3 key police grant programs for 2017

The US Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has published summaries of all the grant programs for 2017 based on the President’s Budget Request. This list provides the grant applicant with a full overview of 75 grant programs for the justice system.     

Not all of the 75 programs are for law enforcement, but here are key law enforcement grant program overviews:

• Byrne Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) Program    
• Body Worn Camera Program
• Smart Policing Program

Each summary offers a program description, amount of the request, administering agency, who can apply, type of award and program goals. Also included are past accomplishments credited to the grant funding and award history.

If your department is thinking about applying for grant funding through the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 2017, now is the time to begin. You can use these summaries to determine what type of activities are acceptable for your application based on what was funded through past programs. This is priceless information and can be used to adapt your grant application to your needs based on the understanding of how a past program was developed, designed and funded.

Understanding each grant program’s goals will assist you in developing fundable and measureable goals for your grant application. You should also consider using the resources available for a more in-depth understanding of the research and data related to your funding request at Crime Solutions.

Also recommended for developing a sound, scientifically-driven grant application is utilizing the Office of Justice Programs’ Diagnostic Center — a resource available for technical assistance that emphasizes data-driven diagnosis of public safety and criminal justice issues and customized strategies based on evidence-based solutions. The Diagnostic Center brings together resources and expertise from across OJP and DOJ to meet the needs of state, local, and tribal governments. 

From locating the required data to developing fundable goals, it takes a long time to research, write, and submit a winning grant application. 2017 grants have not been posted yet (some 2016 grants can be found here)  but the time is now to assess your needs, update your department’s strategic plan and align it with your state’s plan, measure your outcomes from 2015/2016 and gather the people needed to create a new application. Working a year in advance is a best practice. 

Key steps to developing and writing a grant have been covered in my previous articles, which can be found here.