FY26 COPS School Violence Prevention Program

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing and the Administration’s priority of Making America Safe Again by supporting the nation’s state, local, territorial and Tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources. This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the FY26 School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP). This funding opportunity seeks to provide competitive funding directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and their public agencies to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the recipient’s jurisdiction through evidence-based school safety programs. The COPS Office anticipates that up to $73,000,000 will be available for up to $500,000 per award, with approximately 200 awards anticipated. A local cost share (matching funds) of at least 25 percent in the form of cash is required unless a match waiver is requested and approved, and the period of performance duration will be 36 months, with a period of performance start date of 10/1/26.

The following entities are eligible to apply under this program: States, units of local government, Indian Tribes, and their public agencies, including school districts (including public charter schools and school districts with a single school); School boards; Law enforcement agencies. Note: Individual schools not operating as school districts and independent schools and private schools, including private charter schools, are NOT eligible to apply as primary applicants. Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. §§ 10552(a)(1)–(2), each application shall be accompanied by an assurance that the application was prepared after consultation with individuals not limited to law enforcement officers (including licensed mental health professionals, social workers, students, parents, school violence researchers/academics (if practical), teachers, principals, and other school personnel) to ensure that the improvements to be funded under the grant are consistent with a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence including being protective of student privacy and ensuring that students are not discriminated against on the basis of race, national origin, disability, religion, or sex, and individualized to the needs of each school at which those improvements are to be made. State and local governmental entities must comply with 8 U.S.C. § 1373, which provides that State and local government entities may not prohibit, or in any way restrict, any government entity or official from sending to, receiving from, maintaining, or exchanging information regarding citizenship or immigration status, lawful or unlawful, of any individual with components of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security or any other federal, state or local government entity. This includes any prohibitions or restrictions imposed or established by a State or local government entity or official.

A minimum 25 percent local cash match (matching funds) is required unless a waiver is approved.

Fiscal year 2024: In 2024, the COPS Office made 203 awards totaling $73,022,696. - Rural jurisdictions received 74 percent of awards, suburban jurisdictions 18 percent, and urban jurisdictions 8 percent. - Nearly 1,300 schools and more than 675,000 students will benefit from the funded projects. - A pool of funding was reserved for microgrants for school districts, including rural, tribal, and low-resourced schools. Each microgrant award request was capped at $100,000, and 7 microgrant awards were funded for a total of $523,676.