Grants for Safer Road Users and Vehicles
The Road Safety Grants Programme supports organizations advocating for the adoption and implementation of evidence-based policies to protect road users and improve vehicle safety standards. Since its inception, the Road Safety Grants Programme has focused on the passage and implementation of evidence-based policies which address key behavioural risk factors (speeding, drink driving, lack of seat-belt use, lack of child restraint use, or lack of helmet use). In January 2017, GRSP expanded the scope to include advocacy for strengthening vehicle safety standards in addition to road user policies in eligible countries.
- Applications addressing national level road safety policy reform and/or its implementation with comprehensive provisions on road user behavioural risk factors will be accepted from Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, China, Colombia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Uganda, Ukraine, and Vietnam.
- Applications addressing national level vehicle safety regulations reform and/or vehicle safety regulations implementation will only be accepted from Mexico.
- Given the prevailing situation in Ukraine, the process and timeline for grant selection and finalization may be adjusted as needed.
Governmental and non-governmental organizations in the nominated countries can apply for grants within the following parameters:
• Governmental organizations with relevant authority over road safety policy and/or its implementation. Road police and military agencies are not eligible to apply.
• Non-governmental organizations (including but not limited to civil society organizations and educational institutions) with relevant advocacy experience on policy reform and/or its implementation
Additionally,
• Applicants must be registered legal entities in the country of project delivery, capable of entering into contractual arrangements, receiving foreign funds, and assuming legal and financial obligations.
• Applicants cannot be recipients of financial support from alcohol, firearms, pornography, or tobacco industries.
• The Road Safety Grants Programme does not fund individuals.
• If you are a current grantee organization, please discuss the development of a Concept Note with your focal person in GRSP.
Proposals must focus on policy reform or policy implementation that will lead to substantial reductions in road traffic injuries and deaths. The Road Safety Grants Programme supports organizations advocating for passage and implementation of comprehensive policies (legislation, regulations, standards, etc.) to address road user behavioural risk factors and vehicle safety. In particular:
Road User Behavioural Risk Factors
- Speed: A speed limit law with maximum speed limits based on global best practices and the power of local authorities to reduce speed limits to ensure safe speeds locally.
- Drink driving: A national drink-driving law based on Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.05g/dl or lower for the general population and a BAC of 0.02g/dl or lower for novice drivers.
- Helmets: A helmet law that applies to all drivers and passengers, on all roads and all engine types and requires the helmet to be fastened and which makes reference to a particular helmet standard.
- Seat-belts: A seat-belt law that applies to all private vehicle occupants in front and rear seats
- Child restraints: A child restraint law based on age, weight or height and the existence of a law that applies age and height restrictions to a child sitting in the front seat.
Vehicle Safety (for Mexico only)
Support strengthening vehicle safety regulations and work towards ensuring that the following safety regulations are applied to and complied with for light duty vehicles:
- Occupant protection in front collisions UN Reg 94
- Occupant protection in lateral collisions UN Reg 95
- Side pole impact protection UN Reg 135
- Seat belts and seat belt anchorages UN Reg 16 & 14
- Child restraint systems UN Reg 44 and 129
- ISOFIX anchorages UN Reg 145
- Electronic stability control UN Reg 13H/140/GTR 8
- Pedestrian protection UN Reg 127/GTR 9
- Advanced emergency braking systems– UN Reg 152
- Mandatory safety labelling
Support strengthening vehicle safety regulations in two wheelers and work towards ensuring that a motorcycle ABS regulation (UN Reg 78/GTR 3) is applied.
The Road Safety Grants Programme also supports organizations to support the implementation of policies to address road user behavioural risk factors (in all eligible countries mentioned above) and vehicle safety (in Mexico only). Some approaches might include:
- Social marketing and media activities to raise public awareness of legislation and on-going enforcement of it.
- Support efforts to adopt and implement effective regulations, such as helmet standards, child restraint standards or vehicle safety standards
- Support a government-led effort to develop an implementation plan, which might include organizing a multi-sectoral coordinating committee; advocating for establishment and allocation of a budget that will ensure effective implementation.
- Increase consumer awareness of and demand for vehicle safety
- Increase consumer awareness of and demand for vehicle safety, helmets and child restraint systems that fit WHO recommendations.
While the information above outlines the broad areas of work that can be funded by the grants programme, Round 24 will prioritize projects in the following topics:
| Argentina | Support on-going advocacy initiative for the enactment of speed limit laws to implement a maximum speed limit of 30 km/h on urban streets and avenues. |
| Bangladesh | Advocacy for comprehensive road safety legislation based on a safe system approach.
