Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants Solicitation | O COPS 2021 75012

Opportunity Information: Apply for O COPS 2021 75012

The Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants Solicitation is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), designed to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies and their partners to carry out community policing in practical, measurable ways. The program is grounded in the idea that community policing is not just a set of activities, but an overall philosophy that uses partnerships and problem-solving to address the conditions behind public safety problems, including violent crime, nonviolent crime, and the fear of crime. Rather than focusing on traditional enforcement alone, the solicitation emphasizes approaches that help agencies work with community members and organizations to prevent and reduce crime while improving trust and legitimacy.

CPD Microgrants funding is specifically aimed at building field capacity by supporting projects that develop, test, and expand innovative community policing strategies and then translate lessons learned into guidance and knowledge products for the broader law enforcement community. In other words, the COPS Office is looking to invest in projects that can identify promising practices, show how they work, and package them into materials that other agencies can realistically use. The solicitation highlights that these products should follow "good guidance" principles: they should be quality-driven and action-oriented (so they reduce performance variation and tell practitioners what to do), evidence-based (aligned with the best available research, ideally informed by systematic review), accessible (written clearly and kept to manageable lengths for working practitioners), and memorable (designed to stick and support quick decision-making in complex situations). Applicants are also pointed toward the COPS Office publication "Community Policing Defined" for a baseline understanding of the model these grants are meant to advance.

The opportunity sits within broader Department of Justice priorities that include promoting civil rights, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims, protecting the public from evolving threats, and strengthening trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Applicants are expected to reflect these priorities in their proposed work where relevant, showing how their projects will contribute to safer communities while also improving relationships, fairness, and legitimacy. The program authority comes from major federal public safety statutes, including the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (as amended) and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, with awards dependent on appropriated funding and any legal conditions that may apply.

For fiscal year 2021, the CPD Microgrants program is organized into five subcategories, and applicants must choose the single most appropriate one for each proposed project. Those subcategories are: Community Trust and Legitimacy, Officer Engagement, Youth Engagement, Hate Crimes and Domestic Terrorism, and Community Violence Intervention. The solicitation is an open competition, meaning eligible applicants compete across the pool rather than being limited to a narrowly defined set-aside. Applicants are allowed to submit multiple applications, but each project requires its own separate application, and the application must clearly identify the correct solicitation and (when required) the selected subcategory in the project narrative cover materials. The notice makes clear that incorrectly labeled applications or those selecting the wrong subcategory risk failing basic screening before full review.

Operationally, the COPS Office expects award recipients to be ready to start work quickly after selection and award notification. Projects that produce deliverables must follow several COPS Office requirements, including the COPS Office Curriculum Standards and Review Process (particularly relevant for training and curriculum-related outputs), the COPS Office conference request approval process (for event-related deliverables), and the COPS Office Editorial and Style Manual (to ensure consistent, practitioner-friendly publications and resources). If a project involves site-specific work with particular agencies or locations, letters of support from the targeted agencies are strongly encouraged to show commitment and feasibility.

Key administrative details included in the opportunity listing are: Funding Opportunity Number O-COPS-2021-75012; CFDA/Assistance Listing 16.710; funding instrument type is a grant; activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services; award ceiling is $125,000; and the program anticipated making about 23 awards. The posting lists a creation date of May 20, 2021, and an original closing date of July 7, 2021. For questions, the solicitation directs applicants to the COPS Office Response Center (800-421-6770) or email (AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov), available weekdays during business hours Eastern Time, excluding federal holidays.

• The Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Community Policing Development (CPD) Microgrants Solicitation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.710.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 20, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 07, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $125,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 23 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O COPS 2021 75012

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