The Department of Defense, through the Office of Local Defense Community Cooperation (OLDCC), has announced a competitive funding opportunity under the Defense Community Infrastructure Program (DCIP), identified by Funding Opportunity Number OLDCC-25-F-0001. This Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) allocates $90 million for community infrastructure projects that support military installations, with funding available until September 30, 2025. Each grant must request between $250,000 and $20 million, with noncompliant submissions disqualified.
The DCIP is intended for state and local governments and not-for-profit, member-owned utilities. Eligible projects include transportation infrastructure, community support facilities like schools and hospitals, and utility infrastructure (e.g., water, electricity, telecommunications) located off-installation or on military property through real estate agreements. Projects must demonstrate a direct benefit to a military installation, be construction-ready, and completed within five years of award. The program emphasizes enhancing military value, cadet training, installation resilience, and military family quality of life.
Proposals are evaluated based on three primary criteria: enhancement (50 points), community-installation need (20 points), and construction readiness (30 points), totaling 100 points. Projects enhancing military value and designated as defense-related critical infrastructure can receive an additional five points. Projects must be viable and capable of disbursing all funds by June 30, 2030.
Eligible applicants must provide a minimum 30% local cost share unless the project is located in a rural area (population under 100,000) or justified under national security needs. In such cases, specific documentation and letters of support from the cognizant Military Department Secretary are required. All proposals must include a support letter from the benefitting installation commander. Proposals lacking these required components will be rejected.
Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by 5 PM PDT on July 3, 2025. Two pre-proposal webinars are scheduled for June 3 and June 11, 2025, at 3 PM EDT. Final award notifications and invitations to submit formal applications are expected on or about August 8, 2025, with all agreements signed by September 24, 2025. Projects must ensure compliance with environmental and permitting requirements and demonstrate firm funding commitments for both federal and local share contributions.
Grantees will be required to follow strict federal reporting and compliance guidelines, including the Buy America requirements and performance reporting. Financial and construction progress must be documented through regular submissions, and final project reports are due 120 days after the end of the performance period.
