FY25 School Violence Prevention Program | O COPS 2025 172379

Opportunity Information: Apply for O COPS 2025 172379

The FY25 School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) is a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). The program is designed to help communities strengthen safety and security at schools and on school grounds by funding evidence-based school safety strategies. The COPS Office, which focuses on advancing community policing nationwide through grants and information resources, is using SVPP to support practical, on-the-ground improvements that can reduce the risk of violence and improve emergency readiness in K-12 settings.

For FY25, the COPS Office expects to make up to $73,000,000 available nationwide. Individual awards can be as large as $500,000, and the agency anticipates making roughly 200 awards. Projects will run for a 36-month period of performance, with an anticipated start date of 10/1/25. The application deadline listed for this opportunity is 2025-06-18. The funding is listed under CFDA 16.071 and falls within the Law, Justice, and Legal Services activity category.

A key budget rule for most applicants is the required local cost share: applicants generally must provide at least a 25 percent match, and that match must be cash (not in-kind), unless the applicant requests and receives a waiver. Alongside the main awards, the COPS Office is also setting aside about $1,000,000 for smaller microgrants intended to better reach school districts that may have limited capacity, including rural, tribal, and other low-resourced schools. Microgrant requests cannot exceed $100,000, and for those microgrant recipients, the COPS Office will waive the 25 percent cash match requirement. Importantly, asking to be considered for a microgrant does not prevent an applicant from also being considered for the larger, non-microgrant SVPP awards.

Eligible applicants include states, units of local government, and Indian tribes, along with their public agencies. In practical terms, this includes entities such as county and city governments, federally recognized tribal governments, school districts (including public charter school districts), school boards, and law enforcement agencies. The program specifically excludes individual schools that do not operate as a school district, as well as independent and private schools (including private charter schools), from applying as the primary applicant.

Proposed projects must fit within the statutory SVPP purpose areas (referenced in 34 U.S.C. 10551(b)(5)-(9)) and should reflect a comprehensive approach to school safety. Allowable activities include improving coordination with local law enforcement; training law enforcement officers to help prevent student violence against others or self; purchasing or installing deterrent and security measures such as metal detectors, locks, and lighting; installing technology that speeds notification to law enforcement during an emergency; and other security improvements that the COPS Office Director determines would significantly improve school security. The emphasis is on planning and investments that are part of an evidence-based, well-rounded safety strategy rather than isolated, one-off purchases.

The application also comes with important assurance and consultation expectations. Applicants must attest that the proposal was developed after consultation with a range of stakeholders, not limited to law enforcement, and specifically including roles such as licensed mental health professionals, social workers, students, parents, teachers, principals, and other school personnel. If practical, applicants are also encouraged to consult school violence researchers or academics. This consultation requirement is meant to ensure that funded improvements align with comprehensive violence prevention efforts, protect student privacy, avoid discriminatory impacts, and reflect the specific needs of each school site included in the proposal.

Finally, state and local governmental applicants must comply with 8 U.S.C. 1373, which concerns restrictions on sharing information regarding an individual’s citizenship or immigration status with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other government entities. Additional details and conditions are referenced as being available in the FY25 SVPP Application Resource Guide appendices.

• The Community Oriented Policing Services in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY25 School Violence Prevention Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.071.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-04-24.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-06-18. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 200 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others.

Apply for O COPS 2025 172379

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