Federal Highway Administration Safety Specialist Glenn Robison presented on the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program at our free virtual webinar this month. He discussed the SS4A eligibility criteria, selection considerations and the awards from FY 2022 and 2023.

Glen took questions at the end of his presentation and followed up with us after with some additional information on the SS4A! Read below for more information on the grant program and what to expect from the FHWA.

Image

Question: We heard that not all of the money was awarded in FY 22, and that every application was funded.  Is that true?  What about FY23 funds? What was the success rate of applicants in FY23? Since each time less than $1 billion was spent by FHWA, does this mean that for the last Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) there will be more than $1 billion left for applicants?

Glen Robison (GH): At least 40% of SS4A funds each fiscal year must be spent on comprehensive safety action plans, supplemental planning, and/or demonstration activities. Although these activities are primarily funded under the Planning and Demonstration Grant (PDG) category, eligible applicants can also request funds to conduct supplemental planning and/or demonstration activities in the Implementation Grant (IG) category.

In FY22 and FY23, the SS4A program was undersubscribed for PDG applications and therefore did not meet the 40% set aside for planning funds. As a result, these unspent set-aside funds from FY22 and FY23 will roll over to FY24; there will be approximately $650 million available for PDG in FY24 (and any supplemental planning/demonstration activities bundled into IG proposals).

SS4A Implementation Grants are very competitive and oversubscribed each year. The carryover funding for planning from FY22 and FY23 does not impact the level of funding available for Implementation Grants in FY24, which will remain the same as previous cycles.  

Question: What are some common mistakes or oversights when preparing/submitting a grant application that can impact an award?

GH: For all SS4A applicants, it is essential to read the NOFO closely to ensure projects align with eligibility and selection criteria. IG applicants must have an eligible comprehensive safety action plan (CSAP) that meets the requirements in the Self-Certification Eligibility Worksheet and should therefore consider whether they have an eligible plan before applying. Other common mistakes are similar to other grant programs such as applicants waiting until the last minute to prepare and submit an application.

The DOT Navigator has lots of good resources for prospective applicants that you may want to share:

• Discretionary Grant Preparation Checklist for Prospective Applicants
• Maximizing Award Success: Navigating Grant Program Applications
• Maximizing Award Succes: USDOT Grant Evaluation Criteria

Question: Both “adopt innovative technologies/strategies” and “includes evidence-based projects/strategies” are in the selection considerations which seem somewhat contradictory.  Can they talk a little bit about these? What could be considered under these selection considerations?

Image

GH: Please direct interested applicants to the FY 2024 SS4A NOFO which will be released later this month for any updated priorities/requirements. Per the FY 2023 SS4A NOFO, high-impact strategies and evidence-based safety countermeasures are among the considerations under the Safety Impact selection criterion for Implementation Grants. Adopting innovative technologies to promote safety and equity are among the considerations under the (optional) Supplemental Planning and Demonstration Activities selection criterion.

For applicants seeking to use innovative technologies and strategies, the Department’s Innovation Principles serve as a guide to ensure innovations reduce deaths and serious injuries while committing to the highest standards of safety across technologies: https://www.transportation.gov/priorities/transformation/us-dot-innovation-principles

Question: If an agency is just getting started on an action plan that was funded in FY 2022 or 2023, and it’s already clear that the funding is going to be inadequate, can they submit for supplemental funding in the next round, even though the plan will be only partially complete when the supplemental application is submitted?

GH: Yes. Applicants can request funding for supplemental planning and demonstration activities without a complete comprehensive safety action plan. They will need to certify in their SS4A application that they have a plan in progress, but it does not need to have been completed at the time of application.

Question: What is the anticipated schedule for future NOFOs?

GH: The FY 2024 NOFO will be released later this month. We don’t currently have information on the release dates for FY 2025 and FY2026 NOFOs.