Department of Transportation Offering Small Community Air Service Development Grants

The legal sponsor of the grant project must be a government entity. If the applicant is a public-private partnership, a public government member of the organization must be identified as the community�s sponsor to receive program reimbursements. In this regard, communities can designate only a single government entity as the legal sponsor, even if it is applying as a consortium that consists of two or more local government entities. Private organizations cannot be designated as the legal sponsor of a grant under the Small Community Program.

When selecting applicants to participate in the Small Community Program, the Department is statutorily required to apply the following eligibility criteria :
1. As of calendar year 1997, the airport serving the community was not larger than a small hub airport, and it has insufficient air carrier service or unreasonably high air fares,
2. The airport serving the community presents characteristics, such as geographic diversity or unique circumstances that demonstrate the need for, and feasibility of, grant assistance from the Small Community Program;
3. An applicant may not receive an additional grant to support the same project from a previous grant;
4. An applicant may not receive an additional grant, prior to the completion of its previous grant;
5. No more than 4 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, from the same State may be selected to participate in the program in any fiscal year; and
6. No more than 40 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, may be selected to participate in the program in each year for which the funds are appropriated.

The legal sponsor of the grant project must be a government entity. If the applicant is a public-private partnership, a public government member of the organization must be identified as the community�s sponsor to receive program reimbursements. In this regard, communities can designate only a single government entity as the legal sponsor, even if it is applying as a consortium that consists of two or more local government entities. Private organizations cannot be designated as the legal sponsor of a grant under the Small Community Program.

When selecting applicants to participate in the Small Community Program, the Department is statutorily required to apply the following eligibility criteria :
1. As of calendar year 1997, the airport serving the community was not larger than a small hub airport, and it has insufficient air carrier service or unreasonably high air fares,
2. The airport serving the community presents characteristics, such as geographic diversity or unique circumstances that demonstrate the need for, and feasibility of, grant assistance from the Small Community Program;
3. An applicant may not receive an additional grant to support the same project from a previous grant;
4. An applicant may not receive an additional grant, prior to the completion of its previous grant;
5. No more than 4 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, from the same State may be selected to participate in the program in any fiscal year; and
6. No more than 40 communities or consortia of communities, or a combination thereof, may be selected to participate in the program in each year for which the funds are appropriated.

The Small Community Program was established under the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21), P.L. 106-181, and reauthorized under the Vision 100-Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act, P.L. 108-176 (Vision 100). The program is designed to provide financial assistance to small communities to help them enhance their air service. The Department provides this assistance in the form of financial grants that are disbursed on a reimbursable basis.