Innovative Traffic Safety Enforcement (ITSE) Grant Program

The Innovative Traffic Safety Enforcement (ITSE) Grant Program, administered by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration under the Department of Transportation, aims to develop and fund innovative traffic safety enforcement initiatives that demonstrably reduce motor vehicle crashes caused by risky driving behaviors. The program seeks projects that are not only effective in lowering fatalities and serious injuries but are also designed to be repeatable and scalable across law enforcement agencies nationwide. Applicants must align their proposals with the administration’s strategic priorities as outlined in DOT’s mission and relevant executive orders, including compliance with Buy America requirements, drug-free workplace standards, nondiscrimination regulations, and restrictions on lobbying. The funding opportunity is open to state and local governments, educational institutions, and nonprofit organizations, with no set-aside for small businesses or socioeconomic categories. Applications must be submitted electronically via Grants.gov by the deadline of September 1, 2027, and must include the SF-424 application form, certified statements on drug-free workplace and lobbying compliance, budget details using SF-424A and SF-424B, and a 20-page narrative adhering to strict formatting guidelines including Times New Roman 12-point font and one-inch margins. The period of performance for awarded projects is up to 60 months, during which recipients are required to implement data-driven enforcement strategies, collect and report performance metrics on crashes, injuries, and fatalities, and submit quarterly progress reports and a final comprehensive report. Proposals will be evaluated holistically using a trade-off approach that weighs technical merit, organizational capacity, past performance, financial stability, risk profile, and strategic alignment with federal priorities, with no single factor assigned a numerical weight. Financial responsibility and compliance with 2 CFR Part 200 are mandatory, including submission of monthly invoices and electronic SF-425 federal financial reports. Recipients must maintain a valid Unique Entity ID in SAM, comply with PII breach notification protocols requiring disclosure to NHTSA within seven days, and obtain prior written approval for public releases related to the project. Organizational conflicts of interest must be fully disclosed, and adherence to Executive Orders addressing domestic preference, energy independence, and violence against women is required. All project activities are expected to have a national impact, with no single location designated as the place of performance since the ultimate goal is nationwide scalability and adoption by law enforcement across the United States.