Tribal Nations Funding Opportunities

The Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program is a new competitive grant program created to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle charging and alternative fueling infrastructure in urban and rural communities at publicly accessible locations, including downtown areas and local neighborhoods, particularly in underserved and disadvantaged communities- in addition to along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs).

CFI Program investments will make modern and sustainable infrastructure accessible to all drivers of electric, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas vehicles. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has provided $2.5 billion over 5 years toward this program and provides two funding categories of grants: (1) Community Charging and Fueling Grants (Community Program); and (2) Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program). The DOT will consider the following priorities when making award decisions for the CFI Program: Safety, Climate Change and Sustainability, Equity and Justice40, Workforce Development, Job Quality, and Wealth Creation, as well as accessibility.

For the Community Program only, Tribes are allowed to satisfy the non-federal match portion with Tribal Transportation Program Funds. More information about this program can be found at CFI - Environment - FHWA.

EPA’s Clean School Bus (CSB) Grant Program incentivizes and accelerates the replacement of existing school buses with clean and Zero Emissions (ZE) school buses. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act has provided $5 billion over 5 years for this program. Eligible activities include the replacement of existing internal-combustion engine (ICE) school buses with electric, propane, or compressed natural gas (CNG) school buses, as well as the purchase of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) infrastructure and EVSE installations.

Eligible Tribal applicants include Indian Tribes, Tribal organizations, or Tribally controlled schools responsible for the purchase, lease, license, or contract for service of school buses or for providing school bus service for a Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) funded school. In 2022, 28 tribal applicants were awarded rebates that funded 200 clean school buses. Funding prioritizations include: (1) High-need local educational agencies, (2) Rural school districts, (3) Bureau of Indian Affairs-funded school districts and, (4) School districts that receive basic support payments for children who reside on Indian land. More information about this program can be found at Clean School Bus Program Grants - EPA. Please direct any questions about this program to Cleanschoolbus@epa.gov.

The purpose of the Low-No Program is to support the transition of the nation’s transit fleet to the lowest polluting and most energy efficient transit vehicles. The Low-No Program provides funding to state and local governmental authorities for the purchase or lease of zero-emission and low-emission transit buses, including acquisition, construction, and leasing of required supporting facilities. This program provides funds to designated recipients of FTA grants, including states, local governmental authorities, and Indian Tribes. More information about this program can be found at Low or No Emission Vehicle Program - 5339(c) - FTA.

The FHWA’s $5 billion NEVI Formula Program will provide dedicated funding to States to strategically deploy EV charging infrastructure and establish an interconnected network to facilitate data collection, access, and reliability. Initially, funding under this program is directed to designated Alternative Fuel Corridors for electric vehicles to build out this national network, particularly along the Interstate Highway System. When the national network is fully built out, funding may be used on any public road or in other publicly accessible locations including on Tribal Lands.

The distribution of EV charging infrastructure across a State should specifically target locations and benefits to rural areas, underserved and overburdened communities, and disadvantaged communities, including Tribal lands, through analysis of existing service to these areas in a State. States should engage stakeholders and communities to ensure the deployment, installation, operation, and use of EV charging infrastructure achieves equitable and fair distribution. This includes community outreach and participation, including with rural, Tribal, and disadvantaged communities, to facilitate equitable and accessible deployment of EV charging infrastructure. The involvement of relevant private entities, Federal, State, local, Tribal and territorial governments should allow for the identification of opportunities for States to leverage the NEVI Formula Program funds in concert with other funding/deployment programs including those managed by other agencies.

Federal Lands and Tribal Transportation Program (FLTTP) funds can be used to supply the non-federal share for NEVI. More information about this program can be found at NEVI - Environment - FHWA.