Grants for Transportation in Highly Rural Areas

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has issued the FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the Grants for Transportation of Veterans in Highly Rural Areas Program. This program is managed through the Veterans Transportation Program (VTP) and aims to address transportation barriers that Veterans in highly rural areas face when accessing VA-authorized health care. The funding supports renewal grants to current grantees who provide innovative, reliable transportation solutions to help Veterans reach medical facilities. This initiative stems from the VA’s broader mission to enhance access to care for underserved Veteran populations. For fiscal year 2025, the VA anticipates awarding approximately $8 million under this program, with the possibility of issuing additional Notices of Funding Opportunity if more funding becomes available. Each renewal grant will cover a one-year period. Only one grant per highly rural area may be awarded to a single grantee, and no single grant may exceed $50,000 per rural area. Transportation services funded through these grants must be offered free of charge to eligible Veterans, and services cannot be duplicated by multiple organizations in the same rural area. Grantees are required to maintain program continuity consistent with the original grant scope. Eligibility is strictly limited to existing FY2024 grantees under the Highly Rural Transportation program. These applicants must submit a complete renewal application, and the proposed program must remain substantially similar to the one for which funding was originally awarded. Incomplete or nonconforming submissions will be disqualified during the threshold review stage. All materials must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov by the deadline of August 18, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Late applications will not be accepted except in the case of validated technical issues beyond the applicant’s control. Applicants must complete several documents including the SF424 (Application for Federal Assistance), budget detail worksheet, interim final report on past performance, and budget narrative. The budget narrative must clearly explain all costs with justifications. If indirect costs are proposed, a negotiated indirect cost rate or justification must be submitted. Tribal organizations applying with sub-recipients must include resolutions and comply with third-party governance rules. All applicants must be registered in both SAM.gov and Grants.gov, using a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). Evaluation of applications includes a financial and programmatic review to ensure cost-effectiveness, compliance, and service delivery. The VA assigns points based on past performance, cost efficiency, and program compliance. The highest-ranked grantees will be funded. The VTP Office may use internal or external reviewers for scoring, and reviewers’ decisions are final. Required reporting includes quarterly and final performance reports, veteran satisfaction surveys, and sub-awardee reporting if applicable under the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA). Contact for questions or further details is the National Program Coordinator for Highly Rural Transportation Grants via email at HRTG@va.gov. Technical questions about submission must be directed to the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726, which operates 24/7 except federal holidays. The opportunity remains highly competitive and requires early preparation to ensure all compliance requirements are met before the application deadline.

Submit at least 72 hours in advance to avoid validation delays. Incomplete applications will be rejected at threshold review.