Transportation Agency funding is not all infrastructure projects – some goes to nonprofits.

The Transportation Agency for Monterey County is responsible for transportation infrastructure – but part of what it does is support mobility efforts within existing infrastructure. In 2016, voters passed Measure X. A small portion of Measure X funds – $500,000 a year – are designated for active mobility, such as walking and biking or providing access to transit.

TAMC doesn’t offer such programs itself, but provides grants to local nonprofits to do the work of providing low-cost transportation to elders and people with disabilities – enabling them to engage in everyday activities such as going to doctor’s appointments, shopping for groceries, or socializing.

The grants are awarded every three years. This year, five nonprofits received grants: Independent Transportation Network Monterey County, through which volunteers offer rides; the Blind & Visually Impaired Center of Monterey County; Partnership for Children, which transports kids in need of out-of-county medical services to their destinations; Josephine Kernes Memorial Pool in Monterey, which offers adaptive exercises; and the Alliance on Aging.

While local nonprofits anywhere in Monterey County can apply for these funds, this group of recipients serves primarily the Peninsula, Salinas and North Monterey County. Chris Barrera, a member of the Measure X Citizens Oversight Committee, wants to see more emphasis on organizations serving South County: “It would be nice if nonprofits in [South County] cities could apply.”

Over 15 percent of the county’s population is 65 and older; a higher proportion are concentrated on the Peninsula, notes TAMC Executive Director Todd Muck. In awarding grants, he says they factor in population and cost-benefit. “You’re making decisions based on, are you giving less rides to people and traveling farther, or more rides to people [in a] more densely populated area?”

TAMC says it has made outreach efforts and is working on providing more services in South County.