BUILD Grant Program - Rails to Trails Conservancy

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Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Grant Program

Heritage Trail in Manchester, New Hampshire | Photo by TrailLink user sc302

Under the new administration, the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Program has become the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Program. You can find the marked-up version of the NOFO (no longer active) in PDF format here.

The Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and provides grants for surface transportation infrastructure projects with significant local or regional impact. The eligibility requirements of BUILD allow project sponsors, including state and local governments, counties, Tribal governments, transit agencies, and port authorities, to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that are more difficult to fund through other grant programs.

In July 2025, USDOT announced the first round of Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants under the Trump Administration. The awards under the program formerly known as RAISE represent a shift away from funding projects that are solely focused on making it safe to walk and bike. Instead, there is greater investment in increased capacity for motor vehicles, though active transportation is included as an element for a little more than one-third of the projects, a pattern consistent with the president’s first term. You can find the full list of projects here.

 Quick Facts: Administered By: USDOT
Type: Discretionary grants
Year Created: 2009
Also Known As: Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants (2021-2025); Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants (2018 –2021); Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grants (2009 – 2018)
 

BUILD Grant Eligibility

The following project types are eligible for funding:

Capital projects including but not limited to:

Road or bridge projects eligible under title 23, United States Code
Public transportation projects eligible under chapter 53 of title 49, United States Code
Passenger and freight rail transportation projects
Port infrastructure investments
Intermodal projects
Projects investing in surface transportation facilities that are located on Tribal land and for which title or maintenance responsibility is vested in the Federal government

Planning projects include the planning, preparation or design of eligible surface transportation capital projects.

Resources

USDOT releases regular notices of funding opportunities and information about applying for BUILD grants on its website, here: www.transportation.gov/BUILDgrants.

FY 2025 BUILD FAQ