Roadside Pollinator Program (RPP)
Grant Program Information
Section 11528 of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), enacted as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (Pub. L. 117-58, November 15, 2021), established the Pollinator-Friendly Practices on Roadsides and Highway Rights-of-Way Program (Roadside Pollinator Program), codified at 23 U.S.C. 332. The total amount of funding available is up to $3 million. FHWA will award funding to State DOTs, Indian Tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies (FLMAs) who are seeking to benefit pollinators on roadsides and highway rights-of-way on routes eligible for Federal-aid.
The goals of the Roadside Pollinator Program are to fund the implementation, improvement, or further development of the applicants’ Pollinator Friendly Practices Plan (Plan) on routes eligible for Federal-aid. The United States has an estimated 3.9 million miles of roadway and suitable roadsides and rights-of-way represent a significant area that can be transformed into pollinator habitat through the planting of native plants and wildflowers. Roadsides can provide habitat for a diverse community of pollinators, including opportunities to forage for feeding, nesting and breeding. Roadsides extend across a variety of landscapes and can support ecological connectivity and the dispersal of pollinators by linking fragmented habitats. By acting as refugia for pollinators in otherwise inhospitable landscapes, roadside habitat can contribute to the maintenance of healthy ecosystems and provision of ecological services such as crop pollination services.
The Roadside Pollinator Program is a unique program that has some important differences from other FHWA and DOT discretionary grant programs, including the requirement for an applicant to submit a Plan (23 U.S.C. 332(c) and (d)), the requirement for FHWA to fund all satisfactory applications (23 U.S.C. 332(e)(1)), and the requirement for FHWA to base the amount of all awards on the number of PFPs that the applicant has implemented or plans to implement (23 U.S.C. 332(e)(2)(A)). Due to the unique nature of the Roadside Pollinator Program, FHWA is requiring applicants to use an Application Template.
The Roadside Pollinator Program may fund the implementation of pollinator-friendly practices (PFPs) included in a Plan or the improvement or further development of a Plan (23 U.S.C. 332(f)).
Eligible Applicants
Eligible applicants for Roadside Pollinator Program discretionary grants are State Departments of Transportation, Indian Tribes, and Federal Land Management Agencies.
Application Deadlines
Close Date: July 18, 2024
Funding
Total Program Funding of $3,000,000
Eligible Costs
An eligible entity that receives funding shall use the funds for the implementation, improvement, or further development of a Pollinator-friendly practices plan (23 U.S. Code § 332(f)). A qualifying plan must describe pollinator-friendly practices that have been implemented or will be implemented (23 U.S.C. 332(d)(1)).
The pollinator-friendly practices should seek to create, enhance, restore, sustain, or maintain pollinator species and pollinator habitat on roadsides and highway right-of-way. Eligible activities and practices included in the statutory language are listed under 23 U.S. Code § 332(d).
Resources and Information
Contact
For more information concerning this program contact:
Seng Lo
Division of Local Assistance, Office of Federal Programs
California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), HQ
Seng.Lo@dot.ca.gov
(916) 516-4589
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