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Should we apply?

FY 2027 Notice of Funding Opportunity: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) FAA Contract Tower (FCT) Competitive Grant Program. Grant professionals check the deal-breakers before writing anything, then ask whether it's worth the effort. Answers GrantMe already knows are filled in. Change any that are wrong.

Is your kind of organization eligible? Deal-breaker

The listing names: Special district (utility, fire, etc.), County government, State government, City or town government, and others named in the official notice.

Who can apply, from the official notice
See the link to the FY 2027 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…

Read it all on the grant page · Official notice

Why it matters: Funders don't review applications from groups that aren't eligible. Source: Grants.gov: make sure you are eligible before writing

Do you serve the area this grant covers? Deal-breaker

GrantMe found: This is a nationwide program, so every Tennessee county is covered.

Why it matters: A grant limited to certain places can't pay for work outside them. Source: Grants.gov: make sure you are eligible before writing

Will your SAM.gov registration be active through the deadline? Deal-breaker

Why it matters: Federal agencies require an active SAM.gov registration to apply and to be paid. Source: Grants.gov: applicant registration

Does the project fit what this funder wants to pay for, without bending your mission?

Why it matters: Funders pay for their own goals. Bending your project to fit can pull you off your mission. Source: Grants.gov: ensure mission alignment before applying

Has this funder paid organizations like yours before?

Why it matters: Funders that paid groups like yours before are the likeliest to do it again. Source: Candid: find and evaluate potential funder matches

Have you managed a grant of similar size before (tracking spending and reporting)?

Why it matters: Funders expect you to track how the money is spent and report on the results. Source: National Council of Nonprofits: Managing Federal Grants, a start-up guide (2026)

Do you have someone with time to write it before the deadline?

GrantMe found: 11 days until the deadline.

Why it matters: A strong application takes time to write, and late ones usually aren't accepted. Source: National Council of Nonprofits: Managing Federal Grants, a start-up guide (2026)