Climate Change

Climate Initiatives Grants

Update June 1, 2010:
MTC is no longer accepting Letters of Interest for the Innovative and Safe Routes to Schools Grants. The deadline for the Letters of Interest closed on June 1 at 4 p.m. We thank all applicants who submitted innovative ideas for funding consideration. The Evaluation Committee will review the Letters of Interest, and follow-up with applicants as needed. MTC will inform all applicants as to whether they will proceed with the application process by June 30.

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The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, in partnership with the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD), Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG), and Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC), is pleased to issue a single solicitation for two competitive grant programs focusing on school-related emission reductions and innovative strategies for reducing GHG emissions. MTC will administer these grant programs. A total of up to $33 million in grant funding is available on a competitive basis to assist public agencies, businesses and community organizations implement innovative transportation-related GHG emission reduction strategies in the following categories:

1. Innovative Grants — Up to $31 Million

Grant funding will be directed to support high-impact, innovative projects with the greatest potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that can be replicated on a larger-scale around the region.

2. Safe Routes to School Creative Grants — Up to $2 million

As a complement to funding for the counties' Safe Routes to School Program, grant funding will be available to implement creative school-related emission reduction strategies and determine their effectiveness and potential replication around the region.

Application Submittal

All interested applicants are to submit to MTC a Letter of Interest for the applicable competitive grant program. An evaluation committee of regional agency staffs and others will review the Letters of Interest, and may contact applicants for more details and project clarifications. Based upon its review, the evaluation committee will select a limited number of applicants with the most promising projects and invite them to continue the application process by submitting a more detailed proposal for further evaluation. Refer to each grant program's guidelines for more details about the application and evaluation process.

All Letters of Interest and Proposals (if invited to submit a proposal) must be submitted via email (preferred method to save resources) or postal mail to the MTC Project Manager as follows:

Letters of Interest or Proposals received after the due date will not be accepted.

Regional Workshops

MTC and the BAAQMD will host regional workshops to provide prospective applicants with an overview of the Bay Area Climate Initiative's competitive grant programs and the application and review process. Note that following grant approval, MTC will host a project funding and delivery workshop in fall 2010 to familiarize grant recipients with the federal aid and funding processes.

MTC Contact Persons

Applicants are encouraged to contact MTC staff if they have questions about grant application requirements or wish to discuss potential project ideas in advance of submitting an application. For the Safe Routes to School Creative Grants, contact Craig Goldblatt, Project Manager, at 510.817.5837 or by email at cgoldblatt@mtc.ca.gov. For the Innovative Grants, contact Ashley Nguyen, Project Manager, at 510.817.5809 or by email at anguyen@mtc.ca.gov.

For more information about transportation, sustainability and climate protection, please visit www.OneBayArea.org.