Safe Routes to School National Partnership

Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Name	Safe Routes to School National Partnership
Formation	2005
Type	Nonprofit advocacy coalition
Headquarters	United States

Safe Routes to School National Partnership is a United States-based nonprofit coalition that advances policies and programs to enable children to walk and bicycle to school safely. It works at the intersection of public health, transportation, and urban planning by coordinating advocacy, technical assistance, and community engagement. The organization partners with a wide range of stakeholders to influence federal, state, and local policy and to implement on-the-ground projects.

History

Founded in 2005, the organization emerged during a period of expanded federal attention to active transportation that included the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users, the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, and the reauthorization debates leading to the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act. Early supporters and allied entities included public health organizations such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, advocacy groups like Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and America Walks, and municipal coalitions influenced by examples from cities including Portland, Oregon, New York City, and San Francisco. The group built on prior local initiatives such as the original Safe Routes to School (program) projects funded in the early 2000s and collaborations with state departments like the California Department of Public Health and transportation agencies such as the Federal Highway Administration. Key figures from allied organizations, including leaders from American Public Health Association, Trust for Public Land, and National Complete Streets Coalition, contributed expertise in the Partnership’s formative years.

Mission and Programs

The stated mission emphasizes increasing walking and bicycling to school through equitable policy, practice, and funding, aligning with public health priorities advanced by American Heart Association and childhood advocacy by groups like National PTA and Let’s Move!. Core program areas include technical assistance for engineering interventions modeled after practices in Copenhagen and Amsterdam, curriculum and education resources comparable to initiatives by Safe Kids Worldwide and Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, and community engagement strategies paralleling those promoted by Healthy People 2020 and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Programs often integrate with federal funding mechanisms such as the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program, state transportation planning tools used by agencies like the California Air Resources Board, and school wellness frameworks endorsed by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance. The Partnership has produced toolkits, training, and model policies that complement efforts by National Association of City Transportation Officials and urban design guidance from Project for Public Spaces.

Organizational Structure and Funding

Structured as a coalition of national, state, and local partners, the organization’s governing model mirrors networks such as United Way federations and advocacy networks like National Resources Defense Council. Its advisory and staff roles have drawn expertise from public health professionals formerly at Kaiser Permanente and urban planners with ties to American Planning Association chapters. Funding sources historically include foundation grants from entities such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Kresge Foundation, government grants from agencies like the Federal Highway Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and corporate or philanthropic partnerships similar to those used by Bloomberg Philanthropies. Fiscal sponsorship, in-kind support, and project grants follow models used by organizations including National League of Cities and Trust for America's Health.

Advocacy and Policy Impact

The Partnership has engaged in federal advocacy during reauthorizations of surface transportation laws, influencing provisions akin to those in Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act and pressing for dedicated active-transportation funding paralleling campaigns by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and National Complete Streets Coalition. At the state level, it supported legislation and rulemaking in jurisdictions such as California, Washington (state), and Massachusetts, often coordinating with state public health departments and metropolitan planning organizations like Metropolitan Transportation Commission (San Francisco Bay Area). Local campaigns affected municipal policies including school trip planning, traffic-calming ordinances used in Boulder, Colorado, and adoption of Complete streets approaches advocated by the Smart Growth America network. The Partnership’s policy work intersected with litigation and regulatory debates involving agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency when air quality and active transportation funding overlapped.

Partnerships and Collaborations

The organization maintains collaborative relationships with a broad array of partners: national public health institutions like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and American Public Health Association; transportation and planning bodies such as the Federal Highway Administration and National Association of City Transportation Officials; youth and school organizations including National PTA and Action for Healthy Kids; environmental and equity groups like Trust for Public Land and Natural Resources Defense Council; and philanthropic supporters such as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Internationally, the Partnership has exchanged best practices with municipal programs in Denmark, Netherlands, and United Kingdom cities, through networks similar to ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.

Notable Campaigns and Outcomes

Major campaigns include national efforts to secure and defend funding streams for active transportation within federal transportation bills, echoing strategies used by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy and National Complete Streets Coalition. Local successes have included built infrastructure projects—sidewalks, crosswalks, and bicycle lanes—in cities like Cleveland, Chicago, and Seattle that followed model guidance from National Association of City Transportation Officials. Evaluation collaborations with academic institutions such as Harvard School of Public Health and University of California, Berkeley documented increases in walking and biking rates and reductions in school-area injuries, supporting public health narratives advanced by American Heart Association. Campaigns for equity produced toolkits and policy recommendations used by municipal governments in Milwaukee, New Orleans, and Baltimore to prioritize low-income neighborhoods and communities of color, reflecting practices promoted by PolicyLink and NAACP-affiliated initiatives.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States