Community Project Funding Congressionally Directed Spending
Active
- Assistance listing
- 20.534
- Agency
-
Federal Transit Administration
Department of Transportation
- Grant awards
- 190 $587,729,168 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Treasury account
-
- 69-2812-0-1-401
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration is distributing congressionally directed Community Project Funding (CPF) for public transit capital projects under CFDA 20.534, with the most recent award issued on August 18, 2026.
The program funds transit infrastructure and capital improvements specified by Congress. Awarded projects include bus fleet replacements and acquisitions (electric, hydrogen fuel-cell, and paratransit vehicles); construction and design of maintenance facilities, operations centers, and transit stations; bus stop enhancements and shelter installations; light rail and commuter rail improvements; park-and-ride facilities; hydrogen fueling infrastructure; renewable energy microgrids; and technology systems such as real-time passenger information displays, fare collection, and dispatch software. Representative recent awards include the Maui County project funding design and planning for a transit maintenance baseyard ($3 million, August 2026); the Saipan project procuring and installing 187 ADA-compliant bus shelters ($4.5 million, August 2026); and the Illinois CTA modernization project retrofitting stations and installing barrier doors on buses ($14.7 million, April 2025).
Grant awards are predominantly Project Grants (99 percent of 189 total awards, or 189 awards) with a single Cooperative Agreement. The Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration is the sole funding agency, obligating $587.7 million in federal dollars across 190 awards since August 2022. Activity has accelerated in recent years: the program awarded 4 grants in 2022, 42 in 2023, 43 in 2024, 78 in 2025, and 23 through mid-2026. Recent awards range from $75,000 (preliminary engineering for bus stop improvements in Oregon) to $19.5 million (MTA Long Island Rail Road state-of-good-repair and ADA improvements, July 2025), with typical awards in the $1 million to $4 million range. Recipients and allocations are determined by Congress in the applicable Consolidated Appropriations Act; applicants submit applications through FTA's electronic award system (TrAMS) and must execute a grant agreement to access funds.
No upcoming grant opportunities are currently posted. Funds must be used for purposes and amounts specified by Congress, and recipients must maintain records for three years after project completion to support federal audits.
Objective and description
- Objective
Community Project Funding is made available in amounts specified by Congress to assist in financing projects specified by Congress.
- Description
Community Project Funding (CPF, also referred to as Congressionally Directed Spending (CDS)) is made available to assist in financing projects in accordance with public transportation law (Chapter 53 of Title 49 of the United States Code).
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Chapter 53 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law eligible FTA recipients.
- Uses of assistance
Funds must be used for the purposes, and in amounts, specified by Congress for Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending.
- Use restrictions
Funds must be used for the purposes, and in amounts, specified by Congress for Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Community Projects Funding remains available to recipients until expended. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: Applicant is required to submit a grant application in FTA's electronic award system (TrAMS).
How to apply
- Application procedure
Grant recipients and their allocations are determined by Congress. All recipients are specifically identified in the Appropriations Act corresponding with the applicable fiscal year.
- Award procedure
An FTA grant award obligating Federal funds is reflected in a grant agreement. Grants are awarded electronically using FTA's electronic award system, TrAMS https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grantee-resources/teamtrams/transit-award-management-system-trams. In order to access this system, a user name and password are needed and can be obtained by contacting the regional offices. Once the funds are reserved in FTA's electronic award system and the project information has been reviewed and approved by Headquarters, the recipient must execute the grant agreement to access the funds.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Community Project Funding Congressionally Directed Spending is appropriated and allocated from the General Fund for Transit Infrastructure Grants only on an annual basis and at the discretion of Congress. The total funding amounts and procedures are specified in the Consolidated Appropriations Act corresponding with each fiscal year, if applicable.
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 190 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District Of Oregon | $26,073,140 | 4% |
| 2 | Central Ohio Transit Authority | $23,215,624 | 4% |
| 3 | Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority | $19,000,000 | 3% |
| 4 | Metropolitan Transportation Authority | $17,000,000 | 3% |
| 5 | Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority | $16,016,279 | 3% |
| 6 | Department Of Transportation Connecticut | $15,092,000 | 3% |
| 7 | Pace, The Suburban Bus Division Of The Regional Transportation Authority | $14,361,891 | 2% |
| 8 | LOS Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority | $14,000,000 | 2% |
| 9 | Maryland Transit Administration | $14,000,000 | 2% |
| 10 | Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board | $12,719,952 | 2% |
10 of 123 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $56,580,053 |
| FY2025 | $223,725,622 |
| FY2024 | $147,208,578 |
| FY2023 | $130,249,290 |
| FY2022 | $10,750,000 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 20.534?
Assistance Listing 20.534 is Community Project Funding Congressionally Directed Spending, a federal grant program run by Federal Transit Administration (Department of Transportation).
What is the CFDA number for Community Project Funding Congressionally Directed Spending?
Its CFDA number is 20.534: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 20.534 awarded?
190 grant awards under 20.534 have obligated $587,729,168 in federal funds to 123 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 20.534?
The recipients obligated the most under Community Project Funding Congressionally Directed Spending are Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District Of Oregon ($26,073,140), Central Ohio Transit Authority ($23,215,624) and Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority ($19,000,000).
How much did 20.534 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 20.534 obligated $223,725,622 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
On GovTribe
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