The Town of Sudbury may decide to fund the rail trail entirely out of local funds, including property taxes, CPA funds and private donations. A second option is the combined use of local, state and federal funds under the federal transportation act. Currently, grants for design of rail trails in the greater Boston metropolitan area may be awarded from the TE (Transportation Enhancements) federal program. These are most commonly awarded for regional project designs, and require adoption of a regional design (upon which Sudbury would assert limited influence.)

Grants for the construction of rail trails may be awarded from the CMAQ (Congestions Mitigation and Air Quality) program. Bicycle and pedestrian projects compete for CMAQ funding with other projects such as intersection realignment and commuter rail parking, which are also aimed at bringing the region into conformity with federal air quality guidelines.