[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 42 (Tuesday, March 3, 2020)]
[Notices]
[Pages 12648-12653]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-04250]


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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Transit Administration


Fiscal Year 2020 Competitive Funding Opportunity; Helping Obtain 
Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE)

AGENCY: Federal Transit Administration (FTA), DOT.

ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).

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SUMMARY: The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) announces the 
opportunity to apply for approximately $8.5 million in fiscal year (FY) 
2020 funds under the Helping Obtain Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) 
Program (CFDA#20.505). Funds will be awarded competitively for 
planning, engineering, or development of technical or financing plans 
for projects eligible that assist areas of persistent poverty. FTA may 
award additional funds if they are made available to the program prior 
to the announcement of project selections.

DATES: Complete proposals must be submitted electronically through the 
GRANTS.GOV ``APPLY'' function by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 4, 
2020. Prospective applicants should initiate the process by promptly 
registering on the GRANTS.GOV website to ensure completion of the 
application process before the submission deadline. Instructions for 
applying can be found on FTA's website at http://transit.dot.gov/howtoapply and in the ``FIND'' module of GRANTS.GOV.
    The GRANTS.GOV funding opportunity ID is FTA-2020-011-TPE-HOPE. 
Mail and fax submissions will not be accepted.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Charles Goodman, FTA Office of 
Planning and Environment, 202-366-1944, or [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: 

Table of Contents

A. Program Description
B. Federal Award Information
C. Eligibility Information

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D. Application and Submission Information
E. Application Review Information
F. Review and Selection Process Information
G. Federal Award Administration Information
H. Technical Assistance and Other Program Information
I. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

A. Program Description

    The HOPE Program provides funds to eligible entities defined as 
eligible recipients or subrecipients under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 49 U.S.C. 
5310 or 49 U.S.C. 5311 and are in areas of persistent poverty. Funds 
were appropriated pursuant to Division H of the Further Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2020 (Pub. L. 116-94) and will be awarded through a 
competitive process, as described in this notice. FTA will award grants 
to eligible applicants for planning, engineering, or development of 
technical, or financing plans for projects eligible under Chapter 53 of 
Title 49 U.S.C. Applicants are encouraged to work with non-profits or 
other entities of their choosing to develop an eligible project. An 
eligible project for this Notice of Funding Opportunity is defined as 
either a planning study, including a planning and environmental 
linkages study that advances the environmental analysis and review 
process as part of the metropolitan planning process, engineering 
study, technical study, or financial plan.
    FTA encourages applicants to propose projects that may introduce 
innovative technologies or practices in support of FTA's Accelerating 
Innovative Mobility (AIM) initiative. FTA is focused on the 
introduction of new technology not commonly found within U.S. transit 
systems such as integrated fare payment systems that permit complete 
trips or advancements to propulsion systems. Resulting innovation 
activities may also include practices such as new public transportation 
operational models, financial or procurement arrangements, or value 
capture.
    Rural transportation networks play a vital role in supporting our 
national economic vitality. Addressing the deteriorating conditions and 
disproportionately high fatality rates on our rural transportation 
infrastructure is of critical interest to the Department, as rural 
transportation networks face unique challenges in safety, 
infrastructure condition, and passenger and freight usage. Consistent 
with the R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative (https://www.transportation.gov/rural), FTA encourages applicants to consider how the project will 
address the challenges faced by rural areas of persistent poverty.

