Grant Application

We are looking forward to opening our next application period in early August 2024! We will have approximately $7M to distribute for infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects supporting communities in providing students and families with safe, accessible means of active transportation to and from school. We want to make sure you have all the information your organization needs to apply for funding and will be updating this page regularly with new information. Please keep checking in for the most current information!

In our most recent Fiscal Year 2023 grant cycle, over $3M in funding was awarded to seven applicants. As part of this past cycle, for the second time in our grant program's history our Colorado Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee was able to consider awarding 100% funding to projects from qualifying communities. For an overview of all projects funded throughout the state, please visit our Master List of Colorado Safe Routes to School Grant-funded Projects.

Now is a great time to start preparing. Read on below for our previous grant period timeline and a sense of what to expect in our next cycle. You will also find helpful steps to consider before applying. We're rooting for your success!

New for this Grant Cycle

We are pleased to share two new developments for this Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Cycle:

Expansion to high school: Previous awards have supported elementary and middle school populations. However, the November 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law opened exciting new opportunities, expanding eligibility. In response, the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) explored ways of supporting Safe Routes to School programming through grade 12 as part of our new Five-Year Strategic Plan. As a result, for this Fiscal Year 2025 grant cycle we will offer funding for all grade levels (Kindergarten through grade 12) for the first time! While we aren’t providing specific parameters for these secondary school projects, we encourage plans with a strong youth leadership component.
Increased maximum award for Infrastructure projects: In line with rising costs, the Colorado Safe Routes to School Advisory Committee has increased the maximum award for Infrastructure projects from $750K to $1M. We hope that this larger amount will encourage more communities to apply.

Alongside these new developments, we are pleased to share that we can continue to consider awarding 100% funding to projects from qualifying communities. This opportunity was first offered in Fiscal Year 2021. Prior, applicants were typically required to contribute 20% matching funds to the total cost of their projects. Eligibility for this match funding exemption for this cycle was determined utilizing the thoroughly researched and vetted Multimodal Transportation and Mitigations Options Fund (MMOF) matrix.

Tentative Grant Application Timeline for Fiscal Year 2025 (subject to change)

Noon Monday, August 5, 2024: Application opens at https://cdotdtr.my.site.com/srtscommunity
11 am Tuesday, August 20, 2024: Google Meet Session--How to Prepare Your CSRTS Application
Noon Monday, November 4, 2024: Applications due: late or incomplete applications will not be accepted
November 5 - 7, 2024: Colorado Safe Routes to School Team Technical Review
Mid-November 2024: Applications distributed to CSRTS Advisory Committee for review and selection
Mid-January 2024: Colorado Safe Routes to School Advisory Community meets to select projects
Mid-February/Late March 2025: Projects recommended to Transportation Commission for approval
Late March 2025: Applicants notified
April, 2025: Fiscal Year 2025 Mandatory Grantee Meeting; Google Meet Invitation to be sent to Awarded Grantees. This is a required meeting for all new grantees. Please mark your calendars!

How to Prepare Your Safe Route to Schools Application

What You Can Do Today

We want to make sure you have all the information your organization needs to apply for funding. We are rooting for your success! If you are interested in pursuing this upcoming opportunity, here are some simple steps to take before applying:

Determine your eligibility. To apply for a CSRTS grant, applicants must be a political subdivision of the state. For a definition of "subdivision of the state", please click this link: https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2016/title-29/general-provisions/article-1/part-9/section-29-1-901
Identify what type of grant your project might qualify for, infrastructure or non-infrastructure: On our website, you can find the Fiscal Year 2021 top-scoring infrastructure application and the Fiscal Year 2021 top-scoring non-infrastructure application for your reference. Please note, in order to offer these applications in the most useful and readable format, we have transferred information from Salesforce into new, modified documents. These documents do not represent the exact format of the application.
Glance through our Fiscal Year 2023 Grant Application Guide. Our Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Application guide is currently being updated. The revised guide will provide a thorough run-down of both infrastructure and non-infrastructure applications so can anticipate what to expect and ready the tools to be successful. In the meantime, our previous guide will provide a detailed snapshot of the whole process.
Get familiar with our community engagement toolkit, Working Together to Make Meaningful Change: A Toolkit for Engaging Communities Across Colorado. Created by Safe Routes Partnership with support from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Safe Routes to School, this resource offers tips and strategies for authentic and equitable community engagement which we love to see incorporated into projects. Utilizing suggested strategies will be valuable to your application and the success of your programming. For a thorough overview of the toolkit, check out the recording from one of our webinars on this topic!
Contact us! Our Colorado Safe Routes to School Program Manager Melissa Trecoske Houghton is offering 20-minute individual consultations, during which she can answer questions and talk to you about your project. If you need Spanish interpretation for this consultation, we have the capacity to arrange this. Please email Melissa at [email protected] to schedule.
Coming soon: you will need to sign up for an account at https://cdotdtr.my.site.com/srtscommunity/CommunitiesSelfReg. Those who already have an account will log in at https://cdotdtr.my.site.com/srtscommunity/login. These links are currently unavailable. However, once our application period is open and you are set up, you will be able to access our online application.

Fiscal Year 2023 Grant Application Guide

Looking for a form?

Are you a current grantee, looking for a form? Please visit a resource below:

Other Helpful Resources

National Center for Safe Routes to School Data System (Parent Surveys & Student Travel Tallies): this system provides a way for local, regional, and state SRTS partners to enter and view data collected using the standardized Student Travel Tally and Parent Survey questionnaires.
The Federal Highway Administration's Guidance for the Safe Routes to School Program
Our Program Evaluation page provides information regarding the success of past programs in Colorado and nationwide. Current grantees can also find the final accomplishment report form. You can download the forms needed to assess and submit an evaluation of your own Safe Routes to School program as well.
The SRTS guide Evaluation page describes how to conduct a SRTS program evaluation tailored to your program's objectives and strategies.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center offers a range of safety tools and analysis considerations which may be helpful for applicants and programs seeking alternative measures to identify and address safety needs, including links to various audit tools.