COPS-COMMUNITY-POLICING-DEVELOPMENT-2019 | COPS COMMUNITY POLICING DEVELOPMENT 2019

Opportunity Information: Apply for COPS COMMUNITY POLICING DEVELOPMENT 2019

The COPS-COMMUNITY-POLICING-DEVELOPMENT-2019 opportunity is a discretionary Department of Justice (DOJ) funding program run by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) to strengthen and spread effective community policing nationwide. The core purpose is not simply to fund day-to-day policing operations, but to build field-wide capacity by supporting projects that create usable knowledge and practical tools for law enforcement and community partners. Funded work is expected to advance community policing through training and technical assistance, demonstration-style projects, and the development of resources like guidebooks, playbooks, and documented promising practices that have national relevance and directly respond to the solicitation topics.

For the 2019 cycle, the Community Policing Development (CPD) program is designed to help agencies and partners increase awareness of what works, improve skills and capabilities, expand adoption of proven community policing approaches, and embed community policing as a routine, institutionalized way of doing business. The solicitation emphasizes critical, current issues in the law enforcement field and organizes funding around specific topic areas. Those topics include: innovative recruitment strategies to increase an agency's capacity for change; creation of a public and officer safety dashboard; implementing school safety recommendations to protect youth; translating crime-reduction best practices for small and rural agencies; building a campaign to improve hate crime reporting; improving law enforcement coordination and information sharing related to endangered youth; innovative uses of technology to address crime; convening emerging issue forums; developing new skill-building training courses to advance public safety; building bridges between law enforcement and youth; support for the Blue Alert network; an open category for eligible proposals that still align with program goals; and invitational applications (which typically target applicants or projects the agency specifically requests). The application guide provides the deeper requirements and expectations for each topic area.

In terms of funding, the solicitation indicates up to $6,000,000 is available for CPD projects, with individual awards capped at $500,000 and an anticipated total of about 50 awards. Awards are structured as cooperative agreements rather than standard grants, meaning the federal government expects substantial involvement during the project period (for example, collaboration on deliverables, coordination on national dissemination, or ongoing programmatic guidance). Each award is for a two-year performance period (24 months). A key feature is that there is no local match requirement, which can make the program more accessible to organizations that might not have additional funds to cost-share.

This funding opportunity also incorporates the Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) program, which focuses specifically on improving access to and delivery of mental health and wellness services for law enforcement. LEMHWA-funded projects similarly rely on training and technical assistance, demonstration efforts, and implementation of promising practices, with a strong emphasis on peer mentoring and peer support models that can be replicated and used broadly. The 2019 LEMHWA topic areas are: peer mentoring training and support; implementation of recommendations (often meaning putting established guidance or findings into practice in measurable ways); and peer support implementation projects. Up to $2,000,000 is available for LEMHWA under this solicitation, again subject to appropriations and any legal requirements that may apply.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed under CFDA 16.710 and falls within the Law, Justice and Legal Services activity category. It was posted on March 29, 2019, with an application deadline of May 28, 2019 at 7:59 p.m. EDT, with late submissions not accepted. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with clarification provided in the solicitation's eligibility section, so applicants typically need to consult the full application guide to confirm whether their organization type and proposed role fit the program rules. Finally, the solicitation notes that funding is limited and competition is expected to be strong, and that all awards remain contingent on available appropriated funds and any additional conditions imposed by law.

• The Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "COPS-COMMUNITY-POLICING-DEVELOPMENT-2019" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.710.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 29, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 28, 2019 The deadline for submitting applications in response to this grant announcement is 759 p.m. EDT on 5/28/2019. Applications submitted after this deadline will not be considered for funding.. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 50 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for COPS COMMUNITY POLICING DEVELOPMENT 2019

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