Since 2005, SCAG’s various sustainability planning grant programs (Compass Blueprint, Sustainability Planning Grants, Sustainable Communities Program) have provided resources and direct technical assistance to jurisdictions to complete important local planning efforts and enable implementation of the Regional Transportation Plan and Sustainable Communities Strategy (RTP/SCS), which today is called Connect SoCal. The 2020-2021 Sustainable Communities Program (SCP) will provide local jurisdictions with multiple opportunities to seek funding and resources to meet the needs of their communities, address recovery and resiliency strategies considering COVID-19, and support regional goals.

SCAG will release Calls for Applications throughout Fiscal Year 2020-2021 to select projects within different program areas and funding categories. This approach will support local jurisdictions and agencies with resources for strategies related to active transportation, transportation safety, removing barriers to housing production, smart permitting, and integrated land use, among others.

SCP Goals

The SCP aims to:

• Provide needed planning resources to local jurisdictions for active transportation and multimodal planning efforts, sustainability, land use, and planning for affordable housing;

• Promote, address and ensure health and equity in regional land use and transportation planning and to close the gap of racial injustice and better serve our communities of color;

• Encourage regional planning strategies to reduce motorized Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, particularly in environmental justice communities where there is the highest need for air quality improvements;

• Develop local plans that support the implementation of key strategies and goals outlined in Connect SoCal’s Sustainable Communities Strategy;

• Develop resources that support the Key Connections as outlined in Connect SoCal, including Shared Mobility and Mobility as a Service, Smart Cities and Job Centers, Accelerated Electrification, Go Zones, and Housing Supportive Infrastructure;

• Support a resilient region that looks to climate adaptation and public health preparedness as key strategies to address community prosperity, transportation safety, economic recovery and sustainability; and

• Increase the region’s competitiveness for federal and state funds, including, but not limited to the California Active Transportation Program and Greenhouse Gas Reduction Funds.

Call for Applications

Smart Cities & Mobility Innovations Call for Applications closes on April 23, 2021 at 5:00 p.m.

Housing & Sustainable Development Call for Applications closed January 29, 2021.

Active Transportation & Safety Call for Applications closed December 11, 2020.