The Stanislaus Council of Governments' FFY 2027–2030 Call for Projects for the Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Block Grant (STBG) programs closed October 14, 2025. StanCOG received 71 applications totaling $162,169,000 against $96,337,000 in available funding. Scoring is paused pending CARB consultation on cost-effectiveness calculations; programming recommendations are scheduled for the June 2026 committee cycle.
A four-year program of federal funds with two selection methodologies, structured application caps, and a 14-member scoring committee composed of one representative per eligible agency.
StanCOG, as the federally designated Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Stanislaus region, programs two FHWA-administered funds — CMAQ and STBG — to projects sponsored by its member jurisdictions and transit operators. The FFY 2027–2030 round consolidates four years of federal apportionments plus prior-year carryover into a single competitive cycle.
The Policy Board adopted final guidelines on April 16, 2025, and StanCOG released the call the following day. The two programs share an application window, a single scoring committee, and a single contingency list — but they have separate eligibility rules, separate scoring rubrics, and separate funding pools. Approved projects must be programmed into the Federal Transportation Improvement Program before federal authorization (E-76) and reimbursement.
For CMAQ, FHWA additionally requires MPOs to prioritize federally accepted Transportation Control Measures defined under Section 108 of the Clean Air Act — strategies that reduce transportation-related air pollution by reducing vehicle miles traveled or improving roadway operations. StanCOG's StanisCruise and StanRTA's Rideshare programs both qualify as TDM, which is why they receive a $4.8M "off the top" allocation before the competitive process begins.
Application deadline was extended from Sept 19, 2025 to Oct 14, 2025; programming recommendations moved from December 2025 to June 2026 after the CARB cost-effectiveness consultation.
| Program | Prior Years | FFY 27 | FFY 28 | FFY 29 | FFY 30 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CMAQ | $13.04M | $7.95M | $8.11M | $8.27M | $8.44M | $45.81M |
| STBG | $12.54M | $9.20M | $9.41M | $9.60M | $9.79M | $50.53M |
| Total | $25.58M | $17.15M | $17.52M | $17.87M | $18.23M | $96.34M |
Reference: CMAQ Program Interim Guidance as Revised by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (October 28, 2024)
Reference: 23 USC §133, as amended by IIJA. STP was renamed STBG by the FAST Act.
Up to 5 applications per agency. Pool: $20M CMAQ + $30M STBG = $50M.
Up to 3 applications per agency. Pool: $21M CMAQ + $19.7M STBG = $40.7M.
All requests round to nearest $1,000. Combined max: 8 applications per agency (Turlock gets +1 of each due to Turlock Transit).
Operating assistance capped at $3M/year × 3 years = $9M maximum. Does not apply to capital purchases (e.g., ZEBs).
Each application is scored out of 100 by the Scoring Committee. CMAQ weights cost-effectiveness in $/lb of emissions reduced; STBG weights performance assessment metrics for preservation, safety, and congestion.
Each application earns a final score out of 100 within its program. The same 14-member Scoring Committee evaluates both programs; members recuse themselves from their own agency's applications.
Ranked by dollars per pound of emissions reduced (ROG + NOx + PM2.5 + PM10). Cost-effectiveness is the heaviest single criterion — and the one that's currently being reworked with CARB.
Additional funds (10), Project Readiness/NEPA-CEQA-PSE proof (10), Commitment to Complete (5). Match >20% earns full Additional Funds points; Toll Credits earn 0.
Purpose, need, RTP/SCS alignment. Max two pages (12pt Times New Roman). May include multimodal, safety, GHG, goods movement, etc.
High (10) / Medium (7) / Low (5) based on mode-specific impact tables — TCMs and signal sync of >3 signals score High.
Full points if project located in DAC (per CalEnviroScreen 4.0). Partial points for partial siting or DAC benefit.
Cost-effectiveness uses the CARB March 2018 methodology — capital recovery factor × CMAQ funding ÷ annual emission reductions (VOC + NOx + PM10), expressed in $/pound. CO is excluded. Recovery factor amortizes funds over project life.
| < $88/lb | 40 pts (SJV threshold) |
| $88–$199/lb | 35 pts |
| $200–$499/lb | 25 pts |
| $500–$999/lb | 10 pts |
| $1,000–$1,999/lb | 5 pts |
| ≥ $2,000/lb | 0 pts |
Three sub-categories: Rehabilitation/Preservation (max 20), Safety/Security (max 10), Congestion Relief (max 10). Pavement Condition Index <50 scores High; bridge-poor condition also scores High.
Project Description (10), Timeline (5), Need & Benefits (15). Aggressive schedules need a past-success rationale.
Funding Plan (10), Project Readiness/PA-ED-PSE (5), Commitment to Complete (5). Same match calculus as CMAQ — >20% match scores full points.
Regional (5) — listed in 2022 RTP Project List or advances RTP goals; Local (5) — resolution from council/board or local CIP.
Performance Assessment is mode-specific. For roads, Pavement Condition Index drives Preservation scoring; signal coordination of 3+ signals or roundabouts drives Congestion Relief; geometric safety improvements drive Safety. Match-strategy implications differ from CMAQ.
| Roads — High | PCI < 50 (poor/failed) |
| Roads — Medium | PCI 50–69 (at risk) |
| Roads — Low | PCI > 70 (good) |
| Bridges — High | "Poor" in HBP / NHS list |
| Bike/Ped — High | Top 25 Routes (NMTP) |
Tiebreakers: For CMAQ, ties are broken by (1) Project Readiness score, then (2) Cost Effectiveness score, then (3) combined Readiness & Funding score. For STBG, ties go to (1) Project Readiness, then (2) combined Performance Assessment, then (3) combined Project Narrative & Timeline.
Map of applicant jurisdictions sized by selected metric. Coordinates from US Census Bureau Gazetteer; tile basemap by CARTO & OpenStreetMap contributors.
Marker positions are geographic city/CDP centroids from the US Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer. Stanislaus County (unincorporated) is plotted at the approximate county centroid (37.55°N, 121.00°W) and represents all balance-of-county area.
2024 US Census Bureau Vintage estimates for incorporated cities and the balance of Stanislaus County.
Three applicants serve the county as a whole and are not associated with a single geographic point.
Each agency's total request, divided into the four program-size categories.
Available funding and total amounts requested in each of the four program-size combinations.
Note: StanRTA's five Zero-Emission Bus applications are filed under both CMAQ-Small and STBG-Small ($10M total). They are counted once toward the 71-application total but compete in both pools, as permitted by the Funding Round Guidelines.
Distribution of applications by funding phase (PE / R/W / CON / Non-Infrastructure) and by project type.
Phase codes: PE = Preliminary Engineering · R/W = Right of Way · CON = Construction · NI = Non-Infrastructure (capital purchase, operating).
The twelve applications that requested the maximum amount allowed under the Large Projects category. Together they total $60 million.
Click any column header to sort. Use the filters to narrow by jurisdiction, program, or project type. Sticky header; scroll within the table area.
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