SAN DIEGO–San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is soliciting applications for $4.5 million in funds available through three separate grant programs that will support various transportation initiatives serving seniors, the disabled, low-income individuals, and reverse commuters.
The three grant programs include two funded by the federal government and administered by SANDAG – Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) and New Freedom. The third program – Senior Transportation Mini Grant — is funded by the local TransNet half-cent sales tax. (All three programs require various levels of matching funds.)
“Most of these funds will be aimed toward new or expanding programs,” SANDAG Executive Director Gary Gallegos said. “Our intentions are to distribute a large number of relatively small grants to encourage a variety of services to help fill the gaps in our transportation system.”
Grants will be awarded to programs that meet the priorities outlined in the SANDAG Coordinated Plan, which identifies mobility needs in the county from a passenger perspective and focuses on transportation for seniors, persons with disabilities, reverse-commute trips, and employment-related transportation for persons with limited means.
Applications are due no later than Nov. 12, 2010. SANDAG will host an application workshop in September – the exact date and location will be posted on the SANDAG Web site, along with the Coordinated Plan, grant application forms, and related materials at http://www.sandag.org/CoordinatedPlan.
The $2 million in Senior Transportation Mini Grant funds will go to innovative and flexible programs that support the transportation needs of people aged 60 and older. Examples of eligible projects include:
- Senior shuttle services
- Volunteer driver programs
- Brokerage of multi-jurisdictional transportation services
- Mobility/travel training
- Support of accessible taxis
- Rideshare and vanpool programs
The $1.6 million in JARC grants will fund employment-related transportation projects serving low-income individuals and reverse commuters. Examples of projects that may be funded through JARC include:
- Late-night and weekend fixed-route service
- Employment shuttles
- Guaranteed ride home service
- Vanpools, ridesharing, and carpooling activities
- Regional mobility management
- Bicycling programs and car sharing
- Intelligent transportation, information, and dispatch systems
The $940,000 in New Freedom grants will be awarded to applicants who can provide new or expanded transportation services for individuals with disabilities that go beyond the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Examples of eligible projects include:
- Purchasing accessible vehicles
- Administering voucher programs
- Administering volunteer driver programs
- Regional mobility management
- Travel training for individual users
- Expansion of paratransit service beyond ADA required boundary
- Providing door-to-door or door-through-door shuttle service
The SANDAG is the San Diego region’s primary public planning, transportation, and research agency, providing the public forum for regional policy decisions about growth, transportation planning and construction, environmental management, housing, open space, energy, public safety, and binational topics. SANDAG is governed by a Board of Directors composed of mayors, council members, and supervisors from each of the region’s 18 cities and the county government.
