Port Infrastructure Development Program

The attached, amended Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) announces the availability of up to $500 million in funding for the fiscal year (FY) 2025 Port Infrastructure Development Program. An initial NOFO was published on Grants.gov on December 20, 2024. The attached, amended NOFO updates that initial NOFO to reflect statutory changes to the program due to the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 and new administration policies. It also announces the availability of an additional $50 million in funding for the PIDP made available through the Full-Year Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025 (FY 2025 Appropriations Act). This amendment to the FY 2025 PIDP NOFO originally published on December 20, 2024: removes references to rescinded Executive Orders; requires PIDP large project applicants, if applying to use a PIDP grant to acquire digital infrastructure or a software component, to ensure that they have a plan to address the cybersecurity risks of such digital infrastructure or software; updates rating rubrics for the statutory merit criteria to better align with new Executive Orders; makes adjustments to the funding restrictions to incorporate the additional $50 million in funding appropriated by the FY 2025 Appropriations Act; and, extends the deadline for applications to September 10, 2025.

To apply for this announcement, you may:

Submit an electronic application:
In order to apply for new funding opportunities which are open to the public for competition, you may access the Grants.gov website portal. All funding opportunities and application kits are made available on Grants.gov.

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM)

Each applicant must: (1) be registered in SAM before submitting its application; (2) provide valid UEI in its application; and (3) continue to maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or plan under consideration by a Federal awarding agency. MARAD may not make a FY 2024 PIDP grant award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable UEI and SAM requirements and, if an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time MARAD is ready to make a PIDP grant award, MARAD may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a PIDP grant award and use that determination as a basis for making a PIDP grant award to another applicant.

Submission Dates and Times

Applications must be submitted to Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. E.D.T. on September 10, 2025. Grants.gov attaches a time stamp to each application at the time that submission is complete. Applications with a time stamp after the deadline will not be considered. MARAD does not accept applications via mailed paper, fax machine, email, or other means.

Please note that the Grants.gov registration process usually takes 2-4 weeks to complete.

Funding Restrictions

Not more than 25% ($125,000,000) can be awarded for projects in any one state.

At least 25% of funding ($125,000,000) is reserved for small projects at small ports under 46 U.S.C. 54301(b) and not more than 10% of that amount can be used for development phase activities for small projects at small ports that do not result in construction.  Additionally, not more than 10% of funds not reserved for small projects at small ports may be awarded for development phase activities for large projects that do not result in construction.

To maximize flexibility for applicants and optimize the number of grants that can be awarded, MARAD will limit any single award to a small project at a small port to not more than $11,250,000 under both BIL funding and any additional PIDP funding that may become available under the annual appropriations act for FY 2025.

The Federal share of the total costs of an eligible PIDP project must not exceed 80%; however, the Secretary may increase the Federal share of costs above 80% for: (1) a grant for a project that is located in a rural area; or (2) a grant awarded to a small project at a small port under 46 U.S.C. 54301(b).  "Rural area" and "small project at a small port" are defined in Section A.3 of the NOFO.

Other Submission Requirements

Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov.  If duplicate or multiple applications are received from an applicant, only the most recent application will be considered.  Applicants are limited to one application describing one project, but that project may have multiple components if those components are demonstrated to have a functional nexus.

For further information concerning this notice please contact the program office at PIDPgrants@dot.gov, or call Aubrey Parsons at 202–366–8047.