This document provides background and guidance to clarify eligibility requirements for the Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-Saving Transportation (PROTECT) Formula Program under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The purpose of the PROTECT program is to help make surface transportation more resilient to extreme weather events and natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk costal infrastructure.