Deadline: October 30, 2009

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has made $373 million available to urban, state, and tribal departments of health to increase physical activity, improve nutrition, decrease incidence of overweight/obesity, and decrease smoking prevalence.

For those who advocate for a healthier, more inclusive transportation system, the Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) grant program represents what we think is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to forge a close working relationship with our public health counterparts so that we may all work together to plan for more and better walking and bicycling. When the health of our nation is at stake, we think a prescription for more walkable and bicycle-friendly communities is just as critical as programs that will improve nutrition and reduce tobacco use.

The National Center for Bicycling & Walking has been working with public health professionals for more than 10 years now. Among our clients we count several state departments of health, and we have long-standing relationships with numerous public health foundations, which have long understood the connection between the built environment and public health. For our clients we have helped plan and orchestrate statewide interventions to increase physical activity and remove environmental barriers to walking and bicycling at the community level, at schools, and in the workplace.

The Active Living Resource Center, a major program of the National Center for Bicycling & Walking, has been working at the state, regional, and local levels for the last 7 years to strengthen community health by joining local advocates with health professionals and local government. We specialize in working to ensure that communities achieve equity in their transportation systems; it is our belief that the young, the old, and the in-between should have access to healthy and affordable transportation. The ALRC has been a national leader in bringing Safe Routes to School programming to low income, underserved communities where health disparities persist.

Applicants to the Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant program are encouraged to design community action plans that address health disparities in their communities. The ability to demonstrate working coalitions with support at the highest levels of the community (mayor, school superintendent, local business leaders, health care providers, and others) will also be critical to the success of applicants to CPPW. The National Center for Bicycling & Walking, with our expertise in coalition-building and in reaching underserved communities, is ready to help you with tasks ranging from designing your community action plan to implementing it--if you are fortunate enough to receive a CDC grant.

For grant assistance, contact Mark Plotz.

Related Resources:
Communities Putting Prevention to Work
National Center for Bicycling & Walking