Can individuals apply for Buckle Up for Life partnerships or grants?

No. Buckle Up for Life only partners with organizations capable of implementing robust 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’s Gift of Safety 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 partners—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–however they may still apply for Gift of Safety in the interim.

Can I apply for more than one partnership at a time?

Eligible and interested organizations may apply for both the Community Grant partnership and Gift of Safety partnership at the same time, using the same Common Partnership Application, when it is open.

Innovation Grant applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year, and any eligible and interested organization may apply.

Can I be awarded more than one partnership at a time?

An organization may not be concurrently awarded a Community Grant partnership and a Gift of Safety partnership during the same program year. However, both Community Grant and Gift of Safety partners may be considered for concurrent Innovation Grant funding.

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 grants and/or partnerships being awarded?

Buckle Up for Life’s partnerships are highly competitive. Not all applications will be awarded. 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.

• Applications that are incomplete
• Applications submitted after the deadline (when applicable)
• Applications that might pose a conflict of interest to our prime funder
• Applications submitted in a language other than English

Who reviews my application and how is it evaluated against other submissions?

Because the Buckle Up for Life partnerships are 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. 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.
• Organization’s demonstrated need for Buckle Up for Life funding or resources
• Organization’s plan to meet the demonstrated need, using Buckle Up for Life funds or resources
• Organization’s capacity to act as good stewards of funds or resources provided

For current or former partners, past performance will be taken into consideration.

How will I be notified of a decision?

Upon review and selection, Buckle Up for Life will send all partnership notifications to the email address provided at the beginning of the application.

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 Buckle Up for Life partnerships are highly competitive; even strong applications may not be funded.

When will grant funds be disbursed? 

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.