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:
Active Transportation Alliance
This project grant support grant provided resources to Active Transportation Alliance (ATA) 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 partners on urgent Chicago region transit reform, ATA confronts entrenched narratives that portray transit as unsafe or inferior, active transportation as niche, and continued car infrastructure investment as acceptable. Through TransitCenter support, they will test relevant messages, create new and innovative content, develop a 2026 strategic communications plan, and create a report on networks influencing non-car transportation conversations in Illinois — all benefiting the statewide Clean & Equitable Transportation campaign while strengthening ATA’s own communications program.
ISAIAH
This general operating support grant provides critical resources to ISAIAH, as they continue to grow their volunteer membership base for transit and mobility choices in MN. Recognizing public transit as essential for economic security, racial equity, and climate action, ISAIAH builds grassroots power to demand bold transit investments and accountability from leaders. TransitCenter support of ISAIAH is rooted in growing the base of advocates for transit, within our local powerbuilding strategy. This grant enables ISAIAH to focus on defending and expanding the state transit funding won in 2023, organizing riders through listening sessions and Transit Teams model, training over 1,000 leaders in transit advocacy, and advancing their Race-Class-Gender Narrative strategy to reframe transit as essential infrastructure for all Minnesotans.
St Paul Transportation Management Organization dba Move Minnesota
This general operating support grant provides resources to Move Minnesota, as a critical voice in the Minneapolis region and state-wide for walking, biking and public transit. MoveMN led the Transform Minnesota coalition, and has been a leader in defending against efforts to roll back recent victories for transit in the state. TransitCenter support of Move MN is rooted in the following elements of our local powerbuilding strategy to build a base of advocates for transit – Mobilizing grassroots advocates in the Twin Cities and building power through coalition leadership.
National Campaign for Transit Justice
This project grant support grant provides resources to the National Campaign for Transit Justice, as it fosters movement building and choesion for transportation justice and policy organizations across the United States. The campaign works specifically with TransitCenter-supported coalitions in PA, NY, MI, IL, MN, CA, and MD as they develop and implement state strategies for transformative transit, biking, and walking investments. This grant supports NCTJ to foster community-building efforts, such as through the Thursday network calls, run a labor relationship building cohort, and to work 1:1 with states to ensure they are informed and connected to relevant research, policy priorities, and winning strategies from other states and issue areas.
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
This general operating support grant provides resources to Tri-State Transportation Campaign (TSTC), TransitCenter support of TSTC’s work is rooted in the following elements of our local powerbuilding strategy to build a base of advocates for transit. The grant to TriState enables the organization to do direct organizing efforts in areas outside of New York City (Westchester and New Jersey), and playing a leadership role in NYC transportation advocacy, including participating in the New Yorkers For Transportation Equity coalition.
Sierra Club Foundation
This project grant support grant provides resources to the Maryland Chapter of the Sierra Club in its efforts to grow the base of support in Maryland for transit, walkable communities, and electric vehicles. Their campaign engages residents and organizations to advocate for transit funding over highway expansion, maintains media attention on clean transportation, monitors the Maryland Department of Transportation’s budget priorities, and hosts educational events to showcase the benefits of sustainable transportation solutions. The Sierra Club co-leads the Transform Maryland Transportation statewide coalition, and this grant allows them to continue in this work and expand their organizing efforts.
Riders Alliance
This general operating support grant provides critical resources to Riders Alliance as it implements both local and state-wide base building activities to defend and expand transit in both the New York City region and state-wide. TransitCenter support of Riders Alliance work is deeply rooted in the core elements of our local powerbuilding strategy to build a base of advocates for transit, strengthen local organizing, and broaden the stakeholders for transit, in this case organized labor. With this grant, Riders Alliance continues their grassroots organizing in New York City’s 5 boroughs to ensure that rider voices are present in decision-making, as well as enables their leadership in New Yorkers For Transportation Equity, a state-wide coalition building a base to change state decision-making and priorities on transportation.
Climate Advocacy Lab
This project grant support grant provided resources to Climate Advocacy Lab to conduct a grantee evaluation project to assess training needs across TC’s network of grantees. The project involves surveying grantees, conducting follow-up interviews, and delivering findings and recommendations for priority knowledge gaps, recommended training series, potential partners, and implementation cost estimates to strengthen Transit Center’s support for its grantee organizations. TransitCenter support of Climate Advocacy Lab is rooted in our goal to build the movement for transit, and in our local powerbuilding strategy, focusing on efforts to strengthen local organizing – through training, convening, and strategic planning.
Piedmont Environmental Council dba Coalition for Smarter Growth
This general operating support grant provides resources to the Coalition for Smarter Growth (CSG) as it works at the policy level in the DMV region (VA, MD, DC) to advance and implement sustainable transportation policy. TransitCenter support of CSG work is rooted in our local powerbuilding strategy to build a base of advocates for transit, and broaden the stakeholders for transit, in this case business interests in the region. While CSG is not a direct grassroots organization, they play an important role by bringing together grasstops advocates and stakeholders in coalition to advocate for transit across the region.
MoveLA Project
This project grant support grant provides resources to Move LA as it advocates at the local and state level for state-level transit support. TransitCenter support of Move LA work is rooted in the core elements of our local powerbuilding strategy to build a base of advocates for transit, strengthen local organizing, and broaden the stakeholders for transit, in this case organized labor. With this grant, Move LA continues to engage organized labor on aligned priorities for transit and transportation investments, sit on the California Transportation Transformation Task Force, and advance local efforts (specifically LA’s transportation agenda for the Olympics and Paralympic Games).