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To obtain details on COPS Office programs, publications, and resources, contact the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov

**U.S. Department of Justice**        Office of Community Oriented Policing Services 
www.cops.usdoj.gov

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### **Where to Find Funding for Equipment, Training, Hiring, and Programs**

February 2020 | Volume 13 | Issue 2

**Editor’s Note: For more current information, read the article on 2023 COPS Office funding opportunities**.

One of the biggest challenges in administering a law  enforcement agency is managing the budget, finding new ways to meet a growing  number of public and officer safety needs with limited resources. 

 But there are a wide variety of entities, both private and  public, that offer grant funding to local, state, and tribal law enforcement for  training, vehicles, equipment, hiring, and programs of many kinds.

 The list below is a small sampling of available sources,  and it should be noted these can change from year to year. But also keep in  mind that there are many others out there and that it pays to think creatively,  casting a wide net. You never know where an opportunity may come from.  

The **U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)** offers  funding for training, technical assistance, research, assisting victims of  crime, and programs that improve the criminal, civil, and juvenile justice  systems primarily through three grant-making components: 
          - The  **Office  of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office)**  will solicit for  applications in the areas of hiring officers and developing and testing  innovative policing strategies, as well for providing training and technical  assistance to community members, local government, and all levels of law  enforcement. The COPS Office awards grants in the following programs.
          Coordinated  Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) Program
**Community  Policing Development (CPD) Program**
**Community Policing  Development (CPD) Microgrants**
Preparing  for Active Shooter Situations (PASS) Program
Law  Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Program
**COPS Anti-Methamphetamine Program (CAMP)**
**COPS Anti-Heroin Task Force (AHTF) Program**
**School  Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)**
**The COPS Hiring Program (CHP)**

Application information can be found at  **cops.usdoj.gov/grants**.
          - The  **Office of Violence Against Women (OVW)**  administers 19 grant programs designed to help reduce domestic and  dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. OVW also administers a Technical Assistance Program to  provide grantees with training, expertise, and problem-solving strategies .  Information for funding applicants  can be found on their site.
          - The  **Office  of Justice Programs (OJP)**  offers grant assistance to support law  enforcement equipment purchases, including most special operations gear, as  well as  the **Edward Byrne Memorial Justice  Assistance Grant Program (JAG)** , which awards funds for a variety of  public and law enforcement safety purposes. The  OJP Grant Application Resource Guide  provides information for these and the following three OJP programs:
          The 
**Office  for Victims of Crime (OVC)**
 supports communities responding to terrorist  attacks and mass violence as well as providing relief for immediate and ongoing  victim assistance services.
The 
**Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)**
 provides financial and technical support to states in improving the accuracy,  utility, and interstate accessibility of criminal history records.
The 
**Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)**
 provides information, training, and  technical assistance to state and local officials responding to school  shootings or mass violence. Its 
Project  Safe Neighborhood (PSN)
 offers funding for crime reduction efforts to local,  state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies 
The 
**National Institute of Justice (NIJ)**
 awards funds for crime research,  development, testing, training, and technical assistance projects.
The 
**Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency  Prevention (OJJDP)**
 awards grants to support programs, research, training and technical assistance,  and information dissemination activities.

For more information on these and other DOJ grants, see The DOJ Program  Plan, a tool to help applicants and grantees find funding opportunities managed  by the DOJ grant-making components. 

The **U.S. Department of  Agriculture (USDA)******offers grants and low-interest loans to  support public safety services such as police stations, vehicles, and prisons  in communities with populations of 20,000 or less through their Rural  Development Community Facilities Direct Loan  and Grant Program.  

The **U.S. Department of  Health and Human Services (HHS)******offers grants for communities  fighting the opioid crisis. These include the Health Resources and Services  Administrations (HRSA) Rural Communities Opioid Response Program and the Substance  Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Tribal  Opioid Response Grant. 

 The **U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP)** funds training and programs, including fusion centers, for response to  domestic or international terrorism. Most of these federal grants are received  through your state’s homeland security or emergency management agency. 
          - Through its  **Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA**) **Emergency Management Performance Grant (EMPG)** ,  DHS  assists state, local,  tribal, territorial governments in enhancing and sustaining all-hazards  emergency management capabilities.  
          - Its  Operation  Stonegarden  program (OPSG) supports cooperation and coordination among  Customs and Border Protection (CBP), United States Border Patrol (USBP), and  local, tribal, territorial, state, and Federal law enforcement agencies along  routes of ingress from international borders.

The **U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT)** provides free drug interdiction training courses directly to law enforcement through  the Federal  Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Drug Interdiction Assistance Program  (DIAP).
          - Through its  National  Highway Transportation Safety Administration  (NHTSA) program,  Section  402 grant funds  for highway safety are available to states, which  distribute them to local law enforcement.

Many states provide grant funding for law enforcement  activities. State criminal justice agencies are the most common funders, but  offices that focus on health, housing, education, and urban and rural  development may also offer funding to local law enforcement. 

 State government sites like the Texas Funding Schedule  Calendar, the New York  State Division of Criminal Justice Grants page, and the California  Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control site provide application closing  dates and other information for state funded grants. Check your state’s web  site for similar programs.

The National Association of State Agencies for Surplus  Property provides a  directory of every state’s agency for acquiring surplus vehicles and other  supplies free of charge.

 Travel and tourism offices in some states also provide  funding for the equipment and vehicles needed to provide security for large  events, fairs, or concerts. Money may also be available through state education  departments or departments of labor/workforce development, which receive federal  pass-through funding to increase workforce skills. 

 Each state and U.S. territory also receives an annual Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, which is  available to local and state agencies. Reach out to your State  Administering Agency (SAA) representative for more information.

Many corporations and utilities have grant programs to  fund security operations, safety equipment, and other law enforcement needs. 

 Chain stores such as Target, Kroger, Aldi, and Safeway  have awarded grants to police, as have corporations such as Lockheed Martin and  insurance companies such as Metlife. Freight railroad companies such as CSX and  Union Pacific also award grants to keep their areas of operation safe, as do Dominion  Energy, Columbia Gas, and other utilities

 Various foundations and associations also provide funds  through grants programs. The American  Police and Sheriff's Association Equipment Grants provide safety equipment,  communication devices, and duty gear. The  Spirit of Blue Foundation Safety Grants help raise funds for equipment,  training and other resources, which agencies purchase through participating  sponsors.  

The Ben  Roethlisberger Foundation, founded by the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback,  offers grants to help police K-9 units purchase dogs and dog safety vests and  provide for other K-9 needs.

The  National Tactical Officers Association (NTOA) awards funds for vehicles and  equipment to SWAT teams that are members of the association. The non-profit St.  Michael’s Shield Project provides free body armor through Vest for Life. Other sources can be found  on the Foundation Center.

Grant applications are open for a limited time each year  and take a significant amount of time to prepare, so it’s critical to get  started as soon as possible. To obtain funding, agencies must submit  applications or proposals that meet the qualifications requested by the grantor.  To do so requires a significant amount of research, planning, and writing. For  information, ideas and guidance, see How  to Write a Successful Grant Funding Proposal.

 Faye Elkins          Sr. Technical Writer

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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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