Unified Grant Application
Unified Grant Application (UGA)

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  • The Governor has designated the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) as its principal authority and administrator of the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA) transit funds for projects in the rural and small urban areas of North Carolina. This authority was established through legislative action as set forth in Article 2B of Chapter 136 of the North Carolina General Statutes.

    Where applicable, IMD shall administer these programs in accordance with the guidance published by the Federal Register and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) circulars and in accordance with existing federal and state regulations pertaining to the administration of federal grants by NCDOT. 

    The Unified Grant Application (UGA) is a comprehensive and consolidated guide to the rural and small urban area transit funding. Please download the UGA file linked below for access to all transit funding programs and eligibility requirements. Please contact your assigned Regional Grant Specialist for further assistance.  


    FY25 5303 Grant Application

    The Integrated Mobility Division (IMD) of the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is pleased to announce the FY 2025 transit planning allocations for the state's urbanized areas (reference FY2025 5303 Allocation Formula Table).  These funds are available from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under the Metropolitan Planning Program (49 U.S.C. 5305(d) Reference; Table 2). 

    The total amount of 5303 funds available to North Carolina is $3,053,690.  The allocation for each MPO in the attached allocation table reflects the amount for the upcoming fiscal year. The goal is to have the 5303 allocations approved at the April 2024 NCDOT Board of Transportation Meeting.

    In addition to traditional 5303 projects with 80% federal share, 10% state share and 10% local share, the FTA has created waivers for projects in two categories which have higher share amounts.  Those projects are listed below:

    1. Complete Streets – Planning activities for Complete Streets. These planning activities are eligible for a federal match percentage of 100% with no match from the state or the local agency.
    2. Increased federal share for lower population density or income - FTA is increasing federal support of planning activities that help communities with lower population densities or lower average incomes, compared to surrounding areas, expand access to public transportation. These planning activities are eligible for a 90% federal match percentage supported by a five percent state match and a five percent local match.

    All of the program guidance information and supporting documentation are included in the FY25 5303 Grant Application Package​.


    Call for Projects

    IMD opened the Call for Projects on April 3, 2023. 

    • Phase 1: Register and submit pre-application compliance documents during the period of April 3 – June 2, 2023.  Sub-recipients register through SmartSheet and the Regional Grant Specialist (RGS) coordinates with each of their sub-recipients to ensure all required Phase 1 compliance documents have been submitted.
    • Phase 2: Opening July 3, 2023: Complete online program applications in EBS portal and upload supporting programmatic required documentation. Each grant program calls for additional documentation required to satisfy program guidance. October 6, 2023 is the deadline to submit EBS applications with completed documentation.
    • Phase 3: IMD internal review and approval phase, NCDOT Board of Transportation approval, and agreement completion.  Sub-recipients begin using their funds after agreements are in place and they submit claims on a regular basis along with required documentation.

    FY25 Unified Grant Application (UGA)

    *Note the UGA PDF works best when saved to your computer and opened in a PDF reader.


    Supplemental Documents, Program Documents and Checklists

    Below are individual links for the supplemental documents.

      • FY25 UGA Checklist Direct Recipients

    Timeline


    ​DATES
    		​TASK/EVENT
    ​April 3, 2023
    		​Grant Application Package Distributed
    ​April 3 - October 6, 2023
    		​Reginal Grant Specialists Available to Assist Grantees with Questions
    ​June 2, 2023
    		​Pre-Application Due to NCDOT
    ​July 3, 2023

    		​Program Applications in EBS Open
    ​October 6, 2023
    		​​EBS Grant Application Due to NCDOT
    ​October - December, 2023
    		​Grant Applications Review Process
    ​January - April 2024
    		​IMD makes funding recommendation to NCDOT Board of Transportation
    ​February - June 2024
    		​FTA grant review and award for federal funding
    ​July 1, 2024
    		​Effective date of one year grant agreement



  • News & Updates

    September 5, 2023 - 

    The Rural Operating Assistance Program (ROAP) and State Maintenance Assistance Program (SMAP) are state funds designed to assist counties (ROAP) with trips and Urban, Small Urban, and Regional (SMAP) transit providers with operational expenses to provide trips.

    The completed applications are due on or before October 11, 2023 in the FY24 ROAP or FY24 SMAP drop boxes in EBS.  If you have questions regarding either the ROAP or SMAP programs or the applications, please contact your assigned Regional Grant Specialist or Carolyn Freitag at cmfreitag@ncdot.gov.

    FY24 ROAP Application

    FY24 SMAP Application​

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    April 3, 2023 - ​The folloing documents are job aids and information to assist with the UGA. 

    Funding Program Cheat Sheet – this documents provides information to sub-recipients on the various programs and is a quick reference guide.

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    March 23,2023 - IMD has prepared an FY25 Unified Grant Application (UGA) Overview​ handout as a job-aid to guide subrecipients through the phased approach of the FY25 UGA.  Each phase lists the details and steps which will occur as the application moves through the process.

     

    The overview also provides the benefits of the UGA program along with what is new for FY25 and the key dates for the FY25 Call for Projects for easy reference.

     

    This overview is a snapshot of the FY25 Call for Projects to aid subrecipients with planning activities.  For questions or comments, please contact Carolyn Freitag at cmfreitag@ncdot.gov or 919-707-4677. 

     

    Two training webinars were conducted on March 21st and 22nd, and a third is scheduled for Tuesday, April 4th from 1:30 – 3:30.  The recordings and PowerPoint presentation will be posted to the UGA page on the Connect site as soon as they are available.

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    January 30, 2023 - The FY 2024 Certifications and Assurances Package, is a requirement to receive federal funding.  The Certs and Assurances are due in EBS uploaded into FY2024 Certs & Assurances Drop Box by Thursday, April 27, 2023 in order to meet the FTA guidelines of submitting them within 90 days of publication. 

    The Certs and Assurance package consists of the federal document including the Applicant's Affirmation and the Applicant's Attorney Affirmation, and state documents:

    1. Federal Certifications and Assurances (pdf pg. 20/22); Applicant's Affirmation (pdf pg. 21/22); and Attorney's Affirmation (pdf pg. 22/22)
    • Subrecipients can select all provisions on the Certifications and Assurance list or,
    • Subrecipients can select individual provisions on the Certifications and Assurances list
    1. Certifications and Restrictions on Lobbying,
    2. Special Section 5333(b) Warranty,
    3. Certification of Equivalent Service. 
      1. Note: this certification is only applicable if 1) purchasing a non-lift equipped vehicle or 2) a fleet with non-lift vehicles in it.  This certification does not apply to applicants without vehicles.

    If you have questions or need additional information, please contact your assigned Regional Grant Specialist, or contact me at cmfreitag@ncdot.gov

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  • Contacts

    Kenetta Spence
    ​Grant Administration Manager
    ​Integrated Mobility Division
    North Carolina Department of Transportation
    (919) 707-4673 (Office)
    kmspence1@ncdot.gov

    Carolyn M. Freitag
    Grants Administrator II
    Integrated Mobility Division
    North Carolina Department of Transportation
    (919) 707-4677 (Office)
    cmfreitag@ncdot.gov

    Contact your assigned Regional Grant Specialist here:

    Regional Grant Administration Contacts​
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