SS4A-FY26-NOFO.pdf

BILLING CODE 4910-9X

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Office of the Secretary of Transportation

Docket Number: DOT-OST-2026-0050

DOT FY 2026 Safe Streets and Roads for All Funding

ISSUED: March 27, 2026

AGENCY: Office of the Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT or the Department)

ACTION: Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO or Notice), Assistance Listing # 20.939

Each section of this Notice contains information and instructions relevant to the application process for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants, and all applicants should read this

Notice in its entirety to have the information they need to submit eligible and competitive applications.

Section Content A Basic Information B Definitions C Eligibility Information D Program Description E Application Contents and Format F Submission Requirements and Deadlines G Application Review Information H Federal Award Notices I Post-Award Requirements and Administration J Other Information

A. Basic Information

Federal Agency Name

Office of the Secretary of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation

Announcement Type

Notice of Funding Opportunity

Funding Opportunity Number

DOT-SS4A-FY26-01 (Grants.gov)

Assistance Listing Number

20.939

Executive Summary

Funds for the fiscal year (FY) 2026 SS4A grant program are to be awarded on a competitive basis to support planning, infrastructure, and behavioral and operational initiatives to prevent fatalities and serious injuries on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation, motorists, and commercial vehicle operators.

Objective The purpose of this notice is to solicit applications for SS4A.

Eligible Applicants • Metropolitan planning organizations;

• Political subdivisions of a State or territory (e.g., cities, towns, counties);

• Federally recognized Tribal governments; and

• A multijurisdictional group of entities described in any of the aforementioned three types of entities.

Eligible Project Types

• Develop a comprehensive safety action plan (Action Plan).

• Conduct supplemental safety planning to enhance an Action Plan.

• Carry out demonstration activities to inform the development of, or an update to, an Action Plan.

• Perform planning, design, and development activities for projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan.

• Implement projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan that address roadway safety problems.

Funding Details This Notice makes available up to $993,488,194 for FY 2026 grants:

$687,809,874 is available for Implementation Grants o Expected number of awards: 40 to 70 o Expected funding range: $2,500,000 to $25,000,000

$305,678,320 is available for Planning and Demonstration Grants o Expected number of awards: 400 to 700 o Expected funding range: $100,000 to $5,000,000

DOT reserves the right to make more, or fewer, awards. DOT reserves the discretion to alter minimum and maximum award sizes upon receiving the full pool of applications and assessing the needs of the program in relation to the SS4A grant priorities in Section D.vi: Grant Priorities. DOT may increase the overall amount of funding if additional funds become available.

http://www.grants.gov/

Funding Restrictions

Not more than 15 percent of the $1 billion in FY 2026 funds made available to carry out the SS4A program may be awarded to eligible applicants in a single State.1 A minimum of 30 percent of the total funds made available in FY 2026 must be awarded for developing an Action Plan, including supplemental planning to update an existing Action Plan, or demonstration activities to inform the development or update of an Action Plan.

Key Dates Planning and Demonstration Grant and Implementation Grant applications must be submitted by 5:00 PM (EDT) on May 26, 2026.

Technical questions must be submitted by 5:00 PM (EDT) on April 24, 2026.

Pre-application eligibility review requests must be submitted for Implementation Grants by 5:00 PM (EDT) on April 24, 2026.

Application Links Applications must be submitted via Valid Eval, an online application submission system used by DOT

• Implementation Grant Application:

https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2026_implementation/signup

• Planning and Demonstration Grant Application:

https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2026_planning_demo/signup

Customer support for Valid Eval can be reached at support@valideval.com.

Agency Contact Information

Email: SS4A@dot.gov Website: https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A DOT will regularly post answers to common questions and requests for clarification, as well as schedule information for webinars providing additional guidance on the SS4A website.

1. Changes in the FY 2026 NOFO

The FY 2026 NOFO substantively differs from the FY 2025 NOFO in the following ways:

• DOT is placing a priority on Public Safety Infrastructure.

• Section B. Definitions. Clarifying information is added regarding Public Safety

Infrastructure for post-crash care, emergency response coordination, and prehospital blood transfusion activities.

1 Funding for Tribal lands will be treated as their own State and will not count toward a State’s 15% limit.

https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2026_implementation/signup https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2026_planning_demo/signup mailto:support@valideval.com https://usdot.sharepoint.com/teams/volpe-proj-OST-SS4A/Shared%20Documents/General/NOFO/NOFO%20drafts/SS4A@dot.gov https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A

• Section G. Application Review Information has been updated to include clearer information regarding how SS4A applications will be assessed.

• Section G. Application Review Information. Added language noting that if DOT does not receive enough merit-worthy applications for Planning and Demonstration Grants to award the 30 percent set aside requirement, surplus funds may be redirected toward merit-worthy Implementation Grants.

