FY26 US DOT Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program

In plain English

69A345 Office of the Under Secretary for Policy (Department of Transportation) has announced this as a forecast: an opportunity it expects to post. It is not open for applications yet. Estimated posting date: Sep 15, 2026 (this estimate has passed and the agency has not posted it yet). Estimated application due date: Nov 15, 2026.

Individual awards range from $500,000 to $9,000,000, the agency expects to make 5 awards and estimated total program funding is $9,000,000.

Eligible applicant types include state governments, local governments and tribal governments & organizations, plus others described in the listing.

Cost sharing or matching is required.

Built only from the fields in the Grants.gov listing. Always confirm on the official listing.

Browse similar: State governments · Local governments · Tribal governments & organizations

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
• Others (see the eligibility details in the listing)

Additional eligibility information (excerpt from the listing):

An eligible applicant must be one of the following:•A State, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, or a political subdivision thereof.•A unit of local government.•A Tribal government.•A metropolitan planning organization.•A consortia of more than one of the entities listed above.

Excerpt from the official forecast on Grants.gov (shortened; read the full text on the official listing):

The Drone Infrastructure Inspection Grants (DIIG) Program will provide grants to eligible government entities to facilitate the use of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), referred to herein as drones, in critical infrastructure inspection. The objective is to increase the widespread adoption of drones and relevant technologies in support of more efficient Inspection, Operation, Construction, Maintenance, and Repair (IOCMR) of critical infrastructure to improve worker safety related to critical infrastructure projects. The program is established by Section 912 of Public Law 118-63 and Public Law 119-75. Eligible uses of grant funds include purchasing, leasing, or enhancing drone systems; contracting for services when internal expertise is lacking in the government entities; and supporting program management for these systems and operations. …

Read the full forecast on Grants.gov →