Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program (20.941)
Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program (Assistance Listing 20.941) is run by the Immediate Office of the Secretary of Transportation, part of the Department of Transportation. It awarded $265 million in 127 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $2.1 million per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $1.9 million. Half of the 127 awards fell between $1.3 million and $2.0 million, and they ranged from $250,000 to $14.9 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$265 million
- Grant awards127
- Typical award$1.9 million
- Awarded in FY 2025$116 million
- Size rank538 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceGrant
Key findings
- It is the 538th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 47% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 47 states and territories.
What the program funds
Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) funds for fiscal years (FY) 2022-2026 are to be awarded on a competitive basis to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart city or community technologies and systems to improve transportation efficiency and safety.
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
a State; a political subdivision of a State; a Tribal government; a public transit agency or authority; a public toll authority; a metropolitan planning organization; and a group of 2 or more eligible entities detailed above, applying through a single lead applicant.
What the money can and cannot pay for
Projects funded by the SMART Grants Program use advanced data, technology, and applications to provide significant benefits to a local area, a State, a region, or the United States. The SMART Grants Program defines these benefits to include the following areas identified in BIL. Safety, reliability, and resiliency: Improve the safety of systems for pedestrians, bicyclists, and the broader traveling public. Increase the reliability and resiliency of the transportation system. Improve emergency response. Equity and access: Connect or expand access for underserved or disadvantaged populations. Improve access to jobs, education, and essential services. Climate: Reduce congestion and/or pollution. Improve energy efficiency. Partnerships: Contribute to economic competitiveness and incentivize private sector investments or partnerships, including technical and financial commitments on the proposed solution. Demonstrate committed leadership and capacity from the applicant, partners, and community. Integration: Improve integration of systems and promote connectivity of infrastructure, connected vehicles, pedestrians, bicyclists, and the broader traveling public. The following are not eligible costs for SMART Grants Program funding: reimbursement of any preaward costs or application preparation costs of the SMART grant application; traffic or parking enforcement activity; or purchase or lease of a license plate reader.;
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
FY22 Stage 1: $350,000 - $2,000,000 FY23 Stage 1: $825,000 -$2,000,000 FY24 Stage 1: $459284 -$2,000,000 FY24 Stage 2: $2,880,000 - $15,000,000
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program (20.941) awarded $265 million across 127 grant awards, an average of $2.1 million per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 83% of the money, tribes 2.6%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 113 | $221 million | 83% |
| Other | 10 | $37.3 million | 14% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 4 | $6.9 million | 2.6% |
By state
40 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| California | 15 | $34.7 million |
| New York | 7 | $25.9 million |
| Minnesota | 3 | $18.8 million |
| Tennessee | 5 | $18.0 million |
| Washington | 7 | $16.0 million |
| Alaska | 3 | $15.5 million |
| Texas | 6 | $11.3 million |
| Colorado | 7 | $10.5 million |
| Michigan | 5 | $8.6 million |
| Massachusetts | 5 | $8.4 million |
| Pennsylvania | 5 | $7.7 million |
| Nevada | 4 | $6.8 million |
| Maryland | 4 | $6.6 million |
| Ohio | 3 | $5.8 million |
| Florida | 3 | $5.0 million |
| Utah | 2 | $4.7 million |
| New Hampshire | 3 | $4.4 million |
| Indiana | 2 | $4.0 million |
| Illinois | 3 | $4.0 million |
| New Jersey | 2 | $3.6 million |
| Oklahoma | 2 | $3.4 million |
| Georgia | 3 | $3.1 million |
| Virginia | 2 | $2.8 million |
| North Carolina | 2 | $2.6 million |
| Alabama | 2 | $2.6 million |
| Connecticut | 1 | $2.0 million |
| District of Columbia | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Iowa | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Kentucky | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Oregon | 1 | $2.0 million |
| South Dakota | 1 | $2.0 million |
| Delaware | 1 | $2.0 million |
| North Dakota | 1 | $2.0 million |
| New Mexico | 1 | $1.9 million |
| Arizona | 1 | $1.7 million |
| Wyoming | 1 | $1.5 million |
| Idaho | 1 | $1.3 million |
| Hawaii | 1 | $1.3 million |
| Puerto Rico | 1 | $1.1 million |
| Kansas | 1 | $1.0 million |
| Louisiana | 1 | $995,400 |
| South Carolina | 1 | $914,550 |
| West Virginia | 1 | $812,000 |
| Missouri | 1 | $734,653 |
| Rhode Island | 1 | $549,770 |
| Maine | 1 | $350,000 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | $250,000 |