National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements
Active
- Assistance listing
- 20.614
- Agency
-
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
Department of Transportation
- Grant awards
- 546 $978,519,774 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- NHTSA Section 403 Discretionary Grants and Cooperative Agreements
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Block Grant
- Formula Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 69-0650-0-1-401
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is awarding discretionary safety grants and cooperative agreements under Assistance Listing 20.614 to support highway safety research, demonstration projects, training, and data collection, with the most recent grant award issued on July 13, 2026.
NHTSA funds a broad range of highway safety activities across impaired driving enforcement and prevention, traffic safety data systems modernization, occupant protection, pedestrian and micromobility safety, emergency medical services coordination, and driver education and licensing innovations. Recent awards demonstrate scope spanning state crash data collection system upgrades, post-crash care coordination via computer-aided dispatch integration, rural tele-EMS programs to expedite trauma care, comprehensive safety action plans at county and tribal levels, and studies of vehicle fuel economy standards and drug-impaired driving detection technologies.
The program is predominantly structured as Cooperative Agreements, which account for 88 percent of awards (482 of 546 total), with Project Grants representing 11 percent and a minimal share of Formula and Block Grants. NHTSA is the sole funding agency across all 546 awards, which have obligated $978.5 million in combined federal dollars since 2004. Award volume has fluctuated significantly in recent years—64 awards in 2022 declined to 6 in 2023, then increased to 20 in 2025 and 15 year-to-date in 2026—reflecting both program cycles and large multi-state data collection initiatives. Individual award magnitudes range from under $500 thousand to $77.9 million (California's state electronic data collection modernization in January 2025).
Representative recent awards include Southwest Minnesota's remote tele-EMS system to reduce rural roadway fatalities ($9.997 million, April 2026), a physician-level field care demonstration for trauma response in Southern Arizona ($7.483 million, March 2026), DWI court toolkit development and evaluation ($7.090 million, September 2025), and multiple state crash data system upgrades to enable electronic collection and transfer to NHTSA (ranging from $470 thousand to $77.9 million across 25 states, January 2025).
An open solicitation—Innovative Traffic Safety Enforcement (ITSE) Grant Program (NHTSA-693JJ926R000024-FY26)—was posted August 3, 2026 with a due date of September 1, 2027, targeting state and local governments, nonprofits, and educational institutions to develop evidence-based, scalable enforcement programs addressing risky driving behaviors including speed management, occupant protection, and impaired driving. Eligibility spans state, local, and tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and higher education institutions.
Objective and description
- Objective
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 re
- Description
Funds are authorized under 23 U.S.C. § 403 to support highway safety research and development, including demonstration projects, training, and the collection of safety data. Unlike formula grants, these funds are awarded on a discretionary basis through project-specific grants and cooperative agreements to a wide range of public and private entities. Projects are designed to identify best practices, evaluate countermeasures, and develop innovative technologies-such as drug-impaired driving detection and in-vehicle alcohol safety systems-to improve overall highway safety performance.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
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,
- Beneficiary eligibility
Intrastate, State, 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, Anyone/General Public, Health Professional, Scientist/Researcher, Consumer, Minority Group, Handicapped, Youth, Senior Citizen,
- Uses of assistance
The grants and cooperative agreements can only be used for those projects as authorized under Section 403 of Public law 112-140 .
- Use restrictions
Assistance is strictly limited to research, development, and demonstration activities authorized under 23 U.S.C. § 403. Funds may not be used for general highway construction, standard law enforcement operations, or the purchase of existing safety technology for non-research purposes.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
The period of time during which assistance is available is determined on a project by project basis. However typically, projects will not exceed five years. The timeframe in which funding must be spent is dependent upon the specific project's budget, the nature of the project, and the type of funding allocated to that project.
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Grantee criteria for selecting proposals will be developed on an on individual grant or cooperative agreement basis by the NHTSA Program and Acquisition Team.
- Award procedure
Competitive project grants and cooperative agreement applications must be submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration via the grants.gov website. Project grants and cooperative agreements which are to be awarded without competition shall be submitted directly to the NHTSA point of contact identified for that financial assistance opportunity. Grantees will be required to complete the suite of SF 424 forms, representations and certifications, project plan and budget. NHTSA's Office of Acquisition Management in cooperation with the applicable NHTSA program office will review project plans and budgets. Awards will be based upon the application of defined evaluation factors to applicants project plans and upon analysis of applicants' project budgets.
- Time to approval or disapproval
None. The deadlines shall be established for each grant or cooperative agreement application package.Refer to deadlines established for each Request for Application as presented in Grants.gov.
- Renewals
Renewals and/or extensions vary on a project by project basis. Some discretionary grants and cooperative agreements may include option periods
Grant opportunities
Show all 31
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 546 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dynamic Research, Inc. | $333,292,256 | 34% |
| 2 | Automotive Coalition For Traffic Safety, Inc. | $91,687,500 | 9% |
| 3 | Highway Patrol, California | $68,146,636 | 7% |
| 4 | Governors Highway Safety Association (Ghsa) | $26,759,251 | 3% |
| 5 | Crash Avoidance Metrics Partners LLC | $24,286,667 | 2% |
| 6 | Department Of Transportation Connecticut | $19,859,645 | 2% |
| 7 | National Safety Council | $18,073,953 | 2% |
| 8 | All Rise For Justice | $15,899,481 | 2% |
| 9 | Maryland Department Of Transportation | $13,215,214 | 1% |
| 10 | International Association Of Chiefs Of Police | $12,640,581 | 1% |
10 of 193 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $64,594,860 |
| FY2025 | $215,416,716 |
| FY2024 | $45,499,857 |
| FY2023 | $31,766,881 |
| FY2022 | $37,518,225 |
| FY2021 | $22,707,801 |
| FY2020 | $29,848,467 |
| FY2019 | $20,558,292 |
| FY2018 | $27,276,398 |
| FY2017 | $46,295,386 |
| FY2016 | $17,627,739 |
| FY2015 | $18,024,532 |
| FY2014 | $27,296,144 |
| FY2013 | $13,250,300 |
| FY2012 | $14,580,382 |
| FY2011 | $7,833,967 |
| FY2010 | $776,266 |
| FY2009 | $398,069 |
| FY2008 | $1,695,657 |
Show all 19
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 20.614?
Assistance Listing 20.614 is National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements, a federal grant program run by National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (Department of Transportation).
What is the CFDA number for National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements?
Its CFDA number is 20.614: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 20.614 awarded?
546 grant awards under 20.614 have obligated $978,519,774 in federal funds to 193 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 20.614?
The recipients obligated the most under National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Discretionary Safety Grants and Cooperative Agreements are Dynamic Research, Inc. ($333,292,256), Automotive Coalition For Traffic Safety, Inc. ($91,687,500) and Highway Patrol, California ($68,146,636).
How much did 20.614 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 20.614 obligated $215,416,716 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 20.614?
1 listed opportunity under 20.614 is open or forecasted. The latest, Innovative Traffic Safety Enforcement (ITSE) Grant Program, was posted on August 3, 2026.
On GovTribe
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