The Safe Communities Program, administered by the Ohio Traffic Safety Office (OTSO), is a competitive federal grant program designed to support community-based traffic safety initiatives aimed at reducing fatal crashes across Ohio. The program provides funding based on a county’s three-year average number of fatal crashes from 2022 through 2024. To be eligible for a new Safe Communities program, a county must have a three-year average of 6.72 or higher fatal crashes.

The program operates under federal guidelines and is reimbursement-only, meaning that approved expenses must be incurred by the administering agency before reimbursement can be requested. All expenses must be pre-approved via a Request to Purchase form submitted to OTSO. Food-related costs are ineligible for reimbursement.

Eligible applicants include local government entities, councils of government, law enforcement agencies, health departments, educational service centers, and nonprofit organizations such as colleges, universities, churches, and hospitals. Organizations applying in partnership must designate a lead agency responsible for fiscal oversight and primary implementation.

Each grant proposal must designate three key roles:

Authorizing Official: Typically the head of the organization, who has or can obtain the authority to enter into grant agreements.

Project Director: Responsible for day-to-day project oversight and primary communication with OTSO.

Fiscal Officer: Oversees the financial administration of the grant, including reimbursement submissions.

Grant proposals must demonstrate alignment with Ohio’s traffic safety goals and will be evaluated based on compliance with submission guidelines, potential to reduce traffic-related fatalities, and—if applicable—past performance. OTSO reserves the right to limit awards based on funding availability and strategic impact.

Approved projects must begin after the official Authorized to Proceed Date and must be completed by September 30, 2026, the end of the federal fiscal year. Unused funds by that date will be returned to OTSO.

Proposals for FFY 2026 must be submitted online via the GRANTS Plus system by May 15, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. Instructions for system use and proposal submission are included in OTSO’s “Grantee Manual.” Agencies may submit multiple proposals for different project types, each requiring its own application.