PHOENIX – A for Arizona announced today additional awardees of Arizona Transportation Modernization Grant Program, an initiative to modernize K-12 transportation options and improve access to reliable and safe transportation for students. 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 to incubate ideas to improve transportation access for K-12 students and to accelerate transit innovation and efficiency.

“As we witnessed during the recent grant cycle, this funding has empowered entrepreneurial leaders in Arizona to develop and design better transportation options that meet the needs of students and families,” said Emily Anne Gullickson, Founder and CEO of A for Arizona. “The awardees represent a diverse cross section of local communities and ambitious solutions for tackling the largest barriers impacting students. We have great confidence in this new cadre of awardees to deliver on their visions and will continue to share success stories of impact so similar models can be implemented across the state.”

In this second grant cycle, more than 50 applications were submitted representing all 15 counties across the state. A for Arizona awarded more than $6.9 million dollars in grant awards to fund 15 proposals across 10 counties in Arizona, including in remote and hard to reach communities. Awardees include:

  • Academy of Building Industries High School – Mohave County
  • ASU Preparatory Academy – Statewide
  • Boys & Girls Club of Flagstaff – Coconino & Navajo County
  • Boys & Girls Club of the Valley – Yuma Chapter – Yuma County
  • Camp Catanese – Maricopa County
  • Chicanos Por La Causa, Inc. – Maricopa & Pima County
  • Heritage Academy – Maricopa & Pinal County
  • Junior Achievement of Arizona – Statewide
  • Marana Unified School District – Pima County
  • Mexicayotl Academy of Excellence – Pima & Santa Cruz County
  • Phoenix International Academy – Maricopa County
  • Show Low Unified School District – Apache & Navajo County
  • Tombstone Unified School District – Cochise County
  • Topock Elementary School District – Mohave County
  • Yuma Educational Transportation Consortium – Yuma County

Awardees will deliver a wide range of solutions to tackle problems identified at the local level. The innovative solutions range from:

  • Offering dynamic micro transit service via smaller vehicles that do not require a commercial driver’s license (CDL) and could be operated by an existing staff member.
  • Providing parents in remote communities with a stipend for transporting their students and carpooling with other students who live nearby.
  • Leveraging strategic transportation coordinators to efficiently manage individualized services across multiple modes for foster youth and students attending micro schools.
  • Designing mobile programming to deliver onsite to ensure students residing in rural communities have access to robust learning opportunities and utilizing new technology to maximize effectiveness and student safety.

To find out more about the awardees, click here.

The final cycle of 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 March 29, 2023 at 5PM AZ time. Visit Apply.AforArizona.org.

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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.