2023 Call For Projects

The 2023 Call for Projects and associated application material have been released. These documents can be found to the right in the Resources section. Applications are due by 5p.m. MDT on July 7.

Overview

The 2023 Call for Projects allows local governments and Transportation Management Associations/Organizations (TMAs/TMOs) to apply for RTD partnership funding. Other non-profits and non-governmental organizations who are interested in 2023 Partnership Program funding should partner with an eligible organization. Applicants will need to fill out the application form to apply for funds, and each Subregional Service Council will prioritize projects submitted from their subregion. Note that RTD has been purposefully vague about project eligibility, as the intent of the program is to allow for innovative ideas and to not disqualify any potential projects from funding. The only ineligible project type is infrastructure investment. If your project proposes planning or construction of any physical infrastructure, it will be deemed ineligible. No more than 30% of 2023 funding can be allocated to any one Subregional Service Council.

Important Dates

June 1 2023 Call for Projects and associated application materials released

June 8, 11 a.m. Q&A session for interested applicants who want more information and/or assistance completing their application

July 7, 5 p.m. Applications due to RTD

July Subregional Service Councils prioritize submitted projects and select a representative to participate on the Project Selection Committee

July RTD staff score all submitted projects

August Project Selection Committee meets to develop final funding recommendation

September RTD announces selected projects

Eligible Applicants

  • Local governments within the RTD boundary
  • TMAs/TMOs within the RTD boundary

Eligible Projects

All projects must be solely within the RTD boundary. Any project occurring outside of the RTD boundary is ineligible. Eligible project types include:

  • Fixed-route transit service – service operating on a specific route
  • On-demand transit service – demand-responsive service operating in a specific area
  • Other mobility service – service that does not fall into the above two categories
  • Other – project that does not provide service, but enhances mobility through other means

Note that planning or construction of infrastructure and fare-buy ups are ineligible for RTD partnership funding Fare buy-up requests will be processed separately later in 2023.

Funding

There is $2 million annually available for the 2023 Call for Projects, and RTD will commit up to three years of funding, with a start date of 2024. Applicants can request funding for one year, two years, or three years, depending on project needs. The table below shows the amount of funding available by year for projects submitted in this call. Note that additional funding may be made available in future years, subject to RTD’s budgeting process. Future funding will be allocated through a future Call for Projects. Applicants cannot request more than $600,000 annually in RTD funding.

Year Available Funding Maximum Project Request
2024 $2 million $600,000
2025 $2 million $600,000
2026 $2 million $600,000

Local Match

All applicants will be expected to provide a minimum of 20% local match. The local match must be cash; in-kind match and/or reimbursement for staff time is not eligible.

Program Timeline - First Year

Partnership project timeline

Project Selection Process

Project Selection Process Infographic

Frequently Asked Questions

The Partnership Program is a program established by RTD to help communities meet local mobility needs. The program will have a dedicated annual budget to support partnership projects and establish a standardized process for intake and evaluation.

The program is funded with local RTD funding allocated by the RTD Board of Directors. In 2023, the Board has allocated $2 million to the program.

Transit deployment or other mobility services. Infrastructure investments are not eligible for Partnership Program funding. 

No, infrastructure projects are not eligible. While not eligible for Partnership Program funds, RTD frequently partners with local jurisdictions to help fund transit-supportive infrastructure projects.

Local governments and TMAs/TMOs. Organizations that do not fall into these two categories can partner with an eligible entity to apply for partnership funding.

Yes, project sponsors will be required to provide a 20% match for Partnership Program projects.

No. Project sponsors can propose greater than 20% local match, but the amount of local match does not factor into project scoring.

Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Alignment with RTD Strategic Plan
  • Local support and ability to meet local needs
  • Provides mobility where there is a gap in existing service or complements existing service
  • Provides mobility to equity zones
  • Potential ridership
  • Project readiness

RTD will release the first Call for Projects in June 2023. The call will be open for 30 days. RTD expects to announce project selections in the August-September timeframe, with the goal of launching projects in early 2024. 

Prospective project sponsors should complete the application released with the Call for Projects.

The Subregional Service Councils are comprised of local governments, transportation management associations/organizations, and non-government organizations. The boundaries of the Subregional Service Councils are based on travelsheds, and are small enough to allow for local transit needs to be voiced, but large enough to allow for coordination with neighboring jurisdictions.

Projects submitted to RTD must be supported by the Subregional Service Councils. If more than one project is submitted to RTD by a Subregional Service Council, the projects must be prioritized. Additionally, each Subregional Service Council will select one representative to sit on a project selection panel with RTD staff.

No more than 30% of 2023 program funding will be allocated to any single Subregional Service Council. 

No. Projects will compete regionally and will be evaluated based on how they meet the evaluation criteria specified in the Call for Projects.

Existing partnerships will be rolled into the program in future years. RTD will reach out to current partners in 2024 individually to discuss how each partnership will be rolled into the new program. Details on funding amounts for the 2024 Partnership Program have not yet been determined.

Projects will be required to meet RTD performance standards for the “Community” service category. These performance standards will be set forth in the Call for Projects.

Project sponsors can request up to three years of funding from RTD. After the initial three-year commitment, the project will be evaluated based on performance, and future funding commitments will be based on this performance as well as available funding. 

Project sponsors can request up to three years of funding from RTD. After the initial three-year commitment, the project will be evaluated based on performance, and future funding commitments will be based on this performance as well as available funding.