The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) awarded $15 million in federal funding to enable rural American Indian and Alaska Native tribal governments across the U.S. to invest in public transit options that provide convenient access to employment centers and promote new economic development on tribal lands.

The money is provided under the FTA's Tribal Transit Program, which provides grants to Indian tribes for capital transportation projects and operating expenses to meet the growing public transit needs of rural tribal communities.

Those eligible to compete for money under this program include federally recognized American Indian tribes and Alaska Native villages, groups or communities, as identified by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in the Department of the Interior. 

Federal tribal transit grants have enabled dozens of tribal communities and transit providers to purchase, modernize, and expand bus fleets, increase service for seniors and people with disabilities and launch new bus, van and commuter service in rural communities that had never been served by public transit before.

A notice published in today's Federal Register includes application procedures, criteria that FTA will use to select projects, and grant terms, conditions and reporting requirements. The deadline to submit project proposals is Sept. 26, 2011.