As the Trump Administration reviews federal grant priorities and timelines, we encourage those working on project proposals to reach out to federal and state program leads and monitor official federal channels for the latest guidance. AFC is tracking key flooding and resilience programs and will provide specific updates whenever possible. As of February 11, 2025, the Notice of Funding Opportunity for this program has been removed from the grants.gov website.

FHWA’s PROTECT grants support planning and implementation activities to make transportation infrastructure, evacuation routes, and coastal infrastructure more resilient to flooding.

Supports nature-based solutions

Targeted support for small communities

Application cycle: As of February 11, 2025, the Notice of Funding Opportunity for this program has been removed from the grants.gov website. The previously published application cycle was October 25, 2024 – February 24, 2025.

Summary: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program includes both competitive grants and a formula program that allocates funding to states. Both programs are designed to improve the resilience of surface transportation systems against flooding and other natural hazards. Communities and state resilience leaders can use PROTECT competitive funding to support resilience planning, resilience improvement projects, strengthening evacuation routes, and fortifying at-risk coastal structures.

Eligible applicants:

• Competitive grants: Federal, state, and local government agencies; federally recognized Tribes and affiliated groups; and special purpose districts or public authorities with a transportation function, such as port authorities.
• Filter — Small or Rural Communities: For the competitive program, not less than 25% of the amounts made available to carry out 23 U.S.C. 176(d), for each fiscal year, shall be used for grants for projects located in areas that are outside an urbanized area with a population of over 200,000. 
• Formula grants: State DOTs are direct recipients of PROTECT formula funding.

Eligible activities: Eligible projects fall into four categories, with options to include nature-based solutions, storm surge protection, flood protection, or aquatic ecosystem restoration features if they are determined to be functionally connected to transportation improvements.

• Planning: Funding to support resilience planning, designing data tools for disruption scenarios, conducting vulnerability assessments, and evacuation planning to enhance transportation resilience.
• Resilience improvements: Grants to support a variety of upgrades to protect transportation infrastructure, including raising or relocating roads, improving stormwater management, strengthening bridges and drainage, stabilizing slopes, adding nature-based solutions, and incorporating erosion and flood protection measures.
• Community resilience and evacuation routes: Funding to strengthen evacuation routes, ensuring safe passage during emergencies and continuous access to critical services.
• At-risk coastal infrastructure: Grants to stabilize, elevate, relocate or improve resilience for coastal highways, roads, bridges, pedestrian paths, bike lanes, and related infrastructure.

Funding: $100,000 minimum grant award. Generally, no federal statutory maximums exist for eligible activities. $576 million in total PROTECT competitive grant funding will be available in FY2024 and FY2025. Below are historical, average award levels by grant category:

• Planning: $1,050,000.
• Resilience improvements: $14,060,420.
• Community resilience and evacuation routes: $3,229,299.
• At-risk coastal infrastructure: $11,763,346.

Cost share: 

• Planning grants: 100% federal / 0% nonfederal.
• Other grant categories: 80% maximum federal / 20% minimum nonfederal.
• Filter — Federal Fund Braiding: A state may transfer up to 50 percent per fiscal year of any Federal-Aid Highway Program apportionment under section 104(b) to any other program funded under that same section. Program examples include the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, Highway Safety Improvement Program, and National Highway Performance Program.
• Filter — Tribal Communities: USDOT may elect to fund 100% of project costs for awards given to native/Indigenous Tribes.

Competitive grant application process: 

• To learn more about the PROTECT competitive grant program, visit FHWA’s website, the Notice of Funding Opportunity on grants.gov, or your local FHWA office.
• FHWA will host a series of webinars to provide potential competitive grant applicants with more information about the FY2024–2026 application cycle and how to apply.
• Applicants may use one application to submit the same project for multiple funding categories if the project meets the eligibility criteria for multiple categories.
• DOT will direct at least 25% of PROTECT competitive grant funding to projects located in areas that are outside an urbanized area with a population of over 200,000.
• DOT will direct at least 2% of PROTECT competitive grant funding to Indian tribes.

Formula fund application process: States are automatically awarded formula funding for PROTECT and do not need to submit a competitive proposal to access funds.

• States are required to use at least 2% of PROTECT formula funding each fiscal year for specified types of resilience-related planning activities.
• States can transfer up to 50% of PROTECT formula funding each year to or from eligible FHWA programs, like the Surface Transportation Block Grant and National Highway Performance Programs, allowing flexibility to meet state resilience priorities.