PHOENIX – A for Arizona has launched the second round of the Arizona Transportation Modernization Grants Program, a first-in-the-nation $20 million initiative to modernize transportation options and improve access to reliable and safe transportation for K-12 students. These grants, administered through the A for Arizona Expansion & Innovation Fund, 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.

“There is a reason Arizona tops the charts in innovation – and now K-12 transportation is on that list,” said Governor Doug Ducey. “From family-friendly ride-sharing apps to walking school buses and new micro transit options, our local leaders embraced the opportunity to create new transportation models for our students and families. Arizonans believe in school choice, and the state’s transportation investments will result in every child having access to even more education opportunities that best fit their unique needs.”

“We know that there is not a one-size-fits-all system to addressing transportation needs but we are confident Arizona is home to the right entrepreneurs and leaders to design new transit methods built around students and where they want to learn,” said Emily Anne Gullickson, Founder and CEO of A for Arizona. “As we witnessed during the first grant cycle, this program provides an incredible opportunity to create transportation options that meets the needs of their local community. These new transit models will enable the Grand Canyon State to continue to move past an antiquated education transportation system to respond to the student-focused needs of the 21st century.”

The statewide Arizona Transportation Modernization Grant Program was established in the FY2022 budget by the Arizona State Legislature and is funded for three years. 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.

This grant opportunity is available to public schools, local governments, and community partners that want to provide transportation options to safely and easily get every public school child to the school that will best help them thrive. The program ensures that rural and remote school and community partners are prioritized, with at least 25% of grant monies supporting those proposals.

Last grant cycle, $19 million was allocated to support 24 unique proposals representing a wide range of solutions to target underserved student populations or communities looking to modernize their approach to K-12 transportation.

Since the launch of its Expansion & Innovation Fund, A for Arizona has awarded over $27 million in seed funding forming a diverse portfolio of model replications, small learning communities, solutions to modernizing K-12 transportation, innovative learning models aimed to boldly reimagine education, and identifying best practices to better support Arizona’s most vulnerable student populations.

The Arizona Transportation Modernization Grant application is now live. Interested school, government, and community leaders can access additional grant information here. The application deadline is Wednesday, November 2nd at 5pm Arizona time.

Apply Today

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About A for Arizona
At A for Arizona, we firmly believe that expanding excellence is our best chance to ensure every K-12 student has access to, and benefits from, high-performing schools, learning communities, and opportunities. We imagine a day where excellence has spread, and failure has fallen away, leaving only the best learning options available for all students.