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A grant from USDOJ-OJP-COPS

FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant

FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative funding supports law-enforcement-focused technical assistance that advances best-practice sharing, officer safety and wellness, agency self-improvement and effectiveness, and community policing. Applicants must choose the correct route: Category 1 CRI-TAC is limited to law enforcement stakeholder associations (membership organizations), while Category 2 Critical Response is limited to for-profit organizations, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education. The notice lists a $3.45 million award ceiling, $4.2 million total funding, two expected awards, and no cost-share requirement. For-profit organizations and other recipients must forgo profit or management fees. The listed deadline is August 24, 2026; confirm the submission timezone in the official notice.

Start here · Eligibility

Check whether your organization qualifies

Answer 5 focused questions in about 60 seconds before investing time in the application.

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2 source-confirmed criteria · No signupReview criteria

Potential award

$0–$3,450,000

Time remaining

2 days

Application load

Moderate effort

Best next move

Take the eligibility quiz

Apply

Verified against the source on 8/21/2026

01

Start here

Confirm eligibility

Check your fit in about 60 seconds.

Eligibility requirementsQuestion 1 of 5
About 60 seconds totalConfirmed criterion

Does your organization have the required nonprofit status?

What does this mean?

Eligible nonprofits are named in the source requirements.

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Does your organization have the required nonprofit status?
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This is an explainable self-assessment, not a win probability or legal determination. Hard eligibility conflicts are never averaged against softer program-fit signals. Always verify the official notice.

Optional Review source criteria and citations

Nonprofit status

Eligible nonprofits are named in the source requirements.

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confirmed

Geography

Nationwide availability is inferred from the catalog record; confirm the official notice.

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inferred

Organization size

No organization-size limit was captured.

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unclear

Program area

Law, Justice and Legal Services, Justice, Community Safety, Community Development

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inferred

Population served

No specific population was captured.

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unclear

Matching funds

No cost share is indicated.

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confirmed

Registrations

SAM.gov and Grants.gov registration may be required; confirm in the notice.

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inferred

Exclusions

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unclear
02

Grant-writer assessment

Understand the opportunity

Start with the practical interpretation. Open the complete source narrative when you need the underlying detail.

Plain-English explanation

Plain-English explanation

FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative funding supports law-enforcement-focused technical assistance that advances best-practice sharing, officer safety and wellness, agency self-improvement and effectiveness, and community policing. Applicants must choose the correct route: Category 1 CRI-TAC is limited to law enforcement stakeholder associations (membership organizations), while Category 2 Critical Response is limited to for-profit organizations, nonprofits, and institutions of higher education. The notice lists a $3.45 million award ceiling, $4.2 million total funding, two expected awards, and no cost-share requirement. For-profit organizations and other recipients must forgo profit or management fees. The listed deadline is August 24, 2026; confirm the submission timezone in the official notice.

Editorial analysis

What the funder is trying to accomplish

COPS seeks to advance community policing and support state, local, territorial, and Tribal law enforcement agencies. This program specifically seeks to share law-enforcement best practices, enhance officer safety and wellness, build agencies’ self-improvement and effectiveness capacity, and promote community policing nationwide.

Editorial analysis

Strong-fit project signals

A Category 1 applicant is a law enforcement stakeholder association or membership organization. A Category 2 applicant is a for-profit organization, nonprofit organization, or institution of higher education. The proposed work is designed to strengthen law enforcement agency capacity, officer safety and wellness, agency effectiveness or self-improvement, best-practice sharing, or community policing. For Category 1, the applicant can offer an agency-driven, customizable, short-term technical-assistance approach consistent with CRI-TAC’s described model. For Category 2, the proposed assistance responds to a high-profile event, major incident, or sensitive issue through a method such as an after-action review, peer exchange, targeted review or assessment, or facilitated expert discussion.

Editorial analysis

What reviewers may prioritize

The evidence packet supplies no formal review criteria, scoring factors, or reviewer preferences. Inferred priorities are: correct category eligibility; a project design that fits the selected technical-assistance model; clear connection to the stated community-policing, agency-capacity, safety/wellness, effectiveness, self-improvement, or best-practice objectives; and, for Critical Response, a defined high-profile event, major incident, or sensitive issue. These are fit inferences, not confirmed scoring criteria.

