BUILD Transportation Grants (formerly TIGER/RAISE)

BUILD Grants

Administers research teams and institutions for BUILD Grants in transport and mobility and built environment.

The BUILD (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) grant program, administered by the Office of the Secretary of Transportation and formerly known as TIGER and RAISE, is one of DOT's longest-running competitive multimodal infrastructure grant programs. BUILD supports surface transportation infrastructure projects of national or regional economic significance, including roads, bridges, transit, freight rail, and port improvements eligible under federal surface transportation law. The FY2026 NOFO was posted November 26, 2025 on grants.gov (NOFO reference 360921), making FY2026 an active cycle. Eligible applicants are public entities — states, territories, tribal governments, local governments, transit agencies, and port authorities — while for-profit and nonprofit organizations are not eligible to apply directly.

BUILD has historically awarded individual grants ranging from a few million dollars to $25 million per project, with a bias toward projects in rural and economically distressed areas and those demonstrating leveraged non-federal investment. While the FY2026 NOFO specifies current award range and deadline details that are not captured in available research materials, the program's track record and statutory structure remain consistent from prior years. FHWA administers BUILD for projects primarily involving highway-eligible infrastructure; DOT-OST retains overall program oversight for multimodal awards. The program aligns with the current administration's stated infrastructure and rural investment priorities.

Applicants should retrieve the full FY2026 NOFO (grants.gov reference 360921) for the specific deadline, minimum and maximum award amounts, and scoring criteria. Competitive applications typically provide a rigorous benefit-cost analysis, identify a meaningful non-federal funding match, and document project readiness through completed environmental review or National Environmental Policy Act determinations. Projects serving rural communities, tribal lands, or economically distressed areas have historically received favorable consideration in BUILD scoring criteria.