Grants Available for Students and Organizations Willing to Lead Green Transportation Projects

The Metropolitan Transportation Commission and the Bay Area Air District are again joining together to initiate the 2018 call for projects for the Spare the Air Youth grant program.  Applications due on Monday, June 18 at 5 p.m. The Spare the Air Youth grant program is offering $6,000 to $10,000 grants for high school student-led activities for the 2018-19 school year that have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from transportation sources. The grant program aims to increase peer-to-peer encouragement among a diverse group of students for active and shared transportation options around the nine-county Bay Area. 

The Spare the Air Youth grant program will select award recipients from Bay Area high schools to support activities that encourage students’ use of active and shared transportation options including walking, biking, carpooling, and transit. Selected projects will be paired with a technical assistance vendor, which will receive funding to coordinate education and outreach activities and to buy materials on behalf of the students. Vendors interested in being matched with high school teams to provide technical assistance should submit the Statement of Interest form available on the Spare the Air Youth website.

Students or student groups interested in the grant program go to www.sparetheairyouth.org for more information. Here are key grant program dates:

• May, 30, 2018 at 4 p.m.: Student Applicant Support Webinar that will provide key information on the eligible activities, application support, selection process, etc.
• June 18, 2018: Closing date for vendors’ statements of interest.
• July 2, 2018: Grant awards announced via email; vendors matched with grant awardees.
• August 2018: Kick-off event or conference call to clarify funding and reporting requirements.

Spare the Air Youth, a partnership between MTC and the Air District, is a regional program that aims to educate, inspire and empower youth and families in the San Francisco Bay Area to walk, bicycle, carpool, and take transit.

Grant program contacts:

• Raquel Trinidad, Air District, (415) 749-4900
• Ursula Vogler, MTC, (415) 778-6785

The Air District is the regional agency responsible for protecting air quality in the nine-county Bay Area. Connect with the Air District via Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube. MTC is the regional transportation planning, coordinating and financing agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area.