U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Discretionary Grants and Data-Driven Analysis (DDA)

When: February 25, 2025 | 2:00 - 3:30 PM ET

This webinar is led by the ITE Safety Council / Data Driven Safety Analysis Committee.

Webinar Description:

Department of Transportation (DOT) funds several types of discretionary grants that are offered to State and Local governments as well as other jurisdictional entities to improve their highways and other modes of transportation. This webinar presents some general information that are of interest to State and Local government as well as other jurisdictional employees as well as their consultants working on discretionary grants proposals.

Many of the DOT grants require Benefit Cost Analysis (BCA). BCA compares the future of the area with and without the project, which requires setting assumptions and forecasting outcomes for three distinct forms of money value, then comparing the “real” costs and benefits. These three distinct forms of money value are “Nominal dollars,” year of expenditure dollars, or year of estimate dollars; “Real dollar” or constant dollar using a common base year and inflation adjustment rates required for comparing values that occur across time; and “Discounted real dollar” with future money discounted to base year required by OMB. This webinar explains the BCA process in some details.

Learning Objectives:

• Define and explain the concept of a discretionary grant, including its purpose and typical funding sources.
• Describe the components and purpose of a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) and how it relates to the grant application process.
• Identify the key steps involved in applying for a discretionary grant and outline the documentation required for submission.
• Examine the critical considerations applicants should evaluate before submitting a discretionary grant application.
• Analyze how grant applications are evaluated and the role of benefit-cost analysis (BCA) in the decision-making process, including the key components of a BCA.

Moderator: Mohamadreza Banihashemi, Transportation Specialist | FHWA | McLean, Virginia, USA 

Presenters:

• Mohamadreza Banihashemi, Transportation Specialist | FHWA | McLean, Virginia, USA
• Alison Rogers, Discretionary Grants Training Liaison | FHWA | Washington DC, USA
• Azza Mansour, Economist | FHWA | Washington DC, United States