Opportunity Information: Apply for FTA 2011 001 LPM TBP
Apply for FTA 2011 001 LPM TBP
- The DOT/Federal Transit Administration in the transportation sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Transit Livability Performance Measures" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 20.514 Public Transportation Research.
- This funding opportunity was created on Nov 22, 2010 and posted on Oct 25, 2010.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 7, 2010. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $300,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $125,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Private institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA), within the U.S. Department of Transportation, released a discretionary research grant opportunity called Transit Livability Performance Measures (Funding Opportunity Number FTA 2011 001 LPM TBP). The overall purpose is to fund research that helps FTA better understand and measure how public transit contributes to the livability of communities, and to build the data resources needed to calculate those measures every year so national trends and progress can be tracked consistently. The work is meant to apply across the entire country and explicitly includes both urban and rural contexts, with an emphasis on creating measures that can help FTA evaluate the effectiveness of federal livability-related transit efforts.
FTA intended to make three awards total, structured as three separate but related project areas. Applicants could apply to one, two, or all three areas, but they had to submit a separate proposal for each area. The funding instrument was a cooperative agreement, meaning the agency expected to be involved in project direction and coordination rather than simply issuing a hands-off grant.
The first project area focuses on the data foundation needed to support livability performance measures. FTA identified a core challenge: there is no single, affordable, consistent national dataset that shows where transit service exists in a way that can be updated annually. The agency specifically pointed to the growing availability of transit stop, station, and schedule data in the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), a widely used open format commonly published by transit agencies for use in trip planners. FTA wanted proposals that explain how to leverage the GTFS data agencies already publish, and how to develop procedures to compile it into a comprehensive, standardized database suitable for national analysis. A major requirement is to address gaps in rural areas and in places not covered through typical Google Maps-related workflows, so the resulting approach can support analysis nationwide rather than only in large metropolitan areas. The scope also includes recommendations for archiving practices (so year-to-year comparisons are possible) and potentially integrating GTFS with demographic and geographic layers to enable spatial and temporal livability analysis. As a capstone, applicants were expected to demonstrate database applications across a chosen region that offers strong data availability and includes a variety of urbanized areas.
The second project area is about defining urban livability performance measures. Here, FTA wanted a practical set of metrics that describe how urban transit systems contribute to quality of life in the communities they serve. The measures needed to be meaningful from a national viewpoint (so FTA can compare and monitor performance broadly) while still aligning with the kinds of measures used in regional and local planning (so they are not purely academic and can be integrated into real planning practice). Proposals were expected to build on prior local and regional work and translate that experience into recommendations that FTA could realistically implement. As with the data effort, candidate measures were to be tested and evaluated across a selected geographic region that includes diverse urban environments, using available data to show how the measures behave in different contexts.
The third project area mirrors the second but is tailored to rural livability. FTA sought metrics that can capture how rural transit contributes to quality of life, again balancing national consistency with compatibility for regional and local planning. The agency emphasized interest in exploring and testing innovative ideas in an academic-style research environment, but with a grounded evaluation process that includes community planners and transit practitioners. This stakeholder involvement was important because rural transit varies widely (for example, demand-response service, volunteer driver models, limited schedules, and long travel distances), and measures that work in cities may not translate cleanly. As with the urban measures, the proposal had to include evaluation of candidate metrics across a geographic region chosen for data availability and for a mix of rural environments.
Across all three project areas, the project term was set at 18 months from the start of the agreement. Proposals were allowed to include additional funding sources (federal, state, or other research funds) either to expand the scope or to continue work beyond the 18-month period, but the core deliverables were expected within the grant timeframe. Every proposal also needed to budget for travel to Washington, DC for three in-person touchpoints with FTA staff: an initial meeting to align on goals, a mid-project progress briefing, and a final presentation to review results and recommendations.
Financially, FTA estimated total funding of about $300,000 for the opportunity, with individual awards expected to fall between $50,000 (floor) and $125,000 (ceiling). There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The opportunity anticipated three awards in total, aligning with the three project areas.
Eligible applicants included 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education. The CFDA number listed was 20.514, Public Transportation Research.
The notice was originally posted October 25, 2010, with key dates showing an original closing date of November 30, 2010 and a current closing date of December 7, 2010, and an archive date of January 6, 2011. The opportunity referenced additional details through the FTA website notices of funding availability, and provided a contact at FTA for access issues: Keith Gates, Office of Budget Policy, (202) 366-1794, keith.gates@dot.gov.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled Transit Livability Performance Measures, issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The Funding Opportunity Number is FTA 2011 001 LPM TBP.
Which federal agency is offering this opportunity?
This is a discretionary research grant opportunity released by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) within the U.S. Department of Transportation.
What is the overall purpose of the program?
The purpose is to fund research that helps FTA better understand and measure how public transit contributes to the livability of communities, and to build the data resources needed to calculate those measures every year so national trends and progress can be tracked consistently. The measures are intended to support FTA evaluation of federal livability-related transit efforts.
