The Travel Options Program (TOP): Moving Better, Together

Complete each section of the budget proposal tab.  The file will auto populate calculations and totals.

1. Enter total project cost in cell B6.
2. List all employees with payroll rates anticipated to work on the project in Section 1.
3. Add your fringe and overhead rates in Sections 2 and 3.
4. List all direct expenses (materials, supplies, equipment, travel expenses) in section 4.
5. Enter the totals for any partner agency collaborating on the project in Section 5.  If the budget of the partner agency is over $10,000 you must complete a separate tab (consultant/partner proposal) included in the excel file for that partner agency.
6. If a consultant is needed on the project enter the total in Section 5 as an estimate.  Note that some grantees may have to complete a competitive selection process/RFP before they can select and enter a contract with a consultant. Please identify if you plan to use a consultant in your application so we can take the required steps to prepare for this in our Accounting and Procurement Departments.  Following the competitive selection/RFP process the consultant/partner proposal tab will need to be completed if the consultant budget is over $10,000.
7. The calculated total in cell D40 must equal the total project cost in cell B6.
8. Submit the completed budget via email with your application. If you have questions specifically about completing the budget template, please contact William Laidlaw, DVRPC’s Accounting Manager, via email: wlaidlaw@dvrpc.org.

It’s not our intention to award large amounts of funding to a few projects; we would like to support as many projects as possible. However, it will depend upon the types of qualified projects submitted and their asking amount.

No, they have through the end of the fiscal year (FY22) - June 30, 2022 - to complete the project and submit the final report. Updates on those projects will be posted this summer.

A study can be funded if it leads to an implementable project. Pilots can be funded, but we want to see information on how the applicant sees it progressing after the pilot in terms of funding or government support.

Yes, it could be a mostly capital project where funds would be used for purchasing materials. The project goals would have to be clearly outlined and they would have to tie back to goals outlined in DVRPC’s Regional TDM Plan. In addition, it would be beneficial if the applicant could explain the larger project the purchases would serve and how it will be implemented and funded.

If an agency or organization is invited to submit its project to the next phase of this program, the Application Guidelines outline how to handle purchasing of materials (non-labor expenses) in the required budget section, to conform to federal requirements. The Application is available on this webpage for reference, as is the sample Budget Proposal form for the current round of submissions.

There will be a final report due for selected projects before June 30, 2024, in which sponsoring agencies will be asked to document the project’s process, implementation, and results.

The project and final report must be completed before June 30, 2024. However, projects may be completed before that deadline.

Applications can come from someone else in the organization, as long as someone from the sponsoring agency attends the required EOI webinar. The attending project member should help to guide the process.

Yes, the minimum budget should be $75,000 and no single project should be more than $600,000.

Yes, as long as the other grant funds are not federal dollars. It would have to come from elsewhere, like state or local government funds or membership dues. Certain in-kind contributions can also be used towards the match.

It is required that organizations submit individual EOIs for each project. They are fairly straight-forward and simple to complete and shouldn’t be onerous for any one organization to complete.

There are Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) funds reserved for New Jersey projects which fall outside of the Philadelphia Urbanized Area.

Yes, county representatives will rank the EOI applications and then we will notify top-ranking EOI applicants to invite them to submit a formal application. Should a project be selected to submit an Application, the agency or organization must then meet with a representative from the county planning commission that oversees the area where the proposed project will be located. (If a project crosses county or state lines, all involved counties must be consulted.)

A pilot program for new services in an unserved area may be eligible, and bike share is an eligible activity for STBG/STU funds. A project study by itself is not eligible; an idea for a study will only be considered if that study leads to implementation of a program or service within the two-year contract period.

The changes for the FYs 23 and 24 grants are as follows:

1) There is increased funding for this round. 

2) Projects will have more time for implementation this round. Contracts for selected applicants will be awarded before FY 2023 begins so that projects have two full fiscal years for implementation, as opposed to 13 months for the previous round.

3) We transitioned to using Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBGP) funds, which are more flexible than the previously-used Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) funds, for projects that fall within the Philadelphia, PA--NJ--DE--MD Urbanized Area.

4) Private firms can no longer apply on their own for TOP funds. Private-sector companies may apply as partners or subcontractors with an eligible lead agency.

5) Contracts will now be between the recipient agency and DVRPC, and will no longer go through the related state DOT.

No, TOP funds cannot be used for land acquisition unless there is a project that is intended to be implemented on that land and can be completed within the two-year contract period.

There is a budget page that will be supplied as part of the Application, for those projects selected to proceed to the next phase, which details how to deal with consultants. Because the funds use federal dollars, a bid may be required if consultant fees are expected to exceed a certain amount of money. Agencies that go out for bid will likely have their own bid process. Consultant fees cannot be used as a match.

We encountered this issue during the last round. However, the timeline for project implementation was only 13 months, as opposed to the full two years for this round. PennDOT will still need to be involved at some level if a road or corridor involved in the project is state-owned, but the timing is not set specifically. District 6 staff will be involved in reviewing any such ideas and can provide specific guidance at that time.

Because we have not received final results from the first round of TOP projects, we have not yet encountered that issue. However, if the intention in the application is to continue the project, and something unexpected impacts anticipated results, we will work with the agency in their documentation to explain why they didn’t meet results, and outline next steps.

There is a short narrative section of the EOI form that will ask you to describe which of your project goals will impact DVRPC’s Regional TDM Goals. If your project is invited to apply for the formal application, a more detailed outline of your project plan will be required.

Yes, as long as the applicant is eligible to apply and can confirm staff resources to handle the project (or explain how a partner or subcontractor will be used).

We don’t make specific matches or require that agencies or organizations work together. However, if we find that two or more projects seem to compliment one another or are similar in nature, we may introduce the submitting agencies to one another. Our Transportation Management Associations (TMAs) have experience in both TDM work and in managing federal funds; their participation could be beneficial especially to those agencies that do not have this type of experience. If you are interested in partnering with other applicants, we can help you coordinate with other similar projects.