Director--Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program Tribal Transit Dennis Trusty Director--Northern Plains Tribal Technical Assistance Program

FTA Tribal Transit Program Purpose: To provide public transportation on Indian reservations through a set aside of Non-Urbanized Area Program funds for direct grants to Indian Tribes.

Features of Tribal Transit Program Set aside funding from the Non-Urbanized Area Program (Section 5311) before allocation of funds to the states Allocations fo the set-aside and term and conditions for awarding grants determined after outreach to stakeholders States must continue to provide a fair distribution of State Non-Urbanized formula funds to Indian tribes.

Non-Urbanized Funds per year 2006- $8 M 2007- $10 M 2008- $12 M 2009- $15 M Total- $45 M

2007 Tribal Transit Project Selection March 5, 2008 (Federal Register: Vol. 73, No. 44) FTA announced selection of projects to be funded under FY 2007 appropriations for the Tribal Transit Program (TTP) A total of $10 million available for FY 2007 75 applicants requested $21 M for tribal transit projects FTA selected projects based on April 4, 2007 Federal Register Notice: Notice of Funding Availability and Solicitation for FY 2007 TTP (71 FR 16397)

FY 2007 Funding Breakdown $399,963 for transit planning studies and/or operational planning $904,666 for startup projects for new transit $8,695,371 for enhancements or expansion

FY 2007 Transit Awards 75 applicants $21 million requested 65 awardees Tribes that sought funding for a multi-year project must submit a new application to the FY 2008 Notice of Funding Availability to be considered for FY2008 funding

FY 2008 Funding Applicant deadline August 19, 2008 $12 M total funding for FY 2008 Planning grant limited to $25,000 No cost sharing or match required

FY 2008 Selection Criteria 25 Points – Project Planning & Coordination 25 Points -- Demonstration of Need 25 Points – Benefits of Project 25 Points – Financial Commitment and Operating Capacity

Award Administration FTA will award grants directly to federally recognized Indian tribes for the projects selected through this competition Tribes required to sign Certification and Assurances Tribes required to designate an authorized representative to execute grant agreements on behalf of the Indian Tribe.

Technical Assistance Technical Assistance is available from each FTA regional office. Regional offices will contact selected applicants regarding procedures. Regional offices will provide assistance in preparing documentation necessary for grant award

Certifications and Assurances 24 Categories on standard list including: -Assurances Required for Each Applicant -Lobbying -Procurement Compliance -Protections for Private Providers of Public Transportation -Bus Testing

Reporting Report data to the National Transit Database Specific procedures and data requirements are being developed Information will be available on the NTD Web site Technical Assistance Contact: Lauren Tuzikow –Phone: 703-462-5233 Email: Lauren.Tuzikow@TSPUSA.com

Agency Contacts Contact appropriate FTA regional Tribal Liaison (see Appendix B of the Federal Register / Vol. 73, No. 99/Wednesday, May 21, 2008 / Notices) For general program information contact: Lorna R. Wilson, Office of Transit Programs Phone: 202-366-2053 Email: Lorna.Wilson@dot.gov