• Added language highlighting new Executive Orders and DOT Orders.

B. Definitions

Term Definition Applicant’s Jurisdiction(s)

The U.S. Census tract(s) where the applicant operates or performs their safety responsibilities. If an applicant is seeking funding for multiple jurisdictions, they should include all relevant Census tracts for the jurisdictions covered by the application.

Comprehensive Safety Action Plan

A comprehensive safety action plan (referred to as an “Action Plan”) is a plan to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries in a locality or region or on Tribal land. This can be either an Action Plan developed with a Planning and Demonstration Grant, or a previously developed plan (e.g., a Vision Zero plan or similar plan) that is substantially similar to and meets the eligibility requirements of an Action Plan. See Table 1 for a detailed description.

Fatal or Serious Injury Crash

A fatal or serious injury crash involves a motor vehicle traveling on a roadway customarily open to the public. To be considered a motor vehicle related fatal injury, the crash must involve a motor vehicle traveling on a trafficway customarily open to the public and must result in the death of a vehicle occupant or a nonoccupant within 30 days of the crash. This definition aligns with the definition of a fatal crash in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

High-Injury Network Identifies the highest concentrations of motor vehicle related crashes resulting in serious injuries and fatalities within a given roadway network or jurisdiction.

Political Subdivision of a State

A unit of government created under the authority of State law. This includes cities, towns, counties, special districts, certain transit agencies, and similar units of local government. A transit district, authority, or public benefit corporation is eligible if it was created under State law, including transit authorities operated by political subdivisions of a State.

Public Safety Infrastructure

Physical and digital hardware, software, systems, technologies, equipment, protocols, facilities, and coordination models used by public safety agencies such as 9-1-1, emergency medical services (EMS), fire services, law enforcement, and trauma system partners to either prevent, respond to, or reduce the severity of roadway crashes. Public safety infrastructure may be permanent, modular, configurable, or interoperable, and may include temporary, pilot, or limited-scale deployments.

Term Definition Rural For the purposes of this NOFO, jurisdictions outside an Urban Area (UA) or located within UAs with populations fewer than 200,000, based on the 2020 Census, will be considered rural. Lists of UAs are available on the U.S.

Census Bureau website at https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ua/2020_Census_ua_list_all.xlsx

Safe System Approach

A guiding principle to address the safety of all road users. It involves a paradigm shift to improve safety culture, increase collaboration across all safety stakeholders, and refocus transportation system design and operation on anticipating human mistakes and lessening impact forces to reduce crash severity and save lives.2

Areas of Persistent Poverty and Underserved Community

Areas of Persistent Poverty (APP)3 are defined as:

• Any county that has consistently had greater than or equal to 20 percent of the population living in poverty during the 30-year period preceding November 15, 2021, as measured by the 1990 and 2000 decennial census and the most recent annual Small Area Income Poverty Estimates as estimated by the Bureau of the Census

• Any census tract with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent as measured by the 2014 – 2018 5-year data series available from the American Community Survey of the Bureau of the Census

• Any territory or possession of the United States

Underserved Community will use the same definition as APP for purposes of this NOFO.

C. Eligibility Information

1. Eligible Applicants

Section 24112(a)(2) of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Pub. L. 117–58, provides statutory eligibility criteria for the SS4A grants. Eligible applicants for SS4A grants are:

2For additional information, visit: https://www.transportation.gov/safe-system-approach 3 See 49 U.S.C. § 6702(a)(1).

https://www2.census.gov/geo/docs/reference/ua/2020_Census_ua_list_all.xlsx https://www.transportation.gov/safe-system-approach

1. a metropolitan planning organization (MPO);

2. a political subdivision of a State or territory;

3. a federally recognized Tribal government; and

4. a multijurisdictional group of entities made up of any of the aforementioned three types of entities.

A multijurisdictional group of entities should identify a lead applicant as the primary point of contact. Non-profits are not eligible applicants unless created under State law with roadway safety and/or planning responsibilities equivalent to a political subdivision of a State. States and territories are not eligible applicants.

SS4A award recipients from all previous years are eligible to apply in FY 2026. FY 2026

Projects of Merit, which are Implementation Grant or Planning and Demonstration Grant applications that received a Highly Recommended rating, may automatically be carried forward for consideration under a future SS4A NOFO, subject to availability of appropriations and specific funding requirements which will be explained in future NOFOs. Applicants would be responsible for updating an application should the future SS4A NOFO include program or policy changes from this FY 2026 NOFO.

Additional Eligibility Requirements for Implementation Grant Applicants

An eligible applicant for an Implementation Grant must also meet at least one of the following conditions:

• have ownership and/or maintenance responsibilities over a roadway network;

• have safety responsibilities that affect roadways; or

• have an agreement in the form of a signed letter, MOU, or other documentation from the agency that has ownership and/or maintenance responsibilities for the roadway within the applicant’s jurisdiction.

