Closed Facts verified August 29, 2026

COPS Hiring Program (CHP)

Program owner: U.S. Department of Justice – Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office)

Application timeline

FY 2026 CHP final application deadline through JustGrants: July 29, 2026 4:59 pm ET

Key details

Funding amount: Up to $157.5 million is available program-wide for FY 2026. Each award may support up to 75 percent of entry-level salary and fringe benefits for funded full-time sworn officer or deputy positions for three years within a five-year…
Match required: Yes; a minimum 25 percent local cost share is required unless a waiver is approved.
Deadline: July 29, 2026

Summary: Federal funding for eligible U.S. law enforcement agencies to hire or rehire career officers and deputies to increase community-policing and crime-prevention capacity.

The FY 2026 COPS Hiring Program provides competitive awards directly to eligible, established, and operational state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies for hiring and/or rehiring additional career law enforcement officers or deputies. Funding supports up to 75 percent of entry-level salary and fringe-benefit costs for three years within a five-year period of performance. Anticipated outcomes include stronger community partnerships, problem-solving activities, agency-management changes supporting community policing, and increased community-policing capacity.

Who is eligible?

Applicant types: Established and operational local, state, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies with primary law enforcement authority for the jurisdiction served.

Eligible applicants are limited to established and operational local, state, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies having primary law enforcement authority for the jurisdiction served. The page also identifies local and state law enforcement agencies, units of local government, federally recognized Indian tribes and their public agencies, and public government agencies, subject to this law-enforcement-agency limitation.

What can the funding be used for?

Hiring and/or rehiring additional full-time career law enforcement officers or deputies; entry-level salaries and fringe benefits for three years within a five-year performance period; and direct award-administration costs of up to 2 percent of the federal award amount.

How to apply

Applicants were directed to the COPS Office How to Apply resources. The source confirms that FY 2026 applications had to be successfully submitted in JustGrants by the final deadline. It does not identify a separate Grants.gov deadline.

Open application portal

Program contact

COPS Office Response Center
800-421-6770

Official sources

Official grant source checked August 29, 2026

Grant details can change. Confirm all requirements on the official source before applying.

Grant categories

Available in these states

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