AMP Grant: FAQS
GENERAL QUESTIONS
-
City Thread is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate projects that help people move safely, efficiently, and equitably throughout their communities. The City Thread team combines 50 years of experience in urban planning, marketing, communications, public participation, fundraising, grant making, community engagement, strategic planning, and campaign management.
We collaborate with diverse teams of elected officials, city staff, community leaders, funders, and residents to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and develop a shared vision to accelerate mobility and place-based projects. Our custom strategies prioritize local coalition-building to develop organizations and launch campaigns that achieve success for everyone.
If you have any questions, please email info@citythread.org so we can determine the best member of our team to answer your specific question.
-
Transportation, mobility, and access improvements offer cost-effective solutions to the challenges cities face, but traditional methods of planning, project development, community engagement, and messaging often leave residents searching for better answers, and the resulting projects rarely achieve their desired intent.
Improvements to the built environment take too long to implement, infrastructure is disconnected and incomplete, and poor messaging around projects creates fear and distrust, empowering a vocal minority of opposition.
City Thread’s community-based approach to mobility programs is rooted in the development of diverse coalitions that partner with local governments to achieve shared goals and build momentum for future success.
The Accelerated Mobility Playbook provides a roadmap for successful project delivery, network-focused implementation plans, and authentic community engagement that showcases existing popular support and enables leaders to get ahead of opposition and neutralize misinformation.
-
The Accelerated Mobility Playbook (AMP) is a tool to help cities deliver their mobility networks faster, strengthen partnerships, and communicate effectively with the public. It measures a city’s current capacity and readiness against global best practices and offers proven solutions to common challenges that slow projects down.
The AMP provides clear opportunities to improve project delivery, build strong partnerships with community stakeholders, and grow public support for safer, more connected streets. Recommendations include campaign goals, budget guidance, and concrete next steps for action.
In short, the AMP serves as both an assessment of your city’s current practices and a practical roadmap for faster, more effective implementation.
-
A mobility network is a completely connected, comfortable system of sidewalks, trails, bike lanes, transit stops, and accessible public spaces that allow people to travel safely, comfortably, and reliably without using a car.
Just as today’s street network allows drivers to travel anywhere without much thought, a complete mobility network gives the same freedom and reliability to people who don’t drive. While many cities have built pieces of these networks over time, the challenge now is to connect them and fill in the missing links.
No one has to navigate incomplete connections or be forced into unsafe and confusing situations. Everyone can get where they are going with the greatest safety and the least amount of hassle because everyone’s traffic-flow needs are met through careful planning and smart construction.
-
Beginning in 2019, five U.S. cities pioneered the use of the Accelerated Mobility Playbook to significantly advance the construction of their bicycle networks.
Collectively, Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Providence, Rhode Island, constructed 335 miles of new, safe, and connected bikeways—moving projects from concept to completion in only 24 months. They are now on pace to fully build their planned networks 25 years earlier than expected.
Today, there are 17 cities across the U.S. participating in the AMP program.
AMP GRANT QUESTIONS
-
The AMP Technical Assistance Program helps U.S. cities accelerate the development of safe and connected mobility networks. Through a competitive application process, City Thread selects participating cities and provides them with an assessment of their current practices, along with an action plan to strengthen partnerships and support faster project delivery.
-
City Thread’s AMP grant program helps U.S. cities build safer, more connected mobility networks—faster. Selected cities receive a clear set of support and opportunities, including:
● A site visit to learn about your city’s processes, relationships, and opportunities for change.
● An assessment of project delivery, leadership commitments, and community or philanthropic support.
● A strategic roadmap to speed up implementation, strengthen partnerships, and grow public support.
● An in-person gathering with other AMP cities to connect and share lessons.
-
The application and grant guidelines are available here.
Completed submissions should be emailed to Kyle Wagenschutz (kyle@citythread.org) with the name of your city and AMP Grant in the subject line (ex: Funville AMP Grant). Please submit the administrative information and application narrative as one document with supporting documents attached.
-
Yes! The AMP grant program supports cities no matter their starting place. This program is adaptable and supports a variety of solutions reflecting the different needs and contexts in cities of all shapes and sizes.
-
Applications must be submitted by a two-party team that includes both local government and a community-based organization.
● One co-applicant must be a representative of a local government authority.
● The second co-applicant should come from a nonprofit, philanthropic, business, advocacy, or other community-based organization working on mobility, transportation, or place-based improvements.
Applications are limited to cities and towns in the United States. There are no population restrictions for applications. The AMP can work in communities of 25,000 to growing urban centers of more than 1 million people.
-
Applications require a partnership between a city department staff member and a local community-based organization lead. These AMP program leads must be able to:
● Participate in periodic check-in meetings hosted by City Thread to discuss project status, needs, and updates.
● Assist with making introductions and scheduling interviews needed to conduct the assessment, including with other city staff, community partners, elected leadership, and the philanthropic community.
● Provide accurate and up-to-date data needed to perform an analysis of network connectivity, mobility planning, staffing capacity, and construction readiness.
● Secure a local cash match of $15,000 USD.
● Attend the in-person AMP Leadership Gathering (two attendees per city, designated for city and community leads). City Thread will cover travel and lodging costs.
-
Yes, a match of $15,000 USD is required and demonstrates local commitment to the robust readiness assessment.
As a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, City Thread has secured grant funding to offset the full cost of the program ($50,000 USD) and provide this assistance at nonprofit rates.
-
The local match funding of $15,000 USD must be provided as a cash match. In-kind donations, services, or staff support are not eligible as a local match.
Applicants can use a variety of funding sources for the local match:
● Grant funding from local philanthropic organizations
● One or more major donors
● Fundraising campaigns through crowdfunding sites such as ioby.org
● Events, campaigns, or other fundraising strategies
● Existing city or partner funds
City Thread is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. If your funding source(s) are diverse or unique, talk to us about how to set up the contribution.
-
City Thread accepts AMP Technical Assistance grant applications year-round. Applications are reviewed, and awards are made quarterly—up to four times each year.
-
Applications are accepted at any time and reviewed quarterly by City Thread staff. As part of the process, every applicant will be invited to meet with a City Thread partner. This meeting will cover next steps and the timeline for moving forward with a potential grant award.