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FY 2026-27 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant

Grantor:
Department of Transportation
Portal ID:
148461
Status:
Active
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

Sustainable Communities support/implement local/regional multimodal transportation and land use planning projects that further a region’s RTP SCS and contribute to GHG reduction.

Strategic Partnerships support Federal Planning Factors and transportation/multimodal planning studies in partnership with Caltrans that address regional, interregional, and statewide needs of the State Highway System.

Planning projects must have a transportation nexus.

Description:

The Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant Program was created to support the California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) Mission: Improving lives and communities through transportation.

The California Legislature passed, and Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. signed into law, Senate Bill 1 (SB 1, Beall, Chapter 5, Statutes of 2017) – The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, a transportation funding bill that provides a reliable fund source to maintain and integrate the State’s multimodal transportation system. In addition to the $10 million in traditional State and federal grants, approximately $25 million in SB 1 funds for Sustainable Communities Grants is available for each grant cycle.

The State-funded Sustainable Communities grants ($30 million) are intended to support and implement Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) Sustainable Communities Strategies/Alternative Planning Strategies (SCS/APS) (where applicable) and to ultimately achieve the State’s greenhouse gas (GHG) reduction target of 40 and 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2030 and 2050, respectively.

Eligible planning projects must have a transportation nexus per Article XIX Sections 2 and 3 of the California Constitution. Therefore, successful planning projects are expected to directly benefit the multimodal transportation system. These grants will also improve public health, social equity, environmental justice, the environment, and provide other important community benefits.

Additional details are provided in the STPG Application Guide available on the STPG website using the URL below.

https://dot.ca.gov/programs/transportation-planning/division-of-transportation-planning/regional-and-community-planning/sustainable-transportation-planning-grants

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Public Agency
  • Tribal Government

Eligible planning projects must have a transportation nexus per Article XIX Sections 2 and 3 of the California Constitution.

Additional eligibility criteria are available in the STPG Application Guide available on the STPG website at the URL listed below.

https://dot.ca.gov/programs/transportation-planning/division-of-transportation-planning/regional-and-community-planning/sustainable-transportation-planning-grants

Matching Funding Requirement:

Sustainable Communities grants have an 11.47% local match requirement. Native American Tribal Governments are not required to include a local match.

Strategic Partnerships grants have an 20% local match requirement.

Strategic Partnerships-Transit grants have an 11.47% local match requirement.

 

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
Spring/Summer 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
Expire June 30, 2029

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
See Notes Below
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
$50,000 – $700,000
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
11%

Available Funding Notes:

$17.5 million is available for Sustainable Communities grants. $1.5 million is available for Strategic Partnerships grants. $3 million is available for Strategic Partnerships-Transit grants.

The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • Federal and State

Funding Source Notes:

Sustainable Communities Competitive: State funds (SB-1 and State Highway Account)

Strategic Partnerships: Federal funds (FHWA SPR Part I)

Strategic Partnerships - Transit: Federal funds (FTA Section 5304)

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

Agencies receiving a grant award will be required to enter into a Restricted Grant Agreement (contract) with Caltrans through our Division of Procurement and Contracts.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Kevin Mariant, 1-916-698-4612, kevin.mariant@dot.ca.gov

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