2. Number of Applications

Eligible applicants may submit one application only to the FY 2026 funding opportunity. If multiple applications are received from the same political subdivision of a State and/or applicant, the last application submitted will be reviewed. If an applicant is eligible for both a Planning and

Demonstration Grant and an Implementation Grant, the applicant must choose between applying for a Planning and Demonstration Grant or an Implementation Grant.

Implementation Grant applicants may request funds to bundle supplemental planning and demonstration activities as described in Section D.8.i, alongside a request for funds to implement projects and strategies.

3. Planning and Demonstration Grant Eligibility Requirements

Eligible activities for a Planning and Demonstration Grant include: develop a new Action Plan, conduct supplemental safety planning to update an existing Action Plan, or carry out safety demonstration activities to inform the development of or update to an Action Plan.

These activities may be bundled in any combination, provided that the requirements in this

Notice are met. DOT encourages complementary but distinct activities, including but not limited to safety demonstration activities that will help inform the development of an Action Plan.

Any applicant that meets the eligibility requirements described below may apply for a Planning and Demonstration Grant to develop an Action Plan.

i. Developing an Action Plan The development of an Action Plan must include all relevant road users and be at a broad, systemwide geography (i.e., the eligible applicant’s entire jurisdiction, not a few road segments within a jurisdiction). Corridor-level or site-specific studies are considered to be supplemental planning and not an Action Plan. Applicants with an existing Action Plan may also apply to update their Action Plan.

ii. Supplemental Planning and Demonstration Activities Supplemental planning broadly refers to an activity that informs the development of a new or existing Action Plan. Eligible supplemental planning activities include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Action plan updates

• Action plan consolidation including combining different jurisdiction’s action plans or integrating topical safety activities into an action plan

• Complementary or topical safety plan development

• Road safety audits

• Follow-up data collection and safety analysis

• Progress reporting

• Stakeholder engagement and collaboration

• Roadway safety planning

Demonstration activities are temporary safety improvements that inform the Action Plan by testing proposed project and strategy approaches to determine future benefits and future scope.

Eligible demonstration activities include, but are not limited to the following:

• Feasibility studies

• MUTCD engineering studies

• Behavioral or operational activity pilot programs

• New technology pilot programs

Examples of eligible supplemental planning and demonstration activities are provided at

Planning and Demonstration Activities - SS4A | US Department of Transportation .

iii. Action Plan Requirement Applicants requesting Federal funding to conduct supplemental planning and/or demonstration activities only, without developing or updating an Action Plan must either a) have an existing

Action Plan, which is demonstrated through meeting the Action Plan requirements outlined in the Self-Certification Eligibility Worksheet4 and described in Table 1: Action Plan Components,

b) have received SS4A funding in a previous round to develop or update an Action Plan and are in the process of completing or updating an Action Plan, as described in Table 1: Action Plan

Components, or c) use a higher-level jurisdiction’s Action Plan as described below.

If a higher-level jurisdiction (e.g., an MPO or county would be a higher-level jurisdiction for a city or town) has an eligible and finalized Action Plan, or is in the process of completing or updating an SS4A-funded Action Plan from a previous grant round, an eligible applicant can apply for supplemental planning and/or demonstration activities without its own plan only if: 1) the geographic boundaries of the higher-level jurisdiction’s Action Plan cover the eligible applicant’s jurisdiction; 2) the proposed activities are coordinated with the higher-level jurisdiction and the application demonstrates such coordination; and 3) the activities will inform the Action Plan of the higher-level jurisdiction.

4 https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/self-certification-worksheet.

https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/planning-and-demonstration-activities https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/self-certification-worksheet

iv. Duplicative Action Plans An application may be deemed duplicative, and therefore ineligible, if it requests funds to develop a new Action Plan when another jurisdiction is already preparing an Action Plan in the same area using SS4A funding and/or requests funds to develop a new Action Plan in the same area as another FY26 application. Duplicative funding requests to develop a new Action Plan will be identified and assessed for merit within the context of other jurisdictions and their planning activities and will result in an eligibility determination.

4. Implementation Grant Eligibility Requirements

i. Action Plan Requirement To apply for an Implementation Grant, the applicant must certify that they have an existing plan that is substantially similar to an Action Plan as defined in Section B and Table 1: Action Plan

Components and has been finalized and/or last updated between 2021 and May 26, 2026. The components required for an existing plan to be substantially similar to an Action Plan may be found in up to three plans (e.g., a regional transportation safety plan and a local Vision Zero plan may be used together to meet all component requirements).

If another jurisdiction (e.g., an MPO or county) has an existing plan in place that meets Action

Plan eligibility requirements, an eligible applicant covered within the Action Plan’s geographic boundaries could apply without its own plan as long as the existing plan is focused, at least in part, on the roadway network within the applicant’s jurisdiction, the plans include the applicant’s projects and strategies, and all other eligibility requirements are met.

