Foundation Support for New Growth Transit

We’re excited to share that New Growth Transit is supported in part by a 2025 grant from the Patterson Family Foundation!

This grant is more than funding—it’s a milestone to be celebrated in our path to long-term sustainability. The funding helps cover some of New Growth Transit’s key program costs and needed technology upgrades for the volunteer driver transportation program. This investment strengthens the backbone of this progressive rural transportation model.

“We are honored to have this support from the Patterson Family Foundation,” said Kelly Ast, New Growth Transit’s Chief Regional Mobility Officer. “This transportation model is growing quickly, and a technological upgrade will strengthen our ability to keep pace with increasing need for rides.”

Funding Medical Rides

In the first five years, New Growth Transit tracked that nearly half of all ride requests are for medical appointments—three out of four of those for Medicaid riders. This insight led New Growth Transit earlier this year to become a ride provider for MTM, Missouri’s Medicaid transportation broker.

While becoming an MTM provider has opened the door to critical funding to meet that need, it has also brought new responsibilities and needs: upgraded technology, new processes, and expanded insurance coverage.

Support like this Patterson Family Foundation grant strengthens New Growth Transit’s ability to meet those needs and build the resources needed to operate more efficiently within that program. In turn, this provides more flexibility to use other donations and funding sources to meet non-Medicaid ride requests—helping the program piece together the puzzle of funding rural transportation.

Sustaining Volunteer Driver Transportation

The reality is that the requests for rides in rural communities continues to outpace available resources. New Growth Transit staff, together with volunteer drivers, work hard to cover as many critical rides as possible, but the program must continue rationing rides and being careful stewards of the funds available. Grants like this one help close the gap on foundational program infrastructure all while improving processes for daily coordination—but the need is still great.

This work is about more than mileage reimbursements; it’s about ensuring every part of the program is strong enough to continue carrying neighbors where they need to go. We are proud of the system and processes we’ve built, but we also hold a vision for what more it can become.

“We are incredibly grateful for this award from the Patterson Family Foundation—and for every donation, big or small. No donation is too small, because each mile means the world to someone,” said Kelly Ast.

If you’d like to help, your support can keep all rides moving—or be directed to specific needs such as specific types of medical appointments, employment transportation, grocery access, veterans, or seniors. Every contribution helps close the gap between requests and resources, ensuring more neighbors can get where they need to go.

Together, we can keep building a future where rural neighbors have the rides they need—now and for years to come.

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📞 Call us at 417-283-7991

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💻 Give online: bit.ly/NewGrowthTransitDonate

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📧 Email us at transportation@wcmcaa.org to discuss funding opportunities

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