In late March, President Trump’s new Administration released their first Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the popular Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. So far, SS4A has provided $2.9 billion in federal funding to over 1,600 communities in all 50 States and Puerto Rico, and there are many more grants available in this round of funding for new communities to jump in. Further, if your community has finished their planning, now is the time to ask for implementation funds to complete your community’s most needed safety projects.
According to the National League of Cities’ Rebuilding America Dashboard, local governments have received over $1 billion in funding for transportation safety improvements, impacting close to one out of every three Americans. This round of SS4A provides over $982 million in funding with hundreds of grants available and is due June 26, 2025, at 5 PM EST.
About the Safe Streets Program
The purpose of SS4A grants is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through the development of Action Plans and refinement and implementation focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists and commercial vehicle operators.
The SS4A program provides funding for two types of grants:
- Planning and Demonstration Grants are used to develop, complete or supplement an Action Plan, as well as carry out demonstration activities that inform an Action Plan. In this SS4A funding round, there is just over $402 million available for Planning and Demonstration Grants. Funding ranges are $100,000 to $5,000,000.
- Implementation Grants are used to implement strategies or projects that are consistent with an existing Action Plan and may also bundle funding requests for supplemental planning and demonstration activities that inform the Action Plan. There is $580 million available for Implementation Grants and those awards will be between $ 2,500,000 to $25,000,000.
Local Projects Eligible for Support
Eligible activities with SS4A grants include both grants for planning projects and for infrastructure projects:
- 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.
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.
- Incorporate evidence-based projects and strategies and adopt innovative technologies and strategies.
- Demonstrate engagement with a variety of public and private stakeholders.
- Follow Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to make facilities accessible to the maximum extent feasible.
- Support the creation of good-paying jobs.
- Align with principles from the DOT Order, Ensuring Reliance Upon Sound Economic Analysis in DOT’s Policies, Programs and Activities.
Key SS4A Dates
- May 9: There is also a chance for pre-application eligibility review for Implementation grants. If you would like your implementation grant reviewed it must be submitted by May 9, 2025, to USDOT.
- May 29: As you build your grant if any technical questions arise, they must be submitted to USDOT by May 29, 2025.
- June 26, 2025, at 5 PM EST: Deadline to apply but always try to plan to submit at least one day prior!
Resources
- USDOT’s SS4A Webpage
- Subscribe to SS4A USDOT email updates
- How Local Leaders are Using Infrastructure Investments to Improve Safety
- Calculating Average Annual Fatality Rate Fact Sheet
- Costs and Contracting Fact Sheet
- SS4A Implementation Grant Project Area Crash Data Fact Sheet
- Promising Local Practice in Road Safety: A Primer for Safer Streets
About the Authors
From the Event: Advancing Economic Mobility Rapid Grant RFP Information Session
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- Diana Goldsmith
