Partnership Program

The Partnership Program is a program established by RTD to help communities meet local mobility needs. The program will have a dedicated annual budget to support partnership projects and establish a standardized process for intake and evaluation.

The program is funded with local RTD funding allocated by the RTD Board of Directors. In 2024, the Board has allocated $2 million to the program.

Transit deployment or other mobility services operated outside of RTD. Infrastructure investments are not eligible for Partnership Program funding.

No, infrastructure projects are not eligible. While not eligible for Partnership Program funds, RTD frequently partners with local jurisdictions to help fund transit-supportive infrastructure projects.

Local governments and TMAs/TMOs. Organizations that do not fall into these two categories can partner with an eligible entity to apply for partnership funding.

Yes, project sponsors will be required to provide a 20% match for Partnership Program projects.

No. Project sponsors can propose greater than 20% local match, but the amount of local match does not factor into project scoring.

Projects will be evaluated on the following criteria:

• Alignment with RTD Strategic Plan
• Local support and ability to meet local needs
• Provides mobility where there is a gap in existing service or complements existing service
• Provides mobility to equity zones
• Potential ridership
• Project readiness

Prospective project sponsors should complete the application released with the Call for Projects.

The Subregional Service Councils are comprised of local governments, transportation management associations/organizations, and non-government organizations. The boundaries of the Subregional Service Councils are based on travelsheds, and are small enough to allow for local transit needs to be voiced, but large enough to allow for coordination with neighboring jurisdictions.

Projects submitted to RTD must be supported by the Subregional Service Councils. If more than one project is submitted to RTD by a Subregional Service Council, the projects must be prioritized. Additionally, each Subregional Service Council will select one representative to sit on a project selection panel with RTD staff.

Yes, specific funding limits will be identified in the Call for Projects.

No. Projects will compete regionally and will be evaluated based on how they meet the evaluation criteria specified in the Call for Projects.

Yes, existing partnerships will be rolled into the program in future years.

Projects will be required to meet RTD performance standards for the “Community” service category. These performance standards will be set forth in the Call for Projects.

Project sponsors can request up to three years of funding from RTD. After the initial three-year commitment, the project will be evaluated based on performance, and future funding commitments will be based on this performance as well as available funding.

Project sponsors can request up to three years of funding from RTD. After the initial three-year commitment, the project will be evaluated based on performance, and future funding commitments will be based on this performance as well as available funding.

The 2023 Call for Projects was open from June 1 to July 7. It made $2 million available annually for up to three years. RTD received 12 applications, of which ten were complete. The ten complete applications were prioritized by the Subregional Service Council (SSC) where the project was located and scored by RTD staff. The scoring and prioritization were used by the selection committee, which was comprised of RTD staff, one representative from each SSC, and one representative from the Denver Regional Council of Governments, to develop a final funding recommendation. RTD is excited to partner with the below organizations to advance the expansion mobility services throughout the region.