# Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/693jj323nf00013-promoting-resilient-operations-for-transformative-efficient/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/347585

> DOT Federal Highway Administration offered grants to the applicants described in the notice. It expected to make $848 million in total. Applications closed on August 18, 2023.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | 693JJ323NF00013 |
| Agency | DOT Federal Highway Administration |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | August 18, 2023 |
| Award ceiling | not stated |
| Award floor | $100,000 |
| Expected awards | not stated |
| Total funding | $848 million |
| Cost sharing | required |
| Assistance Listings | 20.205 |

## Who can apply

- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

The PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program provides broad applicant eligibility for all levels of government to be direct recipients of funds. States, MPOs, local governments, and Indian Tribes can apply directly to FHWA. A Federal land management agency may be eligible if the agency applies jointly with a State or group of States. (See Section C for a complete list of eligible entities). FHWA encourages all eligible entities regardless of size, location, and experience administering Federal funding awards to apply for Federal assistance for Planning Grants and Resilience Grants under this NOFO.

## What the grant funds

Section 11405 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58, Nov. 15, 2021), established the PROTECT Formula and Discretionary Grant programs, which are codified at 23 U.S.C. § 176. The purpose of the PROTECT Formula and Discretionary Grant programs is to plan for and strengthen surface transportation to be more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through formula and competitive discretionary grants. FHWA issued guidance for the formula portion of PROTECT in July 2022. This NOFO is for the discretionary portion of PROTECT. It will result in the distribution of up to $848 million for the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program through a competitive discretionary grant process.[1] FHWA intends to hold future solicitations for funding available in FY 2024-2026. The vision of the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program is to fund projects that address the climate crisis by improving the resilience of the surface transportation system, including highways, public transportation, ports, and intercity passenger rail. Projects selected under this program should be grounded in the best available scientific understanding of climate change risks, impacts, and vulnerabilities. They should support the continued operation or rapid recovery of crucial local, regional, or national surface transportation facilities. Furthermore, selected projects should utilize innovative and collaborative approaches to risk reduction, including the use of natural infrastructure, which is explicitly eligible under the program. Also called nature-based solutions, these strategies include conservation, restoration, or construction of riparian and streambed treatments, marshes, wetlands, native vegetation, stormwater bioswales, breakwaters, reefs, dunes, and shade trees. They reduce flood risks, erosion, wave damage, and heat impacts while also creating habitat, filtering pollutants, and providing recreational benefits. Projects in the PROTECT Discretionary Grant Program have the potential to demonstrate innovation and best practices that State and local governments in other parts of the country can consider replicating.

## Questions people ask

### Is 693JJ323NF00013 still open?

No. It closed on August 18, 2023.

### Who can apply for Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program?

DOT Federal Highway Administration accepted applications from the applicants described in the notice. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

### What is the deadline for Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program?

Closed August 18, 2023. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

### How much funding is available?

About $848 million in total.

### Who has won Highway Planning and Construction grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Texas Department of Transportation, Department of Transportation California, State of Florida Department of Transportation. The program made 202,903 awards worth $304 billion in that time.