Apply for Funding
UDOT Technical Planning Assistance
Call for Applications
October 2023
The application period has closed. Awardees will be announced in Spring 2024.
The next application period will open in Fall 2024.
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is issuing a call for applications for its Technical Planning Assistance (TPA) program. TPA program funds are made available to local governments in Utah on a competitive basis for the purpose of developing plans and carrying out studies related to land use and transportation. It is anticipated that $1,500,000 in technical planning assistance funding will be available for State fiscal year 2025 (July 2024 - June 2025).
Please read through this entire announcement carefully before submitting an application.
Eligible Applicants
The following entities within the state of Utah may apply for TPA funds:
Municipalities
Counties
Townships
Multi-jurisdictional groups of local governments
MPOs, RPOs and AOGs (representing groups of communities in their regions)
Eligible Projects
Plans, studies or analyses related to land use and/or transportation are eligible for funding, including but not limited to:
Community Visioning Projects
Transportation Master Plans
Active Transportation & Multimodal Plans
Corridor Plans & Solutions Development Processes
General Plans
Zoning/Subdivision Code Updates
Small Area Land Use/Transportation Plans
Economic Development Plans/Studies
Non-Eligible Projects
Project phases such as land acquisition, engineering, and capital investment are not intended to be pursued through the TPA Program.
Program Goals
The goals of the TPA program are:
Integrate land use and transportation planning
Maximize the value of investment in public infrastructure
Increase travel options to optimize mobility
Create communities with opportunities to live, work, and play
Applications that clearly demonstrate how their project aligns with these goals will fare better in the evaluation process than those that do not.
Matching Funds
A minimum local match of 6.77% is required. However, if a community can demonstrate a hardship that prevents it from providing the required match, this requirement may be waived in whole or in part at UDOT's discretion. The amount of local match proposed is a consideration in funding award decisions.
Project Management
Local governments will generally be responsible for all aspects of project management, including procuring any necessary consulting services, paying invoices, ensuring that the work completed is in line with the approved project scope, and adopting any finished products (as applicable).
Coordination with Other Technical Assistance Programs
UDOT coordinates its application process for the Technical Planning Assistance (TPA) program with the Wasatch Front Regional Council’s (WFRC) Transportation and Land Use Connection (TLC) program and Mountainland Association of Governments' (MAG) Technical Assistance to Governments (TAG) program. These programs share the same application form and the same application deadline. Therefore, communities wishing to apply to the TPA, TLC and/or TAG programs in the same year need only submit one application. Projects that are not selected for a TLC or TAG award may still be considered for a TPA award.
How to Apply
To apply for TPA funding, please fill out an application online using this link. If you begin entering information into the application form, you may not be able to save it for later completion. If you would like to prepare your application responses in advance, this spreadsheet contains all of the application questions.
Application Deadline
Applications are due by December 7th, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be considered for an award. It is therefore strongly recommended to submit your application well in advance of the deadline. If you experience technical difficulties in submitting your application, please reach out to the UDOT contacts at the bottom of this notice.
Tips for Strengthening Your Application
Please remember that those evaluating your application will typically have little to no previous knowledge about your proposed project. This makes it vital that your answers to the application questions are complete and provide sufficient detail to clearly communicate what the project's objectives are, why the project is needed, how it aligns with the TPA program goals, what benefits it will provide to the community, and so forth.
Each of the application questions are meant to help you completely explain your project. You don’t need to write lengthy, expansive answers; in fact, short but thoughtful answers are often better. However, do give each question some thought as they are there to make sure program objectives are being met, and the way you answer these questions will impact how your application is scored. Responding to application questions with “N/A” or “None” is usually not a good response.
It is strongly recommended that you coordinate with the applicable UDOT Region Planning Manager for your area before submitting your application. This step is not required, but doing so will allow them to provide helpful feedback to strengthen your application.
Before submitting your application, make sure that you have calculated the correct local match amount. Matching funds are calculated by multiplying the total project budget (not the amount of TPA funds being requested) by the match percentage. For example, a project with a total budget of $100,000 and committing the minimum match amount of 6.77% would have a local match of $6,770, with TPA funds making up the remaining $93,230. If your application is committing only the minimum match, please do not round down when calculating the amount. A calculation error will not automatically disqualify you, but UDOT may need adjust the match amount to meet the minimum if your project is selected.
Questions
If you have questions or run into technical difficulties during the application process, please contact one of the following:
Liz Hart
Rural Planning Manager
517-402-5503
Jordan Backman
Urban Planning Manager
253-508-2383