Indian Highway Safety Law Enforcment Grant

The Indian Highway Safety Law Enforcement Grant is a funding opportunity administered by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), Office of Justice Services (OJS), through its Indian Highway Safety Program (IHSP). This program is authorized under the Highway Safety Act of 1966, U.S.C. Title 23, Section 402, which allocates federal transportation safety funds to Indian tribes for the purpose of improving traffic safety. These grants are part of a national effort to address disproportionately high rates of motor vehicle-related crashes, injuries, and fatalities occurring in tribal communities across the United States. The program underscores the federal commitment to supporting tribal self-determination and public safety by providing performance-based, data-driven grants that can assist in reducing traffic-related harm on reservation lands. The primary goal of the Indian Highway Safety Law Enforcement Grant is to fund tribal law enforcement agencies in implementing targeted traffic safety initiatives that address key concerns such as speeding, impaired driving, seat belt usage, and crash prevention. Grant funds can support both straight time and overtime hours for law enforcement officers engaged in traffic enforcement activities. Additional eligible uses include equipment purchases (e.g., radar/lidar devices), public safety media campaigns, travel and training related to traffic enforcement, software for crash data reporting, and indirect costs as outlined by the applicant’s approved Indirect Cost Rate (IDC) letter. These awards are strictly reimbursable, meaning that tribes must first incur the costs and then submit documentation for monthly reimbursement. Eligibility for this grant is strictly limited to federally recognized Native American tribal governments. Specifically, tribal employees actively engaged in traffic safety enforcement and related work may apply. A current Tribal Resolution and the most recent approved IDC letter must accompany the application. Incomplete applications, or those lacking data to substantiate identified traffic safety problems, may be deprioritized. Each grant submission must include a problem identification statement supported by at least three years of traffic safety data, clear targets and performance measures, and detailed strategies for addressing the identified issues. Applications must be fully completed without leaving any fields blank, and they must demonstrate how proposed training and equipment will assist in achieving traffic safety outcomes. The submission process involves downloading and completing the application form, which includes fields for tribal demographics, law enforcement capacity, previous grant history, and reservation-specific traffic data. Supporting documentation such as traffic enforcement statistics, a seat belt observation survey (if applicable), and strategic plans for checkpoints, saturation patrols, and enforcement hours must be included. Tribes can submit their applications and attachments via email to [email protected] or by mailing them to the BIA OJS Indian Highway Safety Program office in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The grant application window opened on January 6, 2026, and all applications must be submitted by May 1, 2026. Though the grant is not recurring in a strictly automated sense, it is offered on a regular annual basis with a consistent deadline. This allows tribal governments to plan their public safety programming in alignment with the grant cycle. A related preparatory session will be held at the Lifesavers Conference on April 18, 2026, in Baltimore, Maryland, offering potential applicants technical assistance on completing their proposals and improving competitiveness. Applicants with questions or requiring support are encouraged to contact Program Analyst Kimberly Belone at (505) 563-3900 or email the general program inbox at [email protected]. An additional point of contact listed for broader tribal safety grants is Davin Cheykaychi at (505) 375-3818. Notifications regarding awards and funding disbursements are typically sent following review and approval cycles after the application deadline, although specific notification timelines are not stated.

Use confirmable data; Do not leave fields blank; Align budget to stated traffic issues