Federal Transit Capital Investment Grants (20.500)
Federal Transit Capital Investment Grants (Assistance Listing 20.500) is run by the Federal Transit Administration, part of the Department of Transportation. It awarded $19 billion in 212 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $87.5 million per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $4.6 million. Half of the 212 awards fell between $737,500 and $60.1 million, and they ranged from $17,058 to $1.5 billion.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$19 billion
- Grant awards212
- Typical award$4.6 million
- Awarded in FY 2025$4.0 billion
- Size rank33 of 1824
- Type of assistanceFormula grants, project grants
Key findings
- Annual funding was roughly flat, $3.9 billion in fiscal 2021 and $4.0 billion in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 33rd largest of 1,824 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 92% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 29 states and territories.
What the program funds
The Capital Investment Grant Program is the Federal Government’s primary financial resource for supporting transit capital projects that are locally planned, implemented, and operated. It provides funding for fixed guideway investments such as new and expanded heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcar, bus rapid transit, and ferries as well as corridor-based bus rapid transit investments that emulate the features of rail.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
Public agencies, including States; municipalities and other subdivisions of States; public agencies and instrumentalities of one or more States; and public corporations, boards, and commissions established under State law. Applicant must have legal, financial, and technical capacity to carry out proposed project, including safety and security aspects, and maintain facilities and equipment purchased with Federal assistance. Private non-profit organizations are not eligible direct recipients.
What the money can and cannot pay for
IIJA includes three categories of eligible projects under the Capital Investment Grant Program, referred to as New Starts, Core Capacity, and Small Starts projects. New Starts projects are those whose sponsors request $150 million or more in Capital Investment Grant Program funds or have an anticipated total capital cost of $400 million or more. Core Capacity projects are substantial investments in an existing fixed-guideway corridor that is at capacity today or will be in ten years, where the proposed project will increase capacity by not less than 10 percent. Small Starts projects are defined as those whose sponsors request less than $150 million in Capital Investment Grant Program funds and have an anticipated total capital cost of less than $400 million. The Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Planning, authorized under Section 20005(b) of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21), Public Law 112-141, July 6, 2012, with funding provided under 49 U.S.C. 5338(a)(2)(B), as amended by the Section 30009 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, enacted as the IIJA (Pub. L. 117–58), provides grants for comprehensive or site-specific planning activities conducted in conjunction with the development of new fixed-guideway or core capacity improvement projects.
Matching requirements
Statutory Formula: Title 49 , Part 5309 , Subpart Section: 5309 – Capital Investment Grants,Public Law IIJA.49 U.S.C. Chapter 53, Section 5309 — Capital Investment Grants. Originally codified by Pub. L. 103-272 and subsequently amended by Pub. L. 112-141 (MAP-21), Pub. L. 114-94 (FAST Act), and Pub. L. 117-58 (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act/BIL).Funds for the Capital Investment Grant program are allocated on a discretionary basis. There are different matching requirements specified in law for different types of Capital Investment Grant projects (New Starts, Core Capacity and Small Starts). Although SAM.gov requires a single numeric entry, CIG matching requirements vary by project type. The system entry of "20%" reflects the minimum local share for some CIG categories, but statutory requirements differ: New Starts projects require a 40% local share (federal share capped at 60%), while Small Starts and Core Capacity projects require a 20% local share (federal share may be up to 80%). CIG funds are awarded on a discretionary, project?by?project basis, so the actual local share for a specific award will depend on the project category and the terms of the grant.MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
The project range varies. If you have a specific questions contact the Program Manager listed in the Assistance Listing.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Federal Transit Capital Investment Grants (20.500) awarded$19 billion across 212 grant awards, an average of $87.5 million per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 52% of the money.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 136 | $9.6 billion | 52% |
| Other | 75 | $8.9 billion | 48% |
By state
25 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 31 | $5.5 billion |
| New York | 8 | $2.7 billion |
| Washington | 19 | $2.0 billion |
| Illinois | 4 | $1.5 billion |
| Minnesota | 10 | $1.3 billion |
| New Jersey | 7 | $881 million |
| Indiana | 9 | $839 million |
| Arizona | 11 | $813 million |
| Hawaii | 4 | $510 million |
| Maryland | 6 | $481 million |
| Massachusetts | 3 | $400 million |
| Texas | 20 | $395 million |
| Missouri | 3 | $199 million |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | $171 million |
| Wisconsin | 4 | $154 million |
| Nevada | 5 | $150 million |
| Utah | 8 | $148 million |
| Colorado | 3 | $140 million |
| Oregon | 8 | $139 million |
| North Carolina | 12 | $55.0 million |
| Florida | 13 | $33.9 million |
| Georgia | 4 | $17.4 million |
| South Carolina | 2 | $2.1 million |
| Alabama | 2 | $1.8 million |
| Ohio | 3 | $1.4 million |
| Oklahoma | 1 | $834,959 |
| New Mexico | 1 | $761,324 |
| South Dakota | 1 | $692,758 |
| Tennessee | 1 | $562,086 |