Is the work intended to apply nationally or only to certain regions?
The work is intended to apply across the entire United States and explicitly includes both urban and rural contexts. Each project area also includes testing and evaluation across a selected geographic region chosen for strong data availability and diversity of contexts.
How many awards did FTA plan to make?
FTA intended to make three awards total.
How are the awards structured?
The opportunity is structured as three separate but related project areas. Applicants could apply to one, two, or all three areas, but they were required to submit a separate proposal for each project area.
What type of funding instrument is used?
The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which means FTA expected to be involved in project direction and coordination rather than issuing a fully hands-off grant.
What is Project Area 1 about?
Project Area 1 focuses on building the data foundation needed to support livability performance measures, including addressing the lack of a single affordable, consistent national dataset showing where transit service exists in a way that can be updated annually.
What data source did FTA highlight for Project Area 1?
FTA specifically pointed to the growing availability of transit stop, station, and schedule data in the General Transit Feed Specification (GTFS), an open format commonly published by transit agencies for trip planners.
What was FTA looking for regarding GTFS in Project Area 1?
FTA wanted proposals that explain how to leverage the GTFS data agencies already publish and how to develop procedures to compile that data into a comprehensive, standardized database suitable for national analysis, including procedures that support annual updates.
Did Project Area 1 require attention to rural data gaps?
Yes. A major requirement was to address gaps in rural areas and in places not covered through typical Google Maps-related workflows, so the approach supports nationwide analysis rather than only large metropolitan areas.
Were archiving and year-to-year comparisons part of Project Area 1?
Yes. The scope includes recommendations for archiving practices so year-to-year comparisons are possible.
Did Project Area 1 include integrating transit data with other datasets?
Potentially, yes. The scope notes potential integration of GTFS with demographic and geographic layers to enable spatial and temporal livability analysis.
Was a demonstration or pilot application required in Project Area 1?
Yes. As a capstone, applicants were expected to demonstrate database applications across a chosen region with strong data availability and a variety of urbanized areas.
What is Project Area 2 about?
Project Area 2 focuses on defining urban livability performance measures, meaning a practical set of metrics describing how urban transit systems contribute to community quality of life.
What qualities were expected of the urban measures in Project Area 2?
The measures needed to be meaningful from a national viewpoint (supporting broad comparison and monitoring) while also aligning with measures used in regional and local planning, so they can be integrated into real planning practice.
Did Project Area 2 require testing the measures?
Yes. Candidate measures were to be tested and evaluated across a selected geographic region that includes diverse urban environments, using available data to show how measures behave in different contexts.
What is Project Area 3 about?
Project Area 3 focuses on defining rural livability performance measures that capture how rural transit contributes to quality of life while balancing national consistency with compatibility for regional and local planning.
Why did FTA emphasize stakeholder involvement for rural measures?
FTA emphasized involvement of community planners and transit practitioners because rural transit varies widely (for example, demand-response service, volunteer driver models, limited schedules, and long travel distances), and measures that work in cities may not translate cleanly.
Was Project Area 3 intended to support innovative research approaches?
Yes. FTA expressed interest in exploring and testing innovative ideas in an academic-style research environment, paired with a grounded evaluation process that includes practitioners and planners.
Did Project Area 3 also require regional testing?
Yes. The proposal had to include evaluation of candidate metrics across a geographic region chosen for data availability and for a mix of rural environments.
What was the expected project period?
The project term was set at 18 months from the start of the cooperative agreement.
Could proposals include additional funding sources beyond the FTA award?
Yes. Proposals were allowed to include additional funding sources (federal, state, or other research funds) either to expand the scope or to continue work beyond the 18-month period, but core deliverables were expected within the grant timeframe.
Were there required in-person meetings or travel expectations?
Yes. Every proposal needed to budget for travel to Washington, DC for three in-person touchpoints with FTA staff: an initial meeting to align goals, a mid-project progress briefing, and a final presentation to review results and recommendations.
How much total funding was FTA estimating for this opportunity?
FTA estimated total funding of about $300,000 for the opportunity.
What was the expected funding range per award?
Individual awards were expected to range from about $50,000 (floor) to $125,000 (ceiling).
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. There was no cost-sharing or matching requirement.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants included: 501(c)(3) nonprofits (other than institutions of higher education), public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education.
What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed was 20.514, Public Transportation Research.
When was the notice posted and what were the key dates?
The notice was originally posted on October 25, 2010. The key dates listed included an original closing date of November 30, 2010, a current closing date of December 7, 2010, and an archive date of January 6, 2011.
Where were additional details referenced?
The opportunity referenced additional details through FTA website notices of funding availability.
Who is the contact for access issues?
The contact listed for access issues was Keith Gates, Office of Budget Policy, at (202) 366-1794 or keith.gates@dot.gov.
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