Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI)

Description: The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced availability of up to $700 million in Fiscal Years 2022 and 2023 for the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program). There are two categories of the program: 1) up to $350 million for the Community Charging and Fueling Program (Community Program); and 2) up to $350 million for the Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants (Corridor Program). Both categories seek to strategically deploy publicly accessible electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, hydrogen fueling infrastructure, propane fueling infrastructure, and natural gas fueling infrastructure in certain locations or along designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (AFCs). The combined solicitation allows applicants to simultaneously apply for funding under both programs by submitting one application. FHWA will, to the greatest extent possible, consider all applications for both the Community and Corridor programs.

Community Grants:

• Located on any public road or in other publicly accessible locations, such as parking facilities at public buildings, public schools, and public parks, or in publicly accessible parking facilities owned or managed by a private entity.
• Must be publicly accessible.
• May use funds to contract with a private entity.
• Minimum award amount of $500,000, maximum award amount of $15 million.
• Must address environmental justice.
• Expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and to expand or fill gaps in access to publicly accessible infrastructure.
• Must be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

Corridor Grants:

• Located along a designated AFC; EV charging within 1 mile and other alternative fuels within 5 miles of the AFC.
• Must be publicly accessible.
• Minimum award amount of $1 million, no maximum award amount.
• Must use funds to contract with a private entity.
• Must address environmental justice.
• Must be accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities.

Goals of CFI Program: 1) supplement, not supplant, necessary private sector investment; 2) complement existing Federal programs; 3) facilitate broad public access to a national charging and alternative fuel infrastructure network to accelerate adoption of zero emissions vehicles; 4) implement Justice40 objectives, lower transportation costs, and increase economic opportunity; 5) advance job quality, workforce development, and workforce equity; and 6) reduce greenhouse gas and vehicle-related emissions. Grant Award Selection Criteria: Grants will be awarded based on evaluations of the following criteria. See Section E.1 of the NOFO for complete information:

• Project Merit Criteria, including the following five criteria:
  • #1 Safety;
  • #2 Climate Change, Resilience, and Sustainability;
  • #3 Equity, Community Engagement, and Justice40;
  • #4 Workforce Development, Job Quality, and Wealth Creation; and
  • #5 CFI Program Vision);
• DOT Statutory Selection Priorities (Community Program only);
• Additional Considerations (vary depending on Program); and
• DOT Priority Considerations (which prioritize Merit Criteria #3, #4, and #5).

Link to Program Website:

Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program

Visit Grants.gov to access the latest Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)

Eligible Applicants: 

State, CRCOG, Municipalities, Others

Due Date:

Applications are due May 30, 2023 (electronically through Grants.gov)

Local Match Requirement: The Federal share is limited to 80% of the total project costs; grant recipients must provide at least 20% of the total project cost as a matching share.

Webinars:

• U.S. DOT and FHWA hosted two informational webinars about the CFI Program. A recording of the March 22 webinar is available for viewing, or contact Elizabeth Sanderson for updates.
• Recording of CFI Webinar held Wednesday, March 22nd (Passcode: i#l2b6UV)

Additional Resources: Visit the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, Data & Tools webpage to access various technical tools and maps, including locations of existing Designated Charging Corridors, and EV Charging Justice40 Map of disadvantaged communities.

 

Please contact Elizabeth Sanderson, BIL Coordinator at CRCOG, with questions or if you would like additional information about this program.