Grant Application

Grant Application

Many thanks to all those who submitted grant applications for our Fiscal Year 2025 grant cycle! This funding period proved to be highly competitive. We received 23 applications requesting over $13M of Safe Routes to School funding–almost double the amount we have to award. Eight of these applications qualify for 100% funding. We are excited to have received broad representation from each CDOT region proposing exciting, well-thought projects.

This Fiscal Year 2025/2026 grant cycle featured two new exciting developments to the grant process. One, in response to the November 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funding previously available only to elementary and middle school grades now includes high school. In addition, in line with rising costs, the CSRTS Advisory Committee increased the maximum award from $750K to $1M. The committee was also able to continue to consider awarding 100% funding to projects from qualifying communities. Eligibility for this match funding exemption was determined utilizing the Multimodal Transportation Options Fund (MMOF) matrix. You can find a list of qualifying municipalities in our Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Application Guidelines and Instructions Manual. Please note, this list was updated August 26, 2024. 

We are pleased to share that funds totaling $7,739,665 are being awarded to the applicants listed below. For an overview of all projects funded throughout the state, please visit our Master List of Colorado Safe Routes to School Grant-funded Projects. 

Our next grant application period is anticipated to open in the summer of 2026. It's never too early to start preparing! Read on below for our previous grant period timeline and a sense of what to expect. You will also find helpful steps to consider before applying. 

New Grantees

Non-Infrastructure Grants

City and County of Denver is awarded $258,825 toward expanding the Denver Department of Transportation and Infrastructure established SRTS initiative to high schools, creating curriculum, educational modules, and engagement events.

Town of Windsor  is awarded $178,021 to empower more children to walk, bike, and roll to school by creating safe travel plans from neighborhoods to schools, delivering bicycle and pedestrian education in physical education classes, raising awareness through public communications, and mobilizing a Task Force Coalition to sustain the initiative long term.


Infrastructure Grants

Cañon City is awarded $1M with no match requirement to improve a key corridor serving as the direct connection between the local High School and Middle School. Additionally, the project aims to improve school zone safety with upgraded signage and pedestrian crosswalks that facilitate students grades Kindergarten through 12 moving between the three school campuses.

City and County of Denver is awarded $838,045 to enhance safe routes for Stanley British Primary School through installation of a Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon at the key intersection of Quebec Street and E. 4th Avenue. The project will additionally aim to incorporate pedestrian civil improvements such as curb ramps and a pedestrian refuge island as well as School Zone enhancements including updated signage, striping, and school zone flashing beacons.

La Veta School District is awarded $875,625 with no match requirement toward construction of an ADA-compliant sidewalk connecting downtown La Veta to its new Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 school. This infrastructure will enable safe access to both school and downtown educational resources.

Town of Paonia is awarded $872,825 with no match requirement to provide safe routes for students to walk, bike, and roll to and from the local elementary school while also offering a means for students to walk to the River Park for school outings.

City of Lakewood is awarded $793,450 toward improving safe, accessible routes for students of Stober Elementary School through the construction of two detached sidewalks, ADA-compliant ramps, and a traffic calming device at a crucial intersection.

Town of Basalt is awarded $573,200 to construct a cohesive system of sidewalks, crosswalks, signage, bike lanes, and drainage in partnership with the Roaring Fork School District.

City of Fort Collins is awarded $835,000 toward roadway improvements for students walking, biking, and rolling to/from Irish Elementary School. The project will include construction of a concrete side path where no sidewalks nor bike lanes exist, an improved bike-ped crossing, a widened sidewalk, and a crosswalk in front of the school.

Town of Cedaredge is awarded $387,709 with no match requirement to support students actively commuting to Cedaredge Elementary School through increased connectivity among pedestrian routes in the town. This project will replace sidewalks in disrepair and integrate them with existing sidewalks, including ADA accessible ramps at all intersections and in front of the school

Town of Lyons is awarded $758,012 to support safe routes for Lyons Elementary School by adding ADA accessible bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure where none currently exists while also improving two drainage inlets identified as a safety hazard.

Town of Johnstown is awarded $368,953 to support safe routes for students at Elwell Elementary. The project scope will also include a High-Intensity Activated crosswalk (HAWK) system that allows for safe crossings of Colorado Boulevard.

