Environmental Justice: Context Sensitive Planning Grant Program

1. Environmental Justice: Context Sensitive Planning Grant Program California Department of TransportationDivision of Transportation PlanningOffice of Community Planning

2. Presentation Overview • Environmental Justice • Purpose of EJ Planning Grant Program • Criteria for Grant Awards • Grant Program Requirements • Attributes of Successful Grant Proposals

3. Environmental Justice:General Overview • Fair treatment of all races, cultures, and incomes. • Fair distribution of environmental burdens and benefits across all impacted communities.

4. Environmental Justice:Barriers in Under-Served Communities • Access to affordable transportation options, jobs, employment opportunities • Air and noise pollution • Later and more frequent transit service • Pedestrian and bicycle safety • Access to affordable housing • Language Proficiency

5. Environmental Justice:Core Principles • Invite the full and fair participation of all potentially affected stakeholders • Minimize unfair negative impacts caused by transportation projects • Fairly distribute the positive and negative impacts of transportation projects and policy decisions.

6. Purpose of EJ Planning Grant Program • Promote the involvement of low-income and minority communities and Native American Tribal Governments in transportation planning projects statewide that • improve mobility and access to transit • support environmental justice principles; • stimulate economic development and support economic growth; • create opportunities for affordable housing; and • improve pedestrian & bicycle safety. • Develop lasting partnerships between underserved communities, government agencies, and Tribal Governments.

7. Criteria for Grant Awards • Project Description and Justification • EJ Planning Grant Program Goals • California Transportation Plan (CTP) Goals • Public Participation • Project Implementation and Management

8. Criteria for Grant Awards:Project Description and Justification • Describe the project. • Define the project. • Describe the project area. • List the major project activities and deliverables. • Identify the problems and deficiencies and how will the project address the problems and deficiencies.

9. Criteria for Grant Awards:Grant Program Goal • Describe how the project addresses transportation and economic development issues in low-income, minority, Native American, and underserved urban and rural communities.

10. Criteria for Grant Awards:California Transportation Plan Goals • Improve Mobility and Accessibility • Expanding the system and enhancing modal choices and connectivity to meet the State’s future transportation demands. • Preserve the Transportation System • Maintaining, managing, and efficiently utilizing California’s existing transportation system.

11. Criteria for Grant Awards:California Transportation Plan Goals • Support the Economy • Maintaining, managing, and enhancing the movement of goods and people to spur economic development and growth, job creation, and trade. • Enhance Public Safety and Security • Ensuring the safety and security of people, goods, services, and information in all modes of transportation.

12. Criteria for Grant Awards:California Transportation Plan Goals • Reflect Community Values • Finding transportation solutions that balance and integrate community values with transportation safety and performance, and encourage public involvement in transportation decisions. • Enhance the Environment • Planning and providing transportation services while protecting our environment, wildlife, and historical and cultural assets.

13. Criteria for Grant Awards:Public Participation • Identify the project stakeholders • Identify low-income and minority communities, Native American Tribal Governments, other under-represented groups, community-based organizations, and businesses. • Describe the outreach methods • Focus on traditionally under-represented communities.

14. Criteria for Grant Awards:Project Implementation and Management • Explain how the project carried forward to the next stage/phase. • Describe how the project be managed. • What work is to be done? • Who is responsible for what tasks? • When the work is to be done?

15. Grant Program Requirements:General Requirements • Contingent upon passage of the annual State budget, $3 million anticipated. • Competitive grant program. • Local contribution-minimum 10% match of requested grant amount. Up to 1/2 of local match amount may be in-kind contribution. • Funds are only for planning-related activities • Reimbursable program

16. Applicants Regional Transportation Planning Agencies; Metropolitan Planning Organizations; Federally Recognized Tribal Governments; Cities; Counties; and Transit Agencies. Sub Applicants Universities and Community Colleges Community-Based Organizations Non-Profit Organizations Other Public Entities Grant Program Requirements:Program Eligibility

17. Attributes of Successful Grant Proposals • Applicant fully addresses the application questions and meets grant program requirements. • Answers are clear and concise • Project proposal addresses multiple California Transportation Planning goals. • 3E’s – environment, economy, and equity • Innovative outreach & public participation methods • Sound project management – product oriented • Project Implementation- How the project will be carried forward to the next stage

18. Additional Information • For more information, please contact your District EJ grant Liaison listed in the application. • You can also visit: • http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/grants.html