Funds will support community-led advocacy on critical transportation and social justice issues, improve access and safety of all street users, expand language justice, and rural and urban transit services
BOSTON – Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA), a statewide coalition tackling transportation justice, equity and affordability issues across the Commonwealth, awarded $500,000 in grants to 21 local organizations today, 70% of which are community-based organizations, and 50% are doing work outside of Boston.
T4MA’s Grants support community-driven initiatives that promote transportation access and social justice. Impact Grants uplift the work member-organizations are already doing that directly addresses transportation challenges and ensures that underserved communities are at the center of solutions at the community and statewide level. Movement Grants seek to amplify movement voices and advance organizing around issues collectively determined by the coalition as urgent and timely.
“We are living in very precarious times. It is impossible to pursue our work in transportation without considering what’s going on in other spheres. Now more than ever, we are called to coalesce around common values, and build alliances across sectors. This year’s grants lift up our members’ work across the Commonwealth, celebrating how they each reflect a unified desire for a better quality of life, a better future”, said Reggie Ramos, Executive Director of T4MA.
There are almost double the number of grantees this year compared to last year consistent with the deep commitment to support transportation justice work more widely across the state.
“We’re committed to partnering with communities and leaders, finding solutions that are truly inclusive, and building a truly equitable system that works for all,” said Roseann Bongiovanni, Executive Director, GreenRoots and T4MA Board Member. “As a coalition, we believe that the work our members are doing in areas of environmental justice, housing, public health, food security, climate, community-building, youth and immigrant services, are underpinned and impacted by transportation.”
These are this year’s Impact Grantees and the work the grant will be supporting:
- ACT Lawrence: Expanding organizational work that addresses interconnected issues of health, housing, and transportation factors that collectively shape the well-being of Lawrence residents.
- Action for Equity + Fairmount Indigo CDC: Improving wayfinding and connectivity for on-road bicycle and pedestrian routes that connect community-managed greenspaces close to the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line.
- Allston Brighton Health Collaborative: Supporting a neighborhood e-bike lending library to increase access to sustainable urban mobility.
- Boston Cyclists Union: Relaunching the Boston Neighborhood Bike Forum, a BIPOC mobility justice convening addressing transportation inequities that have historically excluded communities of color from decision-making.
- GreenRoots: Expanding and deepening transit justice base-building work in Chelsea and East Boston communities.
- Helping Our Women: Building organizational capacity through the Latina Outreach Project to address key issues for Latinas/Latinos living in the rural towns of the Outer Cape: Isolation; Accessibility to Resources; and Systemic Racism.
- Hilltown Community Development: Supporting under-resourced rural communities in Western MA in accessing the Complete Streets Program, improving road safety, promoting public health, and strengthening community engagement.
- LivableStreets Alliance: Supporting advocacy for bus priority, reliable train service, and improved bike connections by uplifting the voices of riders, particularly older adults, people with disabilities, and those without cars.
- MassBike: Continue developing their Council of Advocates, who are local champions across the state, improving access to mobility, including bicycling infrastructure.
- Quaboag Valley CDC/Quaboag Connector: Supporting transportation service and advocacy efforts for their micro-transit service which fills a gap in transportation that would otherwise leave many residents without means to get around.
- TransitMatters: Supporting “Ride With Dignity,” a community-centered campaign focusing on bus riders in historically disinvested neighborhoods, working with local groups to demand faster, safer, and more accessible bus operations.
- WalkMassachusetts: Increasing participation in walk audits and Road Safety Audits (RSAs) across Massachusetts ensuring that the needs of pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders are fully considered in the design of our streets.
This year’s Movement Grantees will hold community/regional convenings, champion policies and lead working groups that sustain tables of power. They are:
- Alternatives for Community & Environment
- Coalition for Social Justice Education Fund
- Center for Living & Working
- Groundwork Lawrence
- New England Community Project
- Public Health Institute of Western MA
- Riders Transportation Access Group/Boston Center for Living and Working
- Western Massachusetts Transportation Advocacy Network
Grantees share how these investments are vital to their work:
“Streets should be safe for everyone, no matter how you get around,” stated Brendan Kearney, Executive Director, WalkMassachusetts. “With this funding, WalkMass will be able to attend more Road Safety Audits (RSA) statewide, weighing in to help make streets safer and expand community involvement in these planning efforts.”
Gwynne Guzzeau, Executive Director, Helping Our Women, said, “Connecting Latina women, living in the rural towns of Barnstable County with resources they need to survive and thrive, in their language, will be beneficial to advancing transportation access, racial justice and health equity on the Cape.”
“This grant will revitalize the Boston Neighborhood Bike Forum in 2026, making it possible for the Boston Cyclists Union to bring together community leaders, advocates, and residents to advance equitable mobility access across Boston’s neighborhoods,” said Tiffany Cogell, Interim Executive Director, Boston Cyclists Union.
“Funding from T4MA will help expand our crucial community organizing efforts in New Bedford, Fall River and Brockton.” April Jennison, Executive Director, Community for Social Justice, stated. “This opportunity gives us the ability to work regionally, strengthening our efforts with others in the region to collaborate against issues affecting everyone in our neighborhoods like a lack of transportation options and rising housing costs.”
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Transportation for Massachusetts (T4MA) works towards a Commonwealth with transportation systems that connect people with their choice of housing, economic opportunities, healthcare, and accessible and reliable public transportation that benefits residents in all 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts.
T4MA is a statewide coalition focused on improving Massachusetts’ transportation systems. T4MA is committed to addressing the decades of inequitable transportation policies adversely impacting low-income, working class and Black, Indigenous and communities of color. Our coalition advocates at the state, federal, and local levels for transportation policies that are just, equitable, and sustainable.
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