U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet cops.usdoj.gov

2023 Preparing for Active Shooter Situations (PASS) 

Program

February 2023

Preparing for Active Shooter Situations (PASS) funds are used to increase public and law enforcement safety nationwide 

by training first responders—including law enforcement, fire, emergency medical services (EMS), dispatchers, medical personnel, facility security, emergency management, and any other professionals who may reasonably be key to a successful integrated 

response—to handle an active shooter or other violent threat. Training provided under the 2023 PASS program will advance 

the goal of the 2016 Protecting Our Lives by Initiating COPS Expansion (POLICE) Act in offering “scenario-based, integrated 

response courses designed to counter active shooter threats or acts of terrorism against individuals or facilities.”1

WHEN: Deadline for first part of application 

in Grants.gov is April 14, 2023, at 

4:59 p.m. ET. Deadline for completed 

application in JustGrants is April 21, 

2023, at 4:59 p.m. ET.

Start EARLY. The process takes 

more than one day.

WHERE: 1. Register online with www.sam.gov

to obtain a Unique Entity Identifier 

(UEI) and www.grants.gov to 

complete the Grants.gov application package.

2. Complete the application

in the JustGrants Justice

Grants System.

HOW: Online only. No hard copies sent 

by U.S. Mail or electronic copies 

sent via email.

The COPS Office is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime 

victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving 

threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. 

1. 34 U.S.C. § 10381(b)(17).

COPS Office Preparing for Active Shooter 

Situations (PASS) Program

The 2023 PASS program will fund one provider to train 

first responders through scenario-based, multidisciplinary 

training classes across the country.

Detailed description of the PASS program is available 

in the solicitation guide.

Funding Provisions

Provisions include the following:

 A training provider who can deliver nationwide, to at

least 20,000 first responders, integrated, scenario-based

response courses as described in the 2016 POLICE Act

 Must have substantial experience with providing and

tailoring cross-disciplinary active shooter training to law

enforcement and other first responders nationally
	Funding may be used to provide supplemental resources 

to help first responders maintain vital but perishable 

skills—including scenario libraries and e-learning modules—and to enhance agency skills in tactical medicine 

and managing exposure to trauma.

	The project description should address the following 

objectives:

• Train at least 20,000 first responders across the United 

States over the course of the award through scenariobased, multidisciplinary training classes.

• Offer courses to law enforcement on both team and 

solo deployment tactics, as well as be able to provide 

training in tactical medicine and civilian response so 

that law enforcement agencies can better ensure that 

their whole community is prepared in the case of an 

active shooter event.

• Offier incident command system training for EMS, 

fire, and law enforcement to improve coordination 

when responding to active shooter incidents.

• Provide training for medical first responders on best 

practices to treat victims of active shooter incidents.

• Provide training for emergency call center staff (dispatchers) to improve communications to fire, EMS, and law 

enforcement agencies during active shooter incidents.

• Provide a training course for school resource officers and 

school personnel on both preparing their communities 

for a hostile event and responding to an active shooter.

• Test police tactical responses in a controlled environment—including defensive tactics, car stops, room 

entries, etc.—to inform ongoing training.

• Conduct ongoing evaluation of training offerings, 

including short- and long-term follow-up with participating jurisdictions on the usefulness of training and 

local efforts to reinforce knowledge and skills.

This solicitation is open to any public governmental agency, 

federally recognized Indian tribe, nonprofit organization, 

for-profit organization, institution of higher education, 

community group, or faith-based organization.

There is up to $12 million in funding available through the 

FY 2023 PASS program. The program will fund one award, 

which will be one year (12 months) in length. There is no 

local match.

How to Apply

Applicants are first required to register online with 

www.sam.gov to obtain their Unique Entity Identifier and 

www.grants.gov to complete the Grants.gov application 

package. Deadline to complete this step is April 14, 2023.

After submitting the Grants.gov application, applicants will 

receive an email with instructions on completing the second 

part of the PASS application through JustGrants.

Complete application packages for the FY 2023 PASS solicitation are due by April 21, 2023, at 4:59 p.m. ET. Before 

submitting your application, please review the 

PASS Solicitation Guide. Applications in hard or electronic format sent via email or U.S. Mail will not be accepted.

Please note: the COPS Office requires two authorized representatives (Law Enforcement Executive/Program Official 

and Government Executive/Financial Official) for its grant 

applications. Confirm your two authorized representatives 

complete the steps to create their accounts. If they do not, the 

delay may prevent timely submission of your application.

2

2023 Preparing for Active Shooter Situations Program

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about the PASS program, 

please call the COPS Office Response Center at 

800-421-6770 or visit the COPS Office website at 

cops.usdoj.gov.

February 2023