Eligibility Requirements for All Funding

Applicants for both voucher types in the Clean Mobility Options Voucher Pilot Program (CMO), Mobility Projects and Community Transportation Needs Assessments, must meet the following criteria: 

Applicant Type: A lead applicant is the entity that submits the application and, if approved, enters into the agreement with the Program Administrator. To be eligible as a lead, you must be one of the following: (1) a government entity, (2) a nonprofit organization that qualifies for tax-exempt status under Internal Revenue Code Section 501 and under California state law, has operated for at least one year and possesses at least one full-time staff person based primarily in California, or (3) a California Native American Tribe.

Sub-applicants can be other organizations such as privately-operated mobility service providers.

Project Area: The project area must be in a community that meets at least one of three qualifications: (1) It is on the Disadvantaged Communities List for Climate Investments in accordance with CalEPA’s designation (e.g. have a score in the top 25 percent of CalEnviroScreen 3.0 scores), (2) It is a tribal land or tribal property within AB 1550 designated low-income communities, or (3) It serves a deed-restricted affordable housing facility (at least 80 percent of property residents have incomes at or below 60 percent of the area median income) with at least five units and located within an AB 1550 designated low-income community. To determine whether a specific community is eligible, please see the Eligible Project Area Reference Sheet. 

The project area is defined as the geographic area where community residents live, services operate, and infrastructure is installed. Destinations served by the project are not the same thing as the project area, though they may be inside the project area. 

Additional Eligibility Requirements for Mobility Projects

In addition to the criteria above, organizations that wish to apply for Mobility Projects must meet the following requirements: 

Applicant Experience: Each project team must include an organization with at least one year of experience operating mobility services (an “experienced partner” that can serve in any capacity —for example, operating the service or acting as a technical advisor). Applicants can use the Clean Mobility Provider Directory as a resource. All mobility providers listed in the Directory have been screened to ensure they meet the minimum level of experience to satisfy this requirement.

Project Model: Projects must be based on one of the following: car-sharing, bicycle or scooter sharing, carpooling/vanpooling, innovative transit services (e.g. on-demand shuttles and circulators, paratransit services and microtransit), or ride-on-demand services (e.g. taxi and “TNC” services).

Community Transportation Needs Assessment: Applicants must conduct a Community Transportation (Needs Assessment) in the project area in accordance with requirements in the Implementation Manual (IM) [Updated version in effect as of September 10, 2020]. Notably, applicants must document at least two different direct engagements with community members who live in the target community that identify outstanding transportation needs and demonstrate that the proposed service is appropriate.

Applicants may conduct Needs Assessments at their own expense or apply for up to $50,000 in funding to conduct the assessment and use the results to satisfy requirements of the Mobility Project application for the same project area as long as the needs assessment is complete before submitting the mobility project application.

Please note that creative and accessible virtual engagements are encouraged due to current circumstances when in-person interactions are not permitted.

Financial Sustainability: Program funding will cover up to one year of planning and design and two years of operations. However, applicants must commit to operating the service for at least four years (e.g. two years beyond the two years of operations covered by program funding).

Get the Details

Additional information is contained in the CMO IM [Updated version in effect as of September 10, 2020]. The IM is the governing document for CMO, and provides detail on how the program works and the requirements for applicants and awardees. Information on these pages is subject to change and interested applicants should refer to the IM as the guiding document. 

  ✦  The IM in effect at the time your application was submitted sets the eligibility criteria for funding as well as requirements for project implementation.