The US American infrastructure is reported to be improved in 2025, thanks to federal investment through federal grants under the IIJA Act of 2021 and other initiatives to strengthen infrastructure development. The article covers the major US federal infrastructure grants that have helped improve the infrastructure.
US Federal Infrastructure Grants 2025
The federal government introduced the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, or Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, in 2021, and authorized the funding of $1.2 trillion for infrastructure and transportation. The act addresses the need for energy power infrastructure, water infrastructure, etc.
The federal government has introduced many federal grants under the legislation that have provided the needed support to a variety of infrastructures. Under the $1.2 trillion funds, around $500 billion was allocated for investment in broadband, bridges, water, rail, airports, power grids, and other infrastructures.
A good amount of funding was distributed through formula and competitive grants, where formula grants are a portion of funds distributed to state and local authorities as per federal formula, whereas the competitive grants are programs that have been offered to eligible applicants.
The federal government has many federal grants that have supported the American infrastructure; you can find the major ones here and learn about them.
RAISE Grants
The Department of Transportation initiated the RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability Equity) grant under the BIL November 2021 law to continue the former BUILD and TIGER grants. The grants were aimed at impacting the local or regional level transportation and improving living conditions.
Eligible Entities:
- Counties
- State and local governments
- Tribal governments
- Port authorities
- Transit agencies
Funding deadline:
The funding under the RAISE grants for FY 2022 has the funding obligation deadline, that is, 30 September 2026, and expenditure deadline, 30 September 2031. This follows for each fiscal year, meaning for the FY 2025, the obligation deadline is 30 September 2029.
How to apply?
You can apply for the RAISE grant on the US DOT official website or by email at [email protected] to ask for assistance in the application.
INFRA Grants
The US Department of Transportation offers the INFRA program for highway and multimodal freight projects under the competitive grants. The garnet ensures that the national, local, or regional transit projects offer safety, and they are reliable for rural and urban areas. The funding for the INFRA grants comes under the MPDG funding opportunity.
Eligible Applicants:
- A group of states or a US state
- Local government or a group of local governments
- Metropolitan planning organization
- State or local government
- Tribal government
- Federal land management agency
- Mutistate corridor organization
- Multi-jurisdictional group or other eligible entities
Eligible Projects:
- Freight projects on the National highway network
- Wildlife crossing project
- Highway-railway project or grade separation
- Marine highway project
- Bridge or highway project and other
How to apply?
The eligible applicants can apply for the INFRA grant at the US DOT official website or at grants.gov, and check their grant opportunities as per the project.
MEGA Grants
The government supports large, complex infrastructure projects that usually face difficulties in getting funds through other financial options. However, the projects should generate economic, national, or regional benefits to get funding from the program.
Eligible Applicants
- A group of states or a US state
- Local government or a group of local governments
- Metropolitan planning organization
- State or local government
- Tribal government
- Partnership between Amtrak and other entities
- Or a group of entities
Eligible Projects
- Project Size minimum $100 million
- Multimodal corridors, terminals, and
- intercity rail
- Bridges and other transportation infrastructure.
How to apply?
The application process for the MEGA grant is the same as the INFRA grant through grant.gov or the US DOT official website.
Airport Infrastructure Grants
The IIJA offers the Airport Infrastructure grants to improve the airport infrastructure and modernize it to meet the future air traffic and needs. Under the act, the government offers a $15 billion fund for airport infrastructure, and provides support through various grants, AIG is one of them.
Eligible Applicants:
- Public agency
- An Indian Tribe or Pueblo owning the NPIAS airport
- State Agency
- Private Entity
- Interior Midway Island airport
- Republic of Palau
- MArshall Islands
- Federated States of Micronesia
How to apply?
You can apply for the Airport Infrastructure grant once you are registered with System for Award Management and have a unique entity identity. You will need to submit the FAA FORM 5100-144 for the grant.
You can send the form electronically through the Federal Aviation Administration website and grant portal, or mail the application form with proper documentation.
SMART Program
Under the IIJA 2021 Act, the federal government established the SAMRT programs with $100 million for five years starting in 2022. The program supports projects in two stages, so you can only apply for Stage 2 if you have received the grant under Stage 1. In Stage 1, you can receive the grant up to $2,000,000, whereas in Stage 2, you can receive the grant up to $15,000,000.
Eligible Applicants:
- Public Sector Agencies for projects focus on smart community technologies and systems.
- A group of states or a US state
- Local government or a group of local governments
- Metropolitan planning organization
- State or local government
- Tribal government
- Eligible entities
How to apply?
You can apply for the SMART Grants through the US DOT official website for Stage 2; however, the application is closed for FY 2024. The application for the Stage 2 SMART Program is open in the 2025-26 cycle; you can check the DOT grants portal.
These are some major federal infrastructure grants offered by the government agencies; however, there are many other grants and programs you can check on the grant.gov or official authorities’ websites based on the infrastructure.
