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106 <br /> future Durham-Wake Commuter Rail project. Potential funding partners may include the <br /> City of Durham, Durham County, Wake County, North Carolina Central University, <br /> and/or a private entity. <br /> The$55 million in cost savings assumes that these elements are eliminated from the D-O LRT <br /> Project and constructed separately by third parties, which means that they would no longer be <br /> eligible for the state and federal funding shares. An alternate approach would be to retain these <br /> elements in the project scope but transfer the responsibility for the local share to a third party. <br /> In that case, the funding responsibility would be approximately$22 million rather than the full <br /> $55 million. <br /> E) New Revenue—As part of addressing the key risks in the financial plan, GoTriangle and its <br /> partners are exploring ways to supplement the current dedicated transit revenues. <br /> Other federal funds—In addition to federal New Starts funds, GoTriangle is seeking to apply <br /> other federal funds to the D-O LRT Project. GoTriangle has discussed with the DCHC MPO and <br /> NCDOT how other projects around the country have used such funds, and is exploring <br /> opportunities to flex funds from the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement <br /> Program (CMAQ) and Surface Transportation Block Grant Program (STBGP)to the D-O LRT <br /> Project during the construction phase.The DCHC MPO has agreed to work with GoTriangle to <br /> further explore this funding source. <br /> Private philanthropic contributions and grants—In cities such as Detroit and Atlanta, private <br /> philanthropic funding sources have complemented allocations from traditional public sources to <br /> advance the construction of major infrastructure projects for their communities. GoTriangle <br /> believes that a similar funding model may prove successful for the D-O LRT Project. GoTriangle is <br /> in the process of establishing a nonprofit organization that will seek private philanthropic <br /> contributions and grants. GoTriangle's Board of Trustees authorized GoTriangle staff to begin <br /> the incorporation process in December 2016. Within the next few months, articles of <br /> incorporation will be filed with North Carolina's Secretary of State in order to formally establish <br /> the entity, GoTransit Partners. Once established, the organization will apply for tax-exempt <br /> status at the state and federal levels.The non-profit will be staffed with an executive director. <br /> GoTriangle envisions several roles for the nonprofit.The nonprofit will work with the Funding <br /> and Community Collaborative (Collaborative), a group of 21 private citizens and leaders from <br /> universities, health care institutions,the private sector, and local governments who are <br /> committed to securing additional funds so as to reduce the local share of the D-O LRT Project or <br /> mitigate any funding shortfalls. The nonprofit will be able to pursue the philanthropic prospects <br /> identified by the Collaborative and be eligible to receive tax-deductible donations of property <br /> (real property, money, and other personal property).The tax benefits associated with donations <br /> will expand the range of citizens and businesses that are willing to contribute. <br /> Additionally,the nonprofit will be eligible to seek foundation grants not typically available to <br /> public agencies. GoTriangle has begun the process of identifying grant-making organizations <br /> 9 <br />