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A grant from DOT-FTA

Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant

DOT-FTA’s FY 2026 Buses and Bus Facilities Program offers approximately $21.6 million in competitive capital funding for eligible bus and bus-facility projects, with five awards expected and cost sharing required. Eligible pathways center on designated recipients, States, local governmental entities operating fixed-route bus service, Indian tribes, and eligible subrecipient arrangements. Most rural proposals must be submitted by a State unless proposed by an Indian tribe. Applications are due through Grants.gov by 11:59 p.M. Eastern Time on September 21, 2026. Formal evaluation criteria and match details are not present in the packet and should be confirmed in the linked FTA materials.

Start here · Eligibility

Check whether your organization qualifies

Answer 5 focused questions in about 60 seconds before investing time in the application.

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1 source-confirmed criterion · No signupReview criteria

Potential award

Time remaining

29 days

Application load

High effort

Best next move

Take the eligibility quiz

Apply

Verified against the source on 8/21/2026

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Confirm eligibility

Check your fit in about 60 seconds.

Eligibility requirementsQuestion 1 of 5

About 60 seconds totalInferred criterion

Does your proposed work directly align with Transportation, Equipment?

What does this mean?

Transportation, Equipment

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This is an explainable self-assessment, not a win probability or legal determination. Hard eligibility conflicts are never averaged against softer program-fit signals. Always verify the official notice.

Optional Review source criteria and citations

Nonprofit status

Confirm nonprofit eligibility in the full notice.

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unclear

Geography

Nationwide availability is inferred from the catalog record; confirm the official notice.

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inferred

Organization size

No organization-size limit was captured.

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unclear

Program area

Transportation, Equipment

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inferred

Population served

No specific population was captured.

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unclear

Matching funds

Matching or cost-share funding is required.

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confirmed

Registrations

SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration may be required; confirm in the notice.

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inferred

Exclusions

Review the full notice for exclusions and prohibited uses.

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unclear

Grant-writer assessment

Understand the opportunity

Start with the practical interpretation. Open the complete source narrative when you need the underlying detail.

Plain-English explanation

Editorial analysis

What the funder is trying to accomplish

DOT-FTA intends to provide competitive capital grants for bus and bus-facility projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing, or leasing buses and related equipment, as well as rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing, or leasing bus-related facilities.

Editorial analysis

Strong-fit project signals

The project directly replaces, rehabilitates, purchases, or leases buses or related equipment. The project rehabilitates, purchases, constructs, or leases a bus-related facility. The applicant is a designated recipient allocating funds to fixed-route bus operators, a State, a local governmental entity operating fixed-route bus service, or an Indian tribe. A private nonprofit organization engaged in public transportation is included as an eligible subrecipient, where the project structure uses an eligible applicant and subrecipient arrangement. The applicant can meet the required cost share.

Editorial analysis

What reviewers may prioritize

The packet provides no formal review criteria, scoring rubric, or stated reviewer priorities. As an inferred preparation priority—not a confirmed scoring standard—the application should clearly establish that the proposed capital activity is within the bus or bus-facility scope, identify the precise eligibility pathway, address required cost sharing, and explain any required State submission arrangement for a rural project.

Source dossier Read the full official program description

Source-backed synopsis

What this grant funds

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the availability of approximately $21 million in competitive grants under the Buses and Bus Facilities Program to assist in the financing of buses and bus facilities capital projects, including replacing, rehabilitating, purchasing or leasing buses or related equipment, and rehabilitating, purchasing, constructing or leasing bus-related facilities. Synopses and full announcement will be posted on Grants.gov as opportunity FTA-2026-010-TPM-BUS. Proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov website by 11:59 PM Eastern Time September 21, 2026.

Read the complete official description ↗

Decision economics

Size the opportunity

Use the source facts below to judge whether the likely return justifies the application effort.

Award range: $0
Total program funding: $21,609,192
Expected awards: 5
Geography: National
Cost share: Required
Assistance listing: Not specified

Mission alignment

Compare your program with Transportation, Equipment.

Geographic fit

National

Working plan

Build the application

The generated milestones are planning aids. Only the official notice establishes required dates.

Requirements captured

Other requirements: Eligible applicants for the Buses and Bus Facilities Program include designated recipients that allocate funds to fixed route bus operators, States (including territories and Washington D.C.) or local governmental entities that operate fixed route bus service, and Indian tribes. Eligible subrecipients include all otherwise eligible applicants and also private nonprofit organizations engaged in public transportation. Except for projects proposed by Indian tribes, all proposals for projects in rural (non-urbanized) areas must be submitted by a State, either individually or as a part of a statewide application.
Submission system: Grants.gov
Attachments: FTA NOFO Website, FTA Supplemental Form, Federal Register Notice
Contact: Johnita S Glover Transportation Program Analyst · FTALowNoBusNOFO@dot.gov · 202-366-9833

Official deadline

September 21, 2026

High effort based on requirements currently captured.

August 25, 2026
Confirm eligibility, registrations, partners, and internal approval.
August 31, 2026
Finalize project design, outcomes, and supporting evidence.
September 7, 2026
Draft the narrative and detailed budget.
September 14, 2026
Complete compliance review and collect attachments.
September 19, 2026
Submit early and preserve the confirmation receipt.

05Past behaviorCompare historical awardsHistorical patterns provide context, but do not predict or guarantee future funding decisions.

No licensed historical awards are currently linked to this opportunity.

06Audit trailVerify the evidenceSee where the facts came from, when they were checked, and what has materially changed.

Source record

Source verified means the official record was successfully checked. It does not mean every eligibility or application field has been extracted.

Verification: verified
Source: grants gov
Last checked: 8/21/2026, 9:01:43 AM
Content updated: 8/21/2026, 9:01:44 AM
Review: Automated normalization; not yet expert-reviewed

Open official source ↗

Material changes

8/21/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/20/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/19/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/18/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/17/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/16/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/15/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/14/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/13/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/12/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/12/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.
8/11/2026
Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

Verify before applying. Official funder documents control. Derived analysis and preparation dates should not replace the notice.

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Quick answersFrequently asked questionsGet concise answers about Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant.

Is Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant currently open?

Yes, based on the latest source record. The deadline is September 21, 2026, with 29 days remaining. Because funders can amend or extend notices, confirm the date and submission instructions on the official application page. The source was last checked 8/21/2026.

How much funding does Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant provide?

Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant lists $0 per award. The total program funding recorded is $21,609,192. DOT-FTA expects to make approximately 5 awards, although the final number may vary.

Who can apply to Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant?

County governments; City or township governments; Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification); State governments; Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) Applicants should still complete the eligibility quiz and verify every condition in the official notice; a general fit does not override exclusions or registration requirements.

Does Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant require matching funds?

Yes. A cost-share or matching requirement is recorded for Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant. Confirm the required percentage, eligible contribution types, documentation, and whether the commitment must be secured at submission—the current summary should not replace the official budget rules.

What should I prepare before applying to Fiscal Year 2026 Competitive Funding Opportunity: Buses and Bus Facilities Program Grant?

High effort is expected. The captured requirements include other requirements, submission system, attachments, contact. Start by confirming eligibility and registrations, then work backward from September 21, 2026 using the preparation plan above.