Mobility, Access, and Transportation Insecurity Program

Federal Transit Administration, University of Minnesota Center for Transportation Studies

Letter of Intent (Required): Aug 21, 2026
Application: Sep 30, 2026

Beth Andrews
andr0274@umn.edu
612.626.1745

Kyle Shelton
shelt169@umn.edu
612.626.4061

The Mobility, Access, and Transportation Insecurity (MATI) Program is offering funding to support the planning and development of community-shaped, innovative demonstration projects that can help address issues of transportation insecurity.

Transportation insecurity may appear as a transportation challenge in a person or community's day-to-day experiences. Examples of transportation challenges or insecurity include:

• Missing or opting out of travel or daily trips
• Uncertainty about how one will reach needed destinations
• Missing or limiting opportunities and experiences because of lack of resources or access to adequate systemic support
• Perceptions or actual threats to safety and security that prevent mobility choices

The program consists of a two-phase process. This opportunity is seeking participation in the first phase of the program. Applicants selected in Phase 1 will be tasked with developing a full deployment plan that addresses a critical transportation need for a priority population(s). Applicants selected in Phase 1 will make up the pool from which the demonstration projects will be selected in Phase 2.

Applicants and proposed demonstrations may focus on a particular area within a larger geography or one that connects a series of eligible jurisdictions. Proposed demonstrations may be oriented around connecting across or to member jurisdictions in order to access opportunity or needed services.

Eligible project teams must include a designated lead and a community-based organization or nonprofit, but may also consist of:

• Nonprofit organizations
• Community-based organizations
• Federally recognized tribal nations
• Local/regional units of government (school districts/community college systems, cities, counties, metropolitan planning organizations, other local governments, councils, or special districts)
• Public transportation agencies or other private transportation providers
• State or territorial departments of transportation
• Non-transportation state or local agencies (housing, public health, economic development, and others)
• Local offices/branches of federal agencies often serving rural and smaller communities such as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Bureau of Land Management (BLM), or Department of Defense (DOD)
• For-profit employers with a presence in the proposing jurisdiction (cannot be lead applicant)
• For-profit/private organizations (cannot be lead applicant)
• Universities or other research organizations, including University Extension units

Teams should consider whether their members represent groups that can take on both the operational and the evaluative requirements of the program. For more information on team structure, see Section 3 of the application instructions.

Nationwide and U.S. Territories

Phase 1 will fund up to 13 applicants. Selected applicants will receive up to $115,000 to support the development and submission of a plan for a proposed demonstration project to address transportation insecurity. This phase will take 9–12 months.

Phase 2 will fund 8 Phase 1 applicants for the full deployment of the proposed demonstration. The selected applicant will receive up to $700,000 over 24 months to launch the demonstration project.

A link to the application instructions is available on the program website.

Applicants must complete an online expression of interest form by August 21, 2026. The full proposal deadline is September 30, 2026.

Grants and Contracts

Access · Networking and collaboration · Planning and strategy methods and resources · Transportation