About the ICAM Pilot Program
The Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility (ICAM) Pilot Program is a Federal Transit Administration (FTA) competitive program that funds innovative capital projects designed to improve coordination of public transportation and non‑emergency medical transportation (NEMT) for older adults, people with disabilities, and individuals with low incomes. Its main purpose is to improve access to public transportation by building partnerships among health, transportation, and other service providers.
Examples of eligible projects include mobility management, coordination technology, vehicle investments, and cross-sector partnerships that improve access to health care, employment, education and community services.
Awarded funds support partnerships among health, transportation, and human‑service providers to expand access to essential community services. ICAM funds cover up to 80% of the cost of projects that work to address mobility challenges for transportation‑disadvantaged populations. Eligible applicants include public transit agencies, human-service organizations, state and local governments and other entities defined by FTA.
For eligibility questions contact the FTA ICAM Program Manager, Destiny Buchanan at destiny.buchanan@dot.gov
A Closer Look at ICAM Projects
Since its inception in 2016, ICAM funds have been used to support over 70 pilot projects focused on coordination of services across the country. Explore how ICAM funding has been – and is being – used to improve access to transportation and mobility through innovation, coordination and community-centered design.
- These Roads We Share – This documentary video series features select ICAM grant projects and highlights how the funding is used to improve the lives of people in their communities.
- Leveraging ICAM Funds to Grow On-Demand Services – This webinar with the Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribe explores their plan for meeting the transportation needs of tribal members using ICAM funds.
- ICAM Pilot Program Grantee Final Reports – Read the final reports of ICAM grantees starting in Federal Fiscal Year (FY) 2018-2019.
Building Community Partners
Building strong community partners is essential to a competitive application. To strengthen your project plan, identify organizations that will support the project, describe the roles they will play, and document their commitment through memorandums of agreement or letters of support. Developing a strong partnership with your state’s Department of Transportation (DOT) and other agencies that receive DOT funds is especially important.
If you need help identifying and connecting with collaborative partners, the following tools may help:
- CCAM Program Inventory identifies Federal programs that can provide funding for human services transportation and are potential partners for your agency.
- CCAM-TAC Communities of Practice connect you with agencies that support populations you serve, providing contact information, examples of effective collaboration and practical ideas for building cross-sector partnerships. collaboration.
- Coordination in Planning highlights the work of aligning transportation planning with broader community plans and includes a Community Partnership Coordination Checklist.
- Coordination Case Studies reflect four unique and successful coordination projects resulting in improved, accessible transportation in four locations around the country.
Writing a Grant Application
A strong application is clear, coordinated, and aligns with the goals of the program. When writing the application, use the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) as your guide to ensure all aspects of the grant are addressed. The following resources may be of assistance:
- FTA’s Competitive Grant Application Checklist offers preparation tips for DOT grant application success.
- Navigating Federal Grant Applications provides tips and tools for writing applications for DOT funding.
- ICAM Grantee Final Reports offer a description of the work that has previously been funded.
- How to Navigate Grants.gov to Submit Applications explains the steps necessary to submit your application.
Engaging the Community
Effective projects are shaped by the people they serve. Applicants must demonstrate how they listened to riders, caregivers, disability advocates and frontline staff and how that input informed the project design. Using a variety of engagement methods helps build broad support for your project plan and ensures the voices of riders, caregivers and service providers are reflected in the design. The following tools can help you implement effective engagement.
- The Community Engagement Toolkit offers a structured approach and useful tools to plan a community meeting to discuss how well local transportation options are meeting the needs of individuals in the community, and create a plan for improvement.
- Developing Effective Surveys describes the steps to creating and distributing a strong survey and includes sample transportation survey questions.
- The Community Tool Box offers comprehensive information and tools for assessing community needs and strengths in Chapter 3. Of particular interest are sections on Conducting Public Forums and Interest Sessions, Identifying Community Assets and Conducting Interviews.
Resources for Current ICAM Grantees
Performance Measure Development
Collecting quantitative and qualitative data on awarded projects is a vital proponent of the ICAM Program. Quality data is necessary to show FTA how their funds have been used to meet the goals of the ICAM program and how it impacted the community you serve. The data collected also helps tell a story locally to secure additional funds for ongoing support of the project. In addition to the resources listed in the section, Understanding Community Need above, the following resources can assist in the development of performance measures for your projects.
- Developing Performance Measures is a practical guide for writing performance measures specifically for the ICAM Pilot Program, complete with examples of Program Outcomes in the FTA-designated categories.
- You Get What You Measure is a structured, values‑driven framework that helps grantees and their community partners turn broad goals into strong, meaningful performance measures. The day-long workshop guides teams to identify what truly matters, choose indicators that reflect real change, and align daily activities with long‑term outcomes—making it easier to track progress, tell their story, and stay focused on results. Grantees interested in an on-site You Get What You Measure workshop should contact their grant manager for details.
Managing Federal Transit Administration Grant Funding
The Transit Award Management System (TrAMS) is a web-based tool that allows FTA funding award recipients to apply for federal funds, manage their programs in accordance with federal requirements, and enable FTA to review, approve, control, and oversee how funds are used. The tools below offer support in using the system to manage your grant.
- TrAMS User Guide: This technically-focused manual is intended to help users understand the system and perform work within it. Readers of this guide will learn basic navigation, system terminology, management of different system records, workflow progression, and other skills necessary to master the system.
- TrAMS Video Series: This new video series walks TrAMS users through all aspects of the program, starting with TrAMS for Beginners.
CCAM-TAC's Role in ICAM
CCAM‑TAC provides technical assistance on behalf of FTA for all ICAM grantees. Funded projects receive help with developing performance measures, reporting requirements, coordination strategies and trouble-shooting challenges – ensuring projects are supported from award through implementation and completion. Support comes in the form of regular check-in calls, collaborative learning opportunities (virtual and in-person) and targeted technical assistance – on-site or through phone or virtual meetings.
Watch Partners in Progress: CCAM-TAC’s Role in Supporting ICAM Innovation to learn more.
Contact CCAM-TAC staff: info@ccam-tac.org