RTD announces Transit Assistance Grant awards for 150 area organizations to help immediate needs clients

The agency is providing fare media to organizations that support emergent and immediate transit needs

DENVER (March 20, 2025) –– The Regional Transportation District (RTD) will provide $1 million in grant funding to 150 qualifying nonprofit and community social service organizations or governmental entities as part of the agency’s Transit Assistance Grant (TAG) program.

Following the success of the TAG program in 2024 under which 181 area organizations received grants to support immediate needs clients, RTD is continuing the program for a second year, with overwhelming support from its board of directors.

“RTD’s Transit Assistance Grant program provides critical assistance to meet urgent needs within the communities served by the agency,” said Debra A. Johnson, RTD General Manager and CEO. “Public transit is the great societal equalizer. RTD continues to engage in partnerships with organizations that serve those with immediate transit needs and that directly impact the overall health of the region.”

Selected awardees include resource centers, re-entry programs, city and county governmental agencies, educational institutions, training programs, and nonprofit organizations serving low-income, unhoused, and disabled customers; newcomers; seniors; communities of color; as well as LGBTQ+ and other underrepresented communities. The program was specifically designed to support individuals who need a reliable transportation option to support emergent or immediate needs.

Grant awards range from $350 to $50,000 in fare media per selected organization, to be distributed in the form of 10-ride ticket books or mobile tickets equivalent to the dollar amount awarded. TAG recipients must distribute the tickets to their clients or constituents at no cost to them.

In 2024, through the TAG program, RTD issued 229,352 3-hour passes and served over 56,300 individuals.

“Through the Transit Assistance Grant Program, Servicios de La Raza distributed bus tickets to participants across the Denver metropolitan region, which helped them to access resources,” said Josef Lopez, Vice President of Human Services at Servicios de La Raza about the impact of the 2024 TAG award. “Resources accessed included food and other basic needs supplies, important medical and court appointments, assistance to recently arrived migrants in navigating to services and shelter, getting clients to substance misuse and mental health appointments, job interviews and to work and other similar needs to help low-income, marginalized communities have equitable access to public transit.”

For 2025, RTD allocated $1 million for the TAG program and accepted applications Jan. 3-31. The program was originally launched in 2024 as a result of recommendations from the agency’s Systemwide Fare Study and Equity Analysis.

The agency received 194 applications for 2025 TAG funding and awarded approximately 77% of applicants. In total, 150 organizations will receive grant funding this year.

“After listening to community feedback, we made some changes to the TAG program to better suit the needs of the community,” said Theresa Rinker, RTD’s Manager of Market Development. “We were able to give larger grant amounts to eligible organizations who have been able to make significant impacts on the lives of their clients.”

TAG is meant to fill the temporary gap for customers who have urgent transportation-related requirements, and to provide organizations that serve these customers with time to educate and enroll clients in LiVE, RTD’s income-based fare discount program for eligible customers.

“The Salvation Army cannot say enough about the RTD TAG program,” said Kaitlyn Coler with the Salvation Army – a recipient of 2024 TAG funding. “They give our clients in shelters and other social service programs the autonomy to accomplish their goals in times of crisis much faster than if they’d needed to wait for transportation access by their own means. These tickets give them the chance to become more proactive, resilient and engaged.” 

TAG award selection criteria

A selection panel of RTD staff determined grant recipients based on clear and transparent evaluation criteria, including whether an organization:

• Is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, social service or governmental agency
• Serves clients with immediate needs. This includes organizations providing support for individuals who need urgent or immediate access to essential services, education, training or employment; assistance with crisis intervention; support for unhoused individuals; aid to newcomers to the metro area; and help for individuals with severe health conditions
• Is in good account standing with RTD
• Agrees to distribute the fare media only to clients and at no cost
• Agrees to provide quarterly reports to RTD that document how many fare products were issued and approximately how many unique immediate-needs clients were assisted
• Will implement a process that informs and assists clients with enrollment in LiVE, RTD’s income-based fare discount program