Starting this February, the ridesharing app Lyft will be giving $1,000 in ride credits to one San Diego nonprofit each month until the end of the year as part of a new community grants program. Hao Meng, Lyft San Diego Market Manager, said they are focused on two characteristics when choosing between nonprofits.
“One [factor] is [the nonprofit's] impact on the San Diego County community, and the other one is the nonprofit’s ability to leverage transportation and mobility to advance its mission,” Meng told NBC 7. “This could be rides for transportation-based organizations, it could be rides for nonprofit clients, rides for volunteers – wherever transportation could fit in. And we feel very strongly about that because Lyft is fortunate enough to be in a business that provides a basic human need.”
Meng said they are always looking for ways to be part of the community. During the Lilac Fire, Lyft offered free rides to evacuees, and they launched a campaign benefiting the United Way to support wildfire relief efforts.
“Another way that we’ve worked with other community organizations is to give free rides to their volunteers,” she told NBC 7. “So, for example, whenever they have volunteer events it allows a wide variety of people to be able to attend and really contribute to the cause.”
Applications will be accepted beginning on Feb. 1, and the winners will be announced on the 10th of each month. All local 501(c)(3) nonprofits are encouraged to apply.
More than 20 other Lyft markets participate in the Community Grants Program, including San Francisco, Sacramento, Portland and Seattle.
