GTSC FAQs

What is the purpose of this grant program?

The purpose of this grant program is to provide funds to local, state, and not-for-profit agencies for projects to improve highway safety and reduce deaths and serious injuries due to crashes. The types of efforts funded include occupant protection, traffic enforcement, community programs, programs that impact our younger drivers or older drivers, pedestrian safety, roadway safety, and impaired driving.

Who may apply for these grants?

Eligible organizations include state and local government agencies, educational institutions, and registered not-for-profit agencies. 

Requirements for grant applications are listed below.

For-profit agencies and individuals are not eligible, nor are applications to develop a product or provide a service for profit.

What do I need to know to apply?

Your application must address one of the program areas outlined in our Highway Safety Strategic Plan, or your application must be for one of the structured programs:

1. Child Passenger Safety (CPS), or 
2. Police Traffic Services (PTS) - for enforcement agencies only.

Local agencies must receive traffic safety board approval.

What requirements does my organization need to meet to apply?

To apply for a grant, all eligible organizations must:

• Register a Project Director and Fiscal Agent in GTSC’s grants management system, eGrants.
• Register in the System for Award Management (SAM) and renew annually. 
• Provide a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN), Statewide Financial System (SFS) Vendor ID and UEI on the My Organization Information page in eGrants.
• Enroll in New York State’s Electronic Payment system, ePayments.
• Be in compliance with the New York State requirement to carry workers’ compensation and disability and paid family leave benefits insurance coverage or meet the exemption criteria under New York State’s Workers’ Compensation law.

Further, all not-for-profit organizations must meet additional requirements as outlined at Not-for-Profit Requirements.

Do I need a Unique Entity Identification Number (UEI) number to submit my application this year?

You can submit the grant application without the UEI number, however, all organizations must provide their UEI before an application can be approved and a grant can be awarded. 

What is the criteria for grant review?

Proposals must be complete for the GTSC to review them. Each proposal contains information about the grant review process that pertains to that program.

Q: When are 2025 grant proposals due?

A: All 2025 grant proposals are due by 11:59pm on May 1, 2024. 

Q: How can I be added to your email distribution list?

A: To receive GTSC communications, you need to register in eGrants, GTSC’s grants management system. For established organizations, a Project Director may add new users. If your organization is not yet established, you will need to submit an eGrants new user profile. Once this profile is submitted, someone from GTSC will need to approve it.

Q: What information is needed for new organizations to register in eGrants?

A: We will need the following information to establish a new organization: Federal ID, Unique Entity ID, and NYS Vendor ID. Not-for-profit organizations must also provide an NYS Charity ID and be prequalified in the NYS Statewide Financial System on our grant application due date. For additional information, please see the Highway Safety Grant Program page on this website.

Q: What do I do if I forgot my password/am locked out of my eGrants account? 

A: Users will be locked out of the system after three unsuccessful attempts at logging in. You must wait 30 minutes before trying again once locked out.

To reset your password:

Click Forgot Password? under the login section of the eGrants home page

Enter your username and email address and click “RESET MY PASSWORD AND E-MAIL ME THE NEW ONE”

A temporary password will be sent to the email address provided. (Both the email address and username provided must be the same username and email address in your eGrants profile).

Once you are logged in using the temporary password, you will be prompted to change your password.

Please note users must reset their own password. GTSC Staff cannot reset passwords.

Q: How much money can our organization request?

A: The amount of money that can be requested depends on the grant type. There is no minimum request amount for any of our grants. Applicants may request up to $40,000 for CPS and up to $46,000 for PTS. There is no limit on the request amount for HS1 grants.

Q: Are local police agencies able to apply for all three grant types?

A: Yes, local police departments are eligible to apply for all three grant types.

Q: Does my agency need to have a certified child passenger safety technician listed on the grant to apply for a Child Passenger Safety Grant?

A: You must have at least one certified technician on your grant to be eligible for a Child Passenger Safety grant. Once you have a certified technician, you can apply for a grant.

Q: Is the cost associated with training new CPS technicians considered an allowable cost?

A: Yes, the cost of training new technicians is an allowable expense.

What is eGrants?

eGrants is the electronic grants management system that the GTSC uses to manage grant programs. It is a web-based system, so users will need internet access and be able to use Adobe Acrobat files. No other software installation is necessary.

How do I sign up?