Grant Application Timeline for Fiscal Year 2025 

  • Noon Monday, August 5, 2024: Online application opens 
  • 11:30 am Tuesday, August 20, 2024: Google Meet Session--How to Prepare Your CSRTS Application
    Google Meet Q and A Agenda
  • 11 am September 10, 2024: Webinar on Preparing Your Application - Evaluation 
  • Noon Monday, November 4, 2024: Applications due: late or incomplete applications will not be accepted
  • November 5 - 7, 2024: Colorado Safe Routes to School Team Technical Review
  • Mid-November  2024: Applications distributed to CSRTS Advisory Committee for review and selection
  • Mid-January 2024: Colorado Safe Routes to School Advisory Community meets to select projects
  • March 2025: Projects recommended to Transportation Commission for approval
  • Mid April 2025: Applicants notified
  • 11am - 12:30 pm May 13, 2025: Fiscal Year 2025 Mandatory Grantee Meeting; Google Meet Invitation to be sent to Awarded Grantees. This is a required meeting for all new grantees. Please mark your calendars! 

How to Prepare Your Safe Route to Schools Application

What You Can Do Today

We want to make sure you have all the information your organization needs to apply for funding. We are rooting for your success! If you are interested in pursuing this upcoming opportunity, here are some simple steps to take before applying:     

  1. Determine your eligibility. To apply for a CSRTS grant, applicants must be a political subdivision of the state. For a definition of "subdivision of the state", please click this link: https://law.justia.com/codes/colorado/2016/title-29/general-provisions/article-1/part-9/section-29-1-901
  2. Identify what type of grant your project might qualify for, infrastructure or non-infrastructure: On our website, you can find the Fiscal Year 2021 top-scoring infrastructure application and the Fiscal Year 2021 top-scoring non-infrastructure application for your reference. Please note, in order to offer these applications in the most useful and readable format, we have transferred information from Salesforce into new, modified documents. These documents do not represent the exact format of the application. 
  3. Read through our Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Application Guidelines and Instructions. This provides a thorough run-down of both infrastructure and non-infrastructure applications so can anticipate what to expect and ready the tools to be successful. Note, the Match Exemption list was updated in this manual on August 26, 2024.
  4. Get familiar with two key documents:
    Our community engagement toolkit, Working Together to Make Meaningful Change: A Toolkit for Engaging Communities Across Colorado  created by Safe Routes Partnership with support from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and Colorado Safe Routes to School, offers tips and strategies for authentic and equitable community engagement which we love to see incorporated into projects. Utilizing suggested strategies will be valuable to your application and the success of your programming. For a thorough overview of the toolkit, check out the recording from one of our webinars on this topic!
    We also highly recommend all applicants read through our new Strategic Plan. This resource in conjunction with the community engagement toolkit will offer valuable insight and guidance that will strengthen your projects and applications.
  5. Contact us! Each new grant application period, our Colorado Safe Routes to School Program Manager Melissa Trecoske Houghton offers 20-minute individual consultations during which she can answer questions and talk to you about your project. If you need Spanish interpretation for this consultation, we have the capacity to arrange this. Please email Melissa at [email protected] to schedule. *We will update this page when consultation slots are again available.
  6. Sign up for an account to access our online. A new link will be provided when available.

Fiscal Year 2025 Grant Application Guide

Common Pitfall Prevention

  • Application is not submitted by the deadline.  
  • Your application will be disqualified if a statement and/or partner letter, demonstrating Right of Way, is not provided as requested in Section 2. As this is a critical aspect of a project, any application that does not provide the necessary documentation regarding Right of Way will not be reviewed. This applies to all projects including those involving Railroad Crossings.
  • Failure to provide requested information in any part of the grant application will result in your application being disqualified. This includes data, school information, action plan or budget items.
  • Any materials submitted outside of the application system will not be accepted. This includes information sent via email or through the postal service.
  • Do not embed links to PDFs within your application to avoid entering the required information as requested in the application. For instance, do not embed a pdf link for your budget into the narrative instead of completing the budget section. Your application will be disqualified.
  • Continuation projects are not eligible for funding. Specifically, if you have previously received funding through the CDOT SRTS Grant program and you wish to apply for this opportunity your application must demonstrate how your new project proposal is separate and different from previously funded projects. 

Looking for a form?

Are you a current grantee, looking for a form? Please visit a resource below:

Other Helpful Resources