Community Grant – Closed
Optional Application Informational Sessions:
Have questions about the Community Grant application process? Buckle Up for Life will host one remaining optional informational session for agencies who are interested in applying to the Community Grant. During this call, members of the Buckle Up for Life Headquarters team will walk through the Community Grant application and will be available to answer questions.
- Monday, February 13th, 3:30-4:30 PM EST
Overview:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, in partnership with Toyota, is accepting applications for the 2023-2024 Buckle Up for Life child passenger safety Community Grant program. This program provides funding to organizations interested in implementing a community-based injury prevention program to reduce the risk of motor vehicle-related injury and death. The program seeks to help at-risk populations with a special emphasis in Hispanic and African American communities.
The program’s success is based on its comprehensive and culturally sensitive approach—one that draws on pre-existing community relationships. The program’s goal is to increase the use of motor-vehicle restraints and to instill a culture of health and safety.
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center will provide program training, support, and oversight throughout the grant year.
Buckle Up for Life is designed as a community intervention, not as a research project. It has been exempted by Cincinnati Children’s Institutional Review Board.
Neither Cincinnati Children’s nor Toyota provide liability insurance coverage for Buckle Up for Life partners and affiliates.
Benefits:
- Program training and support, and access to technical resources (including a personalized Virtual Safety Station microsite) throughout the program year.
- Access to Buckle Up for Life curriculum and educational resources.
- Direct funding to organization, which may include:
- Salary support (capped), if needed.
- Car seats and equipment needs.
- Additional expenses, as approved, to support execution of the program.
Funding Levels:
Eligibility:
- Applying institutions must be located in and must operate in North America.
- Nonprofit organizations, as determined under section 501(c)(3) or 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or applicant’s country equivalent for North American applicants located outside of the United States; public service agencies (e.g., fire/police departments, local health departments, public schools, etc.); and federally recognized tribal nations are eligible to apply.
- Funding is limited to two consecutive Community Grant cycles per institution. Institutions who are in their second consecutive year of funding may choose to sit out a year, or may apply for another Buckle Up for Life partnership. After a one-year break from the Community Grant, these institutions may then re-apply.
- Applying institutions must have an injury prevention program with a certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) on staff and should be able to provide a contingency plan for implementing the program during the pandemic if needed.
- Applying institutions must have strong partnerships in their local communities. Staff working on Buckle up for Life program must have strong social and networking skills.
- Applying institutions would also benefit from having at least one bilingual or multilingual professional on staff to meet the needs of their community.
Minimum Expectations:
Ideal grant partners will provide multiple educational sessions (see Education Requirements below), and will distribute free car seats to families in need (See Car Seat Check and Distribution Requirements), to serve as many families as possible—surpassing our minimum output expectations as outlined for each available funding level in the chart above. For example, at a funding level of $15,000, a partner institution would be expected to distribute a minimum of 100 car seats, accompanied by the assistance of a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), and would be expected to educate a minimum of 150 people total (children, teens, and adults combined), using the full Buckle Up for Life curriculum.
Curriculum:
Buckle Up for Life provides all the materials, including handouts and audiovisual aids necessary for an injury prevention professional to deliver age appropriate one-hour presentations to the following audiences:
- Adults – this presentation focuses on crash dynamics, seat belts, distracted driving, and child-passenger safety.
- Teens – this presentation focuses on crash dynamics, seat belts, and sound decision-making.
- Children – this presentation focuses on three main topics: the importance of restraints, where to sit in a car, and proper passenger behavior.
Education Requirements:
- Each agency must provide child passenger safety education with each car seat distributed.
- Partners must use approved Buckle Up for Life curricula, as provided.
- Education must be provided by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).
- Education can be provided via virtual presentations when social distancing guidelines are in place.
- Tableside interactions (e.g., handing out flyers) with families at community events such as health fairs cannot be counted towards education requirements.
Car Seat Checks and Distribution Requirements:
- Car seats must be installed with the assistance of a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).
- Car seats may be distributed at the agency’s discretion—although the focus should be on at-risk populations. Each agency may assess and determine local need.
- Car seats provided by Buckle Up for Life must be given away to selected families for FREE. Seats may not be sold. Donations for seats provided by Buckle Up for Life may not be accepted.
Outcomes:
Applying institutions should indicate how they plan to measure program outcomes (behavior change) in their community, as noted in the grant partnership application.
