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    Shapiro Administration Makes $300K Available to Increase Physical Activity, Make Communities Safer and More Accessible for Walking, Biking, and Using a Wheelchair

    These grants allow communities to both improve public spaces while increasing physical activity, helping to reduce obesity and chronic disease.

    January 17, 2025

    Harrisburg, PA – The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) is now accepting grant applications for the 2025-26 WalkWorks Active Transportation Planning Program, which provides resources for communities to develop Active Transportation Plans and increase physical activity by connecting local destinations with improved pedestrian, bicycle, and transit networks.

     

    “Anyone using our public roads and sidewalks should be able to easily get where they need to go, whenever and however they choose,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Debra Bogen. “To help meet the needs of all Pennsylvanians, we encourage municipalities to make all modes of transportation safer and more accessible. WalkWorks exists for exactly this purpose, to provide the guidance and funding to help municipalities create a community that promotes and encourages exercise as part of daily life.”

    Any Commonwealth municipality can apply for funding to create a plan for more pedestrian-, bicycle-, ADA accessibility-, and public transportation-friendly spaces for residents.

     

    Creating improved activity-friendly spaces increases physical activity and reduces obesity and chronic disease, which simultaneously improves individual health, expands economic vitality, relieves traffic congestion and environmental pollution, and reduces health care costs. The DOH believes that options for safe and efficient travel should be afforded to all community members, regardless of age, race, physical ability, place of residence, socioeconomic status, or other demographics. This approach aligns with the WalkWorks motto of “mobility options for all.”

     

    Additionally, many people suffering from anxiety, depression, and mood swings find walking has a calming effect. One of the goals of Pennsylvania’s State Health Improvement Plan (SHIP), created by DOH in collaboration with numerous stakeholders, is to increase the population’s healthy weight by increasing the availability and accessibility of physical activity.

    Funding for the awards is made possible by DOH through the Preventive Health and Health Services Block Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) with additional funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR), Bureau of Recreation and Conservation, through the Environmental Stewardship Fund, and is administered by the Pennsylvania Downtown Center.

    Applications must be received by 5:00 PM on March 21, 2025.

    There will be an optional one-hour webinar to review the goals of this funding opportunity, the application process, expectations of grantees, and questions from interested parties on Wednesday, Feb. 4, at 12:00 PM. Applicants can register for the informational session online in advance.

    The number of awards is dependent on how many applications are received, the amounts requested, and each applicant’s documented ability to meet the required criteria. The Pennsylvania Downtown Center will provide selected applicants notice of award in June 2025. The anticipated term of the award is July 2025 through June 2026.

     

    More information about the 2025 WalkWorks application process is available on the Department of Health’s website.

     

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