Federal Cooperative Agreement Summary

The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Southern Region, awarded a Cooperative Agreement totaling $257,800 to the Aviation Division of the North Carolina Department of Transportation on February 15, 2026, with a completion date of June 30, 2029. Under the Airport Infrastructure Grants (CFDA 20.117) program authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), this agreement provides administrative funding to support state oversight and management of three federally funded airport grant programs: the Airport Infrastructure Grant (AIG) Program, the FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Grant Program, and the Airport Terminal Program (ATP) Grant Program.

The funds support personnel costs, contracting expenses, and operational costs necessary for the North Carolina Department of Transportation to administer and oversee IIJA grant distributions to eligible airports throughout the state. As the designated intermediary between the FAA and local airport authorities, counties, and municipalities, the Aviation Division utilizes this administrative funding to manage complex airport infrastructure projects, coordinate federal grant distributions to nonprimary airports, and ensure compliance with federal requirements. This administrative cooperative agreement enables the state entity to effectively execute its role in distributing hundreds of millions of dollars in airport improvement funding while maintaining oversight of safety, operational efficiency, and infrastructure modernization initiatives across North Carolina's airport system.