Budget:
Applying institutions must submit a budget with their grant application, to be approved by Buckle Up for Life. Acceptable program expenditures include limited salary support, supplies, equipment, mileage, etc. See chart above for available funding levels.
Note that up to 25% of the funding level may be used for salary support, if needed. For example, at a funding level of $15,000, a partner institution would be eligible to include up to $3750 for salary support, and may allocate the rest ($11,250) to program supplies and implementation.
Acceptance and Orientation:
Acceptance and denial letters will be sent out via email to all applicants accordingly.
Buckle Up for Life Community Grant Partner Orientation will be offered virtually at the beginning of the program year. Attendance is mandatory for all Community Grant partners.
Reporting:
Grantees will submit regular reports to Buckle Up for Life summarizing their progress in outputs and outcomes during the grant year. Mid-year and final reports will also include financial summaries.
Contracts:
Funded Buckle Up for Life partners will be sub-award grantees of Cincinnati Children’s. Final funding is contingent upon successful execution of a sub-award contract. No revisions or changes to our standard contract will be accepted. Failure to execute a contract in a timely manner will result in grant rescission.
Contact Information:
Please browse our Partnership Application FAQs, available at the bottom of our Become a Partner page. If your question isn’t answered there, please contact buckleupforlife@cchmc.org for assistance.
Download the Community Grant Alert here.
Gift of Safety Partnership – Closed
This partnership does not provide funding.
The Gift of Safety partnership provides free car seats and access to Buckle Up for Life educational resources to passenger safety programs across the U.S. Each Gift of Safety partner agency receives 50 convertible car seats to provide to local families in need. Partners are expected to provide families with proper education and installation assistance, as well as a car seat pact to be signed and returned from every family—for basic reporting. Ideal Gift of Safety partners already have robust child passenger safety programs in place.
Benefits:
- Program training and support, and access to technical resources (including a personalized Virtual Safety Station microsite) throughout the program year.
- Access to Buckle Up for Life curriculum and educational resources.
- Direct shipment of 50 convertible car seats to your organization.
Eligibility:
- Agencies must be located in and operate in North America.
- Nonprofit organizations, as determined under section 501(c)(3) or 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or applicant’s country equivalent for North American applicants located outside of the United States; public service agencies (e.g., fire/police departments, local health departments, public schools, etc.); and federally recognized tribal nations are eligible to apply.
- Agencies must have at least one certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) on staff. This individual must be available to provide education and assistance to each family receiving a car seat to ensure that it is installed and used correctly.
- Agencies must have strong community partnerships in order to identify local need and to serve at-risk populations. Note: hospital-based programs may not use BUFL seats for in-house patient programs.
- Agencies would also benefit from having at least one bilingual (English/Spanish) or multilingual professional on staff.
Curriculum:
Buckle Up for Life provides presentations, handouts, and audiovisual aids necessary, for injury prevention professionals to deliver the following one-hour presentations:
- Adults – this presentation focuses on a crash dynamics, seat belts, distracted driving, and child passenger safety.
- Teens – this presentation focuses on crash dynamics, seat belts, and sound decision-making.
- Children – this presentation focuses on three main topics: the importance of seat belts, where to sit in a car, and proper passenger behavior.
Education Requirements:
- Each agency must provide child passenger safety education with each car seat distributed.
- Education must be provided by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).
- Maintain a contingency plan to meet program goals in the event of a community-wide need for social distancing.
Car Seat Checks and Distribution Requirements:
- Car seats must be provided by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) who can ensure that seats are installed and used correctly.
- Car seats may be distributed at the agency’s discretion–although the focus should be on at-risk populations. Each agency may assess and determine local need.
- Distribute Buckle Up for Life seats to selected families for FREE. Seats may not be sold. You may not solicit or accept donations for Buckle Up for Life seats.
- Each recipient of a car seat must complete and sign a Car Seat Pact, which BUFL will provide. This brief survey will provide some basic demographic data on the program’s participants.
Budget:
Buckle Up for Life does not provide monetary support to Gift of Safety partners. Buckle Up for Life ships 50 convertible car seats to each partner agency. Shipping and handling fees are covered by Buckle Up for Life.
Acceptance and Orientation:
- Notifications will be sent out via email to all applicants, accordingly.
