The $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) was signed into law on November 15, 2021. The law reauthorizes the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act, and includes a new pilot program to help states, cities, tribes, and other entities construct wildlife crossing structures that can improve wildlife migration and enhance habitat connectivity, while simultaneously improving driver safety. The new law also amends other federal-aid transportation programs to make them eligible to fund the development of these structures and calls for modernizing the science and research surrounding wildlife corridors and vehicle safety. Interested in learning more about national grants and other Federal, Tribal, and State funding programs that can be used to pay for wildlife mitigation measures, including animal road crossing structures?  Then click here.

For a list of federal grant programs that can be used wholly or in part for wildlife crossing structures, see below: 

Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program

This federal grant program provides funding for projects and strategies designed to reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions, while improving terrestrial and aquatic connectivity.

• The Notice of Funding Opportunity is open as of April 4th, 2023, and will be closed on August 1st, 2023. To apply for a grant or to get more information on the process, click here.

   

Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grants

This federal grant program provides funding for wildlife-related highway and bridge projects through Title 23 USC programs, plus projects to improve aquatic connectivity by replacing or rehabilitating culverts or preventing stormwater runoff. 

• The FY2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity is open until February 28, 2023. For more information, go here.

INFRA (Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight & Highway Projects)

Wildlife Crossings are eligible to receive grants that improve safety, generate economic benefits, reduce congestion, enhance resiliency, and hold the greatest promise to eliminate freight bottlenecks and improve critical freight movements.

Rural Surface Transportation Program

Wildlife-related projects are eligible to receive grants in rural areas otherwise eligible under the Surface Transportation Block Grant Program, Tribal Transportation Program, and Highway Safety Improvement Program.

National Culvert Removal, Replacement and Restoration Program

This federal grant program provides funding for projects to replace, remove, or repair culverts or weirs to restore anadromous fish passage, including infrastructure to facilitate fish passage around or over weirs, or weir improvements.

• The FY2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity is open until February 6, 2023. For more information on the program, go here.

   

Bridge Investment Program

Up to five percent annually of this federal grant program may go to projects to replace or rehabilitate culverts to improve flood control and habitat connectivity for aquatic species; environmental mitigation is also an eligible expense during bridge construction/reconstruction.

• The FY2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity is closed. For more information on what projects were funded in this fiscal year, go here.

   

Tribal Transportation Program Safety Fund

Tribes can receive funding for adding or retrofitting structures or other measures to eliminate or reduce wildlife-vehicle collisions.

• The FY2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is closed. The FY2023 NOFO will open on October 1, 2023. For more information, go here.

   

Nationally Significant Federal Lands and Tribal Projects Program

Grants from this program can go towards the construction, reconstruction, and rehabilitation of nationally-significant projects within, adjacent to, or accessing Federal and tribal lands. Half of the funding for this program is required to go towards Tribal lands.

• The FY2022 Notice of Funding Opportunity is closed. For more information on upcoming grants, please visit the Department of Transportation.

   

Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) These federal grants are designed to help make surface transportation more resilient to natural hazards, including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk costal infrastructure.