Since 2013, TransitCenter has spent over $50 million to support transit advocacy – both our own and that of allied organizations.
Our 2025 grants list is available to review below:
State Smart Transportation Institute (SSTI)
This project grant support provides resources to SSTI to launch a network for state DOT staff working on who are engaged in sustainability, equity, and climate-related initiatives. The network will focus on implementation strategies that reduce emissions and promote sustainability, including investment in transit, safe streets, and biking and walking infrastructure. TransitCenter support of SSTI is rooted in supporting the expansion of government stakeholders advocating for transit, within our strategy to broaden the stakeholders.
Midwest Leadership Study Tour
This project grant support provides resources for the Midwest study trip – which focuses on Advancing Transit Innovation Through Global Collaboration. A delegation of senior government officials and philanthropic program officers from Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois—three key focus states for TransitCenter—completed an immersive study tour to Paris, France. This initiative directly supports TransitCenter’s mission to broaden stakeholder engagement and mobilize philanthropic action for equitable, climate-forward transit systems.
Bike Durham
This general operating support provides resources to Bike Durham as they build power to effect the transformation of Durham’s transportation system to one with zero traffic deaths or serious injuries, zero carbon emissions, and zero racial disparity of access by 2050. TransitCenter support of Bike Durham is rooted in growing the base of advocates for transit, within our local powerbuilding strategy. This grant enables Bike Durham to pursue changes to funding levels at the local, regional, state, and federal levels to invest much more in delivering an excellent transit system and complete networks of safe streets for biking and walking, and much less in highway expansion.
Greater Greater Washington Commons
This general operating support provides resources to Greater Greater Washington to lead the DC Transportation Equity Network, a cross-sector coalition of organizations that is committed to seeing a complete transportation system that ensures vulnerable residents are accounted for in the District of Columbia. TransitCenter’s support of Greater Greater Washington has helped the TEN to become the most visible voice for transportation equity in DC and serves as a source of guidance to elected officials, DC agencies, and WMATA.
Clean Air Council
This general operating grant provides resources to Clean Air Council for their local and state work on transit. TransitCenter support of the Clean Air Council is rooted in growing the base of advocates for transit, within our local powerbuilding strategy. This grant enables Clean Air Council to particpate in the Transit For All PA! Coalition and the Transit Forward Philadelphia coalition, advocating for and supporting transit in the Philadelphia region and across the state. Clean Air Council also connects transit to environmental and public health campaigns and constituencies. Within this work of this grant, they will build out support for transit across the state, particularly in areas outside of Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, including environmental justice communities where they have long-standing relationships built on years of advocacy around environmental issues. They will also leverage their position in the environmental movement to amplify transit as an issue area that more of peer organizations should prioritize.
Transport for NOLA
This general operating grant provides resources to Ride New Orleans for their leadership of the Coalition for Quality Transit, their youth leadership cultivation, and their state-level advocacy. Building on our funding report, we continue to advocate for robust, equitable transit investment through strategic partnerships, policy research, and detailed budget analyses at the city and state levels. In addition, our funding call to action includes RIDE’s Growth Network Scenario, which calls for increasing bus and streetcar service from 8.3 million vehicle revenue miles in 2022 to 14.8 million VRM by 2033, our access-to-jobs metric, a deep dive into local city and state budgets, as well as robust policy work that provides tangible and attainable funding recommendatio
Disability Culture Lab
This project grant support grant provides resources to the Disability Culture Lab to play an active role in the narrative change steering committee, which TransitCenter has established to guide the narrative change work, ensuring that the narrative work is rooted in TransitCenter’s narrative change strategy.
Labor Network for Sustainability
This project grant support grant provides resources to the Labor Network for Sustainability, to play an active role in the narrative change steering committee, which TransitCenter has established to guide the narrative change work, ensuring that the narrative work is rooted in TransitCenter’s narrative change strategy.
Pittsburgers For Public Transit
This project grant support grant provided resources to Pittsburghers for Public Transit (PPT), to develop, test, and deploy new messaging to challenge these assumptions and shift public beliefs over time, in close coordination with TransitCenter’s narrative change strategy. Working with Transit Center and the Transit for All PA! Coalition, PPT aims to identify transit narratives that resonate with Pennsylvanians and can be spread throughout communities to influence politicians and policy. The organization will educate the Transit for All PA! team on effective narrative-building approaches through group trainings, expert collaboration, and hands-on experience with social media and website projects. PPT is also building a comprehensive communications program that will provide a foundation for the campaign’s communications strategy, determining appropriate messages for specific audiences and platforms through both paid and organic content approaches.
Catskill Mountainkeeper
This project grant support grant provided resources to Catskill Mountainkeeper (CMK), to develop, test, and deploy new messaging to challenge these assumptions and shift public beliefs over time, in close coordination with TransitCenter’s narrative change strategy. Working with the New Yorkers for Transportation Equity (NYFTE) coalition, CMK pushes NYS DOT to develop statewide regulations implementing the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase multi-modal transportation, especially in disadvantaged communities. Through TransitCenter support, CMK will develop a strategic communications plan centered on narrative change to increase the value of transportation accessibility and choices while decreasing car-centric planning, sharing statewide stories and amplifying marginalized voices to build broad political and public support.