FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is offering a competitive grant opportunity under the FY 2026 Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program. This program aims to provide up to $120 million in grants for airport-owned air traffic control tower projects that enhance the aging infrastructure of the nation’s airports, including construction, repair, modernization, and equipment installation for air traffic control towers. Eligible applicants include airport sponsors approved in the FAA's Contract Tower Program, public agencies, private entities, and Indian Tribes owning public-use airports, with grants ranging from $25,000 to $83.3 million. Interested parties should direct inquiries to the FAA Regional Office or the FAA IIJA Team and submit applications by February 17, 2026, for consideration.
Eligible Applicants
See the link to the FY 2026 NOFO for eligibility information. Eligible applicants are those airport sponsors approved in the FAA’s Contract Tower Program or Contract Tower Cost Share Program as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 47124, and normally eligible for Airport Improvement Program (AIP) competitive grants as defined in 49 U.S.C. § 47115. This includes a public agency, private entity, state agency, Indian Tribe or Pueblo owning a public-use National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) airport, the Secretary of the Interior for Midway Island airport, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, and the Republic of Palau. For additional eligibility categories and further details on each eligible applicant category, see AIP Handbook Table 2-1 in the following weblink: https://www.faa.gov/airports/aip/aip_handbook/media/AIP-Handbook-Order-5100-38D-Chg1.pdf. For more information on the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS), visit: https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/npias