Source dossier Read the full official program description
Source-backed synopsis

What this grant funds

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing and the Administration’s priority of Making America Safe Again by supporting the nation’s state, local, territorial and Tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources. The FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative (CRI) program funding seeks to provide best practices of law enforcement agencies and the many ways they are protecting Americans, enhance officer safety and wellness, build agencies’ capacity for self-improvement and effectiveness, and promote community policing practices nationwide. This funding opportunity has two program subcategories of which applicants may apply for funding:

Category 1: Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRI-TAC). Since 2017, CRI-TAC has provided a wide array of TA services using a “by the field, for the field” approach. The CRI-TAC process is agency-driven and offers customizable, short-term technical assistance on more than 60 topics.

Category 2: Collaborative Reform Initiative Critical Response. The Critical Response program is designed to provide targeted TA to law enforcement agencies experiencing high-profile events, major incidents, or sensitive issues of varying need. Critical Response is highly customizable and provides flexible assistance to law enforcement agencies in a variety of ways, including after-action reviews; peer-to-peer exchanges; targeted in-depth review, analysis, recommendations, and assessments; and facilitated discussions with subject matter experts. Critical Response projects may vary in duration depending upon scope.

For more information about these programs, visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/collaborativereform.

Read the complete official description ↗
03

Decision economics

Size the opportunity

Use the source facts below to judge whether the likely return justifies the application effort.

Award range
$0–$3,450,000
Total program funding
$4,200,000
Expected awards
2
Geography
National
Cost share
Not indicated
Assistance listing
Not specified

Mission alignment

Compare your program with Law, Justice and Legal Services, Justice, Community Safety.

Geographic fit

National

04

Working plan

Build the application

The generated milestones are planning aids. Only the official notice establishes required dates.

Requirements captured

Other requirements
CATEGORY 1 APPLICANTS: Eligibility for the FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Technical Assistance Center (CRITAC) program is limited to law enforcement stakeholder associations (membership organizations). CATEGORY 2 APPLICANTS: Eligibility for the FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative (CRI): Critical Response program is limited to for-profit (commercial) organizations, nonprofit organizations, and institutions for higher education. For-profit organizations (as well as other recipients) must forgo any profit or management fee.
Submission system
Grants.gov
Attachments
COPS Grants
Contact
Community Oriented Policing Services · AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov · 800-421-6770

Official deadline

August 24, 2026

Moderate effort based on requirements currently captured.

  1. Draft the narrative and detailed budget.

  2. Confirm eligibility, registrations, partners, and internal approval.

05Past behaviorCompare historical awardsHistorical patterns provide context, but do not predict or guarantee future funding decisions.
No licensed historical awards are currently linked to this opportunity.
06Audit trailVerify the evidenceSee where the facts came from, when they were checked, and what has materially changed.

Source record

Source verified means the official record was successfully checked. It does not mean every eligibility or application field has been extracted.

Verification
verified
Source
grants gov
Last checked
8/21/2026, 9:01:30 AM
Content updated
8/21/2026, 9:01:30 AM
Review
Automated normalization; not yet expert-reviewed
Open official source ↗

Material changes

  1. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  2. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  3. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  4. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  5. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  6. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  7. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  8. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  9. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  10. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  11. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

  12. Updated eligibility, eligibility details.

Verify before applying. Official funder documents control. Derived analysis and preparation dates should not replace the notice.
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Quick answersFrequently asked questionsGet concise answers about FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant.
Is FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant currently open?

Yes, based on the latest source record. The deadline is August 24, 2026, with 2 days remaining. Because funders can amend or extend notices, confirm the date and submission instructions on the official application page. The source was last checked 8/21/2026.

How much funding does FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant provide?

FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant lists $0–$3,450,000 per award. The total program funding recorded is $4,200,000. USDOJ-OJP-COPS expects to make approximately 2 awards, although the final number may vary.

Who can apply to FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant?

Public and State controlled institutions of higher education; For profit organizations other than small businesses; Small businesses; Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification);… Applicants should still complete the eligibility quiz and verify every condition in the official notice; a general fit does not override exclusions or registration requirements.

Does FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant require matching funds?

No cost-share requirement is indicated in the captured source facts. Applicants should still verify the official budget instructions in case an amendment, program track, or specific cost category carries additional conditions.

What should I prepare before applying to FY26 Collaborative Reform Initiative Program Grant?

Moderate effort is expected. The captured requirements include other requirements, submission system, attachments, contact. Start by confirming eligibility and registrations, then work backward from August 24, 2026 using the preparation plan above.