FY26 Law Enforcement Mental Health and Wellness Act (LEMHWA) Program
Program owner: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office)
Summary: Federal funding through three FY26 tracks: Start-up LEMHWA Implementation Projects, Enhanced LEMHWA Implementation Projects, and the LEMHWA Community of Practice Initiative.
The FY26 LEMHWA program supports the delivery of and access to mental health and wellness services for law enforcement officers and their families. Supported approaches include peer support, training, family resources, suicide prevention, stress reduction, clinical support, mental health education, and other promising wellness practices.
The Start-up track supports agencies developing new law-enforcement-specific wellness programming, while the Enhanced track supports agencies expanding existing programs. The Community of Practice Initiative supports a peer-learning and technical-assistance network for LEMHWA grantees.
Who is eligible?
Applicant types: Start-up and Enhanced tracks: qualifying local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies. Community of Practice track: for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, community groups, faith-based organizations, and qualifying local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies.
For implementation projects, eligible applicants are local, state, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies with primary law enforcement authority for their jurisdictions, including federally recognized Indian tribes and their public agencies. Agencies limited to particular crime types or crimes within correctional institutions are ineligible. A project may serve multiple agencies, but only one agency may submit the application. Previous LEMHWA recipients are ineligible for the Start-up track. The Community of Practice section lists for-profit and nonprofit organizations, institutions of higher education, community groups, faith-based organizations, and qualifying law enforcement agencies; it also states that previous LEMHWA recipients are ineligible. State and local governmental applicants are subject to the stated 8 U.S.C. § 1373 condition.
What can the funding be used for?
Creating new or expanding existing law-enforcement-specific mental health and wellness services and programming, including peer-support networks, training, family resources, suicide prevention, stress reduction, clinical support, mental health education, and other promising wellness practices. Community of Practice funding supports a peer-learning and technical-assistance forum for LEMHWA grantees.
How to apply
Applicants were directed to the COPS Office How to Apply page and the materials for the applicable funding opportunity. For a project serving multiple agencies, only one agency could submit the application. The source states that all FY26 LEMHWA funding opportunities are closed.
Required materials
The page lists a Notice of Funding Opportunity Guide, Pre-Award Fact Sheet, Frequently Asked Questions, Required Application Questions, Resource Guide, Timeline Template, and Budget Narrative for each track. A Project Narrative is also listed for the Community of Practice Initiative. The supplied page does not establish that every listed supporting document must be submitted.
Official sources
- COPS Office checked August 29, 2026
Grant details can change. Confirm all requirements on the official source before applying.