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The Health by Design quarterly Coalition Meeting will be hosted virtually on Monday, March 7 from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. ET. We'll hear from Rick Drumm from the Federal Highway Administration on the infrastructure bill as it relates to the Safe Systems approach and walking, biking, ADA, and mass transit.

Addison Pollock from AARP will also present about the AARP Community Challenge Grant, its goals, types of projects that have been funded in the past, and resources for potential applicants. This will be an exciting and informative meeting - be sure to register to join us today!

The Greenways Foundation is seeking award nominations to be presented at the upcoming Greenways Foundation Annual Luncheon. Indiana Greenways Awards are presented to individuals, organizations, communities, corporations, and projects that have demonstrated excellence in expanding greenways or multi-use trail development in Indiana. Nominations are open now through March 15 for six different award categories! Learn more and submit your nomination today at www.greenwaysfoundation.org/awards-nomination.

AARP has opened its Community Challenge grant program for the 6^th year! This program funds quick-action projects to make communities more livable and jump-start long-term change. Applications will be accepted now through March 22. The program is open to 501(c)(3), 501(c)(4), 501(c)(6) nonprofits and government entities, with other types of organizations considered on a case-by-case basis. AARP will prioritize projects that aim to achieve one or more of the following for residents:

• Creating vibrant public places;
• Delivering a range of transportation and mobility options;
• Supporting a range of housing options;
• Ensuring a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion;
• Increasing civic engagement;
• Supporting communities’ efforts to build engagement and leverage funding available under new federal programs; and
• Other community improvements.

Visit www.AARP.org/CommunityChallenge for more information and to see some former grantees in action – helping to revitalize alleyways, create vibrant public spaces, design safer crosswalks and much more! 

The Michiana Area Council of Governments (MACOG) and South Bend Public Transportation Corporation (Transpo) are conducting the CONNECT Transit Plan, which involves both Transpo and the Interurban Trolley for cities in St. Joseph and Elkhart Counties. The result of their research and public input will be a ten year plan to improve transit services across the region. You can visit the CONNECT website to access more information, subscribe to project updates, and find public input opportunities including meeting dates and the online survey. Learn more here: https://www.connecttransitplan.com

Upcoming Opportunities:

Resources, Events & Webinars:

• February 28: Northwest Indiana Destination 2024 Summit on market-rate housing and ancillary development
• March 1: Shared, Used, & Taken Indianapolis Parks Alliance Speaker Series
• March 1: Ensuring the Sustainability of Your Non-Infrastructure Program webinar
• March 1-12: Hybrid Neighbor Power Indy Events
• March 2: Safe Routes to Schools Community Engagement Informal Zoom Session
• March 4: TREC Webinar, Transportation, Culture, and Resistance
• March 9: Educating Community Members on Increasing Their Resilience webinar
• March 10: NITC Webinar, Exploring Data Fusion Techniques to Derive Bicycle Volumes on a Network
• March 16: PBIC Webinar, Building a Foundation for Safety through Complete Streets
• March 27-30: League of American Bicyclists National Bike Summit
• League of American Bicyclists Report: Benchmarking Bike Networks
• Indianapolis MPO: New interactive map of Central Indiana traffic counts
• USDOT first National Roadway Safety Strategy
• American Trails Trail Planning Hub
• FHWA Active Transportation Funding and Finance Toolkit

Jobs & Professional Development:

• America Walks Walking College fellowship (Apply by Feb. 28)
• NIRPC Economic Development Specialist, Public Transit & Outreach Planner, & more
• City of Fort Wayne Neighborhood Planner
• Bicycle Indiana Board of Directors Interest Form
• City of Columbus Land Use Planner
• Keep Indianapolis Beautiful Urban Naturalists (due February 25), Youth Tree Team Leaders (due March 18) and Youth tree tenders (due April 1)
• Fair Housing Coalition of Central Indiana Investigations Specialist and Fair Housing Specialist

Funding, Projects & Awards:

• Due March 1: Letters of interest for issue-focused mobility meetings. Apply for facilitation from NCMM.
• Due March 2: Applications for certification as a Bicycle Friendly Business or Bicycle Friendly University are open now. Deadlines are March 2 for Businesses and August 10 for Universities.
• Due March 22: AARP Community Challenge Grants
• Due March 31: Indiana Department of Health (IDOH) Health Issues and Challenges Grant Program
• Due April 14: Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grants are open now
• Due April 19: Letters of Intent for the Rural Energy Pilot Program Grant
• CreatINg Places Crowdgranting program
• Due November 30: Greenways Foundation now accepting applications for Indiana trail projects
• MACOG Region: Nominate Partners for Clean Air!

Public Input:

• Indianapolis MPO draft Comprehensive Economic Development Plan is available for public review and comment through March 14.
• IndyGo Purple Line Construction Outreach is occurring throughout the month of February. Find the schedule here, and the neighborhood survey here.
• MACOG & Transpo CONNECT Transit Plan Survey is open for input.
• March 3: Indianapolis Riverside Adventure Park Master Plan Public Meeting
• Columbus Parks & Rec Masterplan Survey is live!