B. Federal Award Information

    The Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 appropriated $8.5 
million for the HOPE Program. The FTA is announcing the availability of 
these funds through this notice.
    The FTA will grant pre-award authority to incur costs for selected 
projects beginning on the date that project selections are announced. 
Funds are only available for projects that have not incurred costs 
prior to the selection of projects. Funds will remain available for 
obligation for three Federal fiscal years, not including the year in 
which the funds are allocated to projects. FTA anticipates the maximum 
grant awards will not exceed $850,000.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

    Eligible applicants for awards are States, tribes, and designated 
or direct recipients under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 49 U.S.C. 5310 or 49 U.S.C. 
5311. Eligible sub-recipients include all otherwise eligible 
applicants.
    State departments of transportation may apply on behalf of eligible 
applicants within their States. Applicants are encouraged to work with 
nonprofit organizations engaged in public transportation in areas of 
persistent poverty.
    To be considered eligible, proposed projects must be in a county 
with 20 percent or more of the population living in poverty over the 30 
years preceding the date of enactment of the Further Consolidated 
Appropriations Act, 2020 (December 20, 2019), as measured by the 1990 
and 2000 decennial census and the most recent Small Area Income and 
Poverty Estimates, or from any census tract with a poverty rate of at 
least 20 percent as measured by the 2013-2017, 5-year data series 
available from the American Community Survey of the Census Bureau. The 
FTA has posted a table and maps of the Areas of Persistent Poverty that 
meet these criteria at www.transit.dot.gov. Eligible applicants must be 
able to demonstrate the requisite legal, financial, and technical 
capabilities to receive and administer Federal funds under this 
program.
    As permitted by the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, 
applicants to the HOPE Program may submit applications that include 
partnerships with non-profits that can assist with making projects low 
or no emissions. If an application that involves such a partnership is 
selected for funding, the competitive selection process will be deemed 
to satisfy the requirement for a competitive procurement under 49 
U.S.C. 5325(a) for the named entities. Applicants are advised that any 
changes to the proposed partnership will require written FTA approval, 
must be consistent with the scope of the approved project, and may 
necessitate a competitive procurement.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching

    The minimum federal share for projects selected under the HOPE 
Program is not less than 90 percent of the total project cost (i.e., 
the local share will be no more than 10 percent of the total project 
cost, not 10 percent of the requested grant amount).
    Eligible sources of local match include the following: Cash from 
non-Government sources other than revenues from providing public 
transportation services; revenues derived from the sale of advertising 
and concessions; amounts received under a service agreement with a 
State or local social service agency or private social service 
organization; revenues generated from value capture financing 
mechanisms; or funds from an undistributed cash surplus; replacement or 
depreciation cash fund or reserve; or new capital. In addition, 
transportation development credits or documentation of in-kind match 
may substitute for local match if identified in the application.

3. Eligible Projects

    Under the HOPE Program, eligible projects are planning, 
engineering, or development of technical, or financing plans for 
projects eligible under Chapter 53 of title 49 U.S.C. For example, 
these activities may include planning, engineering, or development of 
technical, or financing plans for improved transit services, new 
transit routes, engineering for transit facilities and improvements to 
existing facilities, innovative technologies, low or no emission buses, 
or a new bus facility or intermodal center that supports transit 
services, integrated fare collections systems, or coordinated public 
transit human service transportation plans to improve transit service 
in an area of persistent poverty or to provide new service such as 
transportation for services to address the opioid epidemic. An eligible 
project also may be a planning and environmental linkages study that 
advances the environmental analysis and review process as part of the 
metropolitan planning process.

[[Page 12650]]

D. Application and Submission Information

1. Address

    Applications must be submitted electronically through GRANTS.GOV. 
General information for submitting applications through GRANTS.GOV can 
be found at https://www.transit.dot.gov/funding/grants/applying/applying-fta-funding along with specific instructions for the forms and 
attachments required for submission. Mail and fax submissions will not 
be accepted. A complete proposal submission consists of two forms: The 
SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance (downloaded from GRANTS.GOV) 
and the supplemental form for the FY 2020 HOPE Program (downloaded from 
GRANTS.GOV or the FTA website at www.transit.dot.gov). Applicants also 
may attach additional supporting information. Failure to submit the 
information as required can delay or prevent review of the application.

