Transit Assistance Grant Program

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

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Call Us: 303-299-2132 (select Option 2)

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