To register, go to the eGrants login page and click the New User? link. One person from each agency will register with eGrants as the Project Director and a different person will register as the Fiscal Agent. Both roles are required. Before access is granted, one of these persons must call the GTSC and speak with a manager to have the agency and users verified. Call the GTSC at (518) 474-5111 and press 1 to speak to a manager to gain access to eGrants. Once the agency and the two users are activated, the Project Director will be able to add additional users. 

How do I apply using eGrants?

A representative of your agency will need to create an account in eGrants and complete the grant proposal in the system.

All proposals MUST be submitted through the eGrants system by May 1. All proposals from local agencies MUST be approved by the Chair of the County Traffic Safety Board. Contact your County Traffic Safety Board regarding the process for having your proposal approved. After May 1, the GTSC will contact all County Traffic Safety Boards to verify approvals. This does not alleviate your responsibility to contact your County Traffic Safety Board prior to grant submission.

Local Traffic Safety Boards (TSB) retain the right to approve or disapprove your proposal.

Statewide agencies do not require TSB approval.

How do I get to eGrants?

You can access eGrants from the GTSC website. Follow the link at the top of this page to the eGrants login. We recommend that you visit our site frequently for information about what's going on in highway safety.

When will I use eGrants?

You will use eGrants to apply for a grant. Approved grants are administered through eGrants. Your reporting and vouchering are also done through eGrants.

How will I or other members of my agency get eGrants training?

Training materials are available through eGrants. On the eGrants login page, you will be directed to register with the system. After you have completed eGrants registration you will have access to the system Help files which include an onscreen users' guide and training videos. If you need further assistance, you may contact your GTSC representative. 

How do I add a fiscal agent or other user to my organizations and proposals?

If your agency is already enrolled in eGrants, access to eGrants must be given by a Project Director in your agency.  If your agency is new to eGrants, access must be given by the GTSC System Administrator.

Regardless of how a new user gains access, they must be added to each of your agency's existing proposals/documents (step 3 below).

New User Access to eGrants:

1. Go to the eGrants login page and click on the New User? link. Enter the required information on the new user page and save it. If your agency has never been in eGrants, you must then contact the GTSC at (518) 474-5111, press 1.

2. One of your agency's eGrants Project Directors will then log into eGrants to add other users to the Organization (see the Adding New Users section below).

3. New users must also be added to any existing proposals and documents. The Project Director opens each grant proposal, payment, and progress report and clicks on Management Tools to Add/Edit People. They add the new person to each document, otherwise, the person cannot access them.

Adding New Users: There are two ways for a Project Director to add a user.

In the first method, the person to be added uses the New User? link on the eGrants login page and enters the required information and Saves.

Then the agency's Project Director completes the process by adding the new user to the organization. These steps are:

1.  The Project Director must log in to eGrants.

2.  From the Main Menu use the My Organization(s) link on the dark blue menu bar.

3.  You are now on the Organization page. Click the Organization Members link.

4.  This will display a page showing all the members of the Organization.

5.  Click the Add Members link.

6.  Enter the last name of the new user in the box and click search.

7.  When the new user's name comes up, put a check mark in the box, use the drop-down box to give them the correct role, and give them an active date (today's date). When complete, click SAVE.

8.  IMPORTANT: If your agency has proposals already created, the new person must also be added to them so they may access them. Open the existing proposal and click on Management Tools to Add/Edit People to add that person.

The second method:

In the second method, the person to be added does not have to be involved, the Project Director will enter the required information for them.

1.  The Project Director must log in to eGrants.

2.  From the Main Menu click the My Organization(s) link on the dark blue menu bar.

3.  You are now on the Organization page. Click the Organization Members link.

4.  This will display a page showing all the members of the Organization.

5.  Click the Add Members link.

6.  Click the "New Member" button.

7.  The Project Director will enter basic information for the new user and will create a username and password (the password can be changed later by the user). When the information has been entered, click the "Save & Add To Organization" button.
 

8. IMPORTANT: If your agency has proposals already created, the new person must also be added to them so they may access them. Open the existing proposal and use Management Tools to Add/Edit People to add that person.

I thought I added the person, what do I do?

