Mile High Connects Grant Fund for Equitable Transportation Initiatives in the Denver Region
2015 Grant Guidelines and Application
Mile High Connects Overview
The Denver region’s $7.8 billion FasTracks initiative is currently one of the largest mass transit projects under
construction in the United States. It provides the Denver Region with an unparalleled opportunity to capitalize
on this unique infrastructure investment and enhance the quality of life for all residents, including low-income
communities and communities of color.
Mile High Connects (MHC) is a broad partnership of organizations from the private, public and nonprofit
sectors that are committed to increasing access to housing choices, good jobs, quality schools and essential
services via public transit. Our mission is to ensure that the Metro Denver regional transit system fosters
communities that offer all residents the opportunity for a high quality of life.
Why is transit so important to accessing opportunity? For many people, it means:
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Being able to afford both quality housing and transportation costs in your monthly budget
Getting from the community you live in to a good paying job
Helping your child get to a school that supports their learning
Making it to the grocery store so you have food to cook a healthy meal
For low-income communities and communities of color, the social, economic and political systems create and
perpetuate even greater barriers to these kinds of opportunities. As a broad-based group of partners
committed to furthering equity in our region, we are particularly focused on strategies that intentionally
address these disparities. For more information about Mile High Connects, visit our website
at www.milehighconnects.org.
Mile High Connects 2015 Priorities
For 2015, MHC will continue advocating for and working with low-income communities and communities of
color by connecting them to good paying jobs, quality schools, and healthy foods and environments. Our
regional work will be in west, east and north Metro Denver and will be focused on four priority areas:
Equitable Transit Oriented Development: Affordable Housing and Community Facilities
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Preserve and create affordable housing and critical community facilities near transit
Increase and align financial resources for affordable housing and community facilities
Promote adoption of an equitable regional housing strategy
MHC is working to ensure that low-income communities and communities of color living in proximity to transit
have access to workforce development centers, jobs that pay livable wages, child care centers, grocers, and
high performing schools. The collaborative is actively working on policies and financing to create and preserve
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affordable housing near transit throughout the region and to develop affordable housing and community
serving facilities that best meet the needs of residents in the community.
Equitable Transit Oriented Development: Business, Local Workforce and Middle Skilled Jobs
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Connect residents to good jobs in transit areas and through anchor institutions
Increase and align financial resources for commercial facilities and tenants near transit
Promote adoption of an equitable regional economic strategy
Good paying jobs are a key ingredient for the economic security of low-income families. Through MHC’s
foundational research, a gap has been shown in connecting businesses around transit to the local workforces.
In 2015, MHC will engage in work enhancing these connections in redeveloping and developing transit areas in
Sun Valley, Park Hill Village West, and Northwest Aurora. Increasing access to jobs located near transit that pay
livable wages gives low-income families and individuals the ability to decrease the monthly budget spent on
transportation, which in turn, frees up money for other essentials, including food and health services.
Accessible Transit: Affordable Fares and Meaningful Service Routes
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Promote affordable bus and light rail fares for low-income riders, commuters and students
Ensure accessible bus routes for low-income communities
Affordable transit is imperative for low-income families and transit-reliant individuals. Over the past year, MHC
has made great strides on the issue of affordable fares and will continue to advocate to increase transit access
for low-income riders, including families, people experiencing homelessness, commuters, and students.
Currently, a portion of nonprofits in the Metro Region dedicate a significant portion of their annual budgets to
bus fares for their clients to assist with getting them to appointments, job interviews, healthcare, and
education. MHC will also actively advocate for the accessible fares and pass programs for small businesses to
use with their employees. Lastly, MHC will continue to work to protect and enhance meaningful bus routes for
low-income communities and families to support increased access to jobs that pay livable wages, early
childhood education centers, healthy food, and other essential services.
Accessible Transit: First and Last Mile Connections
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Identify resources and strategies to fund first and last mile connections solutions
Improve first and last mile connections in neighborhoods and job centers.
First and last mile connections are an integral part of a fully functioning transit system and are especially
important for low-income families, transit-reliant individuals, and those employed at job centers. Currently, an
integrated approach to funding first and last mile connections is lacking in Denver and its surrounding
municipalities. In 2015, MHC will identify resources and strategies to fund and improve transit connections,
share findings broadly to establish best practices, and actively implement tactics to improve transit
accessibility for low-income communities, communities of color, and all who regularly utilize the public transit
system.
Mile High Connects Grant Fund Priorities
The MHC Grant Fund will offer small grants for effective, inclusive approaches to building healthy and
prosperous transit-oriented communities and ensuring equity and opportunity for low-income communities,
communities of color and other under-resourced communities in the Denver Metro Region. Specifically, we
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seek to fund efforts that will contribute to Mile High Connects’ 2015 Work Plan and Priority Areas, as described
above.
