$787 Million Is Now Available for Transportation Resilience Projects

FHWA's newly reopened PROTECT Competitive Grant Program closes October 9, 2026, giving communities roughly six weeks to compete for funding.

The Federal Highway Administration has reopened its resilience grant program, the FY 2024-2026 Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) Competitive Grant Program, with up to $787 million on the table for planning, construction, and evacuation route projects that protect transportation infrastructure from flooding, wildfire, severe storms, landslides, and other natural disasters. The application window is short, and the evaluation criteria have been revised, so applicants who move early and position their projects deliberately will be best placed to compete.

There are essentially four pots of funding available under the PROTECT program for a variety of different projects. Learn more about each type of funding offered below and through TFG's Profile and Summary.

View the TFG Profile and Summary for this program

Resilience Improvement Grants

$551 million total available | $500,000 to $60 million award range | 10-20% match required

Funds construction to strengthen roads, bridges, and other surface transportation assets against flooding, wildfire, extreme weather, and other natural hazards.

Community Resilience and Evacuation Route Grants

$79 million total available | $500,000 to $60 million award range | 10-20% match required

Strengthens and protects evacuation routes, including capacity expansion, signage, and communications equipment for communities facing wildfire, flood, or other emergency evacuation needs.

Planning Grants

$79 million total available | $100,000 to $10 million award range | No match required

Funds vulnerability assessments, Resilience Improvement Plan development, and evacuation planning, a low-risk entry point with no matching requirement.

At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants

$79 million total available | $500,000 to $60 million award range | 20% match required (no match for territories)

Open only to coastal states and territories. Strengthens, elevates, or relocates highway and non-rail infrastructure at risk from coastal flooding, erosion, storm surge, or sea level rise.

What's Changed from the Original NOFO

• Applicants who submitted under the original October 2024 NOFO must re-apply. No awards will be made under the prior funding opportunity, and applications do not carry over.
• FY2024, 2025, and 2026 funding are combined into a single application period rather than two separate application windows.
• A new Application Template is now required, and evaluation criteria have been rewritten around updated federal priorities.

Did you apply for funding under the previous FY 2024-2026 PROTECT solicitation?

If so, that application will not be considered. FHWA is making no awards from the earlier opportunity, which means every prior applicant is starting over on a six-week clock. Applications close October 9. If reapplying is on your list, that conversation should happen this week.

This opportunity is open to all eligible applicants, not only those who applied under the previous solicitation.

If PROTECT is new to your organization, the same October 9 deadline applies, so there is still time to put a competitive application together.

If you have a surface transportation resilience project that may be a good fit (a flood-prone roadway, a vulnerable bridge or culvert, an evacuation route, at-risk coastal infrastructure, or a resilience planning effort), we are glad to talk through eligibility, timing, and next steps. Reach out to your TFG client manager or connect with our grants team below.

With a six-week window, capacity for new application support is limited. Reach out this week to make sure your project has time for a competitive submission.