Low or No Emission and Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Programs FY2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity DEADLINE April 13, 2023

(Federal Transit Association) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO): Solicitation of Project Proposals for the 5339(c) Low or No Emission Grant Program and 5339(b) Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the opportunity to apply for $1,221,350,117 in competitive grants under the Low or No Emission Grant Program (Low-No Program) and $469,445,424 under the Grants for Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program (Buses and Bus Facilities Program). FTA is joining these two grant opportunities in one NOFO, and applicants are welcome to apply to either program or both (see instructions below). Synopses and full announcement are posted on Grants.Gov as opportunity FTA-2023-002-TPM-LWNO for Low-No applications and FTA-2023-003-TPM-BUS for Buses and Bus Facilities applications. Proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.Gov website by 11:59 PM Eastern Time 04/13/2023.

Summary: The purpose of the Low-No Program is to support the transition of the nation’s transit fleet to the lowest polluting and most energy efficient transit vehicles. The Low-No Program provides funding to state and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities.

The purpose of the Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program is to assist in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing or leasing buses or related equipment, and rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing or leasing bus-related facilities.

Additionally, recipients are permitted to use up to 0.5 percent of their requested grant award for workforce development activities eligible under federal public transportation law (49 U.S.C. 5314(b)) and an additional 0.5 percent for costs associated with training at the National Transit Institute. For applicants proposing projects related to zero-emission vehicles for either program, 5 percent of the requested federal award must be used for workforce development activities.

Eligible Applicants: The Low-No Program provides funds to designated recipients of FTA grants, including states, local governmental authorities, and Indian Tribes.

The Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program provides funds to designated recipients that allocate funds to fixed-route bus operators, states, or local governmental authorities that operate fixed- route bus service, and Indian tribes.

Link and Instructions for attaching the supplemental form to the SF-424: All applicants must complete the supplemental form and attach it to their submission in Grants.Gov.

An applicant may submit a low or no emissions project to both the Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program and the Low-No Program or submit the project only to the Low-No Program or only to the Buses and Bus Facilities Competitive Program. Please note if submitting to both programs, a separate application package must be submitted to each opportunity ID for the respective program listed on Grants.Gov.

FTA will host two webinars to provide information to potential applicants, including a review of program eligibility, an overview of the evaluation criteria and selection considerations, and the submission process. Potential applicants may attend either webinar, the first of which will be held February 16, 2023 from 1:00 -2:30 pm EST and will be a general session for all applicants. The second will be on February 28, 2023 from 2:00 – 3:30 pm EST, and will have a Q/A session focused on questions from rural and tribal applicants. FTA is committed to providing equal access to these sessions for all participants. If you need alternative formats, options, or services, please email ftalownobusnofo@dot.gov. READ MORE

Excerpt from Federal Transit Administration: FTA is partnering with the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation to offer new technical assistance to transit agencies shifting their fleets from diesel vehicles to low- and no-emission buses and ferries.

This new program, made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, will support transit entities as they transition to battery electric, hybrid, or hydrogen fuel cell technology that reduces greenhouse gas emissions and prepares the transit workforce with new skills and expertise.

This technical assistance is available to transit agencies and entities receiving – or planning to apply for – federal funds to expand or transition their fleets with clean and green buses and transit vehicles. In August 2022, FTA announced over $1.6 billion in FY22 funding to support new-technology buses through the Low or No Emission and Buses and Bus Facilities programs.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law calls for collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The Joint Office of Energy and Transportation shares resources and guidance through the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to FTA-supported entities seeking to transition their fleets to low- or no-emission transit vehicles.