Small Community Air Service Development Program

The Small Community Program was established by the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (Pub. L. No. 106-181), reauthorized by the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act (Pub. L. No. 108-176), and subsequently reauthorized by the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Pub. L. No. 112-95) as amended, the Disaster Tax Relief and Airport and Airway Extension Act of 2017 (Pub. L. No. 115-63), the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Pub. L. No. 115-254) (FAA 2018), and the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, Pub L. No. 118-63, May 16, 2024 (FAA 2024). The program is codified at 49 U.S.C. § 41743. The program is designed to provide financial assistance to small communities to help them enhance their air service. The Department seeks to fund projects that advance the Departmental priorities of safety, equity, climate and sustainability, and workforce development, job quality, and wealth creation as described in the USDOT Strategic Plan, Research, Development and Technology Strategic Plan, and in executive orders.[1]

The Department provides this assistance in the form of grants that are disbursed on a reimbursable basis.

The Small Community Program is authorized to receive appropriations under 49 U.S.C. § 41743(e)(2). Appropriations are provided for this program for award selection in FY 2023 pursuant to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (Pub. L. No. 117-328).[2]

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

No more than four communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, from the same State may be selected to participate in the program in any fiscal year. No more than 40 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, may be selected to participate in the program in each year for which the funds are appropriated. Applications for renewal or supplementation of existing projects are not eligible to compete.

Pursuant to the authorities described above, the Department will make up to $12 million available for FY 2023 grant awards to carry out this program. There is no minimum or maximum individual award amount, and the amounts awarded will vary depending upon the features and merits of the selected applications. In past years, the Department's individual grant sizes have ranged from $20,000 to nearly $1.6 million. Funding amounts made available for reimbursement may be impacted by future limitations placed on the spending authority and appropriations enacted for the Department. The Department may, at its discretion, issue partial funding awards up to the level authorized and provided that the above conditions are met. Additional information on the budget process may be found in OMB A-11: https://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/information-for-agencies/circulars/.

Finally, as more fully discussed in Section E.1.a below, the Department intends to award FY 2023 grants for durations of three years to complete studies, four years for marketing and promotion (including advertising and public relations) of the airport, community, carrier, or destination, and five years for projects that target a revenue guarantee, subsidy, or other financial incentives.

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