Communities from Texas to Illinois and Pennsylvania to California are including healthy, active transportation activities in their Community Transformation Grant (CTG) application — and technical assistance from the National Complete Streets Coalition and the Safe Routes to School National Partnership can help them achieve their goals. Check out our current slate of activities offered by the Coalition (.pdf) and by the Partnership for ideas.
The CTG program, administered by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will fund up to 75 communities over 5 years to create healthier communities.
Applicants must address tobacco-free living, active living and healthy eating, and evidence-based quality clinical and other preventive services, but may also choose to address social and emotional wellness and healthy and safe physical environments. Our technical assistance offerings can be included in Strategic Direction 2 (active living and healthy eating) and Strategic Direction 5 (healthy and safe physical environment).
For general assistance and information about the program, communities can look to a number of sources. The Trust for America’s Health has put together a helpful document (.pdf) that summarizes key points for communities applying for CTG. The CDC’s website features a comprehensive response to frequently asked questions and was recently updated. There, you’ll also find a general e-mail box for questions and agency contacts for more specific assistance.
Tomorrow, June 14, the CDC is hosting a series of conference calls to answer your specific questions:
- June 14, 2011, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. (EDT) – Eligible applicants in the Atlantic, Eastern, and Central time zones. This conference call can be accessed by calling 1-888-972-9343. The leader for this call is Lori Elmore and the passcode is 8899773.
- June 14, 2011, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. (EDT) – Eligible applicants in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. This conference call can be accessed by calling 1-800-857-9846. The leader for this call is Lori Elmore and the passcode is 8899773.
- June 14, 2011, 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. (EDT) – Eligible applicants in Alaska and Hawaii-Aleutian time zones. This conference call can be accessed by calling 1-888-950-9563. The leader for this call is Lori Elmore and the passcode is 1495768.
- June 14, 2011, 8:00 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. (EDT) – Eligible applicants in the Pacific Territories. This conference call can be accessed by calling 1-888-946-3815 or 1-312-470-7149. The leader for this call is Lori Elmore and the passcode is 1199646.
For more information on the Community Transformation Grants, including additional resources related to Safe Routes to School and Complete Streets, please see our guidance here (.pdf).
Interested in including technical assistance from the National Complete Streets Coalition and/or the Safe Routes to School National Partnership? Please contact us! We can help refine your goals and provide focus to potential activities. For Safe Routes to School, please speak with Kathy Cooke at 503-281-4930 or [email protected]. For Complete Streets, contact Stefanie Seskin at 773-270-3534 or [email protected].
We applaud the CDC for including opportunities to build safer communities for walking and bicycling through the CTG, and encourage health agencies to make the most of this important opportunity to improve physical activity and the built environment.