The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 (NDAA) (Pub. L. No. 116-92, December 20, 2019) and the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (the Act) (Pub. L. No. 116-94, December 20, 2019) authorized and appropriated $225 million for the Port Infrastructure Development Program (PIDP) to make grants to improve facilities within, connecting to, out of, or around coastal seaports, inland river ports and Great Lakes ports.  The Act directs that at least $200 million of the appropriated funds be for grants to coastal seaports or Great Lakes ports.  Funds for the PIDP are to be awarded as discretionary grants on a competitive basis for projects that will improve the safety, efficiency or reliability of the movement of goods into, out of, around or within a port. 

As required by the Act, Department of Transportation staff are working to finalize the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for this year’s program.  The NOFO will formally announce the availability of funding for PIDP grants and establish selection criteria and application requirements.  We anticipate that the NOFO will be released the week of February 16, 2020. 

The Port Infrastructure Development Program is a competitive grant program and awards will be based on merit according to the criteria published in the applicable Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO).  Grant applications must be submitted through the grants.gov website (www.grants.gov).  Potential applicants who have not yet completed the grants.gov registration process should complete that as soon as possible.