People boarding the lightrail on an early sunny morning

Transit Assistance Grant Program

The TAG Program assists organizations that serve clients with immediate needs by providing grants in the form of RTD fares for qualified nonprofits and associated organizations.

2025 Transit Assistance Grant (TAG) Program

We are pleased to announce that the TAG Program was a success in 2024 and has been approved for funding for 2025. RTD has set aside up to $1 million for the program. The TAG Program will assist organizations that serve clients with immediate needs by providing grants in the form of RTD fares for qualified nonprofits and associated organizations. Furthermore, the TAG Program is intended to function as a stopgap while eligible customers sign up for the RTD LiVE Program.

Applications will be open from January 3-31, 2025

The distributed grants will be in the form of standard paper 10-Ride Ticket books. The grant recipients must distribute the tickets to their clients or constituents for free.

The application period for calendar year 2025 will be open from January 3-31, 2025. A grant program selection panel, consisting of RTD staff, will determine grant recipients based on clear and transparent evaluation criteria.

Selection Criteria

For consideration your agency/organization must be a nonprofit organization designated as exempt from federal income tax under I.R.S. § 501(c)(3), a governmental community/social service agency and provide assistance to immediate needs clients.

Grant funding will be available to organizations that serve clients with immediate transportation needs, defined as follows:

  1. Individuals applying for LiVE: Stopgap for individuals who are applying or have applied for the RTD LiVE Program. This may include individuals who utilize RTD to access training programs and employment services.
  2. Crisis Intervention: Transporting individuals in crises, such as domestic violence victims seeking shelter, to safe and supportive environments.
  3. Access to Essential Services: Ensuring that vulnerable populations, such as seniors, people with disabilities, low-income individuals, refugees, and others have reliable transportation to access essential services like groceries, pharmacies, mental health, and medical appointments.
  4. Homelessness Support: Offering transportation solutions to help individuals experiencing homelessness access shelters, social services, or employment opportunities.
  5. Emergency Support: Individuals experiencing a crisis, or a situation that threatens their personal safety. Not a chronic condition, but a time-bound emergent situation.

Minimum Requirements

  1. Tickets must be used to help immediate needs clients as outlined above
  2. Must be in good account standing with RTD
  3. Must agree to only distribute the tickets to its clients
  4. Must agree to the reporting requirements for the program

Grant recipients are required to implement a process that informs and assists their clients with enrollment in RTD’s income-based LiVE fare discount program.

This process must include the following components at a minimum:

  1. Introduction and overview of the RTD program to all individuals receiving grant tickets
    1. Income qualifications
    2. LiVE discounted fare prices, available fare products, and LiVE discount identification card
    3. Length of eligibility period
    4. How to apply and available assistance
  2. Provide RTD LiVE program materials to interested clients (materials provided by RTD)
  3. Attend training webinars provided by RTD

How to apply?

You will need to provide the following:

  1. Agency's 501(c)(3) status letter from the IRS. If governmental agency, please provide Federal I.D. Tax Number.
  2. A letter from your agency, on agency letterhead, dated and signed by the CEO/Agency Director no more than 2 pages long describing:
    1. Intended use
    2. Impact this grant will have on the organization's clients
    3. Total number of clients served annually
    4. Total number of transit-dependent immediate needs clients served annually
  3. Agency’s mission statement (nothing additional)
  4. W9

When and where to apply?

Applications open from January 3, 2025 to January 31, 2025. Please apply online or by mail. Note: Do not send in a paper application if you are applying online.

Apply online by visiting 2025 Transit Assistance Grant (TAG) Program

If you prefer to apply by mail, please send all required documents to:

RTD Administrative Offices

Transit Assistance Grant Program

1660 Blake Street, BLK- 12

Denver 80202

Attend upcoming webinars for details on the program

Thursday Jan 2, 1-2pm

RSVP for the Pre-application Webinar here - Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Thursday Jan 23, 1-2pm

RSVP for the Application Support Webinar here - Microsoft Virtual Events Powered by Teams

Contact Us

E-mail Us: [email protected]
Call Us: 303-299-2132 (select Option 2)

List of 2024 TAG Program Awardees

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

Adams County Government

AllHealth Network

Almost Home

A Precious Child, Inc

Arapahoe County

Arvada Community Food Bank, Inc. dba Community Table

Atlantis Community, Inc.

Aurora Arapahoe Battered Women's Shelter DBA Gateway Domestic Violence Services

Aurora Community Connection

Aurora Economic Opportunity Coalition (AEOC)

Aurora Housing Authority

Aurora Mental Health and Recovery

Aurora Public Schools

Aurora Wellness Community

Bayaud Enterprises, Inc.

