Find Nonprofit and Small Business Grants

Grants to Vermont local governments, nonprofits, school districts and schools, and regional planning commissions to provide accessible and safe facilities for alternative modes of transportation. The purpose of the program is to improve access and safety for bicyclists and/or pedestrians through the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure projects. This is in direct support of the Agency of Transportation’s Strategic Goal #3: Provide Vermonters energy-efficient travel options, specifically through the increased use of walking and biking for transportation.

The Bike/Ped Program provides funding for three types of projects:
1) Scoping study for a project that has not yet been evaluated (Scoping)
2) Design and Construction of a project using Federal funds (Design/Construction or Additional Funding)
3) Small-scale construction of a project using State fund (Small-scale)

Projects may be combinations of any of the following facilities:
-Bicycle lanes (on-road facility delineated with pavement markings and signs)
-Shoulders (generally a minimum of 3-feet wide to accommodate bicyclists)
-Sidewalks
-Pedestrian crossing improvements, including median pedestrian refuge islands and bulb outs
-Pedestrian or bicycle intersection signals
-Improvements that address requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act
-Shared-use paths (designed for use by both bicyclists and pedestrians)

Applications may be for construction of new facilities, reconstruction of existing infrastructure to meet current design standards, or a combination of both. Projects that consist of a redundant facility (e.g. a sidewalk on one side of a street that already has a sidewalk) must include good rationale for the proposed facility. However, projects that consist solely of preventive maintenance (e.g. repaving an existing shared use path) are not eligible.

One of the prime considerations of eligibility of a project is that it has “independent utility.” Generally, “independent utility” means that, as a standalone project, there are clear and logical origins and destinations served by the facility. For any of the eligible facility types listed, applicants may apply for up to two project types.

Information about Scoping Studies can be found here:
https://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/highway/documents/ltf/2019%20BikePed%20Program%20Guide.pdf#page=6

For information about Design/Construction projects and Small-Scale Construction projects click here:
https://vtrans.vermont.gov/sites/aot/files/highway/documents/ltf/2019%20BikePed%20Program%20Guide.pdf#page=7