PROTECT Program

Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation (PROTECT) Program

Background:

In November 2021, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), was passed into law.  The IIJA included $8.7 billion to create the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) program. The purpose of the PROTECT program is to help local agencies improve the resiliency of their on-system transportation infrastructure.  Specifically, the program provides federal funding to projects to help communities address vulnerabilities due to weather, natural disasters, and climate change.  The program also provides funds to plan transportation improvements and emergency response strategies to address those vulnerabilities.  Vulnerabilities the program addresses include, but are not limited to, current and future weather events, increasing frequency and magnitude of natural disasters, and changing climate conditions, including sea level rise.  PROTECT grants include resilience improvement grants, community resilience and evacuation route grants, and at-risk coastal infrastructure grants.

The PROTECT program funds are distributed through two programs: the PROTECT Discretionary Grants Program ($1.4B) and the PROTECT Formula Program ($7.3B). 

Certain projects included in the State Climate Resilience Improvement Plan for Transportation’s (SCRIPT) unconstrained Project Priority List (PPL) may receive a 10% reduction in the non-federal cost share requirement for future PROTECT Discretionary and Formula cycles. Please visit the Caltrans Division of Transportation Planning’s PROTECT Resilience Improvement Plan website and complete the SCRIPT Project Priority List Request Intake Form to apply to have your project added to the SCRIPT unconstrained PPL. The deadline to apply for "Amendment 1" the SCRIPT unconstrained PPL was 5/10/24. Questions regarding the SCRIPT unconstrained PPL can be sent to resilience.improvement@dot.ca.gov.

PROTECT Discretionary Grants Program

The Protect Discretionary Grants Program is administered by FHWA through grants.gov. The Federal share for planning activity carried out using a planning grant is 100%. Resiliency Improvement, Community Resilience and Evacuation Route, and At-Risk Coastal Infrastructure Grants have an 80% Federal share unless the entity is an Indian tribe, in which case the Federal share may be up to 100%. The non-Federal share may be reduced by 3% if the State or MPO has a Resilience Improvement Plan. Additionally, the non-Federal share may be further reduced by 7% if the project is prioritized on the state or MPO’s Resiliency Improvement Plan. The grant application must identify if the project is seeking reduction in the non-Federal share as the determination for eligibility to a reduction in the Federal share will be made during the grant review process.

Schedule

     FY22 and FY23

• NOFO (693JJ323NF00013) Released: 04/21/2023
• Applications Due: 08/18/2023
• Grant Recipients Announced: 4/11/24
  • FY22 and 23 Grant Award Recipients
  • Six projects in CA were awarded a total of $58.9M
• Obligation Deadlines:
  • FY22: 9/30/25
  • FY23: 9/30/26
• Expenditure Deadlines:
  • Highway Trust Funds: Available until expended
  • FY22 General Funds: September 30, 2030 
  • FY23 General Funds: September 30, 2031

            FY24 and FY25

• NOFO (693JJ325NF00008) Released: 10/25/2024
• Applications Due: 2/10/2025
• NOFO was originally set to close for applications on 2/24/25 but NOFO was updated on 2/11/25 to close for applications on 2/10/25
• FHWA is reviewing this Notice of Funding Opportunity and has removed it from grants.gov. Any re-opening or re-posting of this opportunity will be available on grants.gov and will include any updates made as a result of this review.
• Grant Recipients Announced: TBD

          FY26

• NOFO to be Released: 10/27/25
• Applications Due: 02/24/2026
• Grant Recipients Announced: TBD
• Obligation Deadline:
• FY26: 9/30/29

Resources

• FHWA PROTECT Discretionary Grants Website
• FHWA PROTECT Discretionary Grants Fact Sheet
• FHWA PROTECT Discretionary Grants FAQs

PROTECT Formula Program

The State Senate Bill SB-198 created and gave the California Transportation Commission (CTC) the lead over the Local Transportation Climate Adaption Program (LTCAP), which administers the PROTECT Formula Program. Cycle 1 LTCAP Guidelines were adopted at the May 2023 CTC Meeting and are available on the CTC LTCAP Website. Cycle 1’s Program of Projects was adopted at the December 2023 CTC meeting. Cycle 2 LTCAP Guidelines are currently being developed by CTC staff.

Schedule
     2023 LTCAP (Cycle 1)

• Call for Projects: 05/18/2023
• Project Nominations Due: 07/31/2023
• CTC Staff Recommendations Released: 11/03/2023
• Program of Projects Adopted: 12/07/2023
• Resolution G-23-70 (CTC Adoption of the 2023 Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program)
• Program of Projects

     2025 LTCAP (Cycle 2)

• Guidelines are under development
• Recording from February 7, 2024 Kickoff Meeting
• Cycle 2 Stakeholder Workshop #2 on March 12, 2024

Resources

• FHWA PROTECT Formula Website
• FHWA PROTECT Formula Implementation Guidance
• CTC LTCAP Website
• CTC LTCAP Cycle 1 Guidelines