FAQS

GENERAL QUESTIONS

  • City Thread is a national nonprofit organization whose mission is to accelerate projects that help people move safely, efficiently, and equitably throughout their communities. The City Thread team combines 50 years of experience in urban planning, marketing, communications, public participation, fundraising, grant making, community engagement, strategic planning, and campaign management.

    We collaborate with diverse teams of elected officials, city staff, community leaders, funders, and residents to identify problems, brainstorm solutions, and develop a shared vision to accelerate mobility and place-based projects. Our custom strategies prioritize local coalition-building to develop organizations and launch campaigns that achieve success for everyone.

    If you have any questions, please email info@citythread.org so we can determine the best member of our team to answer your specific question.

  • Transportation, mobility, and access improvements offer cost-effective solutions to the challenges cities face, but traditional methods of planning, project development, community engagement, and messaging often leave residents searching for better answers, and the resulting projects rarely achieve their desired intent.

    Improvements to the built environment take too long to implement, infrastructure is disconnected and incomplete, and poor messaging around projects creates fear and distrust, empowering a vocal minority of opposition.

    City Thread’s community-based approach to mobility programs is rooted in the development of diverse coalitions that partner with local governments to achieve shared goals and build momentum for future success.

    The Accelerated Mobility Playbook provides a roadmap for successful project delivery, network-focused implementation plans, and authentic community engagement that showcases existing popular support and enables leaders to get ahead of opposition and neutralize misinformation.

  • The Accelerated Mobility Playbook is a guide to help cities accelerate implementation of their planned mobility networks, create effective partnerships, and proactively out-communicate any opposition. The AMP benchmarks any city’s capacity and implementation readiness against global best practices, and recommends tested solutions to overcome common challenges that delay projects and impede progress.

    The AMP outlines opportunities to improve mobility network implementation methods, build lasting and effective partnerships with community stakeholders, and amplify existing public support for changes to your city’s streets. The recommendations include suggested campaign objectives, budget recommendations, and next steps for community action.

    The AMP is both an audit of a city’s current state of practice and an action plan for improved implementation and partnership.

  • A mobility network is a completely connected, comfortable system of sidewalks, trails, bike lanes, transit stops, and accessible public spaces that allow people to travel safely, comfortably, and reliably without using a car.

    No one has to navigate incomplete connections or be forced into unsafe and confusing situations. Everyone, no matter if they bike, walk, scoot, drive, or use an assisted mobility device, can get where they are going with the greatest safety and the least amount of hassle because everyone’s traffic-flow needs are met through careful planning and smart construction.

    The street network allows drivers to travel anywhere in their community without needing to think much about where they are going or how they will get there. Complete mobility networks offer the same flexibility to people who don’t drive.

    Cities have been building bits and pieces of networks for years. Now it’s time to fill in the missing links and complete the connections.

  • Beginning in 2019, five U.S. cities pioneered the use of the Accelerated Mobility Playbook to significantly advance the construction of their bicycle networks.

    Collectively, Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; New Orleans, Louisiana; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Providence, Rhode Island, constructed 335 miles of new, safe, and connected bikeways—moving projects from concept to completion in only 24 months. They are now on pace to fully build their planned networks 25 years earlier than expected.

AMP GRANT QUESTIONS

  • The AMP technical assistance grant program helps U.S. cities accelerate the implementation of a mobility network. City Thread selects cities from a competitive application process and provides an assessment of each city's current state of practice, and an action plan for improved partnerships, among other deliverables.

  • City Thread’s AMP grant program helps U.S. cities implement safer, more connected mobility networks faster than ever.

    If you’re selected as an AMP grantee, your city will receive a robust set of deliverables and opportunities including:

    • A site visit to understand your city’s processes, relationships, opportunities for change, and more.

    • An assessment of your city’s project-delivery process, commitments from community leaders, and community and philanthropic support.

    • A strategic roadmap to improve mobility network implementation, build lasting partnerships, and amplify existing public support.

    • An in-person gathering with other grantees to meet and engage with peers from other cities.

  • The application and grant guidelines are available here.

    Completed submissions should be emailed to Zoe Kircos with the name of your city and AMP Grant in the subject line (ex: Funville AMP Grant). Please submit the administrative information and application narrative as one document with supporting documents attached.

  • Yes! The AMP grant program supports cities no matter their starting place. This program is adaptable and supports a variety of solutions reflecting the different needs and contexts in cities of all shapes and sizes.

  • Applications must be led by a two-party team representing a partnership between local government and a community-based organization.

    One of the lead applicants must be a representative of a local government authority, and the second lead applicant should represent a nonprofit, philanthropic, business, advocacy, or other community-based organization working on mobility, transportation, access, or place-based improvements.

    Applications are limited to cities and towns in the United States. There are no population restrictions for applications. The AMP can work in communities of 25,000 to growing urban centers of more than 1 million people.

  • Applications require a partnership between a city department staff member and a local community-based organization lead. These AMP program leads must be able to:

    - Assist with making introductions and scheduling interviews with city staff, community partners, elected leadership, and the philanthropic community to conduct an assessment. 

    - Attend and participate in regular check-in meetings with City Thread to discuss project status, needs, and updates. City Thread will prepare agendas and, where appropriate, written guidance or updates in advance of each meeting.

    - To the best of their ability, city staff will provide accurate and up-to-date data to perform analyses of mobility network readiness, mobility planning, staffing capacity, and construction feasibility.

    - Secure a local cash match of $15,000 USD.

  • Yes, a match of $15,000 USD is required and demonstrates local commitment to the robust readiness assessment.

    As a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization, City Thread has secured grant funding to offset the full cost of the program ($50,000 USD) and provide this assistance at nonprofit rates.

  • The local match funding of $15,000 USD must be provided as a cash match. In-kind donations, services, or staff support are not eligible as a local match.

    Applicants can use a variety of funding sources for the local match:

    • Grant funding from local philanthropic organizations

    • One or more major donors

    • Fundraising campaigns through crowdfunding sites such as ioby.org

    • Events, campaigns, or other fundraising strategies

    • Existing city or partner funds

    City Thread is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. If your funding source(s) are diverse or unique, talk to us about how to set up the contribution.

  • City Thread only accepts AMP technical assistance grant applications during open grant cycles, and usually has one cycle every year. The Grants section of the website will have a banner prominently displayed that indicates if a grant cycle is open or will be open soon. To make sure you don’t miss the next open cycle, sign up for our newsletter, where we’ll share grant deadlines as soon as they are available.

  • All applicants will be notified by December 3, 2024 if they are an AMP grant recipient.