- Selected partners must confirm their offer, by following the instructions provided in their notification of acceptance, by the stated deadline.
- Selected partners must sign a BUFL Curriculum and Brand Usage Agreement.
- Selected partners must participate in a required one-hour Welcome Webinar where they will be introduced to the program and receive an overview of BUFL educational curricula, as well as data collection, reporting, and other project logistics.
Reporting:
Gift of Safety partners are required to submit quarterly reports to Buckle Up for Life summarizing their progress.
This partnership does not provide funding.
Education Partnership – Open
This partnership does not provide funding or car seats.
Buckle Up for Life offers child passenger safety professionals, free access to its multi-generational educational resources, provided they sign a curriculum and brand usage agreement and watch a welcome video. This partnership is ideal for well-funded injury prevention programs in need of supplemental motor vehicle occupant educational resources for adults, teenagers and children. Resources include; Power Point presentation for adults, Power Point presentation for teenagers and a three lesson children’s curriculum, as well as useful downloadable forms and handouts conveniently accessible in Buckle Up for Life’s Partner Portal.
Benefits:
- Program training and support, and access to technical resources (including a personalized Virtual Safety Station microsite) throughout the program year.
- Access to Buckle Up for Life curriculum and educational resources.
Eligibility:
- Education materials will be awarded to qualified tax-exempt nonprofit organizations, as determined under section 501(c)(3) or 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or applicant’s country equivalent for North American applicants located outside of the United States; public service agencies (e.g., fire/police departments, local health departments, public schools, etc.); and federally recognized tribal nations are eligible to apply.
Minimum Expectations:
- Agencies must have at least one certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) on staff. This individual must be available to provide education and assistance to each family to ensure that their car seat is installed and used correctly.
- Education partners must sign a BUFL Curriculum and Brand Usage Agreement.
Curriculum:
Buckle Up for Life provides all the education materials for an injury prevention professional to deliver the following one-hour presentations:
- Adults – this presentation focuses on a crash dynamics, seat belts, distracted driving, and child passenger safety.
- Teens – this presentation focuses on crash dynamics, seat belts, and sound decision-making.
- Children – this presentation focuses on three main topics: the importance of seat belts, where to sit in a car, and proper passenger behavior.
Outcomes:
Education partners are not required to report on outcomes, but are encouraged to seek opportunities that showcase child passenger safety related outcomes related to the provided education.
Budget:
Buckle Up for Life does not provide monetary support to Education partners.
Acceptance and Orientation:
Applicants for the Education Partnership will be notified of their acceptance status within two weeks of submission. Education Partners may still apply for future partnership and grant opportunities, and will be converted to the new partnership type if and when accepted.
Selected agencies must view a required Welcome Video where they will be introduced to the program and receive an overview of BUFL educational curricula, as well as data collection, reporting, and other project logistics.
Reporting:
Education partners are required to submit quarterly reports to Buckle Up for Life summarizing their progress.
This partnership does not provide funding or car seats.
Innovation Grant – Open
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, in partnership with Toyota, is accepting proposals for the Buckle Up for Life Innovation Grant, on a rolling basis.
This opportunity supports the development and implementation of innovative pilot projects to reduce the risk of motor vehicle passenger-related injury and death. The number of projects funded, and the size of each grant will vary based on the breadth, depth, and viability of applications received.
We encourage creativity to help address old problems in new and novel ways, and we aim to identify emerging best practices that can be scaled and spread to further impact in subsequent program years.
Application Deadline
- Proposals will be received on a rolling basis. There is no deadline to apply.
Benefits
- Access to Buckle Up for Life curriculum and educational and technical resources.
- Direct funding to organization, which may include:
- Salary support, if needed.
- Car seats and equipment needs.
- Additional expenses, as approved, to support execution of the project.
Funding Level
- Buckle Up for Life will commit up to $25,000 total, to support the development and implementation of one or more innovative pilot projects to reduce the risk of motor vehicle passenger-related injury and death. The number of projects funded, and the size of each grant will vary based on the breadth, depth, and viability of applications received.
Eligibility
- Applying institutions must be located in and must operate in North America.
- Nonprofit organizations, as determined under section 501(c)(3) or 509(a) of the Internal Revenue Code or applicant’s country equivalent for North American applicants located outside of the United States; public service agencies (e.g., fire/police departments, local health departments, public schools, etc.); and federally recognized tribal nations are eligible to apply.
