Rides to Wellness Demonstration and Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Grants program - 2016 NOFO

Details:

On March 29, 2016, the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) published FTA-2015-012-TPM-RTW on Grants.gov announcing the availability of approximately $5.3 million of funding from two programs to support the Rides to Wellness Demonstration and Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Grants (R2W Demonstration Grants).  The funding sources are:  Section 3006(b) of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST), Pub. L. 114-94, which authorizes a pilot program for innovative coordinated access and mobility; and 49 U.S.C. 5312 (Section 5312). Proposals must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov website by midnight Eastern Time on 5/31/2016.

Goal:

The goal of the competitive R2W Demonstration Grants is to find and test promising, replicable public transportation healthcare access solutions that support the following Rides to Wellness goals: increased access to care, improved health outcomes and reduced healthcare costs.

To support these goals, the R2W Demonstration Grants will:

1. Develop replicable, innovative, sustainable solutions to healthcare access challenges
2. Foster local partnerships between health, transportation, home and community-based services and other sectors to collaboratively develop and support solutions that increase healthcare access
3. Demonstrate the impacts of transportation solutions on improved access to healthcare and health outcomes and reduced costs to the healthcare and transportation sectors.

Eligible applicants:

Eligible proposers and eventual grant applicants under this initiative must be States, Tribes, and Designated or Direct Recipients for funds under 49 U.S.C. 5307, 5310 or 5311. Applicants must serve as the lead agency of a local consortium that includes stakeholders from the transportation, healthcare, human service or other sectors.  Members of this consortium are eligible as subrecipients. Applicants must demonstrate that the proposed project was planned through an inclusive process with the involvement of the transportation, healthcare and human service industries. 

Eligible projects:

Mobility management; health and transportation provider partnerships; technology; and other actions that drive change. The selected projects will develop innovative and replicable best practices.

Summary: 

R2W Demonstration Grants are part of a series of activities to support FTA’s Rides to Wellness Program that seeks to address challenges for the transportation disadvantaged in accessing health and wellness services.  Across the country, communities are experimenting with ways to overcome barriers to these essential services by leveraging partnerships across transportation, health, and wellness providers. 

Through the R2W Demonstration Grants, FTA will fund projects with strategies that enhance access and drive change.  For historically disadvantaged populations, there are many challenges to maintaining optimal health.  Through community partnerships that break down industry silos, leverage existing resources, enhance mobility for targeted groups, and develop a person-centric model, these projects will provide ladders of opportunity that improve the health of our citizens. 

For complete and up to date guidance on the project information and project evaluation criteria, refer to the Rides to Wellness Demonstration and Innovative Coordinated Access and Mobility Grants program on the FTA Website.

Link to the supplemental form to the SF-424:

All applicants must complete a supplemental form and attach it to their submission in Grants.gov.

The Rides to Wellness Demonstration Grants Webinar will be held on Wednesday, April 20th 2016 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. EST, click here to register: https://connectdot.connectsolutions.com/fta-wellness/event/event_info.html

FAQs:

Rides to Wellness Funding Opportunity

Dates: 

An applicant must submit a proposal electronically by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 31, 2016. Any agency intending to apply should initiate the process of registering on the Grants.gov site immediately to ensure completion of registration before the submission deadline. Applications received after the deadline may not be considered for funding.

For Further Information Contact:

 For information on this notice, contact program manager Danielle Nelson, Office of Program Management, e-mail: Danielle.Nelson@dot.gov or 202-366-2160.