2. Content and Form of Application Submission

    A strong transportation network is critical to the functioning and 
growth of the American economy. The nation's industry depends on the 
transportation network to move the goods that it produces, and 
facilitate the movements of the workers who are responsible for that 
production. When the nation's transit systems, highways, railways, and 
ports function well, that infrastructure connects people to jobs, 
increases the efficiency of delivering goods and thereby cuts the costs 
of doing business, reduces the burden of commuting, and improves 
overall well-being.
    A complete proposal submission consists of two forms: The SF-424 
Application for Federal Assistance and the FY 2020 HOPE Program 
supplemental form. The supplemental form and any supporting documents 
must be attached to the ``Attachments'' section of the SF-424. A 
complete application must include responses to all sections of the SF-
424 Application for Federal Assistance and the supplemental form, 
unless indicated as optional. The information on the supplemental form 
will be used to determine applicant and project eligibility for the 
program, and to evaluate the proposal against the selection criteria 
described in part E of this notice.
    The FTA will accept only one supplemental form per SF-424 
submission. FTA encourages States and other applicants to consider 
submitting a single supplemental form that includes multiple activities 
to be evaluated as a consolidated proposal. If a State or other 
applicant chooses to submit separate proposals for individual 
consideration by FTA, each proposal must be submitted using a separate 
SF-424 and supplemental form.
    Applicants may attach additional supporting information to the SF-
424 submission, including but not limited to letters of support, 
project budgets, fleet status reports or excerpts from relevant 
planning documents. Supporting documentation must be described and 
referenced by file name in the appropriate response section of the 
supplemental form, or it may not be reviewed.
    Information such as applicant name, Federal amount requested, local 
match amount, description of areas served, etc. may be requested in 
varying degrees of detail on both the SF-424 and Supplemental Form. 
Applicants must fill in all fields unless stated otherwise on the 
forms. Applicants should not place N/A or ``refer to attachment'' in 
lieu of typing in responses in the field sections. If information is 
copied into the supplemental form from another source, applicants 
should verify that pasted text is fully captured on the supplemental 
form and has not been truncated by the character limits built into the 
form. Applicants should use both the ``Check Package for Errors'' and 
the ``Validate Form'' validation buttons on both forms to check all 
required fields on the forms, and ensure that the federal and local 
amounts specified are consistent.
    The SF-424 Mandatory Form and the Supplemental Form will prompt 
applicants for the required information, including:
    a. Applicant name.
    b. Dun and Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) 
number.
    c. Key contact information (including contact name, address, email 
address, and phone).
    d. Congressional district(s) where project will take place.
    e. Project information (including title, an executive summary, and 
type).
    f. A detailed description of the need for the planning, 
engineering, or development of technical, or financial planning 
activities.
    g. A detailed description of how the project will support the HOPE 
Program objectives.
    h. Provide a line-item budget for the project, with enough detail 
to indicate the various key components of the comprehensive planning 
project.
    i. Identify the Federal amount requested.
    j. Document the matching funds, including amount and source of the 
match (may include local or private sector financial participation in 
the project). Describe whether the matching funds are committed or 
planned, and include documentation of the commitments.
    k. A description of the technical, legal and financial capacity of 
the applicant.
    l. An explanation of the scalability of the project.
    m. Identify whether the project would be in a qualified opportunity 
zone designated pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 1400Z-1.
    n. Provide a schedule and process for the project that includes 
anticipated dates for incorporating the project into the region's 
unified planning work program, completing major tasks and substantial 
deliverables, and completing the project.
    o. Describe how the proposed project advances the metropolitan 
transportation plan of the metropolitan planning organization or the 
statewide long range plan by the State department of transportation.
    p. Propose performance criteria for the development and 
implementation of the HOPE planning activities.
    q. Identify potential State, local or other impediments to the 
products of the HOPE work and its implementation, and how the work will 
address them.
    r. Identify proposed actions that reduce regulatory barriers that 
unnecessarily raise the costs of housing development or impede the 
development of affordable housing.
    The FTA will not consider any additional materials submitted by 
applicants in its evaluation of proposals. The total length of the 
completed supplemental form and documentation of partnerships and 
funding commitments should be no more than 15 pages.

