Hello everyone and Happy Fall!

As we turn our attention to the fast-approaching election, followed closely by the Thanksgiving holiday, I'd like to highlight a few opportunities.

First, I encourage you to think of voting as an opportunity-for you and for every eligible member of your community. We all have a stake in every election that occurs, especially with the many divergent pathways that our local, state, and federal government can take on issues that are important to us. Your voice needs to be heard! There might even be an issue directly related to transit on the ballot.

Once newly (or not so newly) elected officials are in place, that is the time to begin to get to know them. As one elected official told a workshop I facilitated, "Don't let the first time I see you be the time you are asking for something." He encouraged people to consider the importance of building a relationship with their elected officials.

In case you are wondering about the difference between advocacy (which is okay!) and lobbying, consider this: Lobbying involves discussions about a specific piece of government action or proposed legislation that could result in a publicly funded contract or other monetary-based agreement. More specifically, it includes efforts to influence an elected official or their staff or federal agency staff in connection with the awarding of any federal contract, grant, loan, or cooperative agreement. Three components are required for it to be considered lobbying: 1) decision makers, 2) actual legislation, AND 3) asking for a vote.

Your job as a mobility manager is to educate and advocate on behalf of the people you serve. Advocating can be defined as, "Non-partisan communication that is purely educational in nature; available to the public, governmental bodies, officials, and employees; and does not advocate (expressly or implicitly) the adoption or rejection of legislation." Learn more through NCMM's free online course the Role of Advocacy in Mobility Management.

I also wanted to draw your attention to the new opportunity, called Thriving Communities, available through the U.S. DOT. Learn more below.

Deadline: Nov. 23

Announced in September, these grants, supported with funding from the Federal Transit Administration, will provide up to $75,000 and hands-on support by NCMM staff to communities wishing to pilot an innovative transportation solution to benefit community members who are currently underserved. Learn more.

January 2023 to April 2023

NCMM is seeking letters of interest from communities who would like to have NCMM co-design and then facilitate a one-day meeting in their community to try to solve a particular perplexing mobility issue that requires cross-agency coordination. NCMM will cover costs associated with this meeting. Learn more.

NCMM is delighted to be working with three new communities, all rural, through its 2022 Community Mobility Design Challenge planning grants. Here are the communities and their focus questions. Congratulations to all three!

It's taken us about a year to gather the data, but NCMM staff are pleased to announce its Community Transportation Database. This database, and accompanying national searchable map, combines existing datasets with new research to create an exhaustive list of organizations that provide transportation services to communities across the country. This database contains public transit providers, community action agencies, senior centers, and others that provide transportation. Use the map above to explore state and local transportation providers and their related information. Zoom in and click on specific transportation agencies to learn more about their available services, contact information and more. We recommend calling the provider to receive current service information. 

Mobility Managers across the country are running unique projects that benefit their communities. To learn from these great examples, NCMM has compiled this catalog of promising practices. The list contains projects ranging from youth and senior transportation to cross-sector partnerships in the healthcare sphere. NCMM continues to seek promising practices from you. As the database grows, we will add in a search feature to quickly find practices in the areas of particular interest to you. Access the catalog here.

NCMM's Will Reckley and Bill Wagner recently conducted a training for the New York Association of Mobility Managers. Email Amy Conrick to connect to your state's SORH office or to enquire about a mobility management training. 

NCMM recently presented in a workshop at the annual meeting of the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH). These State Offices (or SORHs) provide technical assistance and expertise to rural health providers, both clinics and hospitals. You can find your state office on NOSORH's site. Be sure to connect with your state office. Did you know that Nov. 17 is National Rural Health Day? Learn about the activities being sponsored by NOSORH on their website.

MyNCMM platform, launched May 2022, is continually adding new members! NCMM is using this platform to connect members with similar interests, and also to help connect community members needing a ride with the expert who can help them. Create your free MyNCMM account today by heading to NCMM's homepage and clicking "Register" in the upper right hand corner. If you already have an account with NCMM, simply update your profile in your account's settings. Then begin creating groups with mobility managers across the country. We look forward to connecting with you!

Have you read our two latest blog posts? One talks about an issue-focused meeting NCMM conducted in the Wichita, Kansas region and the other provides valuable information on volunteer transportation programs. There may be some good nuggets of information for many mobility management practitioners in both these posts. We are always looking for blog posts from you as mobility management practitioners - let us help you share your experiences, successes, lessons learned, and even questions! What's on your mind these days? Send it along to [email protected].

The Coordinating Council on Access and Mobility (CCAM) is a Federal interagency council that works to coordinate funding and provide expertise on human services transportation for three targeted populations: people with disabilities, older adults, and individuals of low income. On Oct. 27 CCAM members approved the 2023-2026 strategic plan. The plan reflects the CCAM's core functions, strategic goals, activities, and performance measures. You can read the new plan here. A webinar to introduce the plan will be held on Nov. 30, 2:00 p.m., ET; register for the webinar here.

Funded with $25 million through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) new Thriving Communities Program (TCP) aims to ensure that disadvantaged communities adversely or disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health policy outcomes have the technical tools and organizational capacity to compete for federal aid and deliver quality infrastructure projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive. Letters of Interest from communities for this program are due Dec. 6. Learn more here.

CTAA has released its latest Buyer's Guide, where agencies can find a listing of vendors, by category, on all types of transit industry products.

Mobility Management News is the newsletter of the National Center for Mobility Management (NCMM), which is operated jointly by the Community Transportation Association, the American Public Transportation Association and Easter Seals under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Transit Administration.