FY 2026 COPS Community Policing Development: Microgrants
Opportunity number: O-COPS-2026-172559
Program owner: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office)
Summary: Federal grants for local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies with primary jurisdiction to conduct 24-month demonstration or pilot projects that advance crime fighting, organizational effectiveness, officer safety, and community safety.
The FY 2026 COPS Community Policing Development: Microgrants program funds innovative or evidence-based demonstration and pilot projects implemented by eligible law enforcement agencies. Projects must address a specified focus area, including domestic terrorism, violent crime, gang violence, human trafficking, child exploitation, vagrancy and squatting, immigration and border security, opioid and drug markets, officer recruitment and retention, unmanned aerial systems in police operations, or cybercrime.
Approximately $6.7 million is available for an anticipated 34 awards. The maximum award is $200,000, the expected award period is 24 months, and no cost sharing or local match is required.
Who is eligible?
Applicant types: Local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies with primary law enforcement jurisdiction.
Eligibility is restricted to local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies that have primary law enforcement jurisdiction within their area of responsibility. Eligible governmental classifications include state, county, city or township, special district, and federally recognized or other Tribal governments, but the applicant must be an eligible law enforcement agency. Agencies that respond only to specified types of crimes, including statewide investigative agencies, and agencies limited to crimes within correctional institutions are ineligible.
What can the funding be used for?
Demonstration or pilot projects that increase an eligible law enforcement agency's capacity to implement innovative or evidence-based approaches that improve officer and public safety, advance crime fighting, increase organizational effectiveness, or promote community safety. Focus areas listed in the NOFO are 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 in police operations; and investigating and interrupting cybercrime. Supported activities may include investigations, training, intelligence and data integration, analytic tools, targeted enforcement, interagency collaboration, protocols, and appropriate evaluation components.
Restrictions
Ineligible applicants and applicants lacking primary law enforcement authority will not be considered. The program will not fund salaries and benefits for new local law enforcement officers or deputies. Projects exclusively seeking to purchase technology, software, mobile applications, or equipment without explaining their role in a larger crime-fighting strategy are out of scope. Projects budgeting a majority of their funding for generally unallowable costs such as vehicles, food, exercise or recreational equipment, gifts, and souvenirs are also out of scope. The application resource guide identifies additional unallowable activities and costs.
How to apply
Submit a separate application for each proposed project. Complete and submit the SF-424 through Grants.gov by August 17, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. ET. Then submit the full application through JustGrants by the final deadline of August 24, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. ET. Applicants should follow the NOFO, resource guide, required application questions, timeline template, and budget instructions provided on the program page.
Required materials
Step 1 requires the SF-424. Step 2 requires Standard Applicant Information, a proposal abstract, the required eligibility and application-question forms, a budget, a budget narrative, a project timeline, disclosures, and assurances. As applicable, applicants must submit a noncompetitive justification, indirect cost rate agreement, consultant-rate information, or memorandum of understanding. Curricula vitae or résumés and letters of support are optional or recommended where relevant.
Program contact
COPS Office Response Center
[email protected]
800-421-6770
Official sources
- COPS Office checked September 2, 2026
Grant details can change. Confirm all requirements on the official source before applying.