Active Transportation Fund
In the Greater Cincinnati area 21% of households do not own an automobile. Further, the area sees hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries per year as a result of vehicular violence. Locally the cost of automobile crashes exceeds $2 billion per year. As a region we need to do more to protect our most vulnerable road users: people walking, using wheelchairs, and riding bicycles.
We have set a goal of investing $3 million in safer infrastructure for people walking and bicycling over the next three years from 2021 - 2023.
Who Can Apply
We accept grant applications from non-profit organizations with a focus on bicycling, active transportation, or community development, from city or county agencies or departments, and from state or federal agencies working locally. We only funds projects in the counties of Hamilton, Kenton, Boone, and Campbell located within the Greater Cincinnati area. Requests must support a specific project or program; we do not grant funds for general operating costs.
What We Fund
We focus most grant funds on infrastructure projects such as:
Bike paths, lanes, trails, and bridges
Off-road trails that can be used to connect neighborhoods
Infrastructure to slow traffic in neighborhoods creating safe, walkable and bikable neighborhoods
End-of-trip facilities such as bike racks, bike parking, bike repair stations and bike storage
We also fund some advocacy projects, such as:
Programs that transform city streets, such as Ciclovías or Open Streets Days
Campaigns to increase the investment in bicycle infrastructure
Vision Zero awareness campaigns and grass roots organizing
We will fund engineering and design work, construction costs including materials, labor, and equipment rental, and reasonable volunteer support costs. For advocacy projects, we will fund staffing that is directly related to accomplishing the goals of the initiative.
We accept requests for funding of up to $500,000. We do not require a specific percentage match, but we do look at leverage and funding partnerships very carefully. Funds can be used to match local, state, and federal grant dollars. We will not consider grant requests in which our funding would amount to 50% or more of the project budget on projects larger than $200,000.
What We Do Not Fund
Feasibility studies, master plans, policy documents, or litigation
Radar speed signs
Parking lots for motorized vehicles
Any designs not adhering to NACTO street design guidelines
Projects outside of the Greater Cincinnati area
Schedules and Deadlines
We will evaluate grant applications on an on-going basis. Grants will be continually accepted until all funding is committed. To get started, all applicants must submit a Letter of Interest Application. Only approved applicants will be invited to submit a full application and execute a fund application agreement. (Review full application and application agreement.)
Evaluation Process
All Letter of Interest and Full Application submissions will receive a confirmation email acknowledging receipt.
The Active Transportation Grant Program application has two parts:
Letter of Interest: Interested applicants should submit an online letter of interest (LOI) using the form below. LOIs will include basic information about the applying organization and contact person, as well as an overview of the project proposed for funding. We may contact you for follow-up questions.
Full Application: DGF will request a full project application from a short list of qualified applicants. Invited organizations will receive access to the online application.
The Grant Committee will evaluate each application based on the following criteria:
Project quality – project scope, applicant’s ability to complete project successfully, resources available, alignment between community need and project response, thoughtfulness in location and purpose, connectivity between residential and commercial centers
Benefits to the community – underserved population(s) reached, reason and methods for picking this project at this time, potential to increase safety to people walking and people bicycling
Measurement and evaluation – measurement methodology, applicant’s abililty to conduct measurement (we will provide measurement tools if needed)
Community support and partnerships – reasons for project prioritization, capacity to make the project a success, community, business, and leadership engagement
Role of DGF funding – ability of our funds to make a difference, match or leverage of DGF funds
Questions
Please contact us with any questions by filling out this form.
Not ready to apply but interested in learning how you can make your neighborhood more walkable? Learn more about our Walkable Streets Design Consulation.