If you thought you already added a person to your organization but can't find them listed on your Organization Members page, go to My Organization | Organization Members, click Add Member, then on the next screen enter the last name of the person in the box and click search. If their name shows up in a listing, put a check mark in the box next to the Person's name, assign the correct Role with the drop-down box and put today's date in the first box under Active Dates and SAVE. If their name did not show up, try searching with fewer letters, ex. search for Joh instead of Johnson. The system will try to match exactly so if you enter fewer letters in your search request, you will be shown all names with matching letter combinations. Also, remember to add the person to any proposal you have created, to do so open the proposal and Access Management Tools to Add/Edit People.

Below is an example of the Organization Members Listing. Access this Organization section by clicking on the My Organization(s) link found at the top of the eGrants page.

Example of the screen to add a new member or search for a person to your Organization.

I added a person to My Organization, but they do not show up, or they cannot access any proposals. How can I fix this?

It is possible that you have added the person but did not give them an active date. To verify the members of your organization, go to My Organization(s), click on the link of your Organization. Then click on Organization Members. This will show who is assigned to your organization. If you do not see the persons' name(s) there, click on Add Members. Then, in the search box, enter the last name of the person and click search. Their name should appear. Next to their name, put a check in the box, assign them a role using the drop-down box, and enter an Active Date using the format mm/dd/yyyy. Then click SAVE.

If the person's name does not show up when you search, then you have to add them as a new member.

I worked on my proposal, when I clicked SAVE I was brought to the Log In screen and my work is gone.

You timed out. The system will time out if you do not SAVE after 20 minutes or so. Click SAVE often.

I did work on my proposal, saved it, but when I opened it again the work was gone.

You probably have more than one version of the proposal in progress. To check: From My Home, click on My Organization(s). At My Organizations, click on your organization. On the Organization page, click on Organization Documents. You will see a list of all the Proposals that have been created by your Organization. Find which one is the most complete and cancel the duplicate version. To cancel them, click on the proposal you wish to cancel. Then, on the Proposal page, click on change status. Apply the status change to Cancel.

How do I cancel my grant proposal?

Why do this? Because you created duplicate versions of one proposal and you want the duplicate version(s) canceled.

Log onto eGrants.

1. Click on the My Proposals tab found on the upper left-hand side of the screen as seen below: 

   

    

2. Select the type of proposal you want to cancel: 

   

    

3. Click on the duplicate version of the proposal that you want to cancel (be sure to retain the most current version and cancel the other one). 

   

    

4. Click on or hover over the "Status Changes" button.
   
    

5. If you are sure you want to cancel your duplicate version of the proposal, click on the button to "Apply Status" under Proposal Cancelled. 

   

    

How can I complete a CPS schedule that is not showing up in my proposals task list?

Go to the proposal and click on CPS Problem Identification & Schedule Selection on the Forms menu. Check each of the schedules you wish to apply for. The schedule worksheets will only appear when you have checked them in your proposal's schedule selection.

Why can't I submit my proposal?

Proposals are submitted under the Proposal Menu/ Status Changes.

If your only choice under Status Changes is Cancel, it is because you do not have the correct eGrants role that allows you to submit the proposal. Only Project Directors can submit proposals. Have someone with the correct role submit the proposal.

On a CPS grant, if I have a technician to list on the grant but they don’t work for my agency, am I still eligible to apply?

Yes, as long as the technician is in good standing and will be carrying out the objectives of the grant.

For the Schedule D Program on a CPS grant, would we be able to host an event to distribute car seats and have the technician do the installation with the clients at the event? 

No, this alone would not satisfy the in-person education requirement of the Schedule D program. The education would need to be completed and low-income verified prior to the distribution of the car seat.

Should we include any demographic information on engagement or enforcement efforts?

If your agency captures demographic data, you can provide data on the number of instances of engagement or enforcement efforts.

How do I submit a Grant Modification (including budget modifications)?

Instructions on submitting a Grant Modification can be found in the Grant Administration section of the GTSC website. Click on the applicable CPS, HSG or PTS instructions at the bottom of the page.

How do I submit a Claim for Payment?

Instructions on submitting a Claim for Payment can be found in the Grant Administration section of the GTSC website. Click on the CPS, HSG or PTS instructions at the bottom of the page. The Claim for Payment Instruction Guide in the same location contains details on required documentation that must be submitted to receive reimbursement.

How do I submit a Progress Report?

Instructions on submitting a Progress Report can be found in the Grant Administration section of the GTSC website. Click on the CPS, HSG or PTS instructions at the bottom of the page.