In Partnership With:
Communities of all sizes urgently need to prioritize people when it comes to designing and building streets so that everyone has an option to stay active and healthy while getting where they need to go safely and conveniently each day.
Local officials play a vital role in supporting these goals, identifying local needs and advancing the work to build activity-friendly routes to everyday destinations in their communities. However, they cannot be successful in this work without the commitment and support of dedicated staff and passionate community advocates.
Champions Institute provides local public officials and community advocates with knowledge and resources to support plans, policies, and funding that promote safe community environments to be physically active.
Smart growth strategies help towns and cities across the country become healthier by creating places that are well-connected to essential destinations no matter how you choose to get around. The Champions Institute is a technical assistance and peer learning program designed to help local public officials and advocates become effective champions for Complete Streets, downtown revitalization, and other local initiatives that increase opportunities for walking, biking, and rolling to everyday destinations.
The program is seeking 10 pairs of community advocates and local public officials.
Selected participants from across Massachusetts will learn from both national experts and each other in a collaborative and supportive environment by attending six interactive virtual learning sessions and 2 in-person sessions on topics related to supporting safe community environments.
Want to be a Champion? CLICK HERE TO APPLY!
Applications are due by end-of-day Tuesday, March 31, 2026
What's Different This Year? Two Things!
First, this year’s cohort will be different from other Champions Institutes all over the country in that we are intentionally searching for tandems or pairs. We know that advocating for change requires a multitude of stakeholders, and we want to model this reality by nurturing partnerships between community and policymakers.
We are looking for 10 Champion Pairs – of community advocates + local public officials.
Community advocates may be from non-profit advocacy or neighborhood organizations working in transportation, social justice or quality of life issues in communities across Massachusetts. You do not have to be a T4MA member to apply. We welcome advocacy organizations big and small from all over the state.
Local public officials may be local elected officials like councilors or mayors, or local officials like town/city managers or strategic staff members in a local elected’s office or town’s/city’s planning, engineering or transportation office.
*Candidates should apply jointly with either the advocate or public official initiating the application process.
Second, as part of our commitment to nurture work that furthers Complete Streets and street safety, applicants who complete the program will be eligible to apply for a grant of $10,000 that would go to the advocate’s organization to help support their work on Complete Streets or transportation justice and equity in general.
FAQ'S
Smart Growth strategies help towns and cities across the country become healthier while improving resiliency and sustainability. These strategies rely on elected champions to craft a vision, support implementation and identify new opportunities.
The Champions Institute is a statewide program to foster closer partnership and collaboration between community advocates and dedicated local public officials to identify and implement strategies for safer and more complete streets in their communities.
Applications for the Champions Institute will be evaluated based on criteria established by SGA/T4MA.
View the full selection process criteria here!
Applications are due by end-of-day Tuesday, March 31, 2026. The 2026 Champions Institute will begin in early May and conclude in late July.
You can find a copy of the full schedule and timeline for this year’s cohort here!
The 2026 Champions Institute will be comprised of 2 in-person convenings (one to kick off this year’s program and the final graduation) and 6 virtual modules, lasting 60-90 minutes each.
You can view the full curriculum here! Please note, the curriculum is still being finalized and is subject to change.
We are searching for advocates and local public officials who are:
- Working on or interested in making their community environments safe for physical activity using Complete Streets strategies that focus on people – pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, transit riders of all ages and abilities – in the planning, designing and building of streets.
- Need technical assistance in learning more about street safety and Complete Streets but do not have the current capacity or connections to experts to implement local solutions.
- Working on broader concerns about unsafe streets, the lack of accessibility, deficient pedestrian crossings and curbs, street designs catering mainly to cars, and inclusive transit stops.
- Willing to commit to the programme’s time requirements. Applicants should affirm their commitment to fully participating in all activities and sessions if selected for the Champions Institute.
- Applicants are reminded that Champions Institute Champions may not appoint substitutes to participate in Champions Institute functions on their behalf.
Candidates should apply jointly with either the advocate or public official initiating the application process.
For example, if it is an advocate who will be submitting their application, they must ensure the consent and commitment of their partner-public official and include their name and information in the application.
Any organization is eligible to be a Champion and to subsequently apply for the grant as long as they are able to receive the funding.
- This could be through 501c3 or 501c4 status, a fiscal sponsor, etc…
While we are unable to match up pairs ourselves, we are happy to help in other ways.
- This could include actions like writing a letter to an official on your behalf or helping a local official connect with an identified organization already doing this work in their community.
If you need support with creating a pair, please reach out to info@t4ma.org
