Minnesota Department of Transportation

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Transit in Greater Minnesota

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Facilities grant

We distribute funding to rural and small urban transit for the facilities needed to deliver and improve modern transit services.

How it works

  • If you do not already have them, you will need to have an architect develop a conceptual design and budget for your proposed facilities project. Then, upload it to BlackCat / project / documents.
  • Then you are ready to download and complete the short Application questionnaire.
  • You will submit your application in BlackCat

Eligibility

Any Greater Minnesota Rural or Small Urban transit agency currently receiving operating assistance from MnDOT.

Application process

What you'll need

Review 2026-2029 Transit Facilities Instructions
  • More details on funding, eligibility, scoring, etc.
An architect’s conceptual design and conceptual budget is the core of an application for a new project.
  • We have provided guidance on what should be included for both the conceptual design and budget.
  • For projects already selected, but for which a conceptual design and/or budget was never submitted. Please use this application as an opportunity to “update” your application.
  • As projects enter into their scheduled contract awards year, a project award could be delayed if:
    1. MnDOT’s final verification reveals a project without conceptual designs and budgets or
    2. a project’s cost has increased in excess of 20% (beyond regular inflation) of the total cost.
If needed, complete an Independent Cost Estimation (ICE) form
  • An Architect’s cost estimates are sufficient. An ICE is only needed for items not covered by architect’s cost estimates.
Submit your application in BlackCat
  • We provide a BlackCat / Applications Guide as a resource document below. You will upload the PDF from the application questionnaire, a concept design, a conceptual budget, and an ICE (if needed).

Deadlines

  • 11:59 p.m., Aug. 9, 2024: Deadline to email questions to MnDOT
  • 11:59 p.m., Sept. 30, 2024: Deadline to submit a grant application

Guidance

We held a webinar to demonstrate how the forms work and to go over the application requirements. We provided a demonstration for TPMs, so check with them if you didn't attend.

After you apply

  • We will convene a scoring committee to review and score all applications. Then we will select the highest-scoring projects until all available funds have been assigned. We will also seek to acquire both state bond and Federal discretionary funding to increase funding available. Should MnDOT receive additional funds, the projects included in these proposals would then be scheduled as funds are available.

Notification

  • January 2025: We'll post selected facility projects.

More information

Pursuant to Minn. Stat. 13.03, subd. 1, all government data collected, created, received, maintained or disseminated by a government entity shall be public unless classified by statute, or temporary classification pursuant to section 13.06, or federal law, as nonpublic or protected nonpublic, or with respect to data on individuals, as private or confidential. The responsible authority in every government entity shall keep records containing government data in such an arrangement and condition as to make them easily accessible for convenient use. Photographic, photostatic, microphotographic, or microfilmed records shall be considered as accessible for convenient use regardless of the size of such records.