In 2020, NACTO mapped out a series of key design principles that cities could use as a model to inform ongoing COVID-19 response strategies in Streets for Pandemic Response and Recovery. NACTO then launched a competitive grant opportunity, providing funding to cities working to put these principles into action.

Coming off the success of the 2020 grant program, NACTO again offered a competitive grant opportunity to ten city transportation agencies in 2021. With funding from Bloomberg Philanthropies, city agencies partnered with community-based organizations working to center community expertise in Covid-19 response and recovery.

Selected projects repurposed public and street space, applying lessons learned from the past two years, and found ways to meaningfully plan for and deliver programs based on — and in direct response to — stated community concerns.