Each year, the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) provides vital federal grant funds to organizations dedicated to improving safety and saving lives on Virginia’s roadways. If your organization is committed to making a difference through traffic safety initiatives, we encourage you to apply for a highway safety grant from DMV. These grants support Virginia-based organizations like nonprofits, colleges and universities, law enforcement agencies and state and local government agencies, in implementing programs designed to reduce traffic fatalities, injuries and crashes.
Grant-funded programs aim to prevent impaired driving, decrease speeding, increase seat belt use and promote pedestrian, motorcyclist, bicyclist, teen and senior driver safety in local communities. Below are examples of grant-funded projects:
- Teen Driver and Seat Belt Safety: The Christopher King Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting safe driving practices and emphasizing the importance of buckling up among youth. Founded by Christy King following the tragic loss of her son in a car crash, the foundation is committed to preventing similar tragedies. Through educational programs, awareness campaigns and community outreach initiatives, the organization works tirelessly to educate and empower teens to make safer choices on the road.
- Impaired Driving: Substance Abuse Free Environment Inc. (SAFE) is a coalition in Chesterfield County committed to changing behavior and attitudes towards impaired driving in communities, reducing the number of lives lost on the roads due to impaired drivers. SAFE used grant funds to prevent drunk and drugged driving by developing and implementing a video series about impaired driving including the Zero Tolerance Law, social media posts, radio segments and community outreach presentations and events.
- Child Safety Seats: Ballad Health addresses child passenger safety challenges in Southwest Virginia by supporting low-income families in rural areas. Through grant funding, the program provides car seats, safety education and seat inspection checkpoints directly to those in need. By partnering with local health departments and increasing the number of trained technicians, Ballad Health is improving access to resources and enhancing child safety in underserved communities.
Efforts such as these have been critical to the reduction in highway fatalities over the past two years, but there is much more work to do. Organizations interested in applying for a grant are required to attend a grant application training workshop. Workshops begin in January 2025, and applications must be submitted between February 1-28, 2025.
Effective programs must include measurable objectives to evaluate the success of initiatives. Funding will be awarded based on the potential impact of the proposed projects on these performance objectives. For more information, including access to the application forms, guidelines, and program evaluation measures, visit our website or contact the DMV program manager in your area.