COVID-19 has confirmed what many of us already knew: walking and bicycling are critical modes of transportation that warrant attention and funding. Walking, biking and any form of wheeling are independent, reliable and resilient transportation modes that are healthy for our minds, bodies and the environment.
WalkWorks is pleased to announce its fourth round of assistance to advance policy development related to active transportation. Once again, grants will be offered to a limited number of municipalities and other governmental bodies to assist with the development of Active Transportation Plans, Complete Streets policies and/or Vision Zero policies. These plans and policies are essential to the efforts to establish activity-friendly routes that connect people to everyday destinations, thereby expanding opportunities for physical activity.
In the context of this Funding Opportunity, active transportation includes walking, wheeling and public transit. Eligible applicants include municipalities, Metropolitan and Rural Planning Organizations (MPOs/RPOs) and other governmental agencies with the capacity to accomplish the proposed project.
Because WalkWorks is sensitive to the environment in which we are presently living and working, the timeframe to develop and submit applications is longer than it has been in previous years. WalkWorks hopes that this affords all interested parties adequate time to address the possibility of applying with their governing bodies, colleagues, and others as well as to complete the application. Though detailed throughout the Funding Opportunity Announcement, which includes the application (Appendix E), the following are some pertinent dates:
May 14, 2020: A non-mandatory webinar will highlight aspects of the Funding Opportunity Announcement and provide an opportunity for potential applicants to ask questions. Log-in information is detailed on page 6 of the Announcement.
July 2, 2020: Applications must be received by this date/time or they will not be considered.
September 3, 2020: Grant recipients will be notified on or close to this date; those not being awarded funding in this cycle will receive notice shortly thereafter.
If interested, please consider whether your organization meets the eligibility requirements and share with the decision-making body of your municipality or agency. Let the elected officials know of your interest in and the rationale for wanting to apply. By doing so, you can ensure and expedite obtaining the support of your decision-makers — documentation of which must be included with your application.
WalkWorks is seeking broad distribution of this announcement and would very much appreciate your sharing it with others, such as municipal and county planners and MPOs/RPOs. Further, we hope that the MPOs/RPOs will inform the municipalities within their respective regions of this opportunity.
In addition to the link, above, the full announcement, including the application and appendices, will be available on the PA WalkWorks website.
All questions/comments should be sent to pawalkworks@pitt.edu.