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Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant — Community Charging & Fueling
Federal competitive grant for community-tier charging (multifamily, downtown, schools). Round 3 NOFO not yet released. 80% federal cost share max.
How it pays
Competitive discretionary grant. Past Round 1 and Round 2 community-tier projects of 20-30 ports landed in $60K-$215K range total. Final tranche of CFI funding is anticipated to be at least $700M.
DAC bonus available. Projects in state-designated low-income or environmental-justice areas qualify for a higher rebate amount on this program.
Who qualifies
Eligible applicants: states, MPOs, units of local government, special districts, tribal governments, authorities (transit, port, etc.), territories. Private entities apply via partnership with public entity. Public access generally required. Federal cost share 80% max.
Eligible properties
Geography
U.S. (Community-tier projects are non-corridor — local destinations like multifamily, downtown, schools, parks, libraries, community sites). 50% of funds set aside for projects in or benefiting DACs.
Timing
Round 3 NOFO not yet announced as of May 2026. FHWA has not provided estimated date. Monitor grants.gov and fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/.
How to apply
How this stacks with other programs
Federal programs typically stack with utility, regional (air district), state, and city/county programs on the same project. The general California stacking rules:
- Federal §30C tax credit: stacks with state, utility, regional, and local cash rebates without offset. Stacks with federal grants only with basis offset (federal grant amount reduces §30C basis).
- Federal grants (CFI, REAP, NEVI): not stackable with other federal grants on the same port.
- State + utility + regional + local: generally full stack across tiers. Same-tier programs serving the same port don't double-fund.
For the full stacking matrix, see the homepage stacking section.
Programs that stack with this one
These are explicit stacking partners verified against agency rules. Combine with this program on the same project to layer funding.
- Section 30C Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit
Federal · Tax Credit · Internal Revenue Service (Treasury) - Communities in Charge (CALeVIP 2.0 L2 statewide)
California State · Cash Rebate · California Energy Commission (CEC) — administered by CALSTART
More federal programs
- Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Discretionary Grant — Corridor Charging
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. DOT - National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program
FHWA / Joint Office of Energy and Transportation; CA implementer is Caltrans + CEC - USDA Rural Energy for America Program (REAP)
USDA Rural Development - DOE State Energy Program (SEP) — formula funds to CA Energy Commission
U.S. DOE Office of State and Community Energy Programs
Sourcing chargers for a project that uses this program?
EVgpo members stack programs like this one with cooperative pricing on the chargers themselves — 20–40% below MSRP. ChargePoint, Blink, Siemens, ABB, Wallbox.
Get a quote on chargers →Verified against agency sources on 2026-05-03. Eligibility, deadlines, and dollar amounts can change between refresh cycles — always confirm directly with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), U.S. DOT before applying. See how we verify.