04 Dec 2025

FY 2026 USDOT BUILD Grants: Funding for Transformative Transportation Projects

Communities across the U.S. rely on safe, modern transportation systems to access jobs, healthcare, education, and economic opportunity. Yet many regions struggle with aging roads, unreliable transit, outdated bridges, and limited multimodal connections. To address these gaps, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is offering $1.5 billion in FY 2026 through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program.

BUILD supports local and regional projects that improve mobility, safety, freight movement, community connectivity, and long-term economic growth. Funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the FY 2026 cycle gives states, cities, Tribal governments, and public agencies a critical opportunity to modernize transportation infrastructure and strengthen regional prosperity.

About the BUILD Program

The BUILD Program was created to help communities fund transportation projects that have a broad, meaningful impact but are often too complex, multi-jurisdictional, or expensive for traditional grant programs.

FY 2026 USDOT BUILD Grants

What BUILD Aims to Achieve

The program focuses on nine key priorities:

  1. Safety: Reducing roadway fatalities, modernizing infrastructure, and improving pedestrian, bicycle, and transit safety.
  2. Environmental Sustainability: Supporting cleaner transportation, reducing emissions, and promoting resilient infrastructure.
  3. Quality of Life: Ensuring communities have better access to jobs, services, and economic opportunities.
  4. Mobility: Enhancing how people and goods move across regions.
  5. Community Connectivity: Reconnecting neighborhoods divided by infrastructure or lack of services.
  6. Economic Competitiveness: Supporting industries, supply chains, tourism, and workforce access.
  7. State of Good Repair: Rehabilitating aging roads, bridges, ports, and transit assets.
  8. Partnership & Collaboration: Encouraging collaboration across cities, counties, states, and Tribal governments.
  9. Innovation: Promoting advanced technologies, modern design, and forward-looking project planning.

Funding Distribution Rules

Funding Distribution Requirements

  • No state may receive more than 15% of total funding ($225 million).
  • Rural project awards may not exceed 50% of total funding ($750 million).
  • Urban project awards may not exceed 50% ($750 million).
  • At least 5% of funds ($75 million) must support planning projects.
  • At least 1% ($15 million) must be awarded to Areas of Persistent Poverty (APP) or Historically Disadvantaged Communities (HDC).

These caps ensure fair, nationwide distribution across states and balanced investment in both rural and urban communities.

For more information on the program's history and funding distribution requirements, visit the official FY 2026 BUILD NOFO

Who Can Apply for FY 2026 BUILD Grants

BUILD is open only to public sector entities. This ensures that projects are rooted in public interest and long-term infrastructure needs.

Eligible Applicants Include:

  • State governments
  • The District of Columbia
  • U.S. territories and possessions
  • Counties, cities, towns, and other local governments
  • Public agencies or publicly chartered authorities created by the states
  • Port authorities and transportation special districts
  • Federally recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal consortia
  • Transit agencies
  • Multi-state or multi-jurisdictional groups working together

Not Eligible:

  • Individuals
  • Nonprofits
  • Private sector companies
  • Federal agencies

Joint Applications

BUILD allows two or more jurisdictions to submit a combined application, which is helpful for regional corridors, cross-border projects, or shared transit routes. One applicant must be designated as the lead agency responsible for managing the award.

Eligible Project Types

BUILD supports a wide range of surface transportation infrastructure projects, making it one of the most flexible funding programs at USDOT. Eligible project types include:

Highways & Bridges

  • Reconstruction, rehabilitation, modernization, safety improvements
  • Projects eligible under Title 23

Public Transportation

  • Bus rapid transit
  • Transit stations
  • Multimodal hubs
  • Eligible under 49 U.S.C. Chapter 53

Rail Infrastructure

  • Passenger rail improvements
  • Freight rail modernization
  • Grade crossing elimination

Port & Maritime Infrastructure

  • Port terminals
  • Inland ports
  • Land ports of entry
  • Operational improvements

Airport Surface Transportation Components

  • Roadways or rail links serving airports
  • Not including airfield components

Tribal Infrastructure

  • Projects on Tribal lands with federal ownership or maintenance responsibility

Environmental & Habitat Projects

  • Culvert replacements
  • Stormwater mitigation
  • Projects improving habitat for aquatic species

Intermodal Projects

  • Projects connecting multiple transportation modes (road + rail + port)

This flexibility increases opportunities for communities to propose projects that address their most pressing transportation issues.

