SCAG Go Human Awards More Than $350,000 to 26 Community-Driven Projects
Go Human is excited to announce that 26 Mini-Grants have been conditionally awarded to fund creative, community-identified and community-led strategies to improve traffic safety and address mobility justice across the region. Mini-Grant projects aim to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety for those most harmed by traffic injuries and fatalities, including Black, Indigenous, and People of Color; people with disabilities; and frontline workers.
SCAG received almost 40 applications from across the six-county SCAG region and awarded more than $350,000 in Mini-Grants. This summer, awardees will implement a wide variety of safety projects: community audits that share and build local knowledge, playful street activations that safety for people walking and biking, community events that build momentum and support for essential safety installations, and more!
Below is a list of the 26 Mini-Grants and their respective community organization awardees.
Congratulations to all awarded projects and community partners!
Meet the Awardees
Arts Council for Long Beach, “Washington Neighborhood Community Corners”
Arts Council for Long Beach will continue work on the Washington Neighborhood Community Corners project, which will create community-driven asphalt murals on four local intersection bulb-outs. Grant funding will support in-person and virtual community events, building visibility and awareness of safety issues while fostering community participation and buy-in.
Bike Culver City, “Project Visibility”
Bike Culver City will continue its efforts to improve personal safety of the city’s low-income bicyclists by providing visibility safety gear such as high-visibility reflective vests to residents and workers who bike in the city.
BikeVentura, “BIPOC Bicycle Safety and Popular Education at the Oxnard Bike Hub”
BikeVentura will offer “BIPOC Bicycle Safety and Popular Education” bilingual workshops at the Oxnard Bike Hub, a community space for people who ride bikes which offers low-to-no-cost bicycle service. Workshops will gather community members to explore how active transportation infrastructure can make traveling in Oxnard safer for people bicycling and walking and will include community walks and bike rides.
Central City Neighborhood Partners, “Pedestrian Traffic Safety Campaign”
The “Pedestrian Traffic Safety Campaign” will empower and educate residents in Los Angeles’s Westlake and Pico-Union neighborhoods to take action on pedestrian safety issues. Central City Neighborhood Partners will develop safety messaging addressing driver behavior, traffic safety workshops, educational signage, and a major community event focused on raising awareness.
Chesterfield Square Community Block Club, “Chesterfield Square Mural Dedication”
The Chesterfield Square Community Block Club will host a mural dedication event at the center of Chesterfield Square Park. At the event, families and children will participate in art and bike-oriented activities and local non-profits and businesses will promote services such as bike repair.
Comite Civico del Valle, “Active Community Education”
Comite Civico del Valle’s “Active Community Education” project will educate community members on traffic safety and the environmental and health benefits of active transportation. The project will include banners and signs with safety messaging posted in local school communities, as well as in-person educational outreach at community events.
Community Intelligence, “Go Crenshaw Wayfinding Project”
Community Intelligence will incorporate arts and culture into a system of wayfinding placards that improve the pedestrian experience while also raising awareness of crash hotspots and safety issues in the Baldwin Hills, Crenshaw and Leimert Park neighborhoods in Los Angeles. The wayfinding placards will also highlight mobility justice issues such as the presence or absence of pedestrian safety infrastructure.
Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets, “Bright Lights of Costa Mesa”
Through the “Bright Lights of Costa Mesa” project, Costa Mesa Alliance for Better Streets will distribute bicycle lights and educational information to improve bicycling safety and visibility. Distribution will focus on historically underserved parts of Costa Mesa, as well as areas near two high schools with high levels of student ridership.
Connie Rice Institute for Urban Peace, “Harvard Park Walking Club for Safer Streets”
Through its “Harvard Park Walking Club for Safer Streets” project, the Institute for Urban Peace will empower residents to reclaim their streets and bring awareness to increasing traffic safety issues affecting Harvard Park. Utilizing the “Slow Jams” activation model, three Safer Streets walks will incorporate music, signage, and movement to spur discussions around community safety. ” activation model, three Safer Streets walks will incorporate music, signage, and movement to spur discussions around community safety.
Day One, Inc., “El Monte Asphalt to Arts” and “Pomona Asphalt to Arts”
The “El Monte Asphalt to Arts” and “Pomona Asphalt to Arts” projects will build on momentum from earlier artistic crosswalk demonstrations using the Go Human Kit of Parts. Each project will include two phases: first, working with city staff to identify locations for new crosswalks, and second, collaborating with Day One Youth Advocates to create artwork for the final artistic crosswalk projects.
East Side Riders Bike Club, “Bicycling Education and Safety Training”
East Side Riders Bike Club’s “Bicycling Education and Safety Training” (BEAST) program provides free bicycle education and safety training to youth in Watts and neighboring communities. Grant funding will support continued education, including classes for youth participants to learn bicycling techniques, navigation best practices, and bike repair and maintenance.
Highlanders Boxing Club and Youth Engagement, “Safety While Walking” and “(Stop) Street Takeover Awareness”
Highlanders Boxing Club and Youth Engagement will conduct a Safe Streets Awareness project by holding four community events in Highland and San Bernardino. Two events will be “Safety While Walking” fairs aimed at helping residents stay safe while walking at night. The other two events will be “(Stop) Street Takeover Awareness” community events, raising knowledge and awareness of the dangers of “street takeover” illegal driving events.
