FY 2025 TAG Awards

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) administers the FY 2025 Pipeline Safety Information Grants to Communities: Technical Assistance Grant (TAG) program. This initiative aims to enhance public understanding and involvement in pipeline safety. The program supports technical assistance to local communities and groups of individuals to engage meaningfully in discussions and actions concerning pipeline infrastructure and safety. This includes education on the design, construction, and operation of pipelines and supports efforts to promote public participation in technical matters related to pipeline safety. The TAG program operates under the authority of the Protecting Our Infrastructure of Pipelines and Enhancing Safety (PIPES) Act of 2020. Grants are made available to help local communities improve safety-related programs and awareness. The program excludes for-profit entities and aims to inform communities about existing or proposed pipelines to facilitate constructive public engagement. Activities previously funded have included emergency response training, damage prevention programs, pipeline safety resources, land use planning, and public awareness campaigns. For FY 2025, PHMSA will provide $2,000,000 in total funding. Most grants will be capped at $100,000, with one exceptional grant of up to $1,000,000 available to a nonprofit entity with specific qualifications, including public safety advocacy and pipeline safety expertise. The period of performance for grants is twelve months from the award date, and all proposed activities must be completed within this time frame. This is a discretionary grant program, meaning PHMSA retains the right to partially fund, fully fund, or reject applications. Eligible applicants include local government subdivisions like cities, counties, and tribes, as well as groups of individuals. States, universities, and for-profit organizations are not eligible. Matching funds are not required. However, several restrictions apply: funds cannot be used for lobbying, legal action, pipeline policy advocacy, regulatory compliance, or operations and maintenance activities. PHMSA must pre-approve any pre-award costs. Applications must be submitted through Grants.gov by June 20, 2025. A completed application includes various forms and narratives detailing the project and budget. Applicants must also register with SAM.gov and FedConnect. Technical assistance is available, especially for inexperienced or under-resourced applicants. The grant review process includes administrative, technical, and programmatic assessments, with projects rated based on criteria such as goals, technical merit, alignment with safety priorities, and potential for broader application. For inquiries, applicants must use the FedConnect messaging center. Technical assistance is available from Hung Nguyen at hung.nguyen@dot.gov or 202-713-7913, while Dwayne Cross can be contacted for grant agreement questions at dwayne.cross@dot.gov or 202-366-4429. Awards are expected to be announced by September 30, 2025.

Applicants are advised to start early due to complex registrations (Grants.gov, SAM.gov, FedConnect). Technical assistance is available.\