Call for Applications

Please note: The application process is now closed. Mini-grant recipients will be notified by Wednesday, November 16, 2011, and will be formally announced in December 2011. 

Mini-grants fund activities that range from the nuts and bolts that help start or sustain a program to new ideas that explore the range of benefits of safe walking and bicycling. Selected mini-grant proposals will fit a school's identified needs and interests around safe walking and bicycling. The mini-grant activities should occur between January 1, 2012, and the end of the Spring 2012 semester.

Applications are due Wednesday, October 19, 2011.

Who can apply for a mini-grant?

Eligible applicants include:

• Adult-supervised elementary or middle school groups or club; Faculty, staff, or parent volunteers at elementary or middle schools;
• Local and Tribal governments; and/or
• Non-profit organizations that will work with a school to improve safety and/or increase participants.

Ideas for getting started

The goal of the National Center's mini-grant program is to help schools identify their safe walking and bicycling needs and/or interests and enact related activities that address these needs/interests. The National Center also encourages applicants to engage student leaders and/or harness students' creativity in these steps. There are many right answers, and creativity and innovation are encouraged.

Collecting student travel data can be a great way to get started. 

While it is not required, applicants may want to collect student travel and parent survey data as part of their application. Information on current rates and perceptions of walking and bicycling to school may help to inform the applicant's needs, interests, and potential activities. For more on data collection, student travel tallies and parent surveys, and the National Center's online system, which is a public service offered to local communities and schools, visit www.saferoutesinfo.org/data.   

Looking for examples of school goals and activities that can help to reach them?

Explore the Eligible Activities page  to see examples of the many reasons to create a safe walking and bicycling program and the related activities that schools have proposed. Applicants may also consider engaging students in safe walking/bicycling activities through additional approaches, such as service-learning projects and community service requirements.

For examples of activities that have been funded in the past, browse activity summaries included in previous mini-grant award announcements.

What can recipients do with the money?

The mini-grant funds are federal funds, and there are rules about how federal funds may be spent. Because of the small award size, the restrictions on these mini-grant funds are slightly different than spending guidelines associated with State SRTS grants. Below are examples of items that can and cannot be purchased using the mini-grant funds. Please note that these lists are not exhaustive.  If you have questions about funding eligibility for specific activities or items, please email info@saferoutesinfo.org.

Yes! Mini-grant funds CAN be spent on items like these:

• Promotional materials*
• Educational materials*
• Safety items (e.g., reflective vests and bands, bicycle helmets, bicycle lights)
• Bicycle racks
• Bicycles that benefit groups of students
• Bicycle rentals
• Digital camera rental
• Video camera rental
• Helmet camera rental
• iPad rental
• Professional services (e.g., safety trainers)

No, Mini-grant funds CANNOT be spent on items like these:

• Food and refreshments
• Staff salaries
• Stipends for volunteers
• Fund-raising activities
• Gift cards
• Contests, prizes, and incentives
• Bicycles for specific individuals
• Digital camera purchase
• Video camera purchase
• Helmet camera purchase
• iPad purchase

* Modest-cost promotional/educational materials with the broadest reach are more likely to be competitive in the application process.

Activities must be completed by June 15, 2012, or by the end of the Spring 2012 semester, whichever is later.

What information should applicants provide?

The National Center seeks clear, well-thought-out application responses that:

• Identify the school's safe walking and bicycling needs or interests;
• Propose activities that can address the identified walking/bicycling needs/interests and that have the potential to have a broad reach and lasting impact;
• Demonstrate a reasonable connection between activities and desired outcomes, and include a plan for measuring those outcomes; and
• Include a clear description of how funding will be used for these activities.

As a group, the applications that are selected for funding will represent a broad geographic distribution and a diversity of community characteristics.

What happens once applications are selected?

Mini-grant recipients will be notified by Wednesday, November 16, 2011, and will be formally announced in December 2011. To accept the award, recipients complete a form accepting these funds for the proposed activities. Checks are disbursed approximately six weeks after receipt of the form. Activities must be completed by June 15, 2012, or by the end of the Spring 2012 semester, whichever is later.

The National Center requires that mini-grant recipients submit two reports:

1. An informal report on activities midway through the implementation period; and
2. A final report in at the end of June 2012 that describes activities and budget expenditures accompanied by at least three digital pictures.

Application Attachments

If you want to include attachments to your application, please submit the application and then email no more than three pages of an attachment to info@saferoutesinfo.org. In the email text, please include the name of the primary contact person, the school name, and the city and state.

Additional Questions

Please email questions or requests for assistance to info@saferoutesinfo.org.  For more information, browse the FAQs (frequently asked questions) page.