U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet cops.usdoj.gov

FY 2023 Critical Topics Program

Community Policing Development

Community Policing Development (CPD) funds are used to develop the capacity of law enforcement to implement community policing strategies by providing guidance on promising practices through the development and testing of innovative strategies; building knowledge about effective practices and outcomes; and supporting new, creative approaches to preventing crime 

and promoting safe communities. The FY 2023 Critical Topics CPD program will fund projects that will convene stakeholders 

around the most critical issues in public safety facing our nation and develop guides and resources, reports, best practices, and 

other information products for the field that highlight successful community policing strategies in the areas of recruitment, 

retention, workforce diversification, tolerance, diversity and anti-bias.

WHEN: Deadline for first part of application 

in Grants.gov is May 15, 2023, at 

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

application in JustGrants is May 24, 

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

Start EARLY. The process takes 

more than one day.

March 2023

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.

FY23 Critical Topics—Community Policing 

Development

This year’s Critical Topics CPD program has one 

open solicitation with the following subcategories:

	Emerging Issues Forums

	Innovations in Recruitment, Retention, and Workforce 

Diversification

	Tolerance, Diversity, and Anti-Bias Training

Please see the chart on page 2 for an overview description 

of each solicitation. All awards are subject to the availability 

of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional 

requirements that may be imposed by law.
2

FY 2023 Critical Topics (Community Policing Development)

Title of 

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

-

subcategory

Overview summary Total 

funding 

amount

Cap per 

award

Anticipated 

number of 

awards

Proposed 

eligible 

applicants

Emerging 

Issues Forums

Plan and execute convenings with thought leaders in 

law enforcement on critical topics that are impacting 

the field and the development of resources highlighting 

promising practices addressing these emerging issues 

that can be shared with the broader law enforcement 

community.

$300,000 $300,000 1

All for-profit 

(commercial) 

organizations, 

nonprofit organiza

tions, institutions of 

higher education, 

community groups, 

and faith-based 

organizations

Innovations in 

Recruitment, 

Retention, and 

Workforce 

Diversification

Develop recruitment, retention, and workforce diver

sification resources (videos, toolkits, publications, 

podcasts, etc.) that can be shared with the broader law 

enforcement field and provide technical assistance to 

help law enforcement agencies improve their capacity to 

attract, select, and retain a diverse workforce.

$400,000 $400,000 1

Tolerance, 

Diversity, and 

Anti-Bias 

Training

Develop or deliver tolerance, diversity, and anti-bias 

training programs that encompass cultural sensitivity 

components such as respect, acceptance, and apprecia

tion of different groups' identities (e.g., ethnic, racial, 

sexual orientation and gender); cultural diveristy; and 

law enforcement interaction with people with disabili

ties, people with mental illnesses, and English language 

learners. Applicants may propose the development or 

delivery of classroom training, online training, or a com

bination of both. If online is proposed, applicants should 

plan for deployment via the COPS Training Portal.

$2,800,000 $700,000 4

Funding Provisions

In addition to the table, provisions include the following:

	Applications should be responsive to the solicitation 

and subcategory selected, have substantial subject mat

ter expertise in the topic area and propose initiatives that 

significantly advance the field of community policing 

as it pertains to the subcategory topic. Applicants must 

identify specific program goals that will be directly accom

plished if awarded Critical Topics CPD funding. Detailed 

descriptions of eligibility and additional information are 

available in the solicitation guide.

	Applicants may submit for multiple subcategories, but a 

separate application must be submitted for each project.

	There is up to $3.5 million in funding available through 

the FY 2023 Critical Topics CPD program. Each award is 

two years (24 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 May 15, 2023.

After submitting the Grants.gov application package, appli

cants will receive an email with instructions on completing 

the second part of the Critical Topics CPD application 

through JustGrants. 

Complete application packages for the FY 2023 Critical 

Topics CPD solicitation are due by May 24, 2023, at 4:59 

p.m. ET. Before submitting your application, please review 

the appropriate solicitation guide and materials. Applica

tions in hard or electronic format sent via email or U.S. Mail 

will not be accepted.

Please note: The COPS Office requires two authorized rep

resentatives (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.

Contact the COPS Office

For more information about COPS Office programs and resources, please call the COPS Office 

Response Center at 800-421-6770 or visit the 

COPS Office website at cops.usdoj.gov.

March 2023