Latino Health Access, “Ride, Walk & Roll Orange County!”
Latino Health Access’ “Ride, Walk & Roll Orange County!” project will promote active transportation safety, awareness, and education across working-class Orange County communities. The program will include distribution of educational and safety equipment, a digital safety campaign led by LHA youth ambassadors, and a walking tour and safety audit led by youth and their families.
Los Angeles Walks, “Equipment & Skills Essential for Promotores Securing LA City/County Safe Street Contracts”
Los Angeles Walks will support the Safe Street Promotores network across Los Angeles by providing promotores with critical equipment and supplies. Grant funding will support a series of workshops that prepare promotores to successfully and independently execute government contracts.
National Health Foundation, “Decorative Crosswalk Plan”
The National Health Foundation’s “Decorative Crosswalk Plan” project will support community-led design, development, and planning for an artistic mural crosswalk at an unsafe intersection in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles. The project will support Pico-Union residents in advocating for pedestrian safety and walkability improvements in their community, and contributes to an ongoing five-year, community-led neighborhood beautification and repair program.
Nyeland Promise, “Safe Travels/Viajes Seguros”
Nyeland Promise will continue its “Safe Travels/Viajes Seguros” street safety program by developing a multilingual educational outreach program to educate residents about bike and pedestrian safety and develop community knowledge. The program will also introduce traffic safety issues to children through educational Bike Rodeos and safety equipment distribution events.
Yolanda Davis-Overstreet Consulting, “Continuing to Ride: Biking While Black Through Decriminalization, Disenfranchisement, and Gentrification”
Yolanda Davis-Overstreet Consulting will develop a video storytelling project “Continuing to Ride: Biking While Black Through Decriminalization, Disenfranchisement, and Gentrification.” The video will expand upon the previously released short film, “Biking While Black: How Safe Are Black Lives Bicycling?” and will highlight actions being taken by Black bicyclists and BIPOC community-based organizations working to address myths and improve community safety in Los Angeles.
People’s Collective for Environmental Justice, “Bloomington Path for All”
People’s Collective for Environmental Justice will develop a community committee dedicated to reducing traffic harm through participatory traffic safety and health audits. The project will identify and document concerns in Bloomington recorded through the safety audits that can be published and shared with the public and decision-makers.
People for Mobility Justice, “South LA Mobility Justice Lab”
People for Mobility Justice’s “South LA Mobility Justice Lab” project will produce a street activation during an open streets event in South LA, highlighting mobility justice principles across a variety of activities. Participants will be able to engage in bicycle education activities, including a bike rodeo, join a South LA bike tour, and view a mobile mural from a local artist.
Public Matters, “How East Los Moves: Creative, Custom People-Powered Transit!”
The “How East Los Moves: Creative, Custom People Powered Transit” program from Public Matters will work with community members in East LA to transform people-powered mobility devices like bicycles, skateboards, and wheelchairs to radiant artwork that reflects Chicanx pride. The resulting artworks will be displayed at the City Terrace Art Walk community event, complementing a complete streets project envisioned by local high school students. Together, the project will invite attendees to imagine a more vibrant, inclusive future of shared streets.
Rose Park Neighborhood Association, “State of the Neighborhood”
The Rose Park Neighborhood Association’s “State of the Neighborhood” project will increase awareness of the dangers of speeding, highlight pedestrian needs, and provide bicycling safety education for young residents. The group will hold two events: the first will offer tips on pedestrian pathways and bicycle helmets and bike registration, while the second event will highlight neighborhood traffic safety trends and provide information on walking maps and local businesses.
Santa Ana Active Streets, “Willard Safe Streets” and “SAAS Speaker Series”
The “Willard Safe Streets” community event will bring together residents to imagine safer streets and open space in the Willard neighborhood of Santa Ana. The event will include food, music, speakers, and a pedestrian safety pop-up demonstration that utilizes the Go Human Kit of Parts.
With the “SAAS Speaker Series”, Santa Ana Active Streets will bring policy-level discussions about transportation to people-centered spaces in Santa Ana. The series of talks will explore local transportation policies that created dangerous streets for people biking and walking, the realities and possibilities of transit in Orange County and how these impact vulnerable communities, and the challenges of riding a bus as a pedestrian or bicyclist.
The Artlands, “Revitalizing Public Transit through Bus Bench Art”
The Artlands’ “Revitalizing Public Transit Through Bus Bench Art” project will work with Omnitrans, the public transit agency serving the San Bernardino Valley, to commission unique murals on the agency’s bus benches. The project seeks to transform bus stops into welcoming places that encourage ridership by encouraging pedestrian activity and enlivening the streetscape.
Youth Leadership Institute, “YLI Youth-Led Safety and Walkability Assessment”
Youth Leadership Institute will conduct a youth-led research project highlighting safety concerns for young people who walk, bike, or use e-scooters in the Eastern Coachella Valley. The program will teach participants about various data collection methods for their study and will involve walking tours and audits to gather data.
Congrats to all 26 awarded projects! To learn more about these projects, stay tuned for updates here and on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
Go Human is funded by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS), through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).