Topics: Funding
Tags: Mpact Innovators
By Trinity Ek, Mpact, and Aidan Doyle, SEPTA
The Mpact Innovators are a national networking group that welcomes the next generation of industry leaders and thinkers. The Innovators plan several events for the annual Mpact Transit + Community conference (formerly known as Rail~Volution).
New this year, the Mpact Innovators are hosting Coffee Chats, a virtual networking series to discuss hot topics in the transit, land use, and community development world. Coffee Chats are not “listen only, camera off” events. The idea is to connect with others and share thoughts and experience about core topics. Read about May’s Coffee Chat on Housing & TOD.
Coffee Chat about Funding for Transit
At the latest Mpact Innovators’ Coffee Chat on July 11, funding for transit was the focus of the conversation, emceed by Mpact Innovator Kelechi Chibuikem from Omaha METRO.
For the bulk of the Coffee Chat, small groups discussed transit funding challenges, wins, and creative solutions, diving into the questions:
- Are you having funding challenges? How are you overcoming them?
- Do you have any new or non-traditional funding sources in your region? If not, what would you like to see as a funding source? Who would be your partners and advocates?
When everyone came back together, there were a few shared takeaways:
- The biggest challenges facing agencies and transportation projects are funding sources and messaging funding solutions to communities.
- People have noticed that many local tax or bond referendums may have been more successful when bundled with housing, transit, parks, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements.
- Taxes on rideshare or advertising are new sources of funding for some agencies.
- Close partnerships with other agencies were also seen as a good way to approach funding challenges.
After the Chat, the discussions continued, with many in the small groups exchanging contact information and offering resources to one another. While the Coffee Chats only span an hour, the brief connection allows attendees to build their network and hear what others from a wide range of places are working on.
At the end of the session, everyone shared a few words about how they felt leaving their conversation – hopeful, motivated, curious, concerned, validated. See all their responses in this word cloud.
Sign Up for a Future Coffee Chat
September 12 Public Engagement, hosted by Christina Gotuaco Philip, Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA)
Integrating community voice and values into planning creates places that serve the people who live in them. This Coffee Chat will offer a space to discuss:
- What creative tools do you use for public engagement?
- Describe a project where public engagement & participation really made a difference.
- How do you seek to expand public engagement to folks not traditionally represented?
November 14 Lessons from Mpact Transit + Community
After the 2025 Mpact Transit + Community conference in Portland, Ore., share your lessons learned or, if you were not able to attend, ask the questions you wish you could have. Guiding the group in the final Coffee Chat of the year, we’ll talk about:
- What would you share with folks who weren’t able to attend the 2025 Mpact Transit + Community conference in Portland?
- If you didn’t attend, what session do you wish you could’ve gone to? (The schedule for 2025 will be available in late summer.)
Register for one or all
Each chat is on Zoom the second Friday of every other month from 10-11 am Central. Sign up for the sessions you’re interested in at http://bit.ly/MpactInnovatorCoffee25. And remember to turn your camera on and be part of the discussion.
Many thanks to Aidan Doyle from SEPTA for his help with this blog.