Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) Match Program
About the IIJA
President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, into law on Nov. 15, 2021. This new law provides a historic investment in our infrastructure and economy over federal fiscal years 2022 to 2026. Some highlights of the legislation include the following:
- Repairing and rebuilding roads and bridges with a focus on climate change mitigation, resilience, equity, and safety.
- Improving transportation options and reducing greenhouse emissions through investments in public transit.
- Upgrading airports and ports to strengthen supply changes and prevent disruptions that have caused inflation.
- Investing in passenger rail to create safe, efficient, and climate-friendly alternatives for moving people and freight.
- Building a network of electric vehicle chargers.
About the match program
MnDOT created the IIJA Discretionary Match Program with $216.4 million in general funds provided by the Minnesota Legislature in the 2023 Session (Chapter 68, Article 4, Section 111). This funding is available to grant recipients that have directly received a federal discretionary award for a transportation-related purpose under IIJA and will be used as matching funds.
In the 2024 legislative session, this program was reduced by $11 million (Laws of 2024, Chapter 127, Article 1, Section 8), changing the total funding to $205.4 million.
The federal grant must be for a transportation-related purpose, such as a transportation project, program, planning and program delivery, and it may include administrative costs, ongoing operations, or other related expenditures.
How it works
- MnDOT will award funds to eligible entities on a first come, first served basis.
- Applications will be submitted electronically with a time and date stamp of submittal.
- Awards made under this grant program will be capped at the match amount or at $10 million, whichever is less.
- Applications will be accepted until funds are no longer available.
- Notification of awards will be sent monthly.
Who should apply
- Eligible applicants must be in Minnesota.
- Eligible applicants are recipients of IIJA discretionary grant awards and may include state government, local government, federally recognized Tribal governments, planning and project organizations, transportation providers and operators, academic research institutions, job training applicants, private sector applicants, and nonprofits.
- Entities must have received a notice of award for a discretionary grant program under IIJA. This includes IIJA awards made since the law’s enactment on Nov. 15, 2021.
- Grant awards must be for a transportation-related purpose and require a non-federal match.
How to apply
What you'll need
- The proposal and related documents submitted as part of the federal application.
- The SF-424 submitted with your federal application.
- Documentation that your entity has received a federal award for a transportation project or program.
When you're ready
- To apply, complete and submit the IIJA Discretionary Match Program application. Applications will only be accepted through the online form.
- Applicants can save their progress and return to the application later to submit. A link will be generated and valid for 30 days.
- Upon submission, you will receive a confirmation email with a summary of your completed application and information about what to expect next.
After you apply
- MnDOT staff will review applications for completeness and verify eligibility. Incomplete applications may not be considered.
- Applicants will receive an email confirmation at the time of submission.
- MnDOT will notify applicants of the status of their application.
- Once awarded, the successful applicant will enter into a grant agreement with MnDOT for the state match funds.
- Grantees will be subject to related state and federal requirements including monitoring and oversight of the award, reporting, and closeout activities.
- Matching funds have the same restrictions as federal funds and must follow the same allowable/unallowable guidelines for federal awards.