To be considered for funding, projects must:
 Be implemented in communities within the Metro Denver region and the Regional Transportation
District (RTD) service area.
o For 2015, Mile High Connects will focus its work in west, east and north Metro Denver
(communities surrounding the East, Gold and West rail and bus transit corridors) and thus
projects in these geographies will receive priority consideration. However, we will accept
applications from projects in other communities within the Denver Metro region/RTD service
area.
 Target specific policy or environmental changes that address disparities experienced by low-income
communities, communities of color and other historically underserved populations accessing housing
choices, good jobs, quality schools and essential services via public transit.
 Demonstrate meaningful engagement of underserved residents in neighborhoods directly affected by
the expanding transit system, ensuring that they have a voice in decisions that will impact them.
Specifically, MHC is interested in projects that enable under-resourced residents to engage in advocacy and
participate in implementing effective solutions to transit equity issues including but not limited to:
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Ensuring affordable housing and community amenities near transit stops address the needs and
provide opportunities for those most underserved in that community (MHC Priority Area: Affordable
Housing and Community Facilities)
Offering innovative programs that enable individuals to take advantage of job opportunities in
developing and redeveloping transit areas (Business, Local Workforce and Middle-Skilled Jobs)
Preserving bus service routes that provide critical connections to jobs, school, health care
appointments and other services (MHC Priority Area: Affordable Fares and Meaningful Service Routes)
Establishing and improving safe connections (connected and intact sidewalks, bike routes, pedestrian
bridges, ADA-accessible amenities, addressing safety concerns, etc.) to and from transit stops and
destinations (MHC Priority Area: First and Last Mile Connections)
Eligibility
For proposed projects led by organizations or collaborations: Applicants must be classified as tax-exempt
under section 501(c)(3) or be a public agency (including state and local governments). Applicants without this
designation (individuals, for-profit entities, consultants, etc.) are not eligible to apply but may partner with an
organization eligible to submit an application. New or emerging nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3)
status are permitted to apply through a tax-exempt organization acting as fiscal sponsor.
For proposed projects led by resident groups: Resident groups do not need to be 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organizations to apply. Any group of three or more unrelated residents that has an idea for a project in their
own community that fits within the guidelines is eligible to apply.
Grant Amounts
It is anticipated that grants will be awarded in a range of amounts, but no more than $25,000. Typical grants
have ranged from $7,500 to $25,000. The amount requested should be reasonable for the scope of the
proposed project. The amount of funding awarded by MHC will be determined based on the project scope and
potential for impact. We may award funding at a lower level than requested if a project is a fit for our goals but
the amount requested exceeds our resources. Grants will be awarded for 12 months or less.
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Selection Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated for their ability to demonstrate the following:
 Alignment with Mile High Connects’ 2015 Work Plan and Priority Areas
 Compelling community needs and opportunities and meaningful engagement of the population or
community being served by the proposed project
 An effective strategy that addresses a specific policy or environmental change to reduce disparities
experienced by low-income communities, communities of color and other underserved populations
accessing housing choices, good jobs, quality schools and essential services via public transit.
 A clear and realistic plan for achieving the goals of the project
 Effective and meaningful collaboration with appropriate partners
 Strong capacity to conduct the proposed project, including history of experience with similar projects,
relationship with the community impacted by the work, and ability to contribute other sources of
funding
 An effective approach to measure and evaluate outcomes
What We Will Not Fund
 General operating support
 Direct service programs
 Fares, passes or memberships for public transportation or other transit services (e.g. bike share, care
share, call-and-ride, etc.) These costs may be considered on a case-by-case basis if they are necessary
to defray costs for participants participating in a defined activity (such as a community planning
process).
 Infrastructure/capital projects and capital campaigns
 Lobbying
 Individuals
 For-profit organizations or programs operated by, or for the benefit of, for-profit organizations
 Scholarships
 Academic research
 Endowments
 Organizations or entities that discriminate on the basis of race/ethnicity, color, national origin,
citizenship status, sex, disability, veteran status, political beliefs, creed/religion, sexual orientation or
age in the administration of any of its employment, programs, policies or any other activities
 Projects that do not demonstrate a strong alignment to MHC priorities and association with public
transportation in the Denver Metro area
Application and Grant Decision Process
Grant deadline: June 1, 2015. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time.
