FY 2024 Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure and Safety Modernization Grant | 693JK324NF0013

Opportunity Information: Apply for 693JK324NF0013

The FY 2024 Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure and Safety Modernization Grant (Funding Opportunity Number 693JK324NF0013) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity administered by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The program is focused on improving the safety, reliability, and modernization of natural gas distribution systems, specifically targeting distribution infrastructure owned by municipalities or community-owned utilities. A key limitation is that for-profit entities are not eligible, and the program also excludes any pipeline asset or assets owned by a for-profit entity, even if another eligible organization is involved.

The opportunity is structured as a grant (not a loan or cooperative agreement) and is listed under CFDA/Assistance Listing 20.708. It is categorized across multiple public-purpose areas, reflecting the broad public benefits tied to safer gas distribution systems: disaster prevention and relief, employment/labor and training, energy, environment, health, and transportation. In practical terms, the program is aimed at reducing risk to communities, preventing incidents, and supporting long-term system integrity through upgrades and replacement of aging or higher-risk distribution components, while also supporting workforce and operational readiness where relevant.

Eligible applicants include a range of public and community-based entities typically associated with operating or overseeing community utility services. These include county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The eligibility list also includes certain nonprofits that do not have 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), as well as an "Others" category, which can sometimes capture additional eligible public or quasi-public utility structures depending on how PHMSA defines them in the full notice. The central eligibility theme is public, municipal, tribal, or community ownership and control, as opposed to private, investor-owned, or for-profit ownership.

From a funding perspective, the grant has a very large maximum award size, with an award ceiling of $125,000,000 per award. PHMSA anticipates making approximately 35 awards under this opportunity, indicating a competitive selection process but with a meaningful number of funded projects nationally. The opportunity was created (posted) on May 9, 2024, and the original application closing date is June 20, 2024, which suggests a relatively short application window and the need for applicants to have project concepts, ownership documentation, and readiness materials organized quickly.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best viewed as a major modernization and safety investment vehicle for publicly owned or community-owned natural gas distribution utilities that need to address aging infrastructure, reduce leak and failure risk, and improve system safety outcomes. The emphasis on excluding for-profit ownership is particularly important for applicants to evaluate early, since any involvement of for-profit-owned pipeline assets could make a project or portions of it ineligible, depending on how the system is structured and how ownership boundaries are documented.

• The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Admin in the disaster prevention and relief, employment, labor and training, energy, environment, health, oz, transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2024 Natural Gas Distribution Infrastructure and Safety Modernization Grant" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.708.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $125,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 35 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

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