Weekly Funding Digest

OPENING SUMMARY — WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 2, 2026

Small Business / Transportation Technical Assistance:

USDOT OSDBU Small Business Transportation Technical Assistance Center, Region 1 (OST/OSDBU-2027-SBTTAC-Region 1-FY2027-1) — one cooperative agreement of $377,016 to run the 11-state Northeast/Mid-Atlantic center (formerly SBTRC). 501(c)(3)/(c)(6) organizations with a Region 1 office only; 15% match, at least half in cash.

Due October 31, 2026 (a Saturday).

Transportation Planning:

FHWA Prioritization Process Pilot Program (FHWA-PPPP-26-001) — up to $26,000,000, max $2,000,000 per grant, federal share up to 100%. States and MPOs serving urbanized areas over 200,000 only. Due October 30, 2026.

Highway Safety / Wildlife Connectivity:

FHWA Wildlife Crossings Pilot Program FY 2026 (FHWA-WCPP-26-002) — approximately $80,000,000, no minimum or maximum award; 20% non-federal match; at least 60% to rural areas; construction projects may be prioritized. Public agencies, MPOs, Tribes, and FLMAs only. Due November 16, 2026.

Dairy / Agriculture:

USDA AMS Dairy Business Innovation Initiatives FY 2026 (USDA-AMS-TM-DBI-G-26-0011) — $12,650,000 across four awards of $2.3M–$3.45M. Applicant pool is closed to the four existing DBI initiatives; client access is through their subawards, with AMS steering this round toward equipment and infrastructure. Due December 1, 2026.

Agriculture / SBIR-STTR Phase II:

USDA NIFA SBIR/STTR Phase II (USDA-NIFA-SBIR-012221) — $24,750,000 this round ($19.5M SBIR, $5.25M STTR), up to $650,000 per award with TABA. Prior Phase I recipients only; one Phase II award per firm. Due November 17, 2026; a second round is set for September 21, 2027.

Rural Water / Solid Waste Technical Assistance:

USDA RUS Technical Assistance and Training FY 2027 (TAT-FY27) — approximately $35,000,000, no award cap. Private nonprofits only. Due December 31, 2026.

USDA RUS Solid Waste Management FY 2027 (SWMFY27) — approximately $4,000,000, up to $1,000,000 per award. Nonprofits, public bodies, Tribes, and academic institutions. Due December 31, 2026.

Basic Research / DOE Office of Science:

DOE Office of Science FY 2027 Open Call (DE-FOA-0003665) — approximately $400,000,000, $5,000–$10,000,000 per the listing, rolling through September 30, 2027. Open to all applicant types except DOE labs as leads; for-profits must show the work is fundamental research, not commercial. Topic-specific pre-application and target dates begin November 22, 2026.

Earth Science / Geohazards Research:

NASA ROSES-2025 A.18 Geosphere (NNH25ZDA001N-GEO) — new Earth Science element covering geohazard forecasting, resource extraction and surface deformation, critical mineral deposits, and core-to-surface energy flow. Funding level not posted on Grants.gov; no cost share. Mandatory Notice of Intent by November 16, 2026; no NOI, no review.

Proposals due January 15, 2027.

Community Development / Technical Assistance (Forecast):

HUD Distressed Cities Technical Assistance FY 2026–2027 (PDR-2700-DC-0054) — forecast of $5,000,000 across about six cooperative agreements of $400,000–$3,000,000 to deliver TA to local governments serving communities of 50,000 or fewer. Nonprofits, for-profits, and private universities only; no public entities.

Estimated due March 11, 2027; NOFO expected about January 11, 2027.

California State Opportunities:

CTC 2026 Local Partnership Competitive Program — $151,298,000 in SB 1 funds for jurisdictions with voter-approved or imposed transportation taxes or fees. 1:1 match required. Due November 18, 2026.

CTC 2026 Solutions for Congested Corridors Program — $500,000,000 for multimodal corridor projects nominated by RTPAs, county transportation commissions, and Caltrans. Projects must be in an adopted RTP and a comprehensive corridor plan. Due November 19, 2026.

CTC 2026 Trade Corridor Enhancement Program — $1,287,958,000 in state and federal funds for freight corridor improvements. Public entities including port authorities; 30% match. Due November 20, 2026.

Cal OES FY 2025 Next Generation Warning System for Early Earthquake Warning — $1.5M in total funding; up to $750,000 per award, one or two awards, federal funds paid on reimbursement. Streaming companies and their affiliates only. Due November 25, 2026.

Policy & Compliance Updates:

DOL ETA UIPL 15-26 — FY 2027 UI State Administration base planning targets, $2,632,033,000 across 53 jurisdictions. Formula funds to state workforce agencies; informational for clients.

EPA General Terms and Conditions effective October 1, 2026 — apply to new EPA awards and to existing awards when EPA next adds funds. Relevant to DERA National applicants from last week's digest.

EPA RAIN-2027-G01 — bars EPA funds, including cost share, from buying or operating FASC-prohibited drones, retroactive to December 22, 2025 and covering drones already in use on active awards.

National Academies Evaluation of ARPA-E's Mission and Goals — final report recommends reliable ARPA-E funding and tripling SCALEUP to $120M per year.

Watch List / Upcoming:

DOE SC open call — ASCR Analog Computing panel pre-applications due November 22, 2026; most BES white papers and pre-applications targeted for November 30, 2026; Electron and Scanning Probe Microscopies applications targeted for December 1, 2026.

SBTTAC — the NOFO puts total funding at $2.3M across six regions; watch for the other regional listings. The NOFO is internally inconsistent on the in-kind match cap (50% vs. 10%); confirm with SBTTAC@dot.gov before building a budget.

CTC SB 1 programs — three back-to-back deadlines November 18–20; awards expected June 2027. Pull the adopted 2026 guidelines from catc.ca.gov before scoping.

EPA drones — clients with active EPA awards that use drones should run and document the Consolidated Screening List check now.

RUS TAT and SWM — the NOFOs anticipate about 22 TAT and 15 SWM awards, while both listings show 40. Neither requires match, but 25% or more in non-federal resources is worth 15 points. Proposals must key each section to the NOFO criteria numbers.

NIFA SBIR/STTR Phase II — Phase I awardees not ready for November 17 can target the September 21, 2027 round (tentative).