Funding News

Funding for Transportation-Challenged

To assist the transition of intercity buses to ADA-accessible transportation, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is providing "$20 million to help meet the 2012 federal deadline for making coaches accessible to riders using wheelchairs and other mobility devices. The money comes from the Federal Transit Administration’s Over-the-Road Bus Program." The program funds bus line accommodations for people with disabilities, such as lifts and other accessibility components for new vehicles and retrofitting of older vehicles. A list of grantees is available at http://www.fta.dot.gov/news/news_events_12225.html.

The FTA also announced that "[t]ribal Transit funds will provide grants to tribes for 59 separate projects, including transit equipment purchases and facility construction and improvements. Participants under this program include federally-recognized tribes and Alaska Native villages." Information about specific projects is available at http://www.fta.dot.gov/news/news_events_12218.html.

Other December FTA funding announcements are available at the news release page of its website. Other funds granted will go toward transit in the parks, planning to analyze local transit options, and major urban transit projects.

HUD Rural Funding Opportunity

The National Association of Regional Councils (NARC) has posted information about a rural funding opportunity from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. $25,750,000 will be available for grants made through the Rural Innovation Fund (RIF) for "new and innovative solutions to poor housing conditions and concentrated poverty in rural and tribal areas," especially proposals that incorporate an entrepreneurial approach. Grants of up to $300,000 will be awarded for single-purpose projects, up to $2 million for comprehensive projects and up to $800,000 for tribal economic development and entrepreneurship projects.