Background
Bloomberg Philanthropies funds the Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety (BIGRS) to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries in low- and middle-income countries. A competitively awarded grants programme is an important part of the initiative. The Road Safety Grants Programme is managed by the Global Road Safety Partnership, one of the implementing partners of BIGRS, and supports projects to develop and deliver high-impact, evidence-based road safety interventions designed to strengthen road safety policies and their implementation.
Eligibility: The Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety focuses on improving and implementing evidence-based road safety policies (including laws, regulations, and standards) in a number of low- and middle-income countries. A number of evidence-based interventions aimed at reducing road traffic deaths and injuries are included in BIGRS. The Road Safety Grants Programme focuses exclusively on the passage and implementation of evidence-based policies which address key behavioural risk factors (speeding, drink driving, lack of seatbelt use, lack of child restraint use, or lack of helmet use) and vehicle safety standards.
Which countries are eligible to apply?
- 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, 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 Colombia and Mexico.
Who can apply for a grant?
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 development of a Concept Note with your focal person in GRSP.
What kind of projects will be funded?
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 a maximum urban speed limit of 50km/h 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
Support strengthening vehicle safety regulations and ensure that the following five safety regulations are applied to light duty vehicles:
- Occupant protection in front collisions
- Occupant protection in lateral collisions
- Seat belts and seat belt anchorages
- Electronic stability control
- Pedestrian protection
The Road Safety Grants Programme also supports organizations to support the implementation of policies to address road user behavioural risk factors (in all the 14 countries mentioned above) and vehicle safety (in Colombia 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.
How much funding can a project receive?
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 capacity of your organization.
Application Process
- Organizations from eligible countries are invited to submit concept notes using our online system at https://grsp.flexigrant.com/. Deadline for submission of concept notes is 10 February 2021, 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.
- Progression to full proposal is by invitation only. You will be informed if your concept note has been selected for advancement by 15 March 2021.
Points to consider:
- Only applications written in English will be accepted.
- For instructions on submitting a concept note, please go to the following link:
http://www.grsproadsafety.org/apply-grant/