FY 2026 Funding Details

BUILD grants support both capital construction projects and planning activities.

Funding Snapshot

  • Total Funding: $1.5 billion
  • Maximum Award: $25 million
  • Minimum Request (Capital Projects):
    • $1 million for rural projects
    • $5 million for urban projects
  • No minimum for planning projects

Cost Share Requirements

BUILD requires applicants to contribute non-federal funds unless they fall into special categories:

  • Urban projects: Up to 80% Federal funding
  • Rural, APP, and HDC projects: Eligible for up to 100% Federal funding

This encourages investment in economically distressed and rural communities.

Urban vs. Rural Designation

USDOT uses 2020 Census data:

  • Urban: Inside an urbanized area of 200,000+ people
  • Rural: Everywhere else

Projects spanning both areas are classified by where most costs will be incurred.

Note: Please review the official dates and funding details before applying. Visit the BUILD program website at https://www.transportation.gov/BUILDgrants and refer to the FY 2026 BUILD Grants Notice of Funding Opportunity PDF for complete guidance.

Application Deadlines & Submission Requirements

To apply, organizations must meet federal administrative requirements.

1. SAM.gov Registration

Applicants must:

  • Register in SAM.gov
  • Obtain a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)
  • Maintain active registration throughout the review and award.

2. How to Submit

Applications must be uploaded through:

3. Important Dates

  • Applications Due: February 24, 2026 (5:00 PM ET)
  • Award Announcements: Expected June 28, 2026

Late or incomplete submissions will not be accepted.

Note: The information provided is a public overview. Applicants must consult the official USDOT resources for accurate application registration procedures, deadlines, and application review guidelines.

How to Build a Competitive BUILD Proposal

A strong BUILD application demonstrates that the project is transformative, community-driven, and ready for implementation.

Best Practices for Applicants

  • Explain the local problem clearly.
    What safety, mobility, or economic challenge is the project solving?
  • Show measurable local and regional impact.
    Quantify improved access, reduced congestion, or increased safety.
  • Demonstrate readiness.
    Include design status, NEPA level, right-of-way details, and timelines.
  • Highlight collaboration.
    Partnerships with counties, MPOs, Tribes, port authorities, or transit agencies strengthen proposals.
  • Provide a clear cost share plan.
    USDOT values financial readiness and long-term maintenance strategies.
  • Use data to prove results.
    Tools like GridSocial help agencies track project milestones, report progress, and demonstrate performance outcomes, which are essential for both application scoring and post-award reporting.

Where GridSocial's Closed-Loop Referral Management System Fits In

Large infrastructure projects often involve multiple agencies, jurisdictions, transit authorities, ports, and community stakeholders. Coordinating these players and tracking all tasks from permits to community engagement while maintaining accountability is challenging.

That's where GridSocial by SocialRoots.ai becomes valuable:

  • Route tasks to the right partner — cities, counties, transit agencies, port authorities, Tribal bodies, contractors.
  • Track every action through completion — no task, permit, approval, or community request goes untracked.
  • Ensure accountability and transparency across engineering, permitting, stakeholder coordination, and reporting.
  • Document community and stakeholder outreach — essential when infrastructure projects affect neighborhoods, equity, and access.
  • Produce audit-ready, funder-ready records — helpful for USDOT review, compliance, and post-award reporting.

Using a closed-loop referral system ensures that every referral or request is assigned, monitored, validated, and logged, increasing credibility during application review and simplifying project management if the application is awarded.

Conclusion: A Pathway to Safer, More Connected Communities

The FY 2026 BUILD Grant Program offers states, local governments, and Tribal nations a significant opportunity to modernize transportation systems, enhance safety, strengthen economic competitiveness, and expand mobility for millions of residents.

By combining precise planning, strong partnerships, measurable outcomes, and organized project management tools like GridSocial, agencies can create compelling proposals that align with BUILD priorities and position their communities for long-term success.

Scroll