FY 2026 Collaborative Reform Initiative (CRI) Program
Opportunity number: O-COPS-2026-172548
Program owner: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office)
Summary: The COPS Office expects to make up to two cooperative agreements to national providers that will deliver technical assistance to U.S. law enforcement agencies. Category 1 supports the Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center, and Category 2 supports Critical Response services. State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies are intended service recipients but may not apply directly under this NOFO.
The FY 2026 Collaborative Reform Initiative will select national providers to deliver customized technical assistance to law enforcement agencies.
- Category 1—CRI-TAC: Training, consultation, peer learning, policy assistance, mentoring, and related support for state, local, campus, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies.
- Category 2—Critical Response: Immediate technical assistance, data analysis, assessments, and after-action reviews following critical incidents or significant operational concerns.
State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies may receive assistance but are expressly out of scope as applicants. Services will be delivered through the selected national providers.
Who is eligible?
Applicant types: Category 1 is limited to law enforcement stakeholder associations that are membership organizations and that fall within the listed nonprofit, for-profit, small-business, or other organizational classifications. Category 2 is limited to for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations, and public, state-controlled, or private institutions of higher education.
Category 1 eligibility is limited to law enforcement stakeholder associations that are membership organizations. Category 2 eligibility is limited to commercial organizations, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education. State, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies are expressly out of scope as applicants, although law enforcement agencies are the intended recipients of the funded technical assistance.
What can the funding be used for?
National delivery and management of law enforcement technical assistance, including consultation, in-person and web-based training, peer exchanges, mentoring, meeting facilitation, policy assistance, resource referrals, critical-incident assistance, data analysis, assessments, after-action reviews, subject-matter-expert management, site-specific work plans and reports, and program closeout reports.
Restrictions
Out-of-scope proposals include applications from state, local, tribal, or territorial law enforcement agencies; proposals that are not national in scope; proposals from applicants lacking capacity to manage substantial and concurrent law enforcement technical assistance; and proposals involving predetermined recipient agencies. For Critical Response, applicants must also demonstrate experience conducting law enforcement technical assistance, analysis, and after-action work. The source states that additional unallowable activities appear in the FY 2026 CRI Program Resource Guide but does not enumerate them in the supplied NOFO text.
How to apply
Submit the application in two steps: (1) submit the SF-424 through Grants.gov by August 24, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. ET; and (2) submit the full application and attachments through JustGrants by August 31, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. ET. Applicants apply under either Category 1, CRI-TAC, or Category 2, Critical Response, and must satisfy that category's eligibility requirements.
Required materials
Step 1 requires the SF-424 through Grants.gov. Step 2 requires Standard Applicant Information, a Proposal Abstract, the specified CRI eligibility and solicitation data forms, a Proposal Narrative, a Budget, a Budget Narrative, curricula vitae or résumés for key personnel and relevant subject-matter experts or evaluators, and a Project Timeline. Depending on applicability, applicants may also need a noncompetitive justification, indirect cost rate agreement, consultant-rate documentation, or memorandum of understanding. Letters of support are optional.
Program contact
COPS Office Response Center
[email protected]
800-421-6770
Official sources
- COPS Office checked September 13, 2026
Grant details can change. Confirm all requirements on the official source before applying.