The Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) has released the 2025 Transit-Oriented Communities Grant to seek proposals from Santa Clara public agencies, public charities, universities, cultural institutions, neighborhood associations, environmental organizations, and other nonprofit organizations to support VTA’s vision of equitable Transit-Oriented Communities.
Donor Name: Santa Clara County Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
State: California
County: Santa Clara County (CA)
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/11/2025
Size of the Grant: $100,000 to $500,000
Grant Duration: 5 Years
Details:
The goal is to grow innovative and robust partnerships between VTA and local public agencies, nonprofit, community organizations, and other diverse stakeholders to strengthen communities, increase transit ridership, reduce the need for car trips, and support intensive mixed-use, mixed-income development around transit stations and transit hubs. Selected projects will be collaborative across community and/or local government partners and remove barriers to creating safe, walkable, healthy, resilient, and thriving neighborhoods next to transit. Transit-Oriented Communities Grant Program Goals
VTA’s Transit-Oriented Communities Grant Program advances implementation of VTA’s Policy Goals through Grant Program-specific objectives, which are listed below:
- Grow innovative and robust partnerships among VTA, Local Agencies, Community-Based Organizations, and diverse stakeholders to implement equitable, Transit-Oriented Communities and remove barriers to safe, accessible, walkable, healthy, resilient, and thriving neighborhoods next to transit.
- Support plans and policies that advance Transit-Oriented Communities in Santa Clara County, including alignment with the objectives of VTA’s Transit-Oriented Communities Policy and MTC’s Transit-Oriented Communities Policy.
- Enhance transit ridership and active transportation modes.
- Empower Community-Based Organizations to champion projects that stabilize and strengthen affordable housing and neighborhood economic opportunity in Santa Clara County.
- Empower local communities to equitably engage and advocate for resilient, healthy and thriving neighborhoods near transit.
Program Areas
- Planning and Policy Implementation
- The Program Area is intended to help Local Agencies prepare and adopt long-range plans, policies, standards and codes to achieve three key goals: (1) focus Santa Clara County’s future growth so it is equitable, sustainable, and within one-half mile of transit stations and centers; (2) align with VTA’s and MTC’s Transit-Oriented Communities policies, and (3) integrate art and/or equitable engagement policies and programs into existing and upcoming planning efforts.
- Community Resilience
- The Program Area is intended to support Community-Based Organizations in three key areas: (1) increasing the stability and resilience of communities located near transit, (2) promoting and playing larger roles in implementing vibrant, inclusive and balanced, equitable Transit-Oriented Communities, and (3) strengthening emerging community development partners to advance affordable housing initiatives and small business resiliency.
- Education and Engagement
- This Program Area is intended to support neighborhood leadership and equitable engagement in Transit-Oriented Communities by providing accessible information and resources that empower community members to actively shape equitable and wellconnected Transit-Oriented Communities. It also seeks to highlight transit as an essential service within thriving Transit-Oriented Communities by focusing on the benefits of and highlighting community voices, local success stories, and promoting inclusion of all community members.
- Placekeeping, Arts, and Activation
- The Program Area is intended to enhance the transit rider and overall community experience through vibrant and engaging public spaces that utilize arts and cultural expression or community beautification. The goal is to foster a sense of community, encourage interaction across generations and backgrounds, and promote placekeeping which preserves local culture, history, or value, and position transit stations and transit hubs as safe, accessible, attractive cultural destinations. Projects will result in enlivening access in and around transit stations with a focus on pedestrian comfort and experience to enhance the transit passenger environment.
Funding Information
VTA will fund $750,000 in total to eligible applicants.
- Planning and Policy Implementation: $150,000.
- Community Resilience: $100,000.
- Education and Engagement: $25,000.
- Placekeeping, Arts, and Activation: $25,000.
Grant Period
- Planning and Policy Implementation: 2 to 5 years
- Community Resilience: 2 to 5 years
- Education and Engagement: 1 to 2 years
- Placekeeping, Arts, and Activation: 1 to 2 years.
Eligible Activities
- Planning and Policy Implementation
- Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Advancing station area plans and processes;
- Transit access planning and access gap evaluation;
- Aligning local code and policies with MTC’s Transit-Oriented Communities Policy; and
- Developing and integrating municipal art programs and/or equitable engagement programs into existing or ongoing station area plans, as well as land use and zoning policies surrounding Caltrain, VTA transit stations and transit hubs.
- Eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Community Resilience
- Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Providing technical assistance, such as funding for pre-acquisition consulting costs
- Specialized support to new and smaller organizations to expand capacity to develop new affordable housing, and/or acquire, rehabilitate existing unsubsidized affordable housing;
- Facilitating partnerships between transit agencies, local governments and community members to align development with Transit-Oriented Communities objectives; and
- Supporting and sustaining small businesses that contribute toward community identity and economic growth.
- Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Education and Engagement
- Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Conducting public awareness campaigns (e.g., education initiatives on TOC policies to enhance understanding and involvement, promoting transit through creative outreach efforts such as scavenger hunts, geocaching, travel passports);
- Transit-focused educational activities (e.g., transit-to-school/work campaigns);
- Equity-focused initiatives to accommodate community participation (e.g., translations/interpretation services, promotoras, food, childcare); and
- Providing housing access/readiness support (e.g., housing and homeowner application readiness workshops).
- Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Placekeeping, Arts, and Activation
- Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
- Arts and culture projects that enhance transit connectivity and community culture/identity (e.g., neighborhood murals and public art created by community members and art-based community activations);
- Universal and inclusive design, accessible, image-based, color-based wayfinding that works for residents of all ages, abilities, and languages;
- Cultural and community celebrations that reinforce existing community and drive increased and sustained transit use (e.g., outdoor activities that are viewable from the street and publicly accessible, such as street festivals, performances, experiential art exhibits, food and maker pop-ups).
- Examples of eligible activities include, but are not limited to:
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants for the VTA Transit-Oriented Communities Grant Program must be Local Agencies and/or Community-Based Organizations (CBO), or organizations that have a financial partnership with a CBO.
- A Local Agency is a public agency or other public entity, with land use authority or conducting planning activities, located within Santa Clara County. This may include local governments, special districts, school districts, and tribal nations. A minimum 15% match is required for local agencies.
- A Community-Based Organization (CBO) is defined as non-profit organization with 501(c)(3) and
- located in or has its principal place of business in Santa Clara County, or has a fiscal sponsor with such status. This may include public charities, universities, faith-based groups, cultural institutions, neighborhood associations, and environmental organizations. The organization (and fiscal sponsor, if applicable) must have at least a one-year history of providing community services in Santa Clara County.
For more information, visit VTA.
