On May 30th, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) published the Notice of Funding Opportunity for the second round of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant Program. This 5-year $2.5 billion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) program is for the deployment of alternative fueling infrastructure, including electric vehicle charging. The program is split into two grant funding categories:

• Community Charging and Fueling Grants; and
• Alternative Fuel Corridor Grants

 
Public power is uniquely eligible to apply for these grants. In the first round, seven public power communities were awarded funding out of 47 selected projects. For this round, FHWA increased the distance EV charging projects can be from an Alternative Fuels Corridor to five miles.
 
New applications are due in grants.gov by August 28, 2024. FHWA anticipates the total funding for this round to be approximately $1.3 billion.
 
Applicants who were not successful in the first round can request that their previous submission be reconsidered. While the news release states that FHWA will contact these applicants directly, APPA recommends interested members follow the directions in the NOFO and email FHWA at CFIGrants@dot.gov by July 1, 2024, with the request for reconsideration.