FY 2023 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Areas of Persistent Poverty Program

Background
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announced a new Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to help improve transit in areas experiencing long-term economic distress. The $20 million in competitive grant funding through FTA’s Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) Program provides more resources to underserved and disadvantaged communities seeking to expand or improve transit.

Grant Details
The AoPP Program provides funds to entities that are eligible recipients or subrecipients under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 5310, or 5311 to assist Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities. The program supports planning, engineering, or development of technical or financing plans for projects eligible under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code to assist Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities.

The program also encourages racial equity in planning and policies related to racial equity and barriers to opportunity, and engineering, or development of technical or financing plans for project investments that either proactively address racial equity and barriers to opportunity, including automobile dependence as a form of barrier, or redress prior inequities and barriers to opportunity.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include entities that are eligible recipients or subrecipients under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 5310, or 5311 located in Areas of Persistent Poverty or Historically Disadvantaged Communities. State departments of transportation may apply on behalf of eligible applicants within their States.

Grant Value
$20 million in competitive grant funding through FTA’s Areas of Persistent Poverty (AoPP) Program

Place of Performance
Areas experiencing long-term economic distress