Details:
December 9, 2014. Solicitation of Project Proposals: Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program; Tribal Transit Program (Text) (PDF) Synopses and full announcement are posted on Grants.gov site as opportunity FTA-2015-002-TPM. Proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov website by midnight Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 25, 2015.
(Note: FTA has changed the original closing date from February 18 to February 25 because Grants.gov will be down during President’s day weekend for system maintenance and upgrade. Grants.gov will be Offline Saturday February 14, 2015 at 12:01 AM EDT and will go Online Tuesday February 17, 2015 at 6:00 AM EDT. An extension of the closing date will permit applicants to submit and receive a confirmation of success, or to resolve application errors prior to the new closing date of February 25.)
Summary: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of approximately $5 million in funding provided by the Public Transportation on Indian Reservations Program (Tribal Transit Program (TTP)), as authorized by 49 U.S.C. Section 5311(j), as amended by the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), Public Law 112-41 (July 6, 2012). This is a national solicitation for project proposals and includes the selection criteria and program eligibility information for Fiscal Year 2014 projects. FTA may choose to fund the program for more or less than the announcement amount, including applying any FY 2015 appropriations or other funding toward projects proposed in response to the Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA).
The primary purpose of these competitively selected grants is to support planning, capital, and, in limited circumstances, operating assistance for tribal public transit services. Funds distributed to Indian tribes under the TTP should NOT replace or reduce funds that Indian tribes receive from States through FTA’s Section 5311 program. Priority consideration will be given to eligible projects that help to expand ladders of opportunity. Examples could include enhancing access to work, educational, and other training opportunities, and supporting partnerships that expand access to other governmental, health, medical, education, social, human service, and transportation providers to improve coordinated delivery of services.
FTA requires that all project proposals be submitted electronically through http://www.GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. EDT on February 18, 2015. Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted. A complete proposal submission will consist of at least two files: (1) the SF 424 Mandatory form (downloaded from GRANTS.GOV) and (2) the Tribal Transit supplemental form provided athttp://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/FY14_Supplemental_Form.pdf. The Tribal Transit supplemental form provides guidance and a consistent format for applicants to respond to the criteria outlined in this NOFA. Once completed, the applicant must place the supplemental form in the attachments section of the SF-424 Mandatory form. Applicants must use the supplemental form designated for TTP and attach the form to their submission in GRANTS.GOV to complete the application process. A proposal submission may contain additional supporting documentation as attachments.
Important: FTA urges applicants to submit their project proposals at least 72 hours prior to the due date to allow time to receive the validation message and to correct any problems that may have caused a rejection notification. FTA will not accept submissions after the stated submission deadline. GRANTS.GOV scheduled maintenance and outage times are announced on the GRANTS.GOV Web sitehttp://www.GRANTS.GOV. The deadline will not be extended due to scheduled maintenance or outages.
Eligible Applicants: Federally-recognized Indian tribes or Alaska Native villages, groups, or communities as identified by the U.S. Department of Interior (DOI), Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). As evidence of Federal recognition, a tribe may submit a copy of the most up-to-date Federal Register notice published by DOI, BIA: Entities Recognized and Eligible to Receive Service from the United States Bureau of Indian Affairs. To be an eligible recipient, a tribe must have the requisite legal, financial and technical capabilities to receive and administer Federal funds under this program. Applicants must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database and maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by FTA.
Link to the supplemental form to the SF-424: All applicants must complete the supplemental form (PDF) and attach it to their submission on Grants.gov.
Dates: An applicant must submit a proposal electronically by midnight Eastern Time on Wednesday, February 25, 2015. Any agency intending to apply should initiate the process of registering on the Grants.gov site immediately to ensure completion of registration before the submission deadline.
For Further Information Contact: Elan Flippin, Tribal Transit Program, Office of Program Management (202) 366-3800, e-mail:elan.flippin@dot.gov.