People boarding the lightrail on an early sunny morning

Transit Assistance Grant Program

The TAG Program helps qualified nonprofits and associated organizations serving clients with immediate needs by providing grants of up to $50,000 per calendar year in RTD fares.

TAG Program Update:

TAG program awardees have been announced. Please scroll below for a list of the organizations awarded.

The Transit Assistance Grant Program is designed to help organizations serving clients with immediate transit needs. RTD has set aside $1 million for this program, which will provide grants of up to $50,000 per calendar year in RTD fares for qualified nonprofit and governmental community/social service organizations. The distributed grants will be in the form of standard paper 10-Ride Ticket books at no cost to grant recipients. The grant recipients must distribute the tickets to their clients or constituents for free.

The application period for calendar year 2024 will be open from January 16, 2024 to February 29, 2024. A grant program selection panel, consisting of RTD staff, will determine grant recipients based on clear and transparent evaluation criteria.

Program Details

Immediate needs clients are clients who fit under the criteria defined below:

1. Access to Essential Services: Ensuring that vulnerable populations, such as seniors, people with disabilities, low-income individuals, clients of the judicial system or others, have reliable transportation to access essential services like groceries, pharmacies, mental health and medical appointments.

2. Employment Transportation: Facilitating access to employment opportunities by offering transportation options for job seekers or low-wage workers who may not have access to private vehicles.

3. Education and Training: Supporting students, their parents/guardians or individuals pursuing vocational training and education by providing transportation to schools, colleges, child care centers or training centers.

4. Community Outreach and Social Services: Assisting nonprofit organizations in reaching out to underserved communities or populations with transportation challenges to deliver critical social services or programs.

5. Crisis Intervention: Transporting individuals in crisis situations, such as domestic violence victims seeking shelter, to safe and supportive environments.

6. Homelessness Support: Offering transportation solutions to help individuals experiencing homelessness access shelters, social services or employment opportunities.

7. Specialized Needs: Catering to the transportation needs of specific vulnerable groups, such as refugees, immigrants or individuals with severe health conditions.

*Please note that the Zero Fare for Youth program commenced September 1, 2023 and will be available at least through August 31, 2024. This program serves youth 19 and under to ride at no cost.

Requirements

To be eligible, organizations must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Serve immediate needs clients. RTD defines immediate needs as listed above
  • Use the tickets to help immediate needs clients
  • Be in good account standing with RTD
  • Agree to only distribute the tickets to its clients
  • Agree to provide quarterly reports to RTD documenting how many tickets they have issued and approximately how many unique immediate needs clients received these tickets.

Grant recipients are required to implement a process that informs and assists their clients with enrollment in RTD’s income-based LiVE fare discount program. This process must include the following components at a minimum*:

1. Introduction and overview of the RTD program to all individuals receiving grant tickets

  • Income qualifications
  • LiVE discounted fare prices, available fare products, and LiVE discount identification card
  • Length of eligibility period
  • How to apply and available assistance

2. Provide RTD LiVE program materials to interested clients (materials provided by RTD)

3. Attend a training webinar provided by RTD

* Please note: this requirement does not apply to clients age 65 and older, clients 19 and younger, customers that are Medicare recipients or customers that have a RTD-issued Special Discount Card. RTD offers other discounts for these customer groups.

To participate in the program and receive a grant, eligible organizations will be required to enter into an agreement with RTD that includes administrative duties such as intake, processing and fulfillment of orders to qualifying recipients; and record keeping and management of ticket inventory, including reporting of disbursements as described in the agreement.

If you meet the above eligibility criteria and requirements, please submit the following for consideration:

Apply

1. A copy of your agency's 501(c)(3) status letter from the IRS. If you are a governmental agency, please provide your FEDERAL I.D. TAX NUMBER within Item #2 below.

2. A letter from your agency, on agency letterhead, dated and signed by the CEO/Agency Director describing:

  • How your agency serves immediate needs clients
  • The number of immediate needs clients that need access to transit served annually
  • Your intended use of the awarded tickets for immediate needs clients

3. A copy of your mission statement

4. W9

Application Review and Processing of Forms

Your organization’s Transit Assistance Grant Program application will be reviewed using the following criteria:

  • Your organization must have nonprofit status, partner with a fiscal agent that has nonprofit status, or be a government agency
  • You must serve immediate needs clients as described in the grant description
  • An eligibility and documentation process must be in place to ensure that recipients meet the program criteria, and you must agree to review eligibility of continuing recipients annually

Contact Us

E-mail Us: [email protected]
Call Us: 303-299-2132 (select Option 2)

List of 2024 TAG Program Awardees

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Adams County Government

AllHealth Network

Almost Home

A Precious Child, Inc

Arapahoe County

Arvada Community Food Bank, Inc. dba Community Table

Atlantis Community, Inc.

Aurora Arapahoe Battered Women's Shelter DBA Gateway Domestic Violence Services

Aurora Community Connection

Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition (AEOC)

Aurora Housing Authority

Aurora Mental Health and Recovery

Aurora Public Schools

Aurora Wellness Community

Bayaud Enterprises, Inc.