If an applicant does not have an existing Action Plan or is not located in a jurisdiction which has an existing Action Plan, they should apply for a Planning and Demonstration Grant to develop one. They should NOT apply for an Implementation Grant.

The plan, or a combination of up to three plans, must be uploaded as an attachment to the application or provided as web links to publicly available sites. Applicants should use the Self-

Certification Eligibility Worksheet to determine eligibility and upload the completed worksheet with their application.5

Ineligible Plans

State-level Action Plans (e.g., a Strategic Highway Safety Plan required under 23 U.S.C. § 148, State Highway Safety Plans required under 23 U.S.C. § 402, Commercial Vehicle Safety Plans required under 49 U.S.C. § 31102, or Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans required under

49 U.S.C. § 5329) cannot be used as an established plan to apply for an Implementation Grant.

Alignment With All Action Plan Components

Implementation Grant applicants who meet any of the following conditions must update their

Action Plan during the period of performance for the grant agreement to align with all Action

Plan components in Table 1: Action Plan Components as a condition of receiving SS4A funds:

• Self-Certification Eligibility Worksheet areas that include a “no” response; or

• Safety focus in the qualifying Action Plan does not include all road users.

Implementation Grant applicants are encouraged to request supplemental planning funding in their application to complete any missing components of an existing plan but may choose to complete such activities without Federal funding.

5. Cost Sharing or Matching

The Federal share of an SS4A grant may not exceed 80 percent of total eligible SS4A project costs. Recipients are required to contribute a local matching share of no less than 20 percent of total eligible project costs. Matching funds may include funding from the applicant or other eligible non-Federal sources. Unless otherwise authorized by statute, all matching contributions must be from non-Federal sources. Applicants that intend to combine SS4A funds with Federal-

Aid funds provided under Title 23 U.S.C. could experience a significant delay in the programming of funding and the execution of a grant agreement.

i. Exceptions to Non-Federal Match Requirements In the following situations, the non-federal match requirement may be met with Federal funds or may be waived:

• For eligible applicants on federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes, nations, bands, communities and affiliated groups, Tribal Transportation Program and

Tribal Transportation Program Safety Funds are Federal funding programs, and these programs may be used as non-Federal match.

• For eligible applicants located in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, when the required local match is less than $200,000, SS4A will apply a 100 percent Federal share and waive local match requirements per 48 U.S.C. § 1469a and Pub. L. 96-205, Title VI, § 601, as amended, and consistent with OMB Controller Alert CA-23-04, Waiving Matching Fund Requirements for Insular Areas.

ii. Types of Non-Federal Match In accordance with 2 CFR § 200.306, grant recipients may use in-kind or cash contributions toward local match requirements so long as those contributions meet the requirements under 2

CFR § 200.306(b). Any in-kind contributions used to fulfill the cost-share requirement for both

Planning and Demonstration Grants and Implementation Grants must:

• Be in accordance with the cost principles in 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E;

• Include documented evidence of completion within the period of performance; and

• Support the execution of the eligible activities in Section D.10: Eligible Activities and

Costs

Additional information about match requirements and costs that can be considered match are available at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A.

D. Program Description

1. Overview

The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), Pub. L. 117–58, authorized and appropriated

$1,000,000,000 to be awarded by DOT for FY 2026 for the SS4A grant program.6 This Notice solicits applications for activities to be funded under the SS4A grant program.

The purpose of SS4A grants is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through the development, refinement, and implementation of Action Plans focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and commercial vehicle operators. The Action Plans include

6 See IIJA, Pub. L. 117-58, 135 Stat. 429, 815, Div. B, Title IV, § 24112; id., 135 Stat at 1413, Div. J, Title VIII.

strategies to implement the Safe System Approach. The program provides funding to develop tools to strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and is designed to meet the needs of local, Tribal, and regional communities that differ dramatically in size, location, and experience administering Federal funding.

2. Total Funding Available

IIJA established the SS4A program with $5,000,000,000 in advanced appropriations in

Division J, including $1,000,000,000 for FY 2026. DOT has retained not more than 2 percent, or

$20,000,000, for administrative expenses.7 In addition, DOT has $13,488,194 in carryover funds.

Therefore, this Notice makes available up to $993,488,194 for FY 2026 grants under the SS4A program. Refer to Section G for greater detail on additional funding considerations and Section

A. Basic Information for funding restrictions.

3. Start Dates and Period of Performance

DOT expects to obligate SS4A award funding via signed grant agreements between DOT and recipients, as flexibly and expeditiously as possible, within 12 months of award announcement.

