A for Arizona Selected to Administer New Public K-12 Transportation Grant Program

PHOENIX (August 18, 2021) – A for Arizona was selected as the program administrator of the Arizona Transportation Modernization Grants Program, a $20 million initiative to modernize transportation options and improve access to reliable and safe transportation for K-12 students. These FY22 grants, administered through the A for Arizona Expansion & Innovation Fund, will support locally driven solutions to increase efficiency and cost savings, address geographic and local needs, and provide access for more families to the public learning options that best meet each child’s needs.

“The Arizona Transportation Modernization Grants Program will strengthen opportunities for kids and families in rural communities and all areas of the state, and it will expand access to safe transportation for K-12 students,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “Arizonans believe in school choice, and the state’s transportation investments will result in even more education opportunities that best fit families’ unique needs. I was proud to sign a fiscally conservative budget this year that includes investments in reliable K-12 transportation, and I thank A for Arizona for their work to protect students and set them up for success.”

“We are honored to administer the new Arizona Transportation Modernization Grants Program,” said Emily Anne Gullickson, Founder and CEO of A for Arizona. “Transportation barriers are real for far too many families. This new grant opportunity is available to school communities, local governments, and families that want to provide equity by embracing additional transport modes, improving route solutions or enhancing technology to safely and easily get every public school child to the school that will best help them thrive. These proposals will enable the Grand Canyon State to move past an antiquated education transportation system to respond to the student-focused needs of the 21^st century.”

The statewide Arizona Transportation Modernization Grant Program was established in the FY2022 budget by the Arizona State Legislature and ensures that rural and remote school and community partners are prioritized, with at least 25% of grant monies supporting those proposals. The grant program provides resources in addition to current transportation funding levels to incubate ideas to improve access to reliable and safe transportation for students who attend a district school through open enrollment or attend a public charter school, and to accelerate innovation and efficiency solutions.

“Arizona has quickly emerged as the go-to tech and transportation hub for startups and entrepreneurs who are developing products to best address the most pressing issues within our community,” said Jack Selby, Managing Director of Thiel Capital and Chairman of InvisionAZ. “With today’s announcement, Arizona is once again a national leader by pursuing cutting-edge approaches to improve transportation systems to drive down costs, enhance safety and efficiency, and empower more K-12 students to have a real choice. Through this all-call for solutions, public schools have an incredible opportunity to partner with entrepreneurs, local government, and community leaders to boldly identify options to transport students not solely reliant on yellow school buses.”

“At YesAZ, we are focused on empowering entrepreneurs, helping them grow, give back, and positively impact Arizona in all industries,” said Kate Sieker, Executive Director of YesAZ. “We are excited to see state leaders focus on fostering innovation in K-12 education by inviting edupreneuers, the startup community, and local organizations to actively engage and help solve Arizona’s K-12 public transportation challenges. This new transportation grant is an important first step in creating more synergy among emerging technologies and K-12 education to better meet the needs of every Arizona student.”

In 2018, A for Arizona launched a first-of-its-kind statewide Expansion & Innovation Fund with the help of generous philanthropic support by The Bob & Renee Parsons Foundation, Burton Family Foundation, Pharos Foundation, and other generous donors. The Fund has provided education entrepreneurs access to fast capital to jump start better teaching and learning approaches, reimagine school models, or replicate and scale student-focused options. A for Arizona has conducted five successful grant cycles to date, awarding nearly 40 grants totaling over $1.75 million.

The Arizona Transportation Modernization Grant application will go live on August 24th. Interested school, government, and community leaders can access additional grant information here. The application deadline is Friday, October 8th at 3pm Arizona time.

The application window is open for five weeks, with final submissions due by Thursday, July 8 at noon AZ. For more information about the Expansion & Innovation Fund, or to apply, visit the A for Arizona website.