3. Unique Entity Identifier and System for Award Management (SAM)

    Each applicant is required to: (1) Be registered in SAM before 
submitting an application; (2) provide a valid unique entity identifier 
in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM 
registration with current information at all times during which the 
applicant has an active Federal award or an application or plan under 
consideration by FTA. These requirements do not apply if the applicant 
has an exemption approved by FTA under Federal grants and agreements 
law (2 CFR 25.110(d)). The FTA may not make an award until the 
applicant has complied with all applicable unique entity identifier and 
SAM requirements. If an applicant has

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not fully complied with the requirements by the time FTA is ready to 
make an award, FTA may determine that the applicant is not qualified to 
receive an award and use that determination as a basis for making a 
Federal award to another applicant. All applicants must provide a 
unique entity identifier provided by SAM. SAM registration takes 
approximately 3-5 business days, but FTA recommends allowing ample 
time, up to several weeks, for completion of all steps. For additional 
information on obtaining a unique entity identifier, please visit 
www.sam.gov.

4. Submission Dates and Times

    Project proposals must be submitted electronically through http://www.GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. May 4, 2020. GRANTS.GOV attaches a time 
stamp to each application at the time of submission. Proposals 
submitted after the deadline will only be considered under 
extraordinary circumstances not under the applicant's control. Mail and 
fax submissions will not be accepted.
    Within 48 hours after submitting an electronic application, the 
applicant should receive two email messages from GRANTS.GOV: (1) 
Confirmation of successful transmission to GRANTS.GOV; and (2) 
confirmation of successful validation by GRANTS.GOV. FTA will then 
validate the application and will attempt to notify any applicants 
whose applications could not be validated. If the applicant does not 
receive confirmation of successful validation or a notice of failed 
validation or incomplete materials, the applicant must address the 
reason for the failed validation, as described in the email notice, and 
resubmit before the submission deadline. If making a resubmission for 
any reason, include all original attachments regardless of which 
attachments were updated and check the box on the supplemental form 
indicating this is a resubmission. An application that is submitted at 
the deadline and cannot be validated will be marked as incomplete, and 
such applicants will not receive additional time to re-submit.
    Any addenda that FTA releases on the application process will be 
posted at https://www.transit.dot.gov. Important: FTA urges applicants 
to submit their applications at least 96 hours prior to the due date to 
allow time to receive the validation messages and to correct any 
problems that may have caused a rejection notification. GRANTS.GOV 
scheduled maintenance and outage times are announced on the GRANTS.GOV 
website at http://www.GRANTS.GOV. Deadlines will not be extended due to 
scheduled maintenance or outages.
    Applicants are encouraged to begin the registration process on the 
GRANTS.GOV site well in advance of the submission deadline. 
Registration is a multi-step process, which may take several weeks to 
complete before an application can be submitted. Registered applicants 
may still be required to take steps to keep their registration up to 
date before submissions can be made successfully: (1) Registration in 
the System for Award Management (SAM) is renewed annually and (2) 
persons making submissions on behalf of the Authorized Organization 
Representative (AOR) must be authorized in GRANTS.GOV by the AOR to 
make submissions. Instructions on the GRANTS.GOV registration process 
are listed in Appendix A.

5. Funding Restrictions

    Funds under this NOFO cannot be used to reimburse applicants for 
otherwise eligible expenses incurred prior to FTA award of a grant 
agreement until FTA has issued pre-award authority for selected 
projects.

6. Other Submission Requirements

    Applicants are encouraged to identify scaled funding options in 
case insufficient funding is available to fund a project at the full 
requested amount. If an applicant indicates that a project is scalable, 
the applicant must provide an appropriate minimum funding amount that 
will fund an eligible project that achieves the objectives of the 
program and meets all relevant program requirements. The applicant must 
provide a clear explanation of how the project budget would be affected 
by a reduced award. The FTA may award a lesser amount whether a 
scalable option is provided.

