FY23 Enhancing Existing Law Enforcement Accreditation Entities -Community Policing Development Solicitation | O COPS 2023 171552

Opportunity Information: Apply for O COPS 2023 171552

The FY23 Enhancing Existing Law Enforcement Accreditation Entities grant is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), offered under the Community Policing Development (CPD) program. It is designed to strengthen community policing by helping law enforcement agencies adopt and maintain high-quality policies and operational standards through formal accreditation. The underlying idea is that strong accreditation systems can promote accountability and transparency, which in turn can improve public confidence and trust in law enforcement, especially when agencies can point to clear, externally defined standards and consistent compliance processes.

This solicitation is specifically aimed at existing law enforcement accreditation bodies, not individual police departments seeking accreditation and not organizations focused on corrections, dispatch/communications, training academies, or other non-law-enforcement accreditation areas. The COPS Office is looking for applicants that already operate as accreditation entities and can show how federal support would help them expand and improve their accreditation programs. A key priority is increasing access for small and rural law enforcement agencies, which often face sharper cost and capacity barriers when trying to meet accreditation requirements.

Funding is offered as grants with multiple awards anticipated (about 7), with an award ceiling of up to $300,000 per award. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 16.710 and is tied to statutory authority in the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (as amended) and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 (Title I, Part Q). As with most federal programs, awards depend on the availability of appropriated funds and may be subject to additional legal requirements that apply at the time of award.

In terms of what applicants are expected to do, the COPS Office emphasizes a practical, multifaceted expansion strategy rather than simple continuation of business as usual. Supported activities can include hands-on technical assistance to agencies going through accreditation, underwriting or defraying accreditation-related costs, upgrading the infrastructure used to manage accreditation processes, improving customer service and applicant support, marketing and outreach to drive participation, expanding access and reducing barriers, lowering costs where feasible, and developing clearer, more user-friendly policy templates that help agencies meet standards efficiently. Applicants are expected to describe how these enhancements will translate into more agencies actually becoming accredited, with a strong emphasis on demonstrating impact among small and rural agencies and stating the expected number of agencies that will achieve accreditation because of the project.

The solicitation also lays out clear boundaries on what will not be funded. Proposals will be rejected if they only maintain standard operations without meaningful enhancements, if the applicant is not already an accreditation body, if the focus is on non-law-enforcement accreditation areas, or if the applicant is a law enforcement agency applying to get itself accredited. In other words, the program is built to strengthen the organizations that run accreditation programs, not to pay for a department to pursue accreditation directly.

Applicants must address several required elements in the project narrative. They need to explain why financial support is necessary to expand the accreditation body, present a detailed project plan describing the specific enhancements that will help agencies (again prioritizing small and rural departments), outline an outreach strategy to ensure agencies are aware of and encouraged to seek accreditation, and describe how the improvements will be sustained after the federal grant ends. For projects involving site-specific work with targeted agencies, letters of support from those agencies are strongly encouraged, signaling that the work is coordinated and likely to be implemented in practice.

Deliverables are oriented toward measurable improvements and accountability. Awardees must implement strategic enhancements to their accreditation operations and submit a final report documenting what was done, the operational status of the accreditation effort, and the number of agencies that achieved accreditation during the project period. The COPS Office also expects applicants to align their work with CPD goals around identifying and expanding promising practices and producing practical knowledge products that are quality-driven, evidence-based, accessible, and usable in the real world. Applicants are instructed to follow the COPS Office Editorial and Style Manual for required deliverables, which signals an expectation that products and reporting will be clear, standardized, and ready for distribution to the field.

Key administrative details from the listing include the funding opportunity number (O-COPS-2023-171552), the administering agency (DOJ COPS Office), the original posting date (March 15, 2023), and the original closing date (May 8, 2023). Program questions were directed to the COPS Office Response Center (800-421-6770) or AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov during business hours on weekdays, 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 "FY23 Enhancing Existing Law Enforcement Accreditation Entities -Community Policing Development 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 Mar 15, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 08, 2023. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O COPS 2023 171552

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