Because award recipients under this program may be first-time recipients of Federal funding, DOT is committed to providing assistance to help them through the process of securing a grant agreement and delivering grant projects and strategies through the SS4A Technical Assistance

Center8. Applicants who have never received Federal funding from DOT are also encouraged to partner with eligible applicants within the same region, such as an MPO, that have established

7 IIJA § 24112(f)(2) 8 For additional information about the SS4A Technical Assistance Center, visit:

https://www.ss4aclearinghouse.org/TechnicalAssistance financial relationships with DOT and knowledge of Federal grant administration requirements.

While States are not eligible applicants and cannot be a co-applicant (which includes State

Departments of Transportation and similar State-level entities), eligible applicants are encouraged to seek guidance on project delivery and processes from States and other entities experienced with administering Federal grants, outside of the SS4A grant award process, to ensure effective administration of a grant award. The expected period of performance for

Planning and Demonstration and Implementation Grant agreements is between 24 months and five years, depending on the scope and extent of the grant activities. The period of performance for Planning and Demonstration Grant and Implementation Grant agreements may not exceed five years.

4. Data Collection Requirements

Pursuant to section 24112(i)(1) of IIJA, DOT must post on a publicly available website best practices and lessons learned for preventing roadway fatalities and serious injuries pursuant to strategies or interventions implemented under SS4A. In addition, DOT must evaluate and incorporate, as appropriate, the effectiveness of strategies and interventions implemented under the SS4A grant program into the publicly available website on best practices and lessons learned. 9 The best practices and lessons learned collected thus far are available on the SS4A

Clearinghouse website. DOT intends to measure safety outcomes through a combination of grant agreement activities and data collections, including DOT data collections already underway and program evaluations separate from the individual grant agreements. The grant data-collection

9 IIJA specifically cites Countermeasures That Work: A Highway Safety Countermeasure Guide for State Highway Safety Offices, Eleventh Edition, or any successor document.

https://www.ss4aclearinghouse.org/ActionPlans https://www.ss4aclearinghouse.org/ActionPlans requirements reflect the need to build evidence of noteworthy strategies and best practices. DOT expects to use the data and outcome information collected before and after evaluations. See

Section I for more information about post-award reporting requirements.

5. Grant Options and Deliverables

The SS4A program provides funding for two main types of grants: Planning and

Demonstration Grants and Implementation Grants. Planning and Demonstration Grants are used to develop, complete, or supplement an Action Plan, as well as carry out safety demonstration activities that inform an Action Plan. Implementation Grants are used to implement strategies or projects that are consistent with an existing Action Plan. In addition, applicants may bundle funding requests for supplemental planning and demonstration activities that inform the Action Plan into an Implementation Grant application.

i. Planning and Demonstration Grants

Action Plan

An Action Plan is the foundation of the SS4A grant program and supports the implementation of projects and strategies that will help achieve local, data-driven transportation safety goals. The goal of an Action Plan is to develop a holistic, well-defined strategy to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries in a locality, region, or on Tribal Lands. Grants for Action Plans provide

Federal funds to eligible applicants to develop, complete, or enhance an Action Plan for broad, systemwide geography covering the applicant’s entire jurisdiction.

The primary deliverable is a publicly available Action Plan. For the purposes of the SS4A grant program, an Action Plan includes the components in Table 1. DOT considers the process of developing an Action Plan to be critical for success and the components reflect a process-oriented set of activities. For applications involving a multi-jurisdictional group, applicants may propose the development of a single Action Plan covering all jurisdictions, several plans for individual jurisdictions, or a system to administer sub-awards to entities within its jurisdiction.

Table 1: Action Plan Components Component Description Leadership Commitment and Goal Setting

An official public commitment (e.g., resolution, policy, ordinance) by a high-ranking official and/or governing body (e.g., Mayor, City Council, Tribal Council, MPO Policy Board) to an eventual goal of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The commitment must include a goal and timeline for eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries achieved through one, or both, of the following:

(1) the target date for achieving zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries, or

(2) a percentage reduction of roadway fatalities and serious injuries by a specific date with an eventual goal of eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries.

Planning Structure A committee, task force, implementation group, or similar body charged with oversight of the Action Plan development, implementation, and monitoring.

Safety Analysis Analysis of existing conditions and historical trends that provides a baseline level of crashes involving fatalities and serious injuries across a jurisdiction, locality, Tribe, or region. Includes an analysis of crash locations and crash severity, as well as contributing factors and crash types by relevant road users (e.g., motorists, pedestrians, transit users, etc.). Analysis of systemic and specific safety needs is also performed, as needed (e.g., high-risk road features, specific safety needs of relevant road users, analysis of the built environment, demographics, and structural issues). The safety analysis can consider factors that influence the severity of outcomes when crashes occur, including the availability and coordination of emergency response and post-crash care systems. To the extent practical, the analysis should include all roadways within the jurisdiction, without regard to ownership. Based on the analysis performed, a geospatial identification of higher-risk locations is developed (a high-injury network or equivalent).