- Applying institutions must have an injury prevention program with at least one certified child passenger safety technician (CPST) on staff who can provide support to the project, as needed.
Program Expectations
- Grantee is expected to partner with Buckle Up for Life, to regularly exchange ideas and share insights throughout the development and implementation of the innovation project.
- Grantee must provide a mid-year progress report and a final report of results and findings to Buckle Up for Life.
- Grantee must sign a Buckle Up for Life Curriculum and Brand Usage Agreement. All Buckle Up for Life branding and co-branding must follow Buckle Up for Life brand guidelines.
- Funded innovation projects must benefit at-risk populations.
- Applicants will propose their own project deliverables and timelines based upon the scope of their project. Deliverables should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant/realistic, and time-bound.
- Although it is not required, should the project include the provision of car seats to families, the following guidelines must all be followed:
- Car seats may be distributed at the agency’s discretion—although the focus should be on at-risk populations. Each agency may assess and determine local need.
- Each agency must provide child passenger safety education and installation assistance (in person or virtual) with each car seat distributed.
- Education and installation assistance (per above) must be provided by a certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST).
- Car seats provided by Buckle Up for Life must be given away to selected families for FREE. Seats may not be sold. Donations for seats provided by Buckle Up for Life may not be accepted.
Budget:
For applicants who advance to a Phase II proposal, a full budget must be submitted at that time. A standard budget template will be provided and must be used. Acceptable program expenditures include limited salary support, supplies, equipment, mileage, etc.
Acceptance and Orientation:
Acceptance and/or denial notifications will be sent out via email to all applicants accordingly.
Reporting:
Grantees will participate in informal, monthly status calls to keep Buckle up for Life up to date with progress, challenges, and needs.
Grantees will also submit mid-year and final reports which will also include financial (expenditure) summaries.
Contracts:
Funded Buckle Up for Life partners will be sub-award grantees of Cincinnati Children’s. Final funding is contingent upon successful execution of a sub-award contract which requires certain required terms (including liability coverage, for example) to be met. No revisions or changes to our standard contract will be accepted. Failure to execute a contract in a timely manner will result in grant rescission.
How to Apply
To apply, interested organizations must first complete our Innovation Grant Interest Form to provide a very brief overview of their project idea.
Upon receipt and review of the Innovation Grant Interest From, Buckle Up for Life, will respond to all applicants within 10 business days. Progression to each subsequent phase of the application, to follow, will be by invitation only.
Applicants who are invited to continue developing their proposal will attend a brief, virtual introductory meeting with the Buckle Up for Life team. At that time, the rest of the application process as well as timelines and expectations will be explained in further detail. Note that the full proposal process for invited applicants will involve preparation and delivery of a two-phased slide-based presentation, as well as a project budget.
Questions?
Contact buckleupforlife@cchmc.org.
Partnership Application FAQs
How do I contact Buckle Up for Life?
Due to high email traffic, applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the contents of the application’s overview and requirements. However, if you need additional information, please direct your questions to Buckle Up for Life.
What does an ideal BUFL partner look like?
- Exceeds minimally required output goals (when applicable)
- Demonstrates experience in and capacity for evaluating program success (including behavior change), beyond minimally required output goals
- Demonstrates pre-existing strong/trusted community relationships
- Demonstrates experience in and has capacity for addressing health disparities
- Demonstrates capacity for multi-lingual outreach, as needed
What are the benefits of each available partnership?
The Community Grant offers:
- Access to Buckle Up for Life curriculum, educational resources and Virtual Safety Station
- Direct funding to organization, which may include:
- Salary support (capped), if needed
- Car seat and equipment costs
- Additional expenses, as approved, to support execution of the program
The Gift of Safety Partnership offers:
- Access to Buckle Up for Life curriculum, educational resources and Virtual Safety Station
- Direct shipment of 50 car seats to your organization
The Education Partnership offers:
- Access to Buckle Up for Life curriculum, educational resources and Virtual Safety Station
Can individuals apply for Buckle Up for Life partnerships or grants?
No. Buckle Up for Life only partners with organizations with well-established child passenger safety programs.
Can multi-institutional safety coalitions apply for Buckle Up for Life grants?