E. Application Review Information

1. Criteria

    The FTA will evaluate project proposals for the HOPE Program based 
on the criteria described in this notice. Projects will be evaluated 
primarily on the responses provided in the supplemental form. 
Additional information may be provided to support the responses; 
however, any additional documentation must be directly referenced on 
the supplemental form, including the file name where the additional 
information can be found.
    Consistent with the Department's R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative (https://www.transportation.gov/rural), the Department recognizes that rural 
transportation networks face unique challenges. To the extent that 
those challenges are reflected in the merit criteria listed in this 
section, FTA will consider how the activities proposed in the 
application will address those challenges, regardless of the geographic 
location of those activities.
a. Demonstration of Need
    Applications will be evaluated based on the quality and extent to 
which they demonstrate how the proposed activities will support 
planning, engineering, or development of technical, or financing plans 
that would result in a project eligible for funding under Chapter 53 of 
Title 49 U.S.C.
b. Demonstration of Benefits
    Applications will be evaluated based on how well they describe how 
the proposed planning, engineering, or development of technical, or 
financing plans that address the existing condition of the transit 
system, improve the reliability of transit service for its riders, 
enhance access and mobility within the service area, or accelerate 
innovation in areas of persistent poverty.
    System Condition: The FTA will evaluate the potential for the 
planning, engineering, or development of technical, or financing plans 
to lead to an improvement in the condition of the transit system in 
areas of persistent poverty.
    Service Reliability: The FTA will evaluate the potential for the 
planning, engineering, or development of technical, or financing plans 
to lead to a reduction in the frequency of breakdowns or other service 
interruptions caused by the age and condition of the agency's bus 
fleet, and improve system reliability.
    Enhanced Access and Mobility: The FTA will evaluate the potential 
for the planning, engineering, or development of technical, or 
financing plans to lead to improved access and mobility for the transit 
riding public, such as through increased reliability, improved 
headways, creation of new transportation choices or eliminating gaps in 
the current route network.
    Accelerating Innovation: The FTA will evaluate the potential for 
the planning, engineering, or development of technical, or financing 
plans to accelerate the introduction of innovative technologies or 
practices such as integrated fare payment systems permitting complete 
trips or advancements to propulsion systems. Innovation can also 
include practices such as new public transportation operational models, 
financial or procurement arrangements, or value capture strategies.

[[Page 12652]]

    Emissions Reductions: The FTA will evaluate the potential for the 
planning study, engineering study, or development of technical, or 
financing plans with a project partner to lead to reduced vehicle 
emissions as a potential outcome.
    Barriers to Low Income Housing: FTA will evaluate the degree to 
which the planning study, engineering study, or technical or financial 
plans identify proposed actions that reduce regulatory barriers that 
unnecessarily raise the costs of housing development or impede the 
development of affordable housing.
    Regional Support: Applicants should provide evidence of regional or 
local support for the proposed project. Documentation may include 
support letters from local and regional planning organizations, local 
governmental officials, public agencies and/or non-profit or private 
sector partners attesting to the need for the project.
    Improving Rural Transportation: Consistent with the Department's 
R.O.U.T.E.S. Initiative (https://www.transportation.gov/rural), the 
Department recognizes that rural transportation networks face unique 
challenges. To the extent that those challenges are reflected in the 
merit criteria listed in this section, FTA will consider how the 
activities proposed in the application will address those challenges, 
regardless of the geographic location of those activities.
c. Local Financial Commitment
    Applicants must identify the source of the local cost share and 
describe whether such funds are currently available for the project or 
will need to be secured if the project is selected for funding. The FTA 
will consider the availability of the local cost share as evidence of 
local financial commitment to the project. Additional consideration 
will be given to those projects for which local funds have already been 
made available or reserved. Applicants should submit evidence of the 
availability of funds for the project, for example by including a board 
resolution, letter of support from the State or other documentation of 
the source of local funds such as a budget document highlighting the 
line item or section committing funds to the proposed project.
d. Project Implementation Strategy
    The FTA will evaluate the strength of the work plan, schedule and 
process included in an application based on the following factors:
    a. Extent to which the schedule contains sufficient detail, 
identifies all steps needed to implement the work proposed, and is 
achievable;
    b. Extent of partnerships, including with non-public sector 
entities; and
    c. The partnerships' technical capability to develop, adopt and 
implement the plans, based on FTA's assessment of the applicant's 
description of the policy formation, implementation, and financial 
roles of the partners, and the roles and responsibilities of proposed 
staff.
e. Technical, Legal and Financial Capacity
    Applicants must demonstrate that they have the technical, legal and 
financial capacity to undertake the project. FTA will review relevant 
oversight assessments and records to determine whether there are any 
outstanding legal, technical or financial issues with the applicant 
that would affect the outcome of the proposed project. Applicants with 
outstanding legal, technical or financial compliance issues from an FTA 
compliance review or Federal Transit grant-related Single Audit finding 
must explain how corrective actions taken will mitigate negative 
impacts on the proposed project.

