Surface Transportation Block Grant Program
Description
The Surface Transportation Block Grant program provides flexible funding that may be used by states and localities for projects to preserve and improve the conditions and performance on any federal-aid highway, bridge and tunnel projects on any public road, pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure, and transit capital projects, including intercity bus terminals.
DOT awards these funds to local and state government entities. Individual organizations may be able to guide their local governments’ use of funds, but cannot access them directly.
Eligibility
State, local, and tribal governments, port authorities, metropolitan planning organizations
Role In Creative Placemaking
Creative placemaking practitioners could request that their local governments use this grant to fund streetscape improvements or construction/renovation of transit hubs located along corridors designated for creative placemaking activity.
Match
Federal share of project cost may not exceed 90% for interstate projects; 80% for all other projects.
Previous
Bike, Pedestrian and Roadway Improvements – Wilmington, NC
Sidewalk Master Plan Improvements – Scotts Valley, CA
Role in Creative Placemaking
This section represents our attempt to capture how this specific funding opportunity might fit into a placemaking initiative.
Eligibility
Who can apply? Eligibility is often limited, but in partnership with other entities you may identify an access point, such as subgrant opportunities. This information can help you determine which potential partners in your community might be able to access the funds.
Previous Projects/Grantees
These examples show how these funds have been used for creative or placemaking endeavors in the past, the types of organizations that have successfully accessed the funds and/or the types of activities for which the funds can be used.
Max Award
Maximum funding amounts can vary from year to year. We have provided the most recent information available. Where available, we also include a median or a range in cases in which the maximum is not typical of an average award.
Match Requirement
Most federal programs require some form of cost sharing. This is expressed differently for different agencies and programs. Sometimes a direct 1:1 match is specified. Other times, the application will state the maximum percentage of a project cost that the funding award can cover. We include this information, where available, in order to give you a sense of what to expect when applying for a particular funding program.
Compliance
Most federal funding programs will require financial and progress reports at least annually, along with a final report. We consider this to be a "moderate" compliance burden. Where a higher degree of data collection and reporting is indicated, we convey that information with a "substantial" rating.