Need Help With Your 2026-2027 Application?:

Buckle Up for Life offers several resources to assist you, including Application FAQs, Quick Start Guides, Virtual Info Sessions and Virtual Office Hours.  Visit our Common Partnership Application page to get help. 

Application Period:
April 20, 2026 – 8 p.m. ET on May 25, 2026

Program Period:
August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027

Overview:
Buckle Up for Life’s Community Grant is a highly competitive opportunity that provides seasoned child passenger safety programs across North America with financial support to either sustain or grow their community-based programs. While there are limits on certain spending categories, budgets are generally flexible and are applicant designed and proposed.

Buckle Up for Life aims to provide up to twenty (20) Community Grants during the 2026-2027 program year, as prime award funding allows.

Eligibility:
To qualify, Community Grant applicants:

• Must operate in North America, anywhere except the following eight (8) counties that comprise the Cincinnati Children’s primary service area: Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, or Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, or Kenton counties in Kentucky; or Dearborn County in Indiana.
• Must be one of the following, operating under its own unique EIN/TIN or equivalent:
  • 501(c)(3) or 509(a).
  • Public service agency or governmental entity (e.g., fire/police department, local health department, public school, etc.) and, as such, is tax-exempt under Section 115(1) of the IRS Code.
  • Tribal nation that is a sovereign government recognized by the United States under federal law and is treated as a state for certain tax purposes under Section 7871 of the IRS Code.

• Must have a pre-existing child passenger safety program, with intent to sustain or expand. Note: organizations aiming to launch a new child passenger safety program should instead consider applying for Gift of Safety.
• Must have at least one certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) on staff at the time of application.
• Must serve families in the community. Buckle Up for Life does not fund or resource hospital-based in-patient programs.
• Must not already be in their second year of consecutive Community Grant After two consecutive years, organizations must wait one year before applying again. During the interim, they may still apply for Gift of Safety and/or other Buckle Up for Life partnerships.
• Must not apply on behalf of a coalition that does not operate under it’s own unique EIN/TIN. Organizations who manage local safety coalition chapters (E.g., Safe Kids, Injury Free, Etc.) should apply on their own organization’s behalf.
• Must have organizational capacity (self-attestation) to meet all deliverables and reporting expectations.

Partner Benefits:
Each Community Grant partner will receive $20,000.  

Community Grant partners also receive program training and support, and access to online tools (including an optional, personalized Virtual Safety Station microsite), as well as Buckle Up for Life’s educational resources and curricula.

Additionally, Community Grant partners will have access to Buckle Up for Life’s online Swag Shop where they can select a limited supply of branded materials (E.g., tablecloths, banners, safety vests, jackets, shirts, giveaways, literature, Etc.) to enhance their program. These items are provided in-kind and are not paid from grant funds.

Note: No in-kind car seats are provided directly to Community Grant partners. Car seats to be distributed, and credited toward program deliverables must be purchased by the grantee, using grant funds.

Budget:
Applying institutions must submit a budget with their application, to be approved by Buckle Up for Life. Acceptable program expenditures include salary support, supplies, marketing, and administrative costs. Note that some budget sections, including salary and administrative costs are each capped at 25% ($5000) of the total grant amount.

Budget instructions must be followed exactly and fully to avoid application disqualification. See full budget instructions and access budget template by visiting www.buckleupforlife.org/apply.

Minimum Expectations:
Community Grant partners are expected to meet and report the following deliverables:

• Distribute at least 150 car seats, for free, with education and installation assistance, to families in need
• Educate at least 225 people on child passenger safety

Ideal grant partners will surpass these minimums, by providing multiple educational sessions and outreach opportunities to serve as many people as possible, in accordance with the guidelines outlined below.

• ­Car Seat Distribution Guidelines:
  • Car seats should be purchased directly by the grantee using subaward funding.
  • Buckle Up for Life does not mandate make, model, or type of car seats to be distributed; grantees should consider cost, value, and expected output goals when purchasing seats.
  • Car seats may be distributed at the organization’s discretion–although the focus should be on at-risk populations. Each partner may assess and determine local need.
  • Car seats must be installed with the assistance of a CPST.
  • Car seats provided by Buckle Up for Life must be given away to selected families for FREE. Partners may not sell or solicit donations for Buckle Up for Life-funded car seats.
• Child Passenger Safety Education Guidelines:
  • Reported totals should only reflect the true number of individuals that received high-quality passenger safety education, provided by a CPST. Only include meaningful interactions like classroom instruction, demonstrations, or carside assistance. Do not include activities like handing out fliers at a health fair. Do not include social media likes or website clicks, Etc.
  • As a resource, Buckle Up for Life provides the curricula and supporting materials necessary for a CPST to deliver age-appropriate education as follows:
    • Children: seat belts, where to sit in a car, and proper passenger behavior.
    • Teens: crash dynamics, seat belts, and sound decision-making.
    • Adults: crash dynamics, seat belts, distracted driving, and child-passenger safety.
  • Education can be provided in-person or virtually; and in any language as needed to accommodate the learner(s).

Community Grant partners are also expected to fully participate in brief, monthly status calls with Buckle Up for Life, as well as all-partner, quarterly webinars.

Reporting:
Community Grant partners will submit regular reports to Buckle Up for Life summarizing their outputs and finances in real time throughout the program year. Mid-Year and/or Year-End Reports; and/or Action Plans may also be required.

Notification and Acceptance:
Notifications will be sent to all applicants, via email, on or around July 1, 2026.

