Grants for Safer Road Users and Vehicles

Applications addressing national level road safety policy change and/or its implementation on road user behavioural risk factors or national level vehicle safety regulations will be accepted from the following focus countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Uganda, Ukraine, and Vietnam.

Governmental and non-governmental organizations can apply for grants within the following parameters:

• Governmental organizations (ministries, agencies, departments, and other executive government authorities) with relevant authority over road safety policy and/or its implementation. Road police and military agencies are not eligible to apply. At the point of proposal acceptance, the management of some government grants will transition to GRSP’s partner organisation Vital Strategies (US non-profit organization) for management.
• Non-governmental organizations (including but not limited to civil society organizations and educational institutions) with relevant experience supporting policy change 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. In countries where a specific non-government organisation registration is legally required, applicants must obtain valid registration prior to applying and must include official documentation as a supporting document for eligibility.
• 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 GRSP grantee organization, please discuss the development of a Full Proposal with your focal person in GRSP.

Proposals must focus on policy change or policy implementation that will lead to substantial reductions in road traffic injuries and deaths. The Road Safety Grants Programme supports organizations advocating for the passage and implementation of comprehensive policies (legislation, regulations, standards, etc.) to address road user behavioural risk factors and vehicle safety. Government entities are especially encouraged to apply.

Round 25 of the Road Safety Grants Programme covers the following key focus areas.

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. Speed is a priority risk factor for Round 25 of the Programme due to the dominant role of speed in the likelihood and severity of crashes.
• Drink driving: A national drink-driving law based on Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) of 0.05 g/dl or lower for the general population and a BAC of 0.02 g/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.
• Seatbelts: A seat-belt law that applies to all private vehicle occupants in front and rear seats.
• Child restraints: A child restraint law with a supporting standard based on child age, weight or height and a law that applies age and height restrictions to a child sitting in the front seat.

Vehicle Safety (for specific countries and interventions. See below.)

• Strengthening of national vehicle safety legislation to align with the UN Vehicle Regulations.
• Strengthening of consumer demand for safe vehicles including mandatory vehicle safety labelling.
• Strengthening vehicle safety regulations for powered two-wheelers (of all engine capacity) and work towards ensuring that a motorcycle ABS regulation (UN Reg 78/GTR 3) is applied.
• Establishing safety requirements for imported used vehicles.

The Road Safety Grants Programme also supports organizations in implementing policies to address road safety risk factors. Some approaches might include:

• Support efforts to adopt and implement effective regulations, such as safe speed limits, helmet standards, or vehicle safety standards.
• Support a government-led effort to develop a policy implementation plan, which might include organizing a multi-sectoral coordinating committee; advocating for the establishment and allocation of a budget that will ensure effective implementation and developing a detailed action plan.
• Increase consumer demand for safe speed limits, vehicle safety, or helmets that meet a specified standard.
• Social marketing and media activities to specifically support the adoption and implementation of policies.

The information above outlines the key focus areas for funding under the grants programme. Round 25 will further prioritise the country-specific topics listed below.

Argentina

• Amend the National Traffic Law to reduce urban speed limits in avenues from 60 km/h to 50 km/h and residential streets from 40 km/h to 30 km/h.
• Support the development/amendment of regulations and implementation guidelines at provincial and city levels of maximum speed limits on urban streets and avenues.
• Support the adoption of a mandatory vehicle safety labelling regulation.

Bangladesh

• Enactment of comprehensive road safety law to achieve the SDGs, the Global Plan and national commitments for road safety.
• Development and adoption of national speed management guidelines.
• Effective implementation of Bangladesh Helmet Standards 2022 including development of guidelines for implementation and enforcement of helmet standards.

Brazil

• Align the Brazilian Traffic Code with maximum speed limits (50 km/h in avenues) and enable average speed enforcement including advancing the legislative pathways and strengthening the political and technical enabling environment for the amendment.
• Support the adoption of a mandatory vehicle safety labelling regulation.

Colombia

• Effective implementation of speed management plans – as mandated by the 2022 Julián Esteban Law – by working with networks of national and local authorities.
• A comprehensive package of policies (demerit point system, novice drivers’ licenses and adolescent driver regulation) designed to protect road users exposed to motorcycles.
• Become a contracting party to the UN 1958 and UN 1998 agreement on vehicle safety.
• Strengthening of national vehicle safety legislation to align with the UN Vehicle Regulations.
• Support the adoption of a mandatory vehicle safety labelling regulation.

