2027 Community Rides Grants

Request for Proposals (RFP)

CCAM-TAC Community Rides Grant Program

Issued by: Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center (CCAM-TAC)

Funding Opportunity Title: CCAM-TAC Community Rides Pilot Grant Program

Award Ceiling: Up to $100,000 Per Award

Number of Awards: Up to 5 grantees

Project Duration: 3 months (TA phase) followed by 12 Months (Pilot Phase)

1. Program Overview & Purpose

The Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility Technical Assistance Center (CCAM-TAC) announces the availability of competitive grant funding under the Community Rides Grant Program.

The primary objective of this pilot initiative is to strengthen local transportation coordination & partnerships, foster cross-sector service coordination, and build capacity to improve transportation access for populations with the greatest need. Selected pilot projects will address critical community needs, including access to healthcare, employment, education, healthy food, social services, and regional coordination, through innovative service delivery, technology adoption, or partnership frameworks. Projects must focus on new or expanded access. Selected proposals will clearly identify roles and commitment of community partners.

Lessons learned and successful practices from these five pilot projects will be documented and shared nationally to inform transit agencies, human service organizations, and local mobility leaders.

All awarded selected grantees will participate in a 2-Month Assessment & Planning Phase.

To help prepare for successful pilot projects, selected grantees will dedicate two months prior to the official start of the grant period to a planning phase before launching the pilot project or deploying capital resources. During this phase, CCAM-TAC staff will work with grantees to review the needs assessment(s) and community engagement that was used to develop the pilot project. The goal is to ensure that the project matches the desires and needs of the community. Additionally, CCAM-TAC staff will assist with sustainability strategies, review workplan and draft performance measures.  This work will be done before the official start of the grant period and funds cannot be used for this work.

2. Award Information

• Total Program Allocation: Up to $500,000
• Maximum Individual Award: $100,000
• Number of Grantees: Up to 5 selected agencies
• Grant Period: 12 months from the date of award execution (Feb. 2027)
• Local Match Requirement: Encouraged (in-kind or financial), but not mandatory unless specified by regional federal formula guidelines.

Note: Funding selections and subaward amounts depend on CCAM-TAC’s year 3 federal funding availability.   

3. Eligibility Criteria

Eligible Applicants

To be eligible for funding, the Lead Applicant must be one of the following:

• public transit provider
• tribal transit provider
• local government entity
• nonprofit human service provider that receives or is eligible to receive Federal Transit Administration (FTA) funding (e.g., Section 5307, Section 5311, Section 5310, or Tribal Transit Program funds)

Partnership Requirement

• Mandatory Coordination: Applicants must serve as the lead agency and submit the proposal in a formal partnership that includes transit and non-transit agencies. (e.g., healthcare systems, workforce development boards, social service agencies, educational institutions, or local non-profits).
• Documentation: The proposal must include signed Letters of Commitment or formal Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) detailing each partner’s operational or technical roles and/or financial contributions.

4. Eligible & Ineligible Expenses

Eligible Project Activities & Costs

All expenses funded must support the development, implementation, or evaluation of the pilot project. Eligible costs include:

• Operating Costs: Fuel, maintenance, or contracted service costs directly tied to new or expanded services (e.g., expanded service hours, microtransit pilots, weekend/evening shifts, or regional connectors).
• Salary or Wages: Must be tied directly to employees taking on a new or expanded role.
• Technology Implementation: Purchase and integration of scheduling, dispatching, microtransit, GTFS-flex, or trip-planning software, including interoperability bridges between health and transit platforms.
• Mobility Management & Planning: Salaries for mobility coordinators, stakeholder outreach, service design, or travel training programs.
• Marketing & Public Engagement: Targeted marketing, community education campaigns, and outreach materials to increase service awareness.

Ineligible Costs

• Capital acquisition of rolling stock (vehicle purchases).
• Continuation of existing, baseline transportation services without structural expansion, innovation, or coordination changes.
• General administrative overhead unlinked to the pilot project.

5. Evaluation & Scoring Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by an independent evaluation committee appointed by CCAM-TAC using a 100-point scale:

6. Required Proposal Format & Structure

Applicants must submit a single PDF application incorporating the following sections:

Section A: Executive Summary 

• Project Title, Lead Agency Name, Primary Contact Information.
• Concise summary of the pilot concept, partner entities, key objectives, and total requested funding amount.

Section B: Statement of Need & Community Context 

• Description of the geographic area and target populations served.
• Identification of mobility barriers (e.g., medical access, employment transportation, first/last-mile challenges).
• Relevant demographic and transportation data supporting the project rationale.
• Evidence of community engagement to identify needs and develop solutions. (e.g. surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc. with community members and partner organizations)

Section C: Project Narrative & Design 

• Detailed description of the pilot project
• Detailed description of roles and commitment of community partners
• Expected outcomes, trip capacity impact, and quality-of-life improvements for riders.
• Alignment with CCAM Federal Coordination Goals      

1. Improve Multi-Sector Collaboration: Overcoming barriers and enhancing alignment across state, local, regional, and federal agencies to eliminate overlapping resources.
2. Expand Safe Access to Public Transit: Creating safer, more accessible, and more reliable regional networks to help individuals reach jobs, education, healthcare, and vital community services.
3. Enhance Cost-Effectiveness & Fund Braiding: Standardizing “federal fund braiding” rules to let local transit groups safely combine multiple federal grants for a seamless customer experience.
4. Address Restrictive Policies: Reviewing and reforming contradictory or counter-intuitive agency guidelines that accidentally block regional transit coordination. [1]

Section D: Work Plan & Timeline 

• Workplan with timeline covering key activities to implement the pilot project. (See attached)
• Data collection methods including outputs (e.g. ridership count, trip completion rate, cost-per-trip), outcomes (e.g. reduction in missed appointments and/or missed workdays) and desired community impact (e.g. increase in economic growth)

Section E: Budget Justification & Narrative (Excel + Narrative)

• Itemized line-item budget worksheet
• Budget narrative explaining the basis for all cost estimates.

Section F: Appendices & Required Attachments

• Partnership Documentation: Signed MOUs or Letters of Commitment from key partners.
• Agency Documentation: Verification of eligibility (FTA subrecipient status, SAM.gov registration, or letter from State DOT/Tribal Council).
• Resumes/CVs: Key project lead(s) and/or mobility managers.
• Completed workplan and timeline

7. Submission Instructions & Key Dates