New Active Travel and Research Grant programmes to help fill gaps in existing transport services for disabled people
The Motability charity is launching six new grant programmes, committing £50 million in funding over the next three financial years to organisations across the UK that can help fill gaps in existing transport services for disabled people.
The first two programmes, ‘Community Transport’ and ‘Wheelchair Sector grants’, launched in April, and Motability is actively encouraging organisations to apply for funding.
Motability is also launching two new programmes – Active Travel Grants and Research Grants.
These are two key areas where Motability’s insight through engagement has shown that providing grant funding to other charities and organisations will have a great impact.
This could be through identifying and understanding problems and finding potential solutions, or by helping disabled people to make more of the journeys they want to, while Motability continues its research and innovation work into longer-term solutions to make all transport accessible.
Barry Le Grys, Chief Executive of Motability, said: “We are thrilled to be launching these two new grant programmes.
“Motability has historically been known for providing grants to Scheme customers, and whilst that is still an important part of our work, we are incredibly excited to be using our charitable funds to help even more disabled people.
“So many fantastic charities and organisations are already doing so much to help disabled people access the transport they need, and through our new grant programmes we want to enable them to empower many more people.
“We strongly encourage any organisation that may be eligible for funding to have a look and apply.”
Active Travel Grant Programme
Motability’s new Active Travel Grant Programme will help charities and organisations to improve and expand access to quality and affordable active travel equipment and journeys. This aims to ensure disabled people have the same opportunities to make decisions about how they travel, their impact on the environment, and to enjoy the physical and mental health benefits that active travel can provide.
Motability defines active travel as all modes of travel that allow people to get around under their own steam – whether by walking, cycling, push scooters, or use of wheelchairs and other mobility aids. Active travel includes travel for commuting or leisure but does not include competitive and social sport.
Some of the areas Motability will focus on include:
- Providing funding to ensure the voices and needs of disabled people inform and influence design requirements and that the information is communicated to the industry and Government to raise awareness.
- Providing funding for charitable programmes that introduce disabled people to different active travel products and services.
- Supporting existing programmes that have a clear focus on increasing travel confidence and safety for disabled people and enable them to use active travel products and services with confidence.
- Providing funding to schemes, programmes and initiatives that are already successful in supporting Active Travel and provide best practice solutions but need further support to remain operational or increase the service they provide in order to help more disabled people.
- Providing funding to programmes, charities or organisations to help fund more high-quality and affordable active travel equipment for disabled people.
Charities and organisations can apply for grants from £100,000 to £4 million at any point over the next three years.
Research Grant Programme
Motability’s new grant programme is set to help charities and organisations to develop, expand and improve transport related research for disabled people, and to produce free, accessible data and findings by everyone with an interest in making transport more inclusive.
The barriers disabled people face can only be removed by working with disabled people to increase understanding of the transport challenges and barriers, Motability says.
Some of the areas Motability will focus on include: Grant funding for research into barriers and challenges faced by disabled people when accessing or using transport, grant funding for transport related research that identifies good practice and evaluates solutions, and grant funding to conduct research to inform and improve new or existing transport related programmes and product design.
Charities and organisations can apply for grants from £50,000 to £1 million at any point over the next three years.
The programmes launched on 8 June 2022. For more information on how charities and organisations can apply for funding visit the Motability website.