Grants help agencies expand budgets

In these days of ever-shrinking budgets, public safety agencies are constantly on the lookout for grant dollars to help keep programs going and/or obtain new equipment. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) funds physical and social science research as well as development and evaluation projects about criminal justice through competitive solicitations. The focus of the solicitations varies from year to year based on research priorities and available funding. You can locate information on current open solicitations and sign up for e-mail updates here.

Although the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC) System is not a funding agency or organization, JUSTNET, the system’s website, offers tools and assistance to help law enforcement and corrections agencies locate and better prepare to apply for funding opportunities. These tools and links to many resources can be found here.

Other funding sources are briefly described below.

Federal Funding Sources

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program
The JAG Program provides states, tribes and local governments with funding to support initiatives in the areas of law enforcement; prosecution and court; prevention and education; corrections and community corrections; drug treatment and enforcement; planning, evaluation and technology improvement; and crime victim and witness programs. Information on current solicitations and useful tools can be found here.

Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, Grants and Funding
Community policing is composed of collaborative partnerships between law enforcement agencies and the individuals and organizations they serve, organizational transformation and problem-solving strategies. Sign up for e-mail updates and find more information about this U.S. Department of Justice office here.

Grants.gov
Managed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Grants.gov permits access to 26 federal grantmaking agencies through one E-Government initiative. Links to specific agency websites and more details are located here.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)
Administered by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), NCJRS federal sponsors include BJA, NIJ, the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and National Institute of Corrections (NIC). NCJRS offers access to resources about the federal government funding process and helps you locate specific funding opportunities from the sponsoring agencies. General information can be found here and funding specific to community corrections here.

OJP Grants 101
This site helps agencies navigate the OJP competitive grant process. OJP awards thousands of grants totaling billions in funding annually .

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Grant Programs
Preparedness Grants and Disaster Grants are available to public safety agencies through FEMA. Find out more here.

FederalGrants.com
FederalGrants.com provides information on how to qualify for government grants, the processes related to applying for a grant and what to do once you receive approval.

Federal Grants Wire
Federal Grants Wire indexes nearly 2,500 federal grants and loans by sponsoring agency, applicant type and subject area.

Other Funding Sources

K9 Working Dogs International, LLC
The K9 LEAP Grant Program helps law enforcement agencies acquire and deploy working police service canines. Funding assistance is available to approved law enforcement agencies on a state-by-state basis.

National School Safety and Security Services
This website provides free information, including information on funding specific to each state. Funding categories include law enforcement, crime prevention, equipment and public safety.

PoliceGrantsHelp.Com
PoliceGrantsHelp.com provides the public safety community with a comprehensive resource for police grants information and assistance. It features an extensive database with information on federal, state, local and corporate grant opportunities.

Police1
Police1.com includes a grants section designed to keep law enforcement agencies informed about grants to fund technology projects, product purchases, programs and research. Review available grants, search for specific grant information, submit a grant listing and participate in online discussion of grant opportunities.