How to apply: Complete the attached application and budget form. Please submit the grant application and
budget as a single file (Microsoft Word or PDF document). Email applications are preferred. Please submit your
application to:
Davian Gagne, Mile High Connects Grants and Operations Manager
Email: dgagne@denverfoundation.org
Phone: 303-951-9558
Fax: 303-951-9559
Mail: 55 Madison Street, 8th Floor, Denver, Colorado 80206
For questions or assistance with completing the grant application, you may:
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Participate in a grant application workshop on Tuesday, May 5th, 2015 (Go to
www.milehighconnects.org for details)
Visit www.milehighconnects.org/funding for additional resources
Email or call Davian Gagne, Grants and Operations Manager
Selection process: Applications will be reviewed by the MHC Grant Fund Committee. All applications will go
through an initial review process where each will be scored against a rubric and evaluated based on the
strength to which they address the selection criteria. A select group of applications that most effectively
address the criteria will be contacted for a site visit. Final decisions will be made by the Mile High Connects
Steering Committee, which includes representatives from the collaborative’s core partner organizations. The
process will be competitive and we anticipate receiving more applications than we can fund. Applicants will be
informed of a decision no later than August 18, 2015.
Grantee Expectations
Grantees who receive funding will be expected to complete a final report documenting the outcomes and
lessons learned from the project. Grantees may also have the opportunity to:
• Participate in learning and networking sessions with MHC and/or other grantees
• Provide stories of individual successes
• Participate in other MHC efforts
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Mile High Connects Grant Fund for Equitable Transportation Initiatives in the Denver Region
2015 Grant Application
Organization or Group Information
Organization or Group Name
Tax Identification Number (if using a Fiscal
Sponsor, please complete information below)
Address
Phone
Organization Mission
Total Operating Budget for 2015
Name of Executive Director, President or
Authorized Organization Representative
Name of contact person submitting this
request (if different from above)
Title
Email
Phone
If using a Fiscal Sponsor, please complete the following:
Fiscal Sponsor Organization Name
Fiscal Sponsor Tax Identification Number
Fiscal Sponsor Address
Fiscal Sponsor Phone Number
Name and Title of Contact Person
Email
Phone
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Project Overview
Project Title
Please provide a brief description of
your project (50 words or less):
Project Description
Please indicate which MHC Priority
Area you think best relates to your
project (Choose the primary priority
area):
☐ Affordable Housing and Community Facilities
☐ Business, Local Workforce and Middle-Skilled Jobs
☐ Affordable Fares and Meaningful Service Routes
☐ First and Last Mile Connections
What is the specific issue, challenge or
need you seek to address, as it relates
to the Priority Area indicated above?
(150 words or less)
What is your solution to this issue,
challenge or need? Please describe
specific activities will you implement
as part of your project. (250 words or
less)
Community Involved in the Project
Describe the population or community
that would be served by this project.
Include the geographic location in
which your project will be
implemented (250 words or less)
How specifically will your project
engage members of the community
directly impacted by the issue and
who would benefit from your work?
How will they be involved in planning
and implementing the project? (250
words or less)
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Are you collaborating with other
organizations on this project? If so,
please list those organizations that will
play a key role in the project. (100
words or less)
Project Timeline and Indicators of success
What is the overall timeframe for your
project (start and end date)?
Note: MHC will consider existing and
new projects.
For how many months are you
requesting funding from MHC (must
be 12 months or less)?
What key outcomes do you hope to
achieve by the end of the MHC grant
period? What indicators will you use
to determine whether your project is
successful? (250 words or less)
Please outline the key milestones or
tasks for implementation and
completion of your project.
Application Submission
Applications are due June 1, 2015 by 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Please submit the grant application and
budget as a single file (Microsoft Word or PDF document). Email applications are preferred. Please submit your
application to:
Davian Gagne, Mile High Connects Grants and Operations Manager
Email: dgagne@denverfoundation.org
Fax: 303-951-9559
Mail: 55 Madison Street, 8th Floor, Denver, Colorado 80206
If you have questions, please contact: Davian Gagne, Mile High Connects Grant and Operations Manager,
dgagne@denverfoundation.org or 303-951-9558.
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Mile High Connects Grant Fund for Equitable Transportation Initiatives in the Denver Region
2015 Grant Application – Budget Form
PROJECT BUDGET
Expense
Description of Expense
Total Cost
Amount Requested
from MHC
Personnel
Materials and Supplies
Administrative/Operating
Travel
Consultants/Contract Services
Other (please specify):
TOTAL BUDGET
OTHER SOURCES OF FUNDING FOR THE PROJECT (do not include amount requested from Mile High Connects)
Source
Amount
Received or Pending?
If pending, when do you expect to receive
the funds?
TOTAL
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