Grantee Profile
Transportation policy is not a matter for policy wonks only. It can affect every aspect of Americans’ daily lives—from how much we have to spend on getting to work to whether our families can walk and ride the streets safely.
America is at a crossroads on transportation policy. Every six years the Federal Transportation bill comes up for review. This year, the Transportation for America (T4America) coalition aims to help move the conversation and the action on that bill in the right direction. This organization is committed to creating a national transportation program that will take the United States into the 21st century “by modernizing our infrastructure and building healthy communities where all people can live, work and play."
T4America has forged a broad coalition of 300 influential national groups
The Rockefeller Foundation’s funding has helped T4America take action:
They have researched and ranked the most dangerous cities in America for walking—where there are the most pedestrian deaths—and they’re letting policymakers know. (See “Dangerous by Design”)
- They have researched and ranked the safety of our nation's bridges (See "The Fix We’re In For: The State of Our Bridges")
- They have highlighted how small cities, towns and rural regions across the country are transforming themselves into more livable communities, with growing economies that both benefit people and protect the land and lifestyles treasured by residents and non-residents alike. (See "Livability and Transit in Small Towns and Rural Communities")
- They have tracked how taxpayers’ dollars are being used on transportation state by state to let the public know if their money is being wisely spent. (See “Transportation in Your State”)
- They have developed a proposal for the policies and financing structures necessary to achieve real transformational change in America’s transportation system. (See "The Route to Reform")
Most importantly, T4America has forged a broad coalition of influential groups that had never before worked together on transportation policy reform. Uniting more than 300 partners has given this group an excellent platform for getting the attention of thought leaders and policymakers.
Partners range from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), whose elderly members care about transportation choices that foster walkable communities, to the National Resources Defense Council, which is fighting against environmental degradation and greenhouse gas emissions. They also include PolicyLink, the American Public Health Association, and the National Association of Realtors, among others.
T4America’s work—supported through a Rockefeller Foundation grant to Smart Growth America—demonstrates that transportation policy isn’t just about how we get from point A to point B. It affects the texture of our everyday lives.
