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

Closed Posted

Opportunity number
FHWA-PROT-26-001
Agency
Applications due
Award size
Up to $60,000,000

Opportunity facts

Funding instrument
Grant
Categories
  • Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA)
  • Transportation
Eligible applicants
  • County Governments
  • Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
  • Special District Governments
  • State Governments
  • City/Township Governments
Points of contact
Full announcement

Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The Federal Highway Administration is soliciting applications for the FYs 2024–2026 PROTECT Competitive Grant Program to fund surface transportation resilience projects, with applications due October 9, 2026.

Eligible applicants include States, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, federally recognized Indian Tribes, public transportation agencies, port authorities, and Federal Land Managing Agencies applying jointly with a State or group of States. At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants extend eligibility to U.S. territories and are limited to coastal States and specified entities within such States.

The program distributes up to $787 million across four grant categories: Planning Grants ($79 million), Resilience Improvement Grants ($551 million), Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grants ($79 million), and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants ($79 million). Planning Grants require no cost-share and carry a 100 percent federal funding rate. Resilience Improvement, Community Resilience and Evacuation Route, and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants require a minimum 20 percent non-Federal cost-share, with the federal share not exceeding 80 percent of total project costs. Federally recognized Indian Tribes and U.S. territories receive 100 percent federal funding. Statutory set-asides mandate at least 25 percent of annual funding for rural projects and 2 percent for Indian Tribes. Anticipated award ranges are $500,000 to $60 million for Resilience Improvement, Community Resilience and Evacuation Route, and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants, and $100,000 to $10 million for Planning Grants. There is no minimum or maximum award amount.

Projects must improve resilience of highways, public transportation, ports, intercity passenger rail, coastal infrastructure, and natural infrastructure against weather events, flooding, sea level rise, wildfires, and extreme weather. Applicants must submit the required FHWA application template with Grants.gov by 11:59 PM EST on October 9, 2026. Awards are anticipated the week of December 7, 2026. CFDA 20.284.

Synopsis

The intent of the PROTECT Competitive Grant Program is to fund projects to improve the resilience of the surface transportation system, including highways, public transportation, ports, and intercity passenger rail. Program goals include protecting: surface transportation assets by making them more resilient; communities through resilience improvements and strategies that allow for the continued operation or rapid recovery of surface transportation systems; coastal infrastructure; and natural infrastructure that protects and enhances surface transportation assets. This NOFO provides PROTECT Competitive Grant Program funding of up to $787 million from FYs 2024 through 2026, plus any remaining PROTECT Competitive Grant Program funding from prior years. Please refer to Grants.gov for the full NOFO.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants for the PROTECT Competitive Grant Program funding are States, metropolitan planning organizations (MPO), local governments, federally recognized Indian Tribes, public transportation agencies, port authorities, and Federal Land Managing Agencies (FLMA) when applying jointly with a State or group of States. Specific to At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants, eligibility also includes U.S. territories, plus the same entities eligible for the broader program, but limited to coastal States and other specified entities within such States (see 23 U.S.C. § 176(d)(4)(C)(i)). Please refer to Section B.1 of the NOFO for more details. Eligibility varies by project type between "Planning, Resilience Improvement, and Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grants" and "At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants." NOTE: The information under "Award" on this page requires the specification of a minimum and a maximum dollar value for anticipated awards due to Grants.gov system requirements. However, as stated in Section C.4 of the NOFO: "There is no minimum or maximum award amount for PROTECT Competitive Grant awards. While the Department reserves the right to make smaller or larger awards, based on the FY22-23 NOFO, the anticipated award range for Resilience Improvement, Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grants, and At-Risk Costal Infrastructure Grants, the anticipated award range is $500,000 to $60,000,000. For Planning Grants, the anticipated award range is $100,000 to $10,000,000."

Files

File Type Posted
PROTECT_NOFO_QAs_2026.pdf PDF
FY24-FY26 PROTECT App Template-Resilience.docx DOCX document
FY24-FY26 PROTECT App Template-Planning.docx DOCX document
FY24-FY26 PROTECT NOFO-FHWA-PROT-26-001.pdf PDF

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