- What it funds
- Planning and projects that make surface transportation (highways, transit, ports and intercity passenger rail) more resilient to weather events and natural hazards. There are four grant types: planning, resilience improvement, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure; resilience grants can cover design, construction, property acquisition and natural infrastructure tied to a transportation asset.
- Who can apply
- States, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, public authorities with a transportation function (including transit agencies and port authorities), federally recognized tribes, and federal land management agencies applying with a state. At-risk coastal infrastructure grants are limited to coastal states, which include Maryland, and entities in them; nonprofits are not eligible applicants.
- Match
- Resilience grants need at least 20% non-federal (80% federal maximum), which can drop to 17%, 13% or 10% when the project is in a state or MPO Resilience Improvement Plan that meets 23 U.S.C. 176(e). Planning grants are 100% federal with no match, tribes may request 100% federal, and other federal funds can count toward the non-federal share if their own requirements are met.
- Award
- No minimum or maximum; based on past rounds, DOT expects $500,000 to $60 million for resilience grants and $100,000 to $10 million for planning grants. The round offers up to $787 million: $79 million for planning, $551 million for resilience improvement, $79 million for evacuation routes and $79 million for at-risk coastal infrastructure.
How Maryland applicants apply
Eligible applicants apply directly to FHWA through Grants.gov; local governments, MPOs, and port and transit agencies do not apply through MDOT, but if a project budget uses federal-aid formula funds apportioned to the state DOT, the application needs a letter from MDOT agreeing to administer the project. The FY2024–2026 round is closed, and applicants to the October 2024 opportunity had to reapply under it.
The program on fhwa.dot.govDates
- December 7, 2026 · DOT anticipates announcing FY2024–2026 PROTECT awards the week of December 7, 2026, subject to availability of funding (expected)in 38 days · source
- December 11, 2026 · Current extension of IIJA surface transportation authorizations (H.R. 6500) runs through this datein 42 days · source
What has changed
- October 9, 2026Applications closed at 11:59 p.m. ET. (simpler.grants.gov)
- August 27, 2026FHWA posted the FY2024–2026 PROTECT competitive funding opportunity (FHWA-PROT-26-001) with up to $787 million, and said no awards would be made under the October 2024 opportunity, whose applicants had to reapply. (fhwa.dot.gov)
Sources
Checked against the funder’s own pages on October 29, 2026. Rules and dates change; confirm with the funder before you apply.
- fhwa.dot.gov/environment/protect/discretionary
- simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/b5627a85-1b8b-4248-8b79-24722a396422
- files.simpler.grants.gov/opportunities/b5627a85-1b8b-4248-8b79-24722a396422/attachments/d21d3b4d-d7fc-4885-8d22-18eb40912bfc/FY24-FY26_PROTECT_NOFO-FHWA-PROT-26-001.pdf
- simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/356840
- congress.gov/crs_external_products/R/HTML/R48937.html
Frequently Asked Questions
As of October 29, 2026: Under review. The FY2024–2026 round (up to $787 million) closed October 9, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET. DOT anticipates announcing awards the week of December 7, 2026, subject to availability of funding.
Planning and projects that make surface transportation (highways, transit, ports and intercity passenger rail) more resilient to weather events and natural hazards. There are four grant types: planning, resilience improvement, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure; resilience grants can cover design, construction, property acquisition and natural infrastructure tied to a transportation asset.
States, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, public authorities with a transportation function (including transit agencies and port authorities), federally recognized tribes, and federal land management agencies applying with a state. At-risk coastal infrastructure grants are limited to coastal states, which include Maryland, and entities in them; nonprofits are not eligible applicants.
Resilience grants need at least 20% non-federal (80% federal maximum), which can drop to 17%, 13% or 10% when the project is in a state or MPO Resilience Improvement Plan that meets 23 U.S.C. 176(e). Planning grants are 100% federal with no match, tribes may request 100% federal, and other federal funds can count toward the non-federal share if their own requirements are met.
Eligible applicants apply directly to FHWA through Grants.gov; local governments, MPOs, and port and transit agencies do not apply through MDOT, but if a project budget uses federal-aid formula funds apportioned to the state DOT, the application needs a letter from MDOT agreeing to administer the project. The FY2024–2026 round is closed, and applicants to the October 2024 opportunity had to reapply under it.
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