Benefits in Action

Bethany Christian Services Colorado

Boulder Housing Partners

Boulder Shelter for the Homeless

Brain Injury Alliance of Colorado (BIAC)

Brighton Housing Authority

Brother Jeff's Cultural Center

Brothers Redevelopment

CAFI Sustainability Center

Caring & Sharing Community Resources and Transformation Center

Center for People With Disabilities

Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation on behalf of Children's Hospital Colorado

Christ Lutheran Church - WELS

City and County of Broomfield

City of Aurora

City of Commerce City

City of Northglenn

City of Thornton Community Connections Division

City of Westminster

City of Wheat Ridge

Clean Slates

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless

Colorado Ethiopian Community

Colorado Health Network, Inc.

Colorado Hosting Asylum Network

Colorado Juvenile Defender Center DBA Transformative Justice Project of Colorado

Colorado Legal Services

Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, DBA African Leadership Group

Colorado Nonprofit Development Center, dba Denver Regional Mobility & Access Council

Colorado Nonprofit Development Center dba Families Forward Resource Center

Colorado Poverty Law Project

Colorado Village Collaborative

Commún

Community College of Aurora

Community Ministry of Southwest Denver

Community Outreach Service Center

Community Services of Broomfield, dba Broomfield FISH

CWEE | Center for Work Education and Employment

Denver Adult Probation Department

Denver County Court Probation

Denver Department of Public Health and Environment

Denver District Attorney's Office Diversion Programs

Denver Dream Center

Denver Economic Development and Opportunity

Denver Health and Hospital Authority

Denver Home Healthcare, Inc.

Denver Homeless Voice

Denver Inner City Parish

Denver Office of the Municipal Public Defender

Denver Problem Solving Courts

Denver Public Library

Denver Public Schools

Denver Public Schools Family and Community Engagement

Denver Rescue Mission

Denver Urban Gardens (DUG)

DenverWorks DBA CommunityWorks

Deserving Dental

Doctors Care

Doing His Time

Domestic Violence Initiative for Women with Disabilities

ECDC African Community Center of Denver

Emily Griffith Foundation

Empowering Communities Globally

Englewood Municipal Court Navigator Program

English Learning Center

Evergreen Christian Outreach (EChO)

Family Promise of Greater Denver, Inc.

Family Tree, Inc.

FAVA (Families Against Violent Acts)

Florence Crittenton Services

Focus Points Family Resource Center

Focus Reentry

Food Bank of the Rockies

Foothills Regional Housing

Friends of DHA

FrontLine Farming

Glendale Police Department

Goodwill of Colorado

Grace Church of Arvada

GraceFull Foundation

GRID Alternatives Colorado

Groundwork Denver

Grovewood Community Development

Growing Home

HAAT Force South Metro, Inc.

Houses For Warriors, Inc.

Intervention, Inc.

It Takes a Village Inc

Jeffco Action Center, Inc. dba The Action Center

Jeffco Public Schools

Jesus on Colfax Ministries

Jewish Family Service of Colorado, Inc.

Kaizen Food Rescue

Kids First Health Care

Laradon Hall Society for Exceptional Children and Adults

La Raza Services, Inc. dba Servicios de La Raza

Latina SafeHouse Initiative

Lord's Daily Bread

Luna Cultura, Art, Science, and Culture for Thriving Communities, LLC

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains

Lutheran Medical Center Foundation

Mercy Housing Mountain Plains

Metro Caring

Metro Community Provider Network, Inc., DBA STRIDE Community Health Center

Mi Casa Resource Center

Miel Organization

Mile High United Way

Mile High Workshop

Mission Arvada of The Rising

Montbello Organizing Committee

Movement 5280

Nederland Food Pantry

Pediatric Care Network, CHCO

Project Worthmore

Promotores de Esperanza

Providence Network

RecoveryWorks

Rocky Mountain Human Services

Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network

Rocky Mountain Welcome Center

Rose Andom Center

SafeHouse Denver Inc.

Safehouse Progressive Alliance for Nonviolence (SPAN)

Second Chance Center, Inc.

Senior Assistance Center

Senior Support Services

Sister Carmen Community Center

SO All May Eat Inc

Sobriety House

Society of St. Vincent de Paul-Denver Metro Council

Special Olympics Colorado

Spring Institute for Intercultural Learning

St Francis Center

Streets Hope

Struggle of Love Foundation

Sun Valley Youth Center

Teach by Tech, Inc

Team Colfax

The Blue Bench

The Community Firm dba The Community Economic Defense Project

The Conflict Center

The Delores Project

The Don't Look Back Center

The East Denver Colfax Partnership, Inc. DBA The Fax Partnership

The Empowerment Program

The Gathering Place

The International Rescue Committee in Denver

The Papagayo Organization, Inc.

The Reciprocity Collective

The Salvation Army

The Storytellers Project

Third Way Center

Tom Lee Chariot

University of Colorado Infectious Disease Group Practice

Urban Peak

Vega Collegiate Academy

Village Exchange Center

Volunteers of America Colorado

Warren Village

West Community Economic Development Corp (DBA BuCu West)

Wezesha Dada Center

WorkLife Partnership

Work Options for Women (DBA Work Options)

Year One, Inc. DBA Mile High Youth Corps

Youth Seen