U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services

 Fact Sheet cops.usdoj.gov

2023 Collaborative Reform Initiative: Organizational 

Assessment and Critical Response Program

The Collaborative Reform Initiative (CRI) program encompasses three programs offering expert services to state, local, ter-

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ritorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies, ranging in scope and complexity. The continuum of services is designed to build 

trust between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve; improve operational efficiencies and effectiveness; 

enhance officer safety and wellness; and develop and disseminate evidence-based, promising, and innovative public safety prac

tices. The 2023 CRI: Organizational Assessment and Critical Response competitive solicitation is seeking applications for the 

Critical Response and Organizational Assessment components of the CRI program.

March 2023

WHEN: Deadline for first part of application 

in Grants.gov is May 17, 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.

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.

COPS Office CRI Subcategories

The CRI program has two competitive subcategories 

this year:

	Critical Response

	Organizational Assessment

Please see the Funding Provisions section on page 2 for 

an overview description. All awards are subject to the avail

ability of appropriated funds and any modifications or 

additional requirements that may be imposed by law.
Funding Provisions

Provisions include the following:

	The Critical Response program is designed to provide 

targeted TA to law enforcement agencies experiencing 

high profile events, major incidents, or sensitive issues of 

varying need. Critical Response is highly customizable 

and provides flexible assistance to law enforcement agen-

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cies in a variety of ways including after-action reviews; 

peer-to-peer exchanges; targeted in-depth review, analysis, 

and recommendations; and facilitated discussions with 

subject matter experts (SME). Critical Response sites may 

vary in duration, depending on the scope of the project. 

Shorter-term executive consultations may take as little as 

two weeks, while in-depth reviews of specific incidents or 

issues will take between six and nine months. There will 

be one award up to $2.25 million for this subcategory.

	The Organizational Assessment program offers the most 

intensitve form of technical assistance on the CRI con

tinuum, involving in-depth assessments and long-term 

assistance on systemic issues that can challenge community 

trust and confidence. The ideal timeline for engagements 

will be a 12-month period after the intake process is com

pleted, with the maximum time for engagements to be 18 

months. During that period, it will be the responsibility of 

all involved parties to accomplish the mutual goal of police 

reform while acknowledging that sustaining these efforts 

ultimately must be the responsibility of local agencies and 

communities. There will be one award up to $3.5 million 

for this subcategory. 

	Applicant eligibility is limited to for-profit (commercial) 

organizations, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of 

higher education.

	Proposals should be responsive to the solicitation and identify specific program goals that will be directly accom

plished if awarded CRI funding. Detailed descriptions of 

eligibility and additional information are available in the 

solicitation guide.

	There is up to $5.75 million in funding available. Awards 

made under both subcategories are one year (12 months) 

in length. There is no local match.

How to Apply

Applicants are first required to register via www.grants.gov

and complete an SF-424. Deadline to complete this step is 

May 17, 2023. After submitting the SF-424, applicants will 

receive an email with instructions on completing the second 

part of the CRI application through the JustGrants System.

Complete application packages for the FY 2023 CRI: Orga

nizational Assessment and Critical Response solicitation are 

due by May 24, 2023, at 4:59 p.m. ET. Before submitting 

your application, please review the CRI 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 (Program Official and Financial Official) for its 

applications. Your two authorized representatives must com

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

delay may prevent timely submission of your application.

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2023 Collaborative Reform Initiative: Organizational Assessment and Critical Response Program

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