Supplemental Planning Activities

Supplemental planning activities support or enhance an existing Action Plan. Examples of eligible supplemental planning activities are provided at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/planning-and-demonstration-activities.

Component Description Engagement and Collaboration

Robust engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders and partners, including the private sector, and community groups allows for both community representation and feedback. Information received from engagement and collaboration is analyzed and incorporated into the Action Plan. Overlapping jurisdictions are included in the process. Plans and processes are coordinated and aligned with other governmental plans and planning processes to the extent practicable.

Policy and Process Changes

Assessment of current local policies, plans, guidelines, and/or standards (e.g., manuals) to identify opportunities to improve how processes prioritize transportation safety. The Action Plan discusses implementation through the adoption of revised or new local policies, guidelines, and/or standards, as appropriate.

Strategy and Project Selections

Identification of a comprehensive set of projects and strategies informed by data, the best available evidence and noteworthy practices, and stakeholder input that will address the safety problems described in the Action Plan. These strategies and countermeasures focus on a Safe System Approach and effective interventions and consider multidisciplinary activities. To the extent practicable, data limitations are identified and mitigated.

Once identified, the projects and strategies are prioritized in a list that provides time ranges for when the strategies and countermeasures are expected to be deployed (e.g., short-, mid-, and long-term timeframes). The list should include specific projects and strategies, or descriptions of programs of projects and strategies, and explain prioritization criteria used. The list should contain interventions focused on infrastructure and behavioral and operational safety.

Progress and Transparency

Method to measure progress over time after an Action Plan is developed or updated, including outcome data. A means to ensure ongoing transparency is established with residents and other relevant stakeholders. The approach must include, at a minimum, annual public and accessible reporting on progress toward reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries and public posting of the Action Plan online.

https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/planning-and-demonstration-activities

The final deliverable for supplemental planning is a written product that connects to, and enhances, an Action Plan. Final products shall be made publicly available.

Demonstration Activities

Demonstration activities inform an Action Plan by testing proposed project and strategy approaches to determine their potential benefits and future scope. Demonstration activities are temporary and small in scale. Demonstration activities must measure potential benefits through data collection and evaluation (e.g., before and after studies) and inform an Action Plan’s list of selected projects and strategies and their future implementation.

Demonstration activities and pilot programs must inform Action Plans through small-scale tests with finite trial periods intended to gauge potential project and strategy effectiveness that will lead to project and strategy selection at a systemic level. DOT generally expects demonstration activities to be initiated within 18 months of executing a grant agreement (e.g., quick-builds on the roadway; pilot project established) and the benefits of the demonstration activity to be evaluated during the period of performance for the grant agreement.

The final deliverable is an assessment of the demonstration activities and an updated Action Plan that incorporates the information gathered from the demonstration activities into the Action

Plan’s list of projects or strategies and/or informs another part of the Action Plan.

ii. Implementation Grants Implementation Grants fund projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan that address roadway safety problems. Implementation Grants may also fund supplemental planning and demonstration activities as described above, as well as project-level planning, design, and development activities for projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan (e.g., project-level

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) compliance, associated environmental review activities, permits and approvals, construction design, etc.).

6. SS4A Grant Priorities

This section discusses priorities specific to SS4A and NOFO requirements. Successful grant applications will:

• Promote safety to prevent fatal and serious injuries on public roadways;

• Employ low-cost, high-impact strategies that can improve safety over a wide geographic area;

• Ensure equitable investment in the safety needs of underserved communities, which includes both underserved urban and rural communities;

• Beautifying transportation infrastructure with context-appropriate design and/or child-friendly elements;

• Advance eligible truck parking with a clear roadway safety nexus;

• Incorporate evidence-based projects and strategies and adopt innovative technologies and strategies; and

• Demonstrate engagement with a variety of public and private stakeholders.10

Additionally, applications will be more competitive if they

• Beautify transportation infrastructure with context-appropriate design and/or child-friendly elements;

• Advance eligible truck parking with a clear roadway safety nexus;

10 See IIJA, Pub. L. 117-58, 135 Stat. 429, 816, § 24112(d)(3)(A)–(E).

• Modernize public safety infrastructure, including prehospital blood transfusion capabilities and improve post-crash care.

In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), awards focused on infrastructure and demonstration activities must ensure that newly constructed facilities in the public right-of-way are accessible to, and usable by, individuals with disabilities to the extent that it is not structurally impracticable to do so. The ADA also requires that, when an existing facility is altered, the altered facility be made accessible to and usable by individuals with disabilities to the maximum extent feasible. 11

DOT intends to use the SS4A program to support the creation of good-paying jobs through union participation or project labor agreements which promote cost-effectiveness and open competition, registered apprenticeship programs, and other training and placement programs.

