FY26 US DOT Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program
Forecasted Federal grant Posted
- Opportunity number
- DOT-HASS-FY26-DIIG
- Agency
-
Federal Aviation Administration
Department of Transportation
- Applications expected due
- Award size
- $500,000 to $9,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Expected posting
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Categories
-
- Other
- Community Development
- Consumer Protection
- Disaster Prevention and Relief
- Employment, Labor and Training
- Information and Statistics
- Science and Technology and other Research and Development
- Transportation
- Eligible applicants
-
- County Governments
- City/Township Governments
- State Governments
- Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Points of contact
-
- Thy Nguyen thy.nguyen@dot.gov (202) 875-0520
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Federal Aviation Administration is soliciting applications for FY 2026 Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) to fund eligible government entities deploying small unmanned aircraft systems in critical infrastructure inspection, with $9 million available on a competitive basis and no published application deadline in the source material.
Eligible applicants include states, the District of Columbia, territories, political subdivisions, units of local government, Tribal governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and consortia comprising more than one of these entity types. The federal share may not exceed 50 percent of total project cost; a lead applicant may request an increase to 75 percent federal share by written justification demonstrating necessity such as alleviating economic hardship or meeting workforce needs.
Grant funds support purchasing, leasing, or enhancing drone systems; contracting for services when internal expertise is lacking; and supporting program management for these systems and operations. The program prioritizes projects that create and utilize innovative drone inspection technologies, address inspection data management and platform interoperability, streamline inspection workflows while accounting for multi-jurisdictional complexity, carry out work in a variety of communities (including urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal areas), and address safety risks in the inspection, operation, construction, maintenance, and repair of critical infrastructure elements.
Selection criteria require that the applicant be an eligible governmental entity, the application be timely and complete, the project fall within statutory purposes under Section 912 of Public Law 118-63 and Public Law 119-75, the application include assurances of compliance with relevant federal regulations, and the budget propose only allowable and reasonable costs. The program operates as a Federal Financial Assistance Agreement under CFDA 20.765.
Forecast synopsis
The Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program will provide grants to eligible government entities to facilitate the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), referred to herein as drones, in critical infrastructure inspection. The objective is to increase the widespread adoption of drones and relevant technologies in support of more efficient Inspection, Operation, Construction, Maintenance, and Repair (IOCMR) of critical infrastructure to improve worker safety related to critical infrastructure projects. The program is established by Section 912 of Public Law 118-63 and Public Law 119-75. Eligible uses of grant funds include purchasing, leasing, or enhancing drone systems; contracting for services when internal expertise is lacking in the government entities; and supporting program management for these systems and operations. The DIIG Program prioritizes projects that create and utilize innovative drone inspection technologies and systems, address inspection data management and data platform interoperability, and streamline inspection workflows and processes while accounting for the complexities inherent in multi-jurisdictional regions. Total available funds of $9,000,000 in the DIIG Program (Fiscal Year 2026) are to be awarded on a competitive basis. In selecting applications, the Department will prioritize projects carried out in a variety of communities and projects that address safety risks in the IOCMR of critical infrastructure.
The Federal share of the total project cost may not exceed 50 percent.
· A lead applicant may request an increase in the Federal share up to 75 percent.
· A request for an increased Federal share must be submitted in writing as part of the application.
· The request must demonstrate that additional Federal assistance is necessary to facilitate acceptance and full use of the grant, such as by alleviating economic hardship, meeting additional workforce needs, or other appropriate reasons determined by the Department.
Applications from private companies, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, and other non-governmental entities are not eligible unless such entities participate only as contractors, vendors, or other non-applicant partners to an eligible governmental entity.
Eligibility
An eligible applicant must be one of the following:•A State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof.•A unit of local government.•A Tribal government.•A metropolitan planning organization.•A consortia of more than one of the entities listed above.
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