Federal grant programs

This program provides affordable funding to develop essential community facilities in rural areas. An essential community facility is defined as a facility that provides an essential service to the local community for the orderly development of the community in a primarily rural area, and does not include private, commercial or business undertakings. Funds can be used to purchase, construct, and / or improve essential community facilities, purchase equipment and pay related project expenses. Examples of essential community facilities include: Health care facilities such as hospitals, medical clinics, dental clinics, nursing homes or assisted living facilities Public facilities such as town halls, courthouses, airport hangars or street improvements Community support services such as child care centers, community centers, fairgrounds or transitional housing Public safety services such as fire departments, police stations, prisons, police vehicles, fire trucks, public works vehicles or equipment Educational services such as museums, libraries or private schools Utility services such as telemedicine or distance learning equipment Local food systems such as community gardens, food pantries, community kitchens, food banks, food hubs or greenhouses

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is the primary source of federal funding for law enforcement provided to state and local jurisdictions. Approved funding may go toward a number of areas, including law enforcement, prosecution, crime prevention and education, drug treatment and enforcement, and more. In fiscal year (FY) 2018 there was $269 million available under JAG (approximately $184.5 million to states and territories and $84 million to local units of government), and 1,148 local jurisdictions and 56 states/territories were eligible to apply for funding.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), originally launched in 2001, is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them.

The COPS Office was established in 1994 to assist state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies in enhancing effectiveness and building the capacity to advance public safety through the implementation of community policing strategies. Community policing entails developing partnerships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve so they can work collaboratively to resolve problems and build community trust. It is a philosophy that promotes organizational strategies that support the systematic use of partnerships and problem solving techniques, in order to proactively address the immediate conditions that give rise to public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, fear of crime, and satisfaction with police services. Community policing is comprised of three key components: Community Partnerships Collaborative partnerships between the law enforcement agency and the individuals and organizations they serve to develop solutions to problems and increase trust in police: Other government agencies Community members/groups Nonprofits/service providers Private businesses Media Organizational Transformation The alignment of organizational management, structure, personnel, and information systems to support community partnerships and proactive problem solving: Agency management Climate and culture Leadership Labor relations Decision-making Strategic planning Policies Organizational evaluations Transparency Organizational structure Geographic assignment of officers Despecialization Resources and finances Personnel Recruitment, hiring, and selection Personnel supervision/evaluations Training Information systems (Technology) Communication/access to data Quality and accuracy of data Problem Solving The process of engaging in the proactive and systematic examination of identified problems to develop and rigorously evaluate effective responses: Scan: Identify and prioritize problems Analysis: Research what is known about the problem Response: Develop solutions to bring about lasting reductions in the number and extent of problems Assessment: Evaluate the success of the responses Use the crime triangle to focus on immediate conditions (victim/offender/location)

The JAG Program provides states, tribes, and local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution and court, prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, planning, evaluation, and technology improvement, crime victim and witness initiatives and mental health programs and related law enforcement and corrections programs, including behavioral programs and crisis intervention teams. JAG funded projects may address crime through the provision of services directly to individuals and/or communities and through training and technical assistance to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of criminal justice systems, processes, and procedures.

The Recovery Act – JAG programs allow states and local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime and to improve the criminal justice system. The Recovery Act – JAG program will solicit applications from eligible States, territories, tribes, and units of local government for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, training, personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, and information systems for criminal justice, as well as research and evaluation activities that will improve or enhance law enforcement programs related to criminal justice such as: prosecution and court programs; prevention and education programs; corrections and community corrections programs; drug treatment and enforcement programs; planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs; and crime victim and witness programs (other than compensation). In addition to fulfilling JAG program-specific purposes, projects funded under the Recovery Act should be designed to further one or more of the general purposes of the Recovery Act, which are to preserve and create jobs and promote economic recovery; to assist those most impacted by the recession; to provide investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science and health; to invest in transportation, environmental protection, or other infrastructure that will provide long-term economic benefits; and to stabilize State and local government budgets, in order to minimize and avoid reductions in essential services and counterproductive State and local tax increases.

Through the Body-Worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program, law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and throughout the world are using body-worn cameras to increase transparency between police officers and the public. In October 2019, a total of $18 million in grants was awarded to local agencies, governments, and law enforcement agencies to use over a three-year period.

To reduce drug trafficking and drug production in the United States by-- (A) facilitating cooperation among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies to share information and implement coordinated enforcement activities; (B) enhancing law enforcement intelligence sharing among federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies; (C) providing reliable law enforcement intelligence to law enforcement agencies needed to design effective enforcement strategies and operations; and (D) supporting coordinated law enforcement strategies which maximize use of available resources to reduce the supply of illegal drugs in designated areas and in the United States as a whole.

The Homeland Security Grant includes a suite of risk-based grants to assist state, local, tribal and territorial efforts in preventing, protecting against, mitigating, responding to and recovering from acts of terrorism and other threats. This grant provides grantees with the resources required for implementation of the National Preparedness System and working toward the National Preparedness Goal of a secure and resilient nation. Individual Grant Programs: Together, these three grant programs comprise the Homeland Security Grant Program and fund a range of preparedness activities, including planning, organization, equipment purchase, training, exercises, and management and administration across all core capabilities and mission areas. State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) This program provides funding to support the implementation of risk-driven, capabilities-based State Homeland Security Strategies to address capability targets. Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) This program provides funding to enhance regional preparedness and capabilities in designated high-threat, high-density areas. Operation Stonegarden (OPSG) This program provides funding to enhance cooperation and coordination among state, local, tribal, territorial, and federal law enforcement agencies to jointly enhance security along the United States land and water borders.