Support policies and systems for the effective implementation of the Speed Limit Guideline 2024. |
| Brazil | Amendment of the Brazilian Traffic Code to align maximum speed limits with WHO recommendations and enable average speed enforcement. |
| China | Adoption and implementation of evidence-based policies on child restraint systems and/or helmets for e-bike riders and passengers. |
| Colombia | Support legislative initiatives for the mandatory use of Child Restraint Systems and align maximum speed limits with global best practices.
Advocate for the effective implementation of policy instruments related to Law 2251 of 2022 (“Ley Julián Esteban”). |
| Ecuador | Advocate for the finalization of regulations for the Transit Law.
Support reforms to the Penal Code in alignment with global best practices. |
| Ethiopia | Strengthen road safety policy/legislation linked to the federal level CoM Regulation 557/2024. This includes directives, guidelines, and standards at federal and/or regional levels around speeding, DD, occupant restraints and helmet wearing.
Regional implementation of CoM Regulation 557/2024 for key behavioral risk factors, ensuring harmonization or uniformity across regions. |
| Ghana | Strengthening road safety policy, legislation, regulations, and guidelines around drink driving, speeding, child restraint systems, and motorcycle helmet use. Developing standards for motorcycle helmets and child restraint systems. |
| India | Support the strengthening of the Motor Vehicles Act by making the use of Child Restraint System mandatory.
Policy instruments for the effective implementation of the Motor Vehicles Amendment Act 2019, focusing on key behavioural risk factors at both national and state levels. Support the adoption of scientific speed management guidelines by state governments. |
| Kenya | Amendment of the Traffic Act (Cap 403) to strengthen the laws on key behavioural risk factors and to strengthen supporting key regulations and legislative guidelines around the risk factors, especially speed.
Support the development of standards pertaining to motorcycle helmets for children and child restraint systems. |
| Malaysia | Strengthening road safety policy/legislation on key behavioural risk factors, notably speed. |
| Mexico | Road user behaviour: Support harmonization of the General Law on Mobility and Road Safety
Vehicle safety: Strengthen vehicle safety regulations by 2027 through the update and early adoption of Regulation 194, the development of safety regulations for two- and three-wheeled vehicles, and the introduction of vehicle safety labelling for all vehicles. |
| Uganda | Advocate for policy instruments to support the effective implementation of the road safety legislation on key behavioural risk factors. |
| Ukraine | Support legislation to improve the penalty system for speeding, including the removal of the unpunishable 20 km/h threshold.
Support legislation to introduce a demerit points system for violations of traffic laws/rules. |
| Vietnam | Support implementation of the Law on Road Traffic Safey and Order for key behavioural risk factors, particularly CRS, and strengthening road safety policy/legislation on key behavioral risk factors, notably speed. |
The Road Safety Grants Programme does not fund education programmes (school-based or otherwise). It does not fund basic research or academic studies. Nor does it fund the purchase of equipment or funding of road infrastructure.
Systematic surveys of compliance of road safety policies as well as projects to strengthen health data collection are being undertaken separately with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies and are not funded through the Road Safety Grants Programme.
Proposals can be submitted for grants up to a maximum amount of 120,000 Swiss francs (CHF) for a project of no more than 24 months.
However, the final amount of funding will depend on a number of factors, including consideration of proposed scope of work vis-a-vis capacity of your organization.
Application Process
- Organizations from eligible countries are invited to submit their grant applications through our online system at https://grsp.flexigrant.com/. Applicants who are not current grantees must submit a concept note, while existing grantees may submit full proposals. All existing grantees must first consult their respective GRSP focal persons before submitting a grant application. The deadline for submission of grant application is 15 September 2025 at 14:00 Central European Time (CET), (To see what time that is in your country please check timeanddate.com).
- Applicant organizations may submit more than one concept note. However, duplicate proposals will be deemed ineligible.
- An international panel of experts and members of an advisory working group will review concept notes. They will be scored on their potential to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries, project design, and applicant organization capacity.
- Applicants will be informed about the outcome of their applications by 22 October 2025.
Points to consider:
- Only applications written in English will be accepted.
- For instructions on submitting a concept note, please go to the following link: https://www.grsproadsafety.org/apply-grant/
For more information on GRSP and the Road Safety Grants Programme please visit:
Global Road Safety Partnership:
https://www.grsproadsafety.org/
Road Safety Grants Programme:
https://www.grsproadsafety.org/grants-programme
