Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non-Metropolitan Planning and Research

The Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non‑Metropolitan Planning and Research Program supports states, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and regional partners in developing coordinated, data‑driven transportation planning products. The program provides financial assistance for preparing and maintaining Metropolitan Transportation Plans, Statewide Long‑Range Transportation Plans, Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs and STIPs), and other technical studies needed to guide investment decisions in a unified and officially coordinated statewide and metropolitan transportation planning process. These planning activities ensure that federal, state, and local transportation priorities are aligned; support performance‑based decision‑making; and help advance multimodal, environmentally responsible, and fiscally constrained transportation systems.

Assistance Listing 20.505 will no longer be used for new awards beginning in FY 2026. The program was divided into two separate, program‑specific Assistance Listings; Metropolitan Transportation Planning (Section 5303), AL 20.517, and Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning and Research (Section 5304), AL 20.535. Beginning in FY 2026, all new funding awards, obligations, and activities will be made under these two new listings, and AL 20.505 will remain available only for administrative closeout of previously awarded grants.

Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non-Metropolitan Planning and Research: State Apportionments were made to the States for 1) statewide planning and 2) formula distribution to the Metropolitan Planning Organizations designated for the urbanized areas within each State for planning within urbanized areas. State Apportionments for metropolitan planning and for state planning and research are made to the States. Funds for metropolitan planning are distributed by formula to the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) designated for the urbanized areas within each State.
AoPP: Eligible projects that sought funds for the AoPP Program had to be located: (1) in a county that had greater than or equal to 20 percent of the population living in poverty over the 30-year period preceding the date of enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Pub. L. 117-58, Jan 03, 2022), as measured by the 1990 and 2000 decennial census and the most recent Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, or (2) in a census tract with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent as measured by the (2014-2018) 5-year data series available from the American Community Survey of the Bureau of the Census; or (3) in any territory or possession of the United States. States, tribes, and designated or direct recipients eligible under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 49 U.S.C. 5310, or 49 U.S.C. 5311 that are located in areas of persistent poverty.

The Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non‑Metropolitan Planning and Research Program benefitted a wide range of transportation partners and the public by supporting coordinated, data‑driven planning at the metropolitan, statewide, and rural levels. Primary beneficiaries included Metropolitan Planning Organizations, which use the funds to develop metropolitan transportation plans and Transportation Improvement Programs, and State Departments of Transportation, which rely on the program to create statewide long‑range transportation plans, Statewide Transportation Improvement Programs, and planning research activities. Regional and non‑metropolitan planning organizations also benefit through improved rural and small‑urban transportation planning. The program indirectly supported transit agencies, local governments, tribal governments, and other regional partners by enabling better‑informed investment decisions and multimodal coordination. Ultimately, the public benefits through improved mobility options, transportation networks that reflect community needs and equity goals, and long‑term planning that supports economic growth, accessibility, and quality of life.

Awards under the Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non‑Metropolitan Planning and Research Program were made by (FTA) after review and approval by the appropriate FTA Regional Office. State Departments of Transportation and designated Metropolitan Planning Organizations submit applications through the FTA electronic grant management system, where they were reviewed for eligibility, completeness, and consistency with federal planning requirements outlined in 49 U.S.C. 5303 and 5304. Following regional review, the application was forwarded within FTA for final approval and obligation of funds. Once approved, assistance is provided to State DOTs and MPOs as formula apportionments, and funds are expended at the project level for eligible planning activities. For Section 5303 funds, State DOTs typically passed federal planning assistance through to MPOs according to state‑established distribution formulas, while Section 5304 funds may be further distributed to regional, rural, or non‑metropolitan planning organizations to support local and statewide planning needs. Federal resources are expended at the lowest level by the agencies or planning organizations carrying out the approved planning work.

Applications for assistance under the Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non‑Metropolitan Planning and Research Program were submitted through the Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) electronic grant management system and are reviewed by the appropriate FTA Regional Office. Regional staff evaluated each application for eligibility under 49 U.S.C. 5303 and 5304, consistency with federally required statewide and metropolitan planning processes, completeness of the scope of work, and compliance with applicable planning and grant management requirements. Applications could of been returned for revisions or additional documentation if needed to ensure alignment with federal planning regulations and the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) or State Planning Work Program. Once the regional review was complete, the application was forwarded for internal FTA concurrence and final approval. After approval, funds were obligated at the project level, and the recipient is cleared to begin work under the authorized planning activities.