Benefits in Action

Bethany Christian Services Colorado

Boulder Housing Partners

Boulder Shelter for the Homeless

Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado (BIAC)

Brighton Housing Authority

Brother Jeff's Cultural Center

Brothers Redevelopment

CAFI Sustainability Center

Caring & Sharing Community Resources and Transformation Center

Center for People With Disabilities

Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation on behalf of Children's Hospital Colorado

Christ Lutheran Church - WELS

City and County of Broomfield

City of Aurora

City of Commerce City

City of Northglenn

City of Thornton Community Connections Division

City of Westminster

City of Wheat Ridge

Clean Slates

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Colorado Ethiopian Community

Colorado Health Network, Inc.

Colorado Hosting Asylum Network

Colorado Juvenile Defender Center DBA Transformative Justice Project of Colorado

Colorado Legal Services

Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, DBA African Leadership Group

Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, dba Denver Regional Mobility & Access Council

Colorado Nonprofit Development Center dba Families Forward Resource Center

Colorado Poverty Law Project

Colorado Village Collaborative

Commún

Community College of Aurora

Community Ministry of Southwest Denver

Community Outreach Service Center

Community Services of Broomfield, dba Broomfield FISH

CWEE | Center for Work Education and Employment

Denver Adult Probation Department

Denver County Court Probation

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment

Denver District Attorney's Office Diversion Programs

Denver Dream Center

Denver Economic Development and Opportunity

Denver Health and Hospital Authority

Denver Home Healthcare, Inc.

Denver Homeless Voice

Denver Inner City Parish

Denver Office of the Municipal Public Defender

Denver Problem Solving Courts

Denver Public Library

Denver Public Schools

Denver Public Schools Family and Community Engagement

Denver Rescue Mission

Denver Urban Gardens (DUG)

DenverWorks DBA CommunityWorks

Deserving Dental

Doctors Care

Doing His Time

Domestic Violence Initiative for Women with Disabilities

ECDC African Community Center of Denver

Emily Griffith Foundation

Empowering Communities Globally

Englewood Municipal Court Navigator Program

English Learning Center

Evergreen Christian Outreach (EChO)

Family Promise of Greater Denver, Inc.

Family Tree, Inc.

FAVA (Families Against Violent Acts)

Florence Crittenton Services

Focus Points Family Resource Center

Focus Reentry

Food Bank of the Rockies

Foothills Regional Housing

Friends of DHA

FrontLine Farming

Glendale Police Department

Goodwill of Colorado

Grace Church of Arvada

GraceFull Foundation

GRID Alternatives Colorado

Groundwork Denver

Grovewood Community Development

Growing Home

HAAT Force South Metro, Inc.

Houses For Warriors, Inc.

Intervention, Inc.

It Takes a Village Inc

Jeffco Action Center, Inc. dba The Action Center

Jeffco Public Schools

Jesus on Colfax Ministries

Jewish Family Service of Colorado, Inc.

Kaizen Food Rescue

Kids First Health Care

Laradon Hall Society for Exceptional Children and Adults

La Raza Services, Inc. dba Servicios de La Raza

Latina SafeHouse Initiative

Lord's Daily Bread

Luna Cultura, Art, Science, and Culture for Thriving Communities, LLC

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains

Lutheran Medical Center Foundation

Mercy Housing Mountain Plains

Metro Caring

Metro Community Provider Network, Inc., DBA STRIDE Community Health Center

Mi Casa Resource Center

Miel Organization

Mile High United Way

Mile High Workshop

Mission Arvada of The Rising

Montbello Organizing Committee

Movement 5280

Nederland Food Pantry

Pediatric Care Network, CHCO

Project Worthmore

Promotores de Esperanza

Providence Network

RecoveryWorks

Rocky Mountain Human Services

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network

Rocky Mountain Welcome Center

Rose Andom Center

SafeHouse Denver Inc.

Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN)

Second Chance Center, Inc.

Senior Assistance Center

Senior Support Services

Sister Carmen Community Center

SO All May Eat Inc

Sobriety House

Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Denver Metro Council

Special Olympics Colorado

Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning

St Francis Center

Streets Hope

Struggle of Love Foundation

Sun Valley Youth Center

Teach by Tech, Inc

Team Colfax

The Blue Bench

The Community Firm dba The Community Economic Defense Project

The Conflict Center

The Delores Project

The Don't Look Back Center

The East Denver Colfax Partnership, Inc. DBA The Fax Partnership

The Empowerment Program

The Gathering Place

The International Rescue Committee in Denver

The Papagayo Organization, Inc.

The Reciprocity Collective

The Salvation Army

The Storytellers Project

Third Way Center

Tom Lee Chariot

University of Colorado Infectious Disease Group Practice

Urban Peak

Vega Collegiate Academy

Village Exchange Center

Volunteers of America Colorado

Warren Village

West Community Economic Development Corp (DBA BuCu West)

Wezesha Dada Center

WorkLife Partnership

Work Options for Women (DBA Work Options)

Year One, Inc. DBA Mile High Youth Corps

Youth Seen