Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant (DIIG)
Active
- Assistance listing
- 20.765
- Agency
-
Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation
Department of Transportation
- Grant awards
- Not on record
Program facts
- Also known as
- Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant (DIIG) Program
- Treasury account
-
- 69-1730-0-1-407
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated .
About this program
The Department of Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration is accepting applications for the Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program (CFDA 20.765) under solicitation DOT-HASS-FY26-DIIG, posted July 20, 2026, with total available funding of $9 million for Fiscal Year 2026 awarded competitively.
The program funds eligible governmental entities—states, territories, political subdivisions, units of local government, Tribal governments, metropolitan planning organizations, and consortia thereof—to deploy small unmanned aircraft systems (drones) for inspection, operation, construction, maintenance, and repair of critical infrastructure. Eligible uses include purchasing, leasing, or enhancing drone systems; contracting for services where internal expertise is lacking; and supporting program management for drone systems and operations. The program prioritizes projects that develop innovative drone inspection technologies, address inspection data management and platform interoperability, streamline inspection workflows across multi-jurisdictional regions, reach a variety of communities (urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal), and address safety risks in critical infrastructure work.
The Federal share of total project cost may not exceed 50 percent, though lead applicants may request an increase to 75 percent if they can demonstrate that additional Federal assistance is necessary to facilitate acceptance and full use of the grant, such as by alleviating economic hardship or meeting workforce needs.
The source does not contain a recent grant award portfolio, recent representative awards, or a posted application deadline date beyond the July 2026 opportunity posting. No prior-year award history is present in the source material. This is a newly active opportunity under recent legislative authority (Public Law 118-63 and Public Law 119-75) with $9 million available in Fiscal Year 2026. Business development professionals at eligible governmental entities should evaluate their infrastructure inspection operations and drone deployment readiness against the program's emphasis on innovation, data interoperability, and worker safety improvement.
Objective and description
- Objective
The DIIG Program will provide grants to eligible governmental entities to facilitate the use of small, unmanned aircraft systems to support more efficient inspection, operation, construction, maintenance, and repair of elements of critical infrastruc
- Description
The program supports projects by governmental entities that use small, unmanned aircraft systems to improve the efficiency and safety of infrastructure-related inspection and associated activities involving elements of critical infrastructure. The program is intended to improve worker safety and accelerate public-sector adoption of safe and effective drone-supported inspection capabilities.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
GOVERNMENTAL ENTITY.-The term ''governmental entity'' means- (A) a State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof; (B) a unit of local government; (C) a Tribal government; (D) a metropolitan planning organization; or (E) a consortia of more than 1 of the entities described in subparagraphs (A) through (D).
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
In selecting an application for a grant under this section, the Secretary shall prioritize applications that propose to- (1) carry out a project in a variety of communities, including urban, suburban, rural, Tribal, or any other type of community; and (2) address a safety risk in the inspection, operation, construction, maintenance, or repair of an element of critical infrastructure.
- Award procedure
• Applicant is an eligible governmental entity. • Application was timely and complete. • Project falls within the statutory purposes of Section 912. • Application includes the required assurance of compliance with relevant Federal regulations. • Budget proposes only allowable and reasonable costs.
Grant opportunities
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY26 US DOT Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program | Forecasted | — |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 20.765?
Assistance Listing 20.765 is Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant (DIIG), a federal grant program run by Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation (Department of Transportation).
What is the CFDA number for Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grant (DIIG)?
Its CFDA number is 20.765: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
Are there open grant opportunities under 20.765?
1 listed opportunity under 20.765 is open or forecasted. The latest, FY26 US DOT Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program, was posted on July 20, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
- Every grant award and opportunity under it
- Funding by recipient, agency and assistance type
- Alerts for new opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this program