DOT intends to apply principles from DOT Order 2100.7, (Ensuring Reliance Upon Sound

Economic Analysis in DOT’s Policies, Programs and Activities) and DOT Order 2100.9, (Ensuring

Nondiscrimination and Equal Opportunity in Department of Transportation Policies, Programs, and

Activities) when evaluating applications and making award selections. To the maximum extent permitted by law, DOT will prioritize projects that are in alignment with the principles outlined in

DOT Order 2100.7 and DOT Order 2100.9.

DOT seeks to fund projects that advance the priorities of this Administration as described in

DOT’s mission statement and across executive orders.

11 See 28 CFR § 35.151.

https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-reliance-upon-sound-economic-analysis-department-transportation-policies-programs https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-reliance-upon-sound-economic-analysis-department-transportation-policies-programs https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-nondiscrimination-and-equal-opportunity-department-transportation-policies https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-nondiscrimination-and-equal-opportunity-department-transportation-policies https://www.transportation.gov/mission/ensuring-nondiscrimination-and-equal-opportunity-department-transportation-policies

7. Eligible Activities and Costs

Broadly, eligible activity costs must comply with the cost principles set forth in 2 CFR Part 200, Subpart E. DOT reserves the right to make cost eligibility determinations on a case-by-case basis.

i. Eligible Activities Eligible activities for grant funding include the following three elements:

A. Developing or updating an Action Plan (i.e., the activities described in Section C.3.i:

Developing an Action Plan);

B. Conducting planning, design, and development activities for projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan; and

C. Carrying out projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan.

For Implementation Grants, activities must include element (C) and may include element (B).

Implementation Grant applications may also include element (A) such as supplemental planning or demonstration activities. Projects and strategies identified in element (C) must be either infrastructure, behavioral, operational, or post-crash care activities identified in the Action Plan, including prehospital blood transfusion programs and other public safety system improvements, and must be directly related to addressing the safety problem(s) identified in the application and

Action Plan. Applicants may “bundle” different projects, strategies, supplemental planning, and/or demonstration activities into one Implementation Grant application, even if they address different safety problems or are located in different areas. For “bundled” funding requests, element (B) planning, design, and development activities must be directly connected to the completion of the element (C) projects and strategies funded through the Implementation Grant application. Public safety infrastructure activities are eligible for Implementation Grants such as

Field Blood Delivery, Public Safety Dispatch, Digital Alert System, and Education Campaigns;

these activities could also be eligible as a safety demonstration activity provided they meet the demonstration activity eligibility requirements described in Section D.5.i: Demonstration

Activities. Truck parking activities contained in an Action Plan may be eligible under an Action

Plan Grant or as part of an Implementation Grant if such activities demonstrates a clear roadway safety nexus and are not among the ineligible activities listed below in Section D.7.ii. Examples of eligible Implementation Grant activities are listed on the SS4A website

(https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/implementation-grants).

ii. Ineligible Activities and Costs The following activities are not eligible for element (C) “projects and strategies” nor demonstration activity funding:

• Projects and strategies whose primary purpose is not roadway safety.

• Projects and strategies exclusively focused on non-roadway modes of transportation, including air, rail, marine, and pipeline. Note, however, roadway intersections with other modes of transportation (e.g., at-grade highway rail crossings) are eligible activities.

• Capital projects to construct new roadways used for motor vehicles. A new roadway facility exclusively for non-motorists (e.g., a pedestrian bridge) is an eligible activity if the primary purpose is safety related.

• Infrastructure projects primarily intended to expand capacity to improve Levels of

Service for motorists on an existing roadway, such as the creation of additional through lanes (i.e. without a clear safety nexus).

https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/implementation-grants

• Maintenance activities for an existing roadway primarily to maintain a state of good repair. However, roadway modifications on an existing roadway in support of specific safety-related projects identified in an Action Plan are eligible activities.

• Development or implementation of a Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) required by 49 U.S.C. § 5329. However, a PTASP that identifies and addresses risks to pedestrians, bicyclists, personal conveyance and micromobility users, transit riders, and others may inform Action Plan development.

E. Application Contents and Format

The Planning and Demonstration Grant and the Implementation Grant, respectively, have different application submission and supporting document requirements. The SS4A website

(https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A) provides many resources to help complete the required submission materials.

1. Implementation Grant Pre-Application Submissions

Prior to submitting an application, a potential Implementation Grant applicant is encouraged to submit a Self-Certification Eligibility Worksheet and links or attachments to any referenced plan(s) to determine whether the applicant has an existing plan or plans that are substantially similar to an Action Plan, which is required for Implementation Grant eligibility. A pre-application eligibility review request must contain all required materials, including relevant documentation, to receive an eligibility determination by DOT.