If conditionally offered a Community Grant partnership, that offer may be contingent upon additional steps, up to and including successful and timely completion of additional forms and complete execution of a standard, non-negotiable sub-award contract between your institution and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center—which requires certain terms, including liability coverage, to be met. No revisions or changes to the standard subaward contract can be accepted. Actual availability and disbursement of funds may also depend on availability of funding from the prime award sponsor, as well as other factors, which can change. Prior to actual funding, any preliminary offer may be rescinded at any time and for any reason.

Orientation:
Buckle Up for Life Community Grant Partner Orientation will be offered virtually in late summer 2026.

Attendance is mandatory. Only one person from each partner organization is required to attend, but there is no limit to how many additional team members can join.

Contact Information:
Please browse our Partnership Application FAQs. If your question isn’t answered there, please contact buckleupforlife@cchmc.org for assistance.

Download the Full Partnership Alert Here 

This partnership does not provide grant funding.

Need Help With Your 2026-2027 Application?:

Buckle Up for Life offers several resources to assist you, including Application FAQs, Quick Start Guides, Virtual Info Sessions and Virtual Office Hours.  Visit our Common Partnership Application page to get help. 

Application Period:
April 20, 2026 – 8 p.m. ET on May 25, 2026

Program Period:
August 1, 2026 – July 31, 2027

Overview:
Buckle Up for Life’s Greater Cincinnati partnership is competitive opportunity that provides both new and seasoned child passenger safety programs with access to Buckle Up for Life educational resources.

Buckle Up for Life aims to provide multiple Greater Cincinnati partnerships during the 2026-2027 program year, as prime award funding allows.

Eligibility:
To qualify, Greater Cincinnati applicants:

• Must operate in one or more of the following eight counties that comprise the Cincinnati Children’s primary service area: Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, or Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell, or Kenton counties in Kentucky; or Dearborn County in Indiana.
• Must be one of the following:
  • 501(c)(3) or 509(a).
  • Public service agency or governmental entity (e.g., fire/police department, local health department, public school, etc.) and, as such, is tax-exempt under Section 115(1) of the IRS Code.
  • Tribal nation that is a sovereign government recognized by the United States under federal law and is treated as a state for certain tax purposes under Section 7871 of the IRS Code.
• Must have a pre-existing injury prevention program with at least one certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) on staff, or must have capacity to start an injury prevention program and certify at least one child passenger safety technician (CPST) on staff after award.
• Must serve families in the community. Buckle Up for Life does not fund or resource hospital-based in-patient programs.
• Must not apply on behalf of a coalition that does not operate under it’s own unique EIN/TIN. Organizations who manage local safety coalition chapters (E.g., Safe Kids, Injury Free, Etc.) should apply on their own organization’s behalf.
• Must have organizational capacity (self-attestation) to meet all deliverables and reporting expectations.

Partner Benefits:
Benefits, including free car seats and/or certification scholarships, for each Greater Cincinnati partner will vary based on application, demonstrated need, capacity, and available resources.

All Greater Cincinnati partners will receive program training and support, and access to online resources (including an optional, personalized Virtual Safety Station microsite), as well as Buckle Up for Life’s educational tools and curricula.

Minimum Expectations:
Expectations for each Greater Cincinnati partner will vary and will be commensurate with the benefits awarded.

Greater Cincinnati partners must adhere to the guidelines outlined below, whenever providing child passenger safety education or free car seats on behalf of Buckle Up for Life.

• ­Car Seat Distribution Guidelines:
  • Car seats may be distributed at the organization’s discretion–although the focus should be on at-risk populations. Each organization may assess and determine local need.
  • Car seats must be installed with the assistance of a CPST.
  • Car seats provided by Buckle Up for Life must be given away to selected families for FREE. Partners may not sell or solicit donations for Buckle Up for Life car seats.
• ­Child Passenger Safety Education Guidelines:
  • Reported totals should only reflect the true number of individuals that received high-quality passenger safety education, provided by a CPST. Only include meaningful interactions like classroom instruction, demonstrations, or car-side assistance. Do not include activities like handing out fliers at a health fair. Do not include social media likes or website clicks, Etc.
  • As a resource, Buckle Up for Life provides the curricula and supporting materials necessary for a CPST to deliver age-appropriate education as follows:
    • Children: seat belts, where to sit in a car, and proper passenger behavior.
    • Teens: crash dynamics, seat belts, and sound decision-making.
    • Adults: crash dynamics, seat belts, distracted driving, and child-passenger safety.
  • Education can be provided in-person or virtually; and in any language as needed to accommodate the learner(s).

Reporting:
Greater Cincinnati partners are required to submit regular online reports to Buckle Up for Life summarizing their progress in real time throughout the program year. Additional reporting, including Action Plans, may also be required.

Notification and Acceptance:
Notifications will be sent to all applicants, via email, on or around July 1, 2026.

If conditionally offered a Greater Cincinnati partnership, that offer may be contingent upon additional steps, up to and including successful and timely completion of additional forms. Actual provision of benefits may also depend on availability of funding from the prime award sponsor, as well as other factors, which can change; any preliminary offer may be rescinded at any time and for any reason.

Orientation:
Greater Cincinnati partners will be required to attend a virtual orientation in late summer 2026, as a general introduction to the program; and to receive an overview of educational materials and program logistics, including data collection and reporting.

Attendance is mandatory. Only one person from each partner organization is required to attend, but there is no limit to how many additional team members can join.

Contact Information:
Please browse our Partnership Application FAQs. If your question isn’t answered there, please contact Ukinebo.OBasuyi@cchmc.org for more information.

Download the Full Partnership Alert Here

This partnership does not provide grant funding.