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Federal Motor Coach Safety Administration Home
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ABOUT FMCSA GRANT PROGRAMS

FMCSA awards grant funding to organizations that share our safety mission. Our grant recipients help us reach more motor carriers and drivers, increasing our capacity and amplifying our impact nationwide.

Grants » About

Turning Ideas Into Safety Solutions

If you have an idea for a project to improve commercial motor vehicle safety, we want to hear from you! Grant funding is available for a wide variety of institutions and activities. Previously funded projects have included research projects, hiring personnel to implement CMV safety programs, training on regulatory requirements, technology improvements, commercial driver’s license enhancements, and more.

NEW: FMCSA Discretionary Grants Toolkit

FMCSA offers a guide with checklists covering required steps for grant applicants and awardees, as well as helpful tips for crafting a comprehensive, competitive application. Download the Grants Toolkit

Grants Resource Center

FMCSA has centralized all resources for grant applicants in one online location. Search by grant, topic, resource type, or year. Visit the Grants Resource Center

Supporting FMCSA's Safety Mission

FMCSA encourages all eligible entities to apply for grant funding to help us achieve the strategic objectives. This opportunity also comes at a critical juncture for our nation’s infrastructure.

Examples of Projects
Eligible entities can request Federal funding for projects such as those listed below.

Implement a Safe System Approach to make our streets safer as outlined in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Call to Action in the National Roadway Safety Strategy

Partner to study ways to improve safety

Develop information technology systems to make roadways and work zones safer

Provide scholarships to its students to attend the school’s commercial driver’s license training program

Identify high crash corridors and design strategies for crash reduction

Conduct commercial motor vehicle safety outreach

Assess hazardous material risk at ports of entry

Study the impact of commercial motor vehicle safety technologies

FMCSA Grant Application Process: An Overview

If you have never applied for an FMCSA grant before, or would just like a refresher, below is a high-level overview of the process.
1
Visit Grants.gov
2
View Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs)
3
Complete Registration
4
Complete the Application
5
Await Award Decision
The Grants.gov website contains all the information you need to prepare, apply for, and track grants, including those offered by FMCSA.
Register for an account with Grants.gov. This will allow you to subscribe to updates and is a necessary first step in applying for grants. You can add more information about your organization or individual profile later, if necessary.
Visit the Learn Grants section to familiarize yourself with the process and terminology. The Getting Started checklist may be a useful guide.
FMCSA posts all available grant opportunities on Grants.gov as NOFOs.
Subscribe to all new opportunities through Grants.gov so you'll know when FMCSA posts a NOFO.
Subscribe to individual grant opportunities to receive updates if any additional documents are posted to the opportunity listing.
Go to the Search Funding Opportunities section of the Grants.gov website to find and view NOFOs.
Click on Filters and select criteria to narrow your search.
Using the Agency filter, enter “Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration” in the search box to find FMCSA grants.
You can use the Eligibility filter to search by entity type, such as "Private Institutions of higher education" or "Public and state institutions of higher education."
Review the NOFO carefully to understand eligibility and application requirements.
View the full NOFO by going to the Related Documents tab and clicking the arrow next to Folder: Full Announcement. You can download all announcement materials by clicking the zip file link.
Preview the required application forms and start gathering the required materials. To find the forms, go to the Package tab, scroll to the Actions column of the table, and click Preview.
Follow the detailed instructions for applicant registration on the Grants.gov website.
The steps include:
  1. Registering your organization with SAM.gov. Registration must be renewed annually.
  2. Linking the SAM.gov account to your Grants.gov account and filling out information about your organization.
  3. Delegating roles, as appropriate, to other users. This is the foundational setup for the Workspaces you will create when you apply for grant opportunities.
Learn more about Workspaces and how you can set yours up to serve your organization's needs.
Complete these steps early to avoid missing an application deadline. The SAM.gov registration process can take up to fifteen days.
Timing consideration: Takes several weeks to complete. Approval times vary.
On Grants.gov, open the grant opportunity listing (i.e., NOFO) and click Apply to create an application Workspace. This Workspace will contain all instructions and requirements for the grant.
Make sure to compare your organization's capabilities with the eligibility and technical requirements.
Complete and submit the application materials in Workspace.
Visit the Grants.gov blog for application tips.
Save your application often while it's in progress.
Timing consideration: Due 45-60 days after the NOFO is published (see the NOFO for the exact deadline).
Track your application to see its status.
If you are awarded funding, FMCSA will send you an email with information about next steps, including how to accept funding through a GrantSolutions account.
If you are not awarded funding, FMCSA will send you an email explaining why your application was rejected.
Timing consideration: Announced by the end of the Fiscal Year.

Ready to get started?

Review the information on this website to determine if your organization is eligible. Then review the program’s purpose to determine which program would best support your project proposal idea(s).

For more in-depth information on how to start the application process for FMCSA discretionary grants, see the Grants Management Training.