NHTSA ITSE NOFO Questions and Answers vII. 8.26.2026.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY (NOFO) SUMMARY:

I. BASIC INFORMATION

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE

Innovative Traffic Safety Enforcement (ITSE) Grant Program

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE

Questions and Answers VERSION 2.0 (Posted 8.26.2026)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY NUMBER

NHTSA-693JJ926R000024-FY26

ASSISTANCE LISTING NUMBER

20.614 – National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants

KEY DATES

NOFO Posted Date: 8/3/2026

NOFO Questions Due Date for Phase One (1): 8/18/2026 at 5pm EST.

Application Submission Period for Phase One (1): 8/3/2026 - 9/3/2026

Applications received after the deadline for each phase will be held for evaluation in phases that follow. Selection is subject to the availability of funds for each specific phase. NHTSA reserves the right to close the application period at its discretion following phase one evaluation and awards. NHTSA will post a notice on Grants.gov if funds are no longer available, are fully obligated, or if the grant program will not continue. Please refer to Section V. for additional details.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Question 1: In section I. BASIC INFORMATION, it states “NHTSA will only accept one (1) application per eligible applicant during each application phase. In section IV.

APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT, it states “NHTSA will accept one application per applicant per FY.”

Will you clarify which statement is correct for how often NHTSA will accept one application per eligible applicant [institution, non-profit, etc.]?

Answer: NHTSA will only select one application per applicant per phase. An Applicant may be eligible for more than one (1) award subject to a limitation of one (1) award per fiscal year.

Because an applicant is limited to one award per fiscal year, an Applicant may submit an application in Phase One (1), and either in Phase Two (2) or Phase Three (3), but not both Phases. Applicants that were not selected during an earlier phase may submit a revised application during a subsequent phase, provided the application continues to meet all eligibility requirements.

Question 2: The ITSE NOFO requires the final report to include “all data relied upon” by the recipient to develop or produce project products and also requires public access to digital data sets developed under the project. If an applicant relies on commercially licensed, proprietary roadway-speed data that may not be redistributed in its original or native form, may the recipient satisfy these requirements by providing NHTSA with an exportable, project-specific analytical dataset containing the data elements and observations used to conduct the project evaluation, together with the applicable data dictionary and methodology, rather than providing or publicly releasing the vendor’s underlying proprietary source dataset? If not, please clarify what level or form of access to commercially licensed data NHTSA would require.

Answer: NHTSA does not seek commercially licensed proprietary data. However, Federal regulations and policy require that the Federal government obtains rights to data produced under a Federal award. It is possible that a recipient could satisfy these requirements by providing NHTSA with an exportable, project specific analytical dataset containing the data elements and observations used to conduct the project evaluation, together with the applicable data dictionary and methodology.

Question 3: The NOFO states that grant funds are subject to Buy America requirements under 23 U.S.C.§ 313, which prohibits the purchase of steel, iron, and manufactured products not produced in the United States. Does this restriction apply to software, technology platform licenses, and artificial intelligence tools proposed as part of the project, or exclusively to physical goods?

Answer: In general, standalone software, licenses, and artificial intelligence tools, are not within the scope of the 23 U.S.C. § 313 Buy America requirement.

Question 4: Section III.G.5 establishes that recipients may not draw down grant funds for specific projects without prior written authorization from the agency. However, the NOFO does not detail the process, required forms, or anticipated response timeframe for such authorizations. What is the formal mechanism NHTSA has established for this process, and what is the standard response time?

Answer: NHTSA’s process for the draw down of grant funds operates on a reimbursement basis.

Recipients submit an invoice that, among other things, details the activity conducted under the grant. NHTSA authorizes payment of the reimbursement request after validating that the activity described in the request is reasonable and allocable. More information regarding the invoice process will be made available after award.