2. Review and Selection Process

    In addition to other FTA staff that may review the proposals, a 
technical evaluation committee will evaluate proposals based on the 
published evaluation criteria. After applying the above criteria, the 
FTA Administrator will consider the following key Departmental 
objectives:
    (A) Supporting economic vitality at the national and regional 
level;
    (B) Utilizing alternative funding sources and innovative financing 
models to attract non-Federal sources of infrastructure investment;
    (C) Identifying proposed actions that reduce regulatory barriers 
that unnecessarily raise the costs of housing development or impede the 
development of affordable housing;
    (D) Undertake planning, engineering, technical studies, or 
financing plans for transit facilities or services in a qualified 
opportunity zone designated pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 1400Z-1
    (E) Using innovative approaches to improve safety and expedite 
project delivery; and
    (F) Holding grant recipients accountable for their performance and 
achieving specific, measurable outcomes identified by grant applicants.
    Prior to making an award, FTA is required to review and consider 
any information about the applicant that is in the Federal Awardee 
Performance and Integrity Information Systems (FAPIIS) accessible 
through SAM. An applicant may review and comment on information about 
itself that a Federal awarding agency previously entered. FTA will 
consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to the other 
information in the designated integrity and performance system, in 
making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and 
record of performance under Federal awards when completing the review 
of risk posed by applicants as described in Sec.  200.205 Federal 
awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.
    The FTA Administrator will determine the final selection of 
projects for program funding. In determining the allocation of program 
funds, FTA may consider geographic diversity, diversity in the size of 
the transit systems receiving funding, the applicant's receipt of other 
competitive awards, projects located in or that support public 
transportation service in a qualified opportunity zone designated 
pursuant to 26 U.S.C. 1400Z-1, the percentage of local share provided, 
and whether the project includes an innovative technology or practice.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

1. Federal Award Notice

    Final project selections will be posted on the FTA website. 
Selected recipients should contact their FTA regional offices for 
additional information regarding allocations for projects under the 
HOPE Program.
    At the time the project selections are announced, FTA will extend 
pre-award authority for the selected projects. There is no blanket pre-
award authority for these projects before announcement.

2. Award Administration

    The FTA anticipates that the maximum grant award will not exceed 
$850,000 which will enable FTA to fund as many meritorious projects as 
possible. Only proposals from eligible recipients for eligible 
activities will be considered for funding. Due to funding limitations, 
proposals that are selected for funding may receive less than the 
amount originally requested. In those cases, applicants must be able to 
demonstrate that the proposed projects are still viable stand-alone 
projects that can be completed with the amount awarded.

