Grant Management Associates knows these programs well - Please contact us right away for a consultation.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES COMPETITIVE AND TECHNICAL
Approximately $12 million in State Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA) funds and $5 million in State Highway Account (SHA) funds, or a combined total of $17 million will be distributed through a competitive program to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) with a sub-applicant(s), Regional Transportation Planning Agencies (RTPAs), cities and counties, transit agencies, and Native American Tribal Governments. MPOs can apply to the Sustainable Communities Competitive Grants only in collaboration with a sub-applicant(s). Approximately $3 million will be set-aside for a technical project sub-category. In accordance with the recent release of the guidance documents for the implementation of Senate Bill 743 (SB 743, Chapter 386, Statutes of 2013), there is a current need for improved tools to measure VMT and induced travel. Due to the technical nature of these projects, public engagement is not required, but applicants should explain how the public will be involved at later stages of in the planning process. However, applicants are required to collaborate with and involve appropriate stakeholders with technical expertise.
The purpose of the Sustainable Communities grants is to fund local and regional multimodal transportation and land use planning projects that further the region’s RTP SCS (where applicable), contribute to the State’s GHG reduction targets, and assist in achieving the Caltrans Mission and Grant Program Objectives, and must be considered when preparing the grant application. Applicants must demonstrate how the project fits every aspect of the Grant Specific Objective, as appropriate for the applicant and project type. The grant specific objectives for Sustainable Communities grants are listed below. Detailed information on how to achieve these objectives can be found in Appendix X: • Encourage local and regional multimodal transportation and land use planning that furthers the region’s RTP SCS (where applicable) • Contribute to the State’s GHG reduction targets and other State goals, including but not limited to, the goals and best practices cited in the 2017 RTP Guidelines • Address the needs of disadvantaged communities • Assist in achieving the Caltrans Mission and Grant Program Objectives (See Page X). Applications are scored under the same criteria as all other project types, they are grouped with other technical projects, and compete at the same level. Caltrans will screen applications submitted under this category to ensure they are in-fact technical projects. If it is found that the project is not one of a technical nature, it will compete with the other Sustainable Communities applicant pool.
SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES FORMULA
$12.5 million will be distributed to the MPOs on a formula basis. The formula funds for the MPOs will reflect the same formula used to distribute Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Metropolitan Planning PL funds. The FHWA PL formula has three components: 1. A base allocation 2. A two-part population component which distributes funds by the proportion of the total population of each MPO based on California Department of Finance estimates each January 3. An Air Quality component based on the proportion of federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality funds to total programmatic FHWA PL funds
The purpose of the Sustainable Communities Formula is to fund local and regional multimodal transportation and land use planning projects that further the region’s RTP SCS (where applicable), contribute to the State’s GHG reduction targets, and assist in achieving the Caltrans Mission and Grant Program Objectives (See Page 4). Applicants must demonstrate how the project fits every aspect of the Grant Specific Objective, as appropriate for the applicant and project type. The grant specific objectives, eligibility requirements, and performance considerations for the Sustainable Communities Formula Grants awarded to MPOs are consistent with the Sustainable Communities Competitive Grants. The intent of the Sustainable Communities Formula Grants is to carry out the objectives of the region’s RTP SCS (where applicable) and the RTP Guidelines Appendices K and L. In addition, MPOs are strongly encouraged to administer Sustainable Communities Formula funding in a transparent manner and maintain non-profit eligibility, consistent with the legislative intent of SB 1 - The Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
$1.5 million in FHWA State Planning and Research (SPR) Part 1 funds and $3 million in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Section 5304 funds, or a combined total of $4.5 million, will be distributed through a competitive program to MPOs and RTPAs.
Funding distribution for the competitive program will depend on the quality and number of applications. Purpose and Objectives Strategic Partnerships are intended to fund planning projects that address needs on the State Highway System (SHS), while the transit sub-category will address multimodal planning projects that focus on transit.
The objective of the Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Partnerships - Transit grants is to:
• Accomplish the Federal Planning Factors
• Achieve the Caltrans Mission and the Grant Program Objectives. Federal Planning Factors
1. Support the economic vitality of the metropolitan area, especially by enabling global competitiveness, productivity, and efficiency
2. Increase the safety of the transportation system for motorized and non-motorizedusers
3. Increase the security of the transportation system for motorized and non-motorizedusers
4. Increase accessibility and mobility of people and freight
5. Protect and enhance the environment, promote energy conservation, improve the quality of life, and promote consistency between transportation improvements and State and local planned growth and economic development patterns
6. Enhance the integration and connectivity of the transportation system, across and between modes, for people and freight
7. Promote efficient system management and operation
8. Emphasize the preservation of the existing transportation system
9. Improve the resiliency and reliability of the transportation system and reduce or mitigate stormwater impacts of surface transportation
10. Enhance travel and tourism.
Comments