Pre-application submissions must be received at or before 5:00 PM (EDT) on April 24, 2026, by emailing SS4A@dot.gov with the subject “Implementation Grant Eligibility Review: Applicant https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A mailto:SS4A@dot.gov

Name, State.” DOT expects to provide an affirmative response or details as to why the plan(s) do not meet eligibility requirements to the applicant within three weeks of receipt. Each applicant may request only one pre-application submission review. DOT will not perform pre-application reviews of full application materials nor provide feedback on the quality of the overall application.

If a potential applicant has an Action Plan covering their jurisdiction that was developed using prior SS4A funds that has been accepted by DOT, they should not submit those plans for pre-application eligibility review. DOT will confirm eligibility for these applicants upon application submittal.

Planning and Demonstration Grant applicants are not eligible for pre-application submission reviews.

2. Planning and Demonstration Grant Application Submissions

The application must include the application materials as described below. The necessary file formats for each application component will be displayed on the Valid Eval application portal.

Standard Forms

All applicants must submit the following Standard Forms:

• Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424),

• Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A),

• Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B), and

• Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL).

The SF-424 requests applicants provide information on “Estimated Funds” (box 18). This budget must list the amount and percent of both the total Federal funding requested and any additional non-Federal funds, if any, that will be used to pay for the project. If the SS4A Federal funding amounts requested differ between forms and/or other application materials, the amount in the SF-

424 will be used to determine funding. Funding requests must be in whole numbers (no cents).

For the SF-424A form, Section D and Section E are optional as described in the SF-424A instructions.

Key Information Questions

The following questions are asked in the SS4A application on Valid Eval at https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2026_planning_demo/signup.

Table 2: Example Planning and Demonstration Application Key Information Table Title Instructions

Lead Applicant Name This should be consistent with Q. 8.a. of the SF-424.

Lead Applicant Unique Entity Identifier

(UEI)

See Section F.2 for more information about obtaining a UEI from SAM.gov.

Eligible Entity Type See Section C.1

Application Type (select one) • Develop a new Action Plan;

• Update/add to an existing local safety plan to meet the requirements of an SS4A Action Plan as described in Table 1 Action Plan Components;

• Develop or update an Action Plan and conduct Demonstration or Supplemental Planning activities;

or

• Conduct Demonstration or Supplemental Planning activities only.

Project Title A concise, descriptive title for the project. This should be the same title used in the SF-424 form and the application narrative.

https://usg.valideval.com/teams/usdot_ss4a_2026_planning_demo/signup

Title Instructions

Project Goal/Description A short description of the proposed activities and how they will address the safety problem(s) in the applicant’s jurisdiction.

Total Applicant Jurisdiction Population Source: 2020 U.S. Census data.

Total Count Motor Vehicle-Involved Roadway Fatalities that includes the last 5 years of data made available in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) during the NOFO period

From the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for the applicant jurisdiction. Use 2019-2023 data.

Total Average Annual Fatality Rate (per 100,000 population)

The fatality rate calculated using the 5-year annual average from the total count of fatalities based on FARS data from 2019-2023, divided by the population of the applicant’s jurisdiction based on 2020 U.S. Census population data.

Inclusion of Underserved Communities Census Tract(s)

Whether the jurisdiction(s) covered by this application are, or include, underserved communities.

Description of Supplemental Planning and Demonstration Activities (if relevant)

See Section D.5.i: Planning and Demonstration Grants

Total SS4A Funding Request Must be a whole number (no cents).

Total SS4A Non-Federal Share Must be equal to, or greater than, 20% of total project cost.

Total SS4A Project Cost Sum of Total Federal Funding Request and Total Local Share/Match.

Total Other Federal Funds Used Must be a whole number (no cents). Other Federal funds may include funds directly received from a Federal agency or funds received through a pass-through agency (e.g., State governmental agency) that originated as Federal funds.

Coordination For applications that include Action Plan development or updates, the applicant agency must affirm that they will coordinate with any jurisdictions that geographically overlap with the applicant jurisdiction and have received SS4A funding to develop or update an Action Plan or have submitted an FY26 application requesting funds to develop or update an Action Plan.

Proof of coordination (e.g., letter, email) from ALL such geographically overlapping entities affirming they are aware of your application and the need for coordination to avoid duplication of efforts must be provided as an attachment to the application.

Narrative

The narrative should include a brief description of the proposed activities. The narrative should also respond to the Planning and Demonstration Grant Safety Context merit criteria described in

Section G.1.i: Planning and Demonstration Grant Merit Criteria to affirm the proposal’s alignment with SS4A safety considerations and address the criteria. The applicant does not need to address the Safety Impact or Underserved Communities merit criteria in the narrative; these are based on nationally available data.

Applicants requesting less than $100,000 in funding must explain how the scope of activities will be completed with the funding amount proposed.

Applicants requesting funding for demonstration activities to inform an Action Plan must provide a brief schedule showing when the activities will occur (e.g., temporary materials installed, when the pilot would begin), and the start/end dates of the pilot.