3. Administrative Requirements

a. Pre-Award Authority
    The FTA will issue specific guidance to recipients regarding pre-
award

[[Page 12653]]

authority at the time of selection. The FTA does not provide pre-award 
authority for competitive funds until projects are selected and even 
then, there are Federal requirements that must be met before costs are 
incurred. For more information about FTA's policy on pre-award 
authority, please see the FY 2019 Apportionment Notice published on 
July 3, 2019 which can be accessed at https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2019-07-03/pdf/2019-14248.pdf.
b. Grant Requirements
    If selected, awardees will apply for a grant through FTA's Transit 
Award Management System (TrAMS). Recipients of HOPE Program funding in 
urban areas are subject to the grant requirements of the Urbanized Area 
Formula Grant program (49 U.S.C. 5307), including those described in 
FTA Circular ``Urbanized Area Formula Program: Program Guidance and 
Application Instructions'' (FTA.C.9030.1E). Recipients of funding in 
rural areas are subject to the grant requirements described in the 
Formula Grants for Rural Areas Program (49 U.S.C. 5311), including 
those described in FTA Circular ``Formula Grants for Rural Areas: 
Program Guidance and Application Instructions'' (FTA.C.9040.1G). All 
recipients (urban and rural) must follow the Award Management 
Requirements as described in (FTA.C.5010.1E). Technical assistance 
regarding these requirements is available from each FTA regional 
office.
c. Disadvantaged Business Enterprise
    The FTA requires that its recipients receiving planning, capital 
and/or operating assistance that will award prime contracts exceeding 
$250,000 in FTA funds comply with the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise 
(DBE) program regulations (49 CFR part 26).
    For more information on DBE requirements, please contact Scheryl 
Portee, the Office of the Chief Counsel, at 202-366-0840, email: 
[email protected].
d. Standard Assurances
    By submitting a grant application, the applicant assures that it 
will comply with all applicable federal statutes, regulations, 
executive orders, directives, FTA circulars and other federal 
administrative requirements in carrying out any project supported by 
the FTA grant. Further, the applicant acknowledges that it is under a 
continuing obligation to comply with the terms and conditions of the 
grant agreement issued for its project with FTA. The applicant 
understands that Federal laws, regulations, policies and administrative 
practices might be modified from time to time and may affect the 
implementation of the project. The applicant agrees that the most 
recent Federal requirements will apply to the project, unless FTA 
issues a written determination otherwise. The applicant must submit the 
Certifications and Assurances before receiving a grant, if it does not 
have current certifications on file.
4. Reporting
    Post-award reporting requirements include the electronic submission 
of Federal Financial Reports and Milestone Progress Reports in FTA's 
electronic grants management system. Recipients of funds made available 
through this NOFO are also required to regularly submit data to the 
National Transit Database.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contacts

    For further information concerning this notice, please contact Mr. 
Charles Goodman via email at [email protected]; or by phone at 
202-366-1944. A TDD is available for individuals who are deaf or hard 
of hearing at 800-877-8339. In addition, FTA will post answers to 
questions and requests for clarifications on FTA's website at http://transit.dot.gov. The FTA staff will also conduct a webinar for 
potential applicants to learn more about the program and submittal 
process
    To ensure the receipt of accurate information about eligibility or 
the program, applicants with questions are encouraged to contact FTA 
directly, rather than through intermediaries or third parties.

H. Technical Assistance and Other Program Information

    This program is not subject to Executive Order 12372, 
``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.'' The FTA will consider 
applications for funding only from eligible recipients for eligible 
projects listed in Section C. Complete applications must be submitted 
through GRANTS.GOV by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time on May 4, 2020. For 
assistance with GRANTS.GOV please contact GRANTS.GOV by phone at 1-800-
518-4726 or by email at [email protected]. Contact information for 
FTA's regional offices can be found on FTA's website at https://www.transit.dot.gov/about/regional-offices/regional-offices.

K. Jane Williams,
Acting Administrator.
[FR Doc. 2020-04250 Filed 3-2-20; 8:45 am]
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