Funding Shared Micromobility in the US: BUILD Grants

Federal discretionary grant programs offer significant opportunities for bikeshare and scootershare systems across the United States, but navigating the alphabet soup of funding sources can be challenging. Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development grant program, better known as BUILD Grants, offer a great deal of flexibility and are typically geared towards projects that support multi-modal transportation like shared micromobility.

What Are BUILD Grants?

BUILD grants provide federal funding for capital investments in surface transportation projects that deliver significant local or regional impact. The program has a unique advantage: its broad eligibility requirements allow applicants to pursue multi-modal and multi-jurisdictional projects that may be more difficult to fund through traditional, mode-specific grant programs.

The program was established under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and has been previously known as RAISE (Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity) and TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery). After operating through annual appropriations for over a decade, BUILD was formally authorized in November 2021, providing more stability for long-term planning. 

This means that rather than the program being funded every year through the Congress’s annual budget process, they are funded every six years through Surface Transportation Reauthorization, which is currently underway.

Since 2009, the program has invested nearly $14.4 billion across more than 1,096 projects in all 50 states.

How Shared Micromobility Fits In

BUILD doesn’t have a dedicated shared micromobility category (this codified eligibility is a part of NABSA’s Surface Transportation Reauthorization priorities), but shared micromobility projects can be funded as part of the program’s multi-modal approach. According to federal guidance, shared micromobility systems are eligible under the program, particularly when they:

• Connect to transit services and support first-mile/last-mile connectivity
• Improve mobility and community connectivity
• Advance safety goals
• Support economic development

BUILD grants are a unique funding opportunity, which makes them highly competitive. Many applicants submit a project for multiple years (with a maximum of three) before receiving an award, and many projects go unfunded. Each administration outlines different priorities in their project evaluation, with the current administration placing an emphasis on an application’s impact on safety, quality of life, mobility and community connectivity, and economic competitiveness. Shared micromobility projects are well-positioned to address these evaluation criteria, demonstrating benefits across all four priority areas.

Safety: Shared micromobility reduces motor vehicle miles traveled and traffic speeds, contributing to safer streets for all users, while the infrastructure investments it catalyzes provide measurable safety benefits and support data-driven approaches to reducing crashes and fatalities.

Quality of life: By reducing traffic congestion and supporting active transportation, shared micromobility makes communities more livable and attractive places to live, work, and visit, while promoting public health through increased physical activity and better air quality.

Mobility and community connectivity: Shared micromobility fills critical first-and-last-mile gaps in transportation networks, connecting people to transit, jobs, services, and opportunities while making neighborhoods more accessible and supporting efficient multimodal transportation systems.

Economic competitiveness: Shared micromobility drives economic development creating jobs, supporting local business districts through increased foot traffic, and helping communities attract businesses and skilled workers by offering modern, efficient mobility options that reduce the need for costly parking and road infrastructure.

Who Is Eligible to Apply?

The Notice of Funding for 2026 BUILD Grants is currently available, and applications are due February 24, 2026. BUILD grants typically range from $1 million to $25 million, with specific minimums based on project location, so systems that have been funded through BUILD are paired with additional multimodal project funding, traditionally with a larger capital project component. 

BUILD grants cast a wide net for eligible applicants, including:

• State governments and the District of Columbia
• Local governments
• Federally recognized tribes and tribal consortiums
• Transit agencies
• Port authorities and special purpose districts with transportation functions
• Multi-state or multi-jurisdictional groups

This broad eligibility means bikeshare and scootershare systems are able to work directly with their local communities to apply for funding, though federal agencies, non-profits, private entities, and individuals are not eligible to directly apply for funding.

For more information about BUILD grants and the current application cycle, visit the US Department of Transportation’s BUILD grant program page.