Ecuador

• Legislative change to the Transit Law to establish a 30 km/h maximum speed limit in built-up urban areas.
• Issuance of the Transit Law’s Implementing Rules and Regulations, including specifications of helmet standard, fastening requirements and establishing mandatory use of certified helmets for all motorcycle occupants.
• Legislative change to the Penal Code to set a 0.2 g/L BAC limit in-line with World Health Organization recommendations for young, novice, and establishing proportional speeding sanctions.
• Support the adoption of a mandatory vehicle safety labelling regulation.

Ethiopia

• Finalization of the road safety legal framework as required by Council of Ministers (CoM) Regulation No. 557/2024, including the necessary subsidiary instruments for its implementation.
• Implementation of CoM Regulation No. 557/2024 by regional states to ensure legal harmonization with the federal framework and inter-institutional coordination.
• Support adoption of an age limit and safety requirements for imported used vehicles.
• Strengthen communication and messaging to support road safety policy advocacy in Ethiopia.

Ghana

• Development and adoption of national speed management guidelines.
• Advocate for the amendment of the Road Traffic Regulation (L.I.2180) to include revisions to support the implementation of the recently passed Road Traffic Amendment Act 2025 for improved speed management.
• Support adoption of an age limit and safety requirements for imported used vehicles.

India

• Support setting safe speed limits at national and state level, adoption of state speed management guidelines.
• Adoption of State Road Safety Action Plans to strengthen implementation frameworks at the state level.
• Support strengthening of the Motor Vehicles Act by making the use of Child Restraint System mandatory.
• Support the adoption of regulations on electronic stability control (UN Reg 140/GTR 8) and child restraint systems (UN Reg 44 and 129).
• Support the adoption of a mandatory vehicle safety labelling regulation.
• Support an update to the motorcycle ABS regulation to apply to motorcycles of all engine capacity.
• Strengthen the strategic communications and messaging reach to support above road safety priorities in India.

Kenya

• Update to the Traffic Act, Cap 403, to address gaps around the behavioural risk factors.
• Helmet Import Controls: Develop an implementation guideline to monitor import control and compliance to standard of motorcycle helmets in Kenya.
• Support adoption of an age limit and safety requirements for imported used vehicles.
• Strengthen communication and messaging to support road safety policy advocacy in Kenya.

Malaysia

• Strengthening road safety policy/legislation on key behavioural risk factors, notably speed.
• Support an update to the motorcycle ABS regulation to apply to motorcycles of all engine capacity.

Mexico

• Pass state harmonization laws in a manner consistent with the General Law of Mobility and Road Safety.
• Support a harmonized national vehicle registry with data standards that enables consistent enforcement behavioural risk factors in all states.
• Strengthen the role of the Ministry of Health in road safety by securing amendments to the General Law on Mobility and Road Safety and the General Health Law securing administration attributions that will impact in road safety as a public health issue.
• Update NOM-194 to incorporate advanced vehicle safety standards, protection for vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and motorcyclists), and market monitoring to verify vehicle safety standards.
• Support the adoption of a mandatory vehicle safety labelling regulation.
• Support the revision, adoption and publication of an updated NOM-206 on motorcycle helmets that is fully consistent with global best practice (e.g. UN/ECE helmet regulations), including standards, monitoring and implementation.
• Adoption of a safety regulation for two and three-wheeled vehicles consistent with global best practice (UN vehicle regulations, WHO).
• Amend the General Law on Mobility and Road Safety to incorporate best-practice provisions for motorcyclist safety (helmet use, safe speeds, licensing/training, and vehicle safety requirements) aligned with WHO Safe System recommendations.

Uganda

• Adoption of a speed management guide to operationalize the updated speed limit regulation.
• Support amendment of speed limit regulation to align with best practice.
• Implementation guidelines to improve the importation, monitoring compliance and increasing accessibility of certified helmets. Strengthen the certification process of helmets to increase ease of identification for consumers and to build demand for certified helmets.
• Support adoption of an age limit and safety requirements for imported used vehicles.

Ukraine

• Support legislation to improve the penalty system for speeding, including decreasing the speed enforcement tolerance level of 20 km/h.
• Support adoption of motorcycle helmet standard in national legislation.
• Support legislation to introduce a demerit point system for high-risk traffic violations.
• Support the alignment with EU vehicle safety regulations.

Vietnam

• Support strengthening national-level efforts to advance the impact of road safety measures in the Road Traffic Safety Order Law, The Law of Roads, and other policies related to speed management and motorcycle safety.
• Support the adoption of a motorcycle ABS regulation for motorcycles of all engine capacity.

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 the 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 a proposed scope of work vis-a-vis the 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 21 April 2026 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 27 May 2026.

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/round-25-now-open/ 

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