Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non-Metropolitan Planning and Research

The Metropolitan Transportation Planning and State and Non‑Metropolitan Planning and Research Program supports states, metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and regional partners in developing coordinated, data‑driven transportation planning products. The program provides financial assistance for preparing and maintaining Metropolitan Transportation Plans, Statewide Long‑Range Transportation Plans, Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs and STIPs), and other technical studies needed to guide investment decisions in a unified and officially coordinated statewide and metropolitan transportation planning process. These planning activities ensure that federal, state, and local transportation priorities are aligned; support performance‑based decision‑making; and help advance multimodal, environmentally responsible, and fiscally constrained transportation systems. Assistance Listing 20.505 will no longer be used for new awards beginning in FY 2026. The program was divided into two separate, program‑specific Assistance Listings; Metropolitan Transportation Planning (Section 5303), AL 20.517, and Statewide and Nonmetropolitan Transportation Planning and Research (Section 5304), AL 20.535. Beginning in FY 2026, all new funding awards, obligations, and activities will be made under these two new listings, and AL 20.505 will remain available only for administrative closeout of previously awarded grants.