National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements (20.614)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements (Assistance Listing 20.614) is run by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, part of the Department of Transportation. It awarded $353 million in 195 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $1.8 million per award on average. 2 funding opportunities are open or forecast now.
The typical award was $330,342. Half of the 195 awards fell between $120,248 and $933,976, and they ranged from $500 to $60.3 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$353 million
- Grant awards195
- Typical award$330,342
- Awarded in FY 2025$215 million
- Size rank455 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements, project grants
Key findings
- Annual funding rose from $22.7 million in fiscal 2021 to $215 million in fiscal 2025.
- It is the 455th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 80% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 53 states and territories.
What the program funds
Provide technical and financial assistance to State and local government agencies, for-profit and non-profit organizations, educational institutions, hospitals, and other persons (as defined in Title 1 USC Chapter (1)) in support of highway safety research and development, special studies, educational and public awareness projects related to or involving: 1). Activities, including demonstration projects to study vehicle, highway, driver, passenger, motorcyclist, bicyclist, and pedestrian characteristics; 2). Emergency medical services communications and transportation of the injured; 3). Human behavioral factors such as driver education, impaired driving, and distracted driving; 4). Evaluation of the effectiveness of countermeasures to increase highway and traffic safety, including occupant protection and alcohol- and drug-impaired driving technologies and initiatives; 5). Development of technologies to detect drug impaired drivers; 6). Research, evaluation, and identification of best practices related to driver education programs (including driver education curricula, instructor training and certification, program administration, and delivery mechanisms) and recommendations for harmonizing driver education and multistage graduated licensing systems; 7). Effect of State laws on any aspects, activities, or programs described above.
Open opportunities
- State Process for Informing Consumers of Recalls Program
- Innovative Traffic Safety Enforcement (ITSE) Grant Program
Rules from the program listing
Who can apply
Eligibility requirements will be specified on a project-by-project basis. Generally speaking, and historically, projects have been made available to the following types of organizations: Intrastate, Local, Sponsored Organization, Public nonprofit institution/organization, Other public institution/organization, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Government, U.S. territory or possession, Specialized Group, Small Business, Profit Organization, Private nonprofit institution/organization, Quasi-public nonprofit institution/organization, Other private institution/organization, Native American Organization,
What the money can and cannot pay for
The grants and cooperative agreements can only be used for those projects as authorized under Section 403 of Public law 112-140 . The grants and cooperative agreements can only be used for those projects as authorized under Section 403 of Public law 112-140. ;
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
The range and average of financial assistance for these grants are $650,000 - $2,500,000.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements (20.614) awarded $353 million across 195 grant awards, an average of $1.8 million per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 59% of the money, nonprofits 37% and colleges and universities 2.5%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 123 | $209 million | 59% |
| Nonprofits | 56 | $130 million | 37% |
| Colleges and universities | 9 | $8.8 million | 2.5% |
| Other | 3 | $2.3 million | 0.7% |
| Businesses | 4 | $2.3 million | 0.7% |
By state
30 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 27 | $91.2 million |
| California | 4 | $64.9 million |
| District of Columbia | 15 | $28.8 million |
| Maryland | 8 | $20.1 million |
| Oregon | 3 | $12.6 million |
| Maine | 3 | $11.9 million |
| Illinois | 6 | $11.9 million |
| Arizona | 3 | $10.2 million |
| Arkansas | 3 | $8.5 million |
| New Mexico | 3 | $8.2 million |
| Florida | 3 | $8.1 million |
| Rhode Island | 3 | $7.4 million |
| West Virginia | 3 | $6.8 million |
| Connecticut | 3 | $6.7 million |
| South Carolina | 3 | $6.4 million |
| Tennessee | 3 | $5.4 million |
| Michigan | 6 | $4.8 million |
| Kansas | 3 | $3.2 million |
| Utah | 3 | $2.8 million |
| Kentucky | 4 | $2.8 million |
| Texas | 5 | $2.7 million |
| Colorado | 4 | $2.7 million |
| Washington | 3 | $2.6 million |
| Minnesota | 3 | $2.5 million |
| Pennsylvania | 7 | $2.2 million |
| Georgia | 3 | $1.7 million |
| New York | 2 | $1.4 million |
| Nevada | 3 | $1.3 million |
| New Jersey | 2 | $1.2 million |
| Ohio | 4 | $1.1 million |
| North Carolina | 3 | $991,288 |
| Missouri | 3 | $880,695 |
| Oklahoma | 3 | $743,523 |
| Louisiana | 2 | $709,045 |
| Puerto Rico | 3 | $692,858 |
| Indiana | 2 | $685,986 |
| Idaho | 4 | $618,453 |
| Montana | 2 | $491,456 |
| Massachusetts | 2 | $483,198 |
| American Samoa | 1 | $470,821 |
| North Dakota | 3 | $440,368 |
| Nebraska | 2 | $404,500 |
| Mississippi | 2 | $388,005 |
| Wisconsin | 2 | $318,935 |
| Hawaii | 2 | $317,833 |
| Alaska | 2 | $294,500 |
| Iowa | 1 | $264,929 |
| Alabama | 1 | $244,898 |
| New Hampshire | 2 | $217,797 |
| South Dakota | 2 | $205,257 |
| Delaware | 2 | $190,588 |
| Wyoming | 2 | $168,000 |
| Vermont | 1 | $50,000 |