Federal Funding/Policy

In 1969, the Nixon Administration hosted the first ever White House Conference on Hunger, and it resulted in the creation of the school lunch program and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). In September 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration held the first White House Conference on Hunger since that initial conference over fifty years ago and established ambitious, yet attainable goals.

As ever, the end of the federal fiscal year has been busy with hearings, budget debates, and states running competitions for federal funding. To keep you in the loop across a variety of topics, here are a few headlines related to Safe Routes to School, walking, and bicycling at the federal level.

By now, we hope you know that every state received a massive influx of funding to the Transportation Alternatives Program, the primary source of federal funding for walking, bicycling, and Safe Routes to School.

As 2022 chugs along, so does the rollout of new funding and programs created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

USDOT is competing out $1 billion in funding to support communities to plan for and implement strategies that reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries, and it is an opportunity to elevate or re-invigorate Safe Routes to School in your community! With $1B in federal funds available to communities, Safe Routes to School practitioners can collaborate with community leaders to make sure Safe Routes to School is part of the solution to reduce traffic injuries and deaths.