Organizations may only apply for Buckle Up for Life grants on their own behalf—not on behalf of multi-institutional safety coalitions. It is imperative for us to contract directly with individual institutions whose leadership can take full responsibility for the administration of awarded funds and the supervision of staff implementing the program.
Grants awarded by Buckle Up for Life should not be utilized to subsidize coalitions that receive direct or indirect funds from motor vehicle manufacturers other than Toyota.
Multi-institutional safety coalitions may apply for Buckle Up for Life non-grant partnerships (E.g., Gift of Safety, or Education Partnership).
I am a former Buckle Up for Life partner. Can I re-apply?
Yes, any organization meeting the eligibility requirements—including current and former Buckle Up for Life grantees—may apply for a new partnership. Please note: past performance will be considered during the application review process. Also, organizations who have been Community Grant partners two years in a row, will need to take a year off before applying for the Community Grant again.
For example: If you were a Community Grant partner in grant year 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, you cannot re-apply until the 2023-2024 grant cycle. However, you are welcome to apply for other eligible partnerships without restrictions.
Can I apply for more than one partnership at a time?
Yes. We encourage applicants to review the timelines and detailed descriptions provided for each available partnership to determine which would best meet their needs.
Can I be awarded more than one partnership at a time?
Yes, applicants are eligible to be awarded more than one concurrent partnership, per organization or applying primary contact with the exceptions noted below:
- Community Grant Partners may not also be Gift of Safety partners during the same program year.
- Note, Education Partnerships will not be offered to applicants who are awarded any other type of Buckle Up for Life partnership, since Education Partner benefits and resources are already included in all of our other partnership levels.
Can I email, fax or mail my application?
No. All applications must be submitted through the Buckle Up for Life website.
Can I submit partnership applications or funding requests directly to Toyota?
No. Toyota is the prime funder only for Cincinnati Children’s, who directly and solely administers the Buckle Up for Life program. For legal and administrative purposes, Buckle Up for Life partners are considered sub-award grantees of Cincinnati Children’s. All applications should be submitted directly to the Buckle Up for Life team at Cincinnati Children’s, as directed on the Buckle Up for Life website.
Toyota will not accept, review, nor forward any inquires or applications for the Buckle Up for Life program. Applications submitted directly to Toyota will be disqualified.
What are the chances of being grant funded?
Buckle Up for Life’s grants are highly competitive. Not all applications will be funded. We encourage applicants to review the timelines and detailed descriptions provided for each partnership to determine which would best meet their needs.
Can my grant or partnership application be disqualified?
Yes. Below are a few reasons for disqualification, please note that this list not exhaustive.
- Incomplete applications
- Applications submitted after the deadline (when applicable)
- Failure to appropriately complete and submit all required materials
- Applications that might pose a conflict of interest to our prime funder
- Applications submitted in a language other than English
Who reviews my Community Grant application and how is it evaluated against other applications?
Because the Buckle Up for Life Community Grant is highly competitive, every submission is closely reviewed by an internal committee of injury prevention experts and faculty physicians at Cincinnati Children’s. This internal committee uses a scorecard approach to assess an applicant’s overall qualifications—taking into account (including, but not limited to) the following strengths:
- Organization’s current child passenger safety program
- Organization’s demonstrated need for Buckle Up for Life funding
- Organization’s plan to meet the demonstrated need, using Buckle Up for Life funds
- Organization’s capacity to act as good financial stewards of grant funds, per proposed budget
For current or former partners, past performance will be taken into consideration.
Additional consideration will be provided for programs with multilingual child passenger safety staff, CPST Instructors, or CPSTs with training in travel for children with special needs.
How will I be notified of a decision?
Acceptance and denial letters will be sent out via email to all applicants accordingly.
Will I receive feedback on my application if it is denied?
Unfortunately, due to the high volume of applications received, processed, and reviewed, Buckle Up for Life is unable to provide individualized feedback to applying organizations. Please keep in mind that this grant is highly competitive which means even strong applications may not be funded.
When will grant funds be disbursed?
Buckle Up for Life does not offer reimbursement grants. Instead, funds are provided, in full, at the beginning of each grant year–after successful execution of sub-award contracts.
Will Buckle Up for Life ship car seats to Community Grant partners?
No. Community Grant partners must purchase their own car seats with their Buckle Up for Life grant funds. Buckle Up for Life only ships car seats to Gift of Safety partners.
