FY26 Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants
Community Oriented Policing Services · O-COPS-2026-172559
Closed
Award Range
$0 – $200K
Total Program Funding
$6.7M
Expected Awards
34
Deadline
August 17, 2026
GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview
DOJ's COPS Office is handing out small grants (up to $200K) for community policing projects — things like youth engagement programs, community-police dialogue, neighborhood trust-building, or tech for community-oriented policing. These are intentionally SMALL and SHORT (1 year) to fund quick-win projects. $6.7M total, 34 awards. The bar is lower than full COPS grants — they want innovative ideas from agencies that might not have capacity for big federal applications.
Who Should Apply
State/local/tribal law enforcement agencies, or partnerships between police departments and community organizations. Special district police (campus, transit, port authority) also eligible.
Who Should NOT Apply
Federal agencies, private security companies, nonprofits without a law enforcement partner, or organizations proposing projects longer than 1 year.
Key Requirements (Plain English)
•Must be a law enforcement agency or work directly with one
•Must focus on community policing (building trust, not enforcement)
•Must be implementable within 12 months
•Must demonstrate genuine community partnership
•Must collect and report outcome data
💡 GrantQuick Tip
Microgrants are MUCH less competitive than full COPS grants because the application is simpler and the awards are smaller — big agencies often don't bother. If you're a small-town PD or tribal police force, this is your entry point into federal funding. Don't overthink the proposal — a clear, specific 5-page plan (e.g., 'monthly community BBQ + youth ride-along program') will beat a vague 30-page boilerplate about 'enhancing stakeholder engagement frameworks.'
Competitiveness: Low — 34 awards, small amounts discourage large agencies from applying. Great for first-time federal grant recipients.
What This Grant Funds
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 Community Policing Development: Microgrants Program. Community Policing Development (CPD): Microgrants program funds are used to fund demonstration or pilot projects to be implemented by local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to increase their capacity to implement innovative or evidence-based projects that improve officer and public safety. These projects should offer creative ideas to advance crime fighting, increase organizational effectiveness, and promote community safety.
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 Community Policing Development: Microgrants Program. Community Policing Development (CPD): Microgrants program funds are used to fund demonstration or pilot projects to be implemented by local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies to increase their capacity to implement innovative or evidence-based projects that improve officer and public safety. These projects should offer creative ideas to advance crime fighting, increase organizational effectiveness, and promote community safety.
Applicants are invited to propose demonstration or pilot projects in one of eleven areas:
-Preventing and investigating domestic terrorism
-Violent crime enforcement and investigations
-Gang violence enforcement and investigations
-Detecting and investigating human trafficking
-Investigating and interrupting child exploitation
-Vagrancy and squatting
-Immigration and border security
-Investigating and interrupting opioid and drug markets
-Officer recruitment, hiring, and retention
-Unmanned aerial systems
-Investigating and interrupting cybercrime
The COPS Office encourages agencies to propose partnerships with other law enforcement entities through taskforces and other formal operational arrangements to address the chosen area of focus, as well as with relevant stakeholders.
The COPS Office also encourages agencies to consider including evaluation components appropriate to the type of activities proposed. Applicants should explain in their application how their approach addresses a specific public safety need or gap in services.
Applicants may submit multiple applications but must submit a separate application for each project. Any applicant that selects the incorrect category may not pass the basic minimum requirement phase of the review process.
See the Eligible Applicants section for eligibility details.
As community policing is common sense policing, throughout the FY26 Community Policing Development: Microgrants Program NOFO materials, the terms “community policing” and “common sense policing” are used interchangeably, unless otherwise specified.
All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.
Who Can Apply
For technical assistance with submitting the SF-424, please call the Grants.gov customer service hotline at 800-518-4726, send questions via email to support@Grants.gov,or consult the Grants.gov Organization Applicant User Guide. The Grants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays. For technical support with the Justice Grants System (JustGrants) application, please contact JustGrants Support at JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov or 833-872-5175. JustGrants Support operates Monday through Friday between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and Saturday, Sunday, and federal holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Training on JustGrants can also be found at https://justicegrants.usdoj.gov/training-resources. For programmatic assistance with the requirements of this program, please call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or send questions via email to AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov. The COPS Office Response Center operates Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, except on federal holidays. In addition, the COPS Office welcomes applicant feedback on this notice of funding opportunity, the application submission process, and the application review process. Provide feedback via email to AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov (Subject line: “FY26 PROGRAM NAME Feedback”).
Eligible Applicant Types
Special District GovernmentsFederally Recognized Tribal GovernmentsState GovernmentsCounty GovernmentsCity/Township GovernmentsOther Tribal OrganizationsOther (see NOFO for details)
Funding Details
Maximum Award
$200K
Total Program Funding
$6.7M
Expected Number of Awards
34
Cost Sharing Required?
No
Funding Instrument
grant
Key Dates
Posted:July 2, 2026
Application Deadline:August 17, 2026 (0 days remaining)
Agency Contact
For technical assistance with submitting the SF-424, please call the Grants.gov customer service hotline at 800-518-4726, send questions via email to support@Grants.gov,or consult the Grants.gov Organization Applicant User Guide. The Grants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays. For technical support with the Justice Grants System (JustGrants) application, please contact JustGrants Support at JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov or 833-872-5175. JustGrants Support operates Monday through Friday between the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) and Saturday, Sunday, and federal holidays from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Training on JustGrants can also be found at https://justicegrants.usdoj.gov/training-resources. For programmatic assistance with the requirements of this program, please call the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or send questions via email to AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov. The COPS Office Response Center operates Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET, except on federal holidays. In addition, the COPS Office welcomes applicant feedback on this notice of funding opportunity, the application submission process, and the application review process. Provide feedback via email to AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov (Subject line: “FY26 PROGRAM NAME Feedback”).
AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov