COPS SVPP Grant Guide: Funding school safety technology

Violence in schools remains unacceptably high in the U.S. Since 2018, there have been more than 260 school shootings in which at least one person was killed or injured, according to Education Week. While threats against school personnel dipped during the pandemic, a 2025 FBI Special Report shows incidents have since rebounded, with more than one million school-based criminal incidents reported between 2020 and 2024. To prevent school violence, K-12 schools need advanced security technologies, from AI-driven weapon detection to integrated communications, to support their staff and keep students safe.

Unfortunately, high-end physical safety solutions can be costly. For districts looking for ways to prevent school violence without breaking the budget, federal assistance like the STOP School Violence Act has paved the way for critical funding. One of the most impactful grant opportunities under this legislation is the School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP).

The COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) is a competitive grant awarded by the Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS). Whether you are looking for a COPS SVPP grant to fund new access control systems or trying to understand how the School Violence Prevention Program fits into your 2026 safety plan, this guide has you covered. We’ll explore SVPP grant eligibility requirements, best practices for a winning COPS SVPP grant application and the security solutions that fit best into a holistic school safety strategy.

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Parkland and the origins of the SVPP grant

Since 1994, the COPS Office has been appropriated more than $20 billion to help advance community policing. However, the most critical evolution in school safety came in the wake of the 2018 tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.

One of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history, this event spurred the bipartisan passage of the STOP School Violence Act. This landmark legislation amended the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to provide dedicated federal grants for school safety. Sponsored by Rep. John Rutherford, the STOP School Violence Act initially designated $75 million for school safety projects, split between two primary channels:

• Bureau of Justice Assistance Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing (STOP) School Violence Program: $50 million for “soft security” training (training, threat assessment capabilities and mental health).
• COPS Grant: $25 million for “hard security” (technology, equipment and law enforcement coordination).

While the original 2018 bill set an annual baseline of $100 million through 2028, stalwart congressional support has persisted, bolstered in moments of tragedy. In the aftermath of the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Congress passed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which provided a historic $300 million dollar surge in supplemental grant funding over five years. This included $40 million annually to supplement the STOP Program and $20 million for the School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP).

As of FY 2026, the DOJ continues to award approximately $125 million annually under the STOP School Violence Act. This sustained investment ensures that the SVPP remains a cornerstone for districts seeking to harden their campuses and protect their communities with modern safety technology.

What is the SVPP grant? Award details and funding amounts

The School Violence Prevention Program is a competitive grant program designed to improve security at schools and on school grounds through school safety programs and technology.

 2026 funding amounts 

For the FY 2026 COPS SVPP cycle, it is expected that the following financial structures apply (subject to change):

• Total funding: Up to $73 million is available nationally.
• Maximum award: $500,000 per applicant (federal share).
• Duration: Each award lasts three years (36 months).
• Local match: A 25% local cash match is required for standard awards.
• Financial hardship: The COPS Office may waive the cost share requirement if the recipient demonstrates severe financial need. During the application process, your agency’s waiver request will be evaluated based on the availability of funding, a demonstration of severe financial need and a comparison of your fiscal health data with that of the overall applicant pool.

The microgrant track 

To support smaller districts, approximately $1 million is reserved for SVPP microgrants (requests of $100,000 or less). These are specifically for rural, tribal and low-resourced schools. Crucially, the COPS Office will waive the 25% match for microgrants, allowing for 100% federal funding. 

SVPP grant eligibility and requirements 

Who can apply? The SVPP grant provides funding directly to states, units of local government, Indian tribes and public agencies. This includes:

• Public school districts (including public charter schools)
• School boards
• Law enforcement agencies (police and sheriffs’ departments)

 A note on ineligibility: Individual schools (those not operating as school districts) as well as independent and private schools are not able to apply as primary applicants.

• Strategic partnerships: While individual schools cannot apply, grant recipients can use funds to contract with or make subawards to local educational agencies, nonprofit organizations (excluding schools) and tribal organizations.

SVPP funding: Qualifying school safety measures 

SVPP funding is designed to improve security through evidence-based technology and coordination. By law, the program focuses on five purpose areas:

1. Coordination with law enforcement.
2. Training for local law enforcement to prevent student violence and self-harm.
3. Deterrent measures, including metal detectors, locks and lighting.
4. Expedited notification technology to alert police during emergencies.
5. Any other measure the COPS Office determines will significantly improve security.

Allowable equipment and technology 

Mainly categorized as equipment (items over $5,000), the following solutions are generally eligible for School Violence Prevention Program funding:

• Entry control: Access control doors, locking mechanisms and peepholes.
• Alarms and detection: Motion detectors, smart sensors and school site alarm systems.
• Monitoring: Security cameras and high-definition video systems.
• Communication hardware: Two-way radios, intercoms or Public Address (PA) systems.
• Emergency alerts: Panic buttons and automated text/email mass notification systems.
• Identification: ID scanning devices and visitor management software.
• Digital mapping: GIS software for school and bus route mapping.

A note on unallowable costs: To stay compliant with STOP School Violence Act guidelines, funds cannot be used for the salaries and benefits of sworn officers or civilian security guards. The following are among the technologies strictly ineligible for funding:

• Firearms
• Ammunition
• Unmanned aerial vehicles (drones)
• Body-worn cameras
• Biometric technology, including facial recognition technology
  

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SVPP deadlines: The two-step process 

As in previous years, the FY 2026 COPS SVPP application period is expected to open in Spring 2026 and close in early Summer. However, because this is a federal grant, the application is split into a strict two-step process:

Step 1

Grants.gov – You must submit the initial standard applications (SF-424) and disclosure of lobbying activities (SF-LLL) forms.  

Step 2

JustGrants – Once Step 1 is cleared, you submit the full programmatic narrative and budget in the Justice Grants system.  

Recent SVPP grant statistics

The COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) is one of the most significant opportunities for schools to fund critical security technology. In recent years, the COPS Office has consistently awarded tens of millions of dollars to hundreds of local agencies across the country:

Key takeaways from recent cycles:

• Broad impact: In 2025 alone, projects funded by the SVPP grant benefited more than 2 million students in 37 states.
• Rural prioritization: The program remains a lifeline for smaller communities. In the most recent cycle, 76% of all awards went to rural jurisdictions.
• Microgrant success: The 2025 cycle saw 11 microgrants awarded (totaling nearly $1 million). This provided a pathway for smaller districts to secure 100% federal funding without a local match.

SVPP grant application: Best practices 

What do successful applicants have in common? They develop a comprehensive school safety strategy.

Build a community coalition

The SVPP grant is not just a school board initiative; it is a community-wide safety effort. In fact, the STOP School Violence Act requires applicants to certify that their proposals were developed in consultation with a broad group of stakeholders.

To build a winning narrative, your coalition should include:

• Local law enforcement: To ensure hardware (like radios) is interoperable with their systems.
• 9-1-1 dispatch centers: To coordinate expedited notification protocols.
• Licensed mental health professionals: To ensure technology supports a positive school climate.
• Teachers, parents and students: To gather first-hand data on perceived safety gaps.

Pro-tip: Start gathering letters of support from these partners now. A letter from the Chief of Police or a local mental health director carries significant weight with COPS Office reviewers.

Embrace school safety holistically 

The most effective school safety interventions are part of an all-encompassing school safety plan. That plan should address the following:

• Coordinated emergency operations: Your plan should outline procedures and responsibilities to minimize risks and restore normal operations as soon as possible. It should also formalize the roles of first responders, mental health entities and community partners.
• Routine training and drills: Regular practice reduces confusion and panic. Your strategy should, therefore, include:
  • Options-based drill: Response to an armed assailant or intruder.
  • Egress drills: Standard fire and evacuation procedures
  • Relocation and bus evacuations: Ensuring all students are accounted for during a crisis.
    

Use data to validate need 

The COPS office wants to see that your requested technology solves a specific, documented problem. The best way to prove this is through a formal school safety assessment.

Ensure your narrative mentions one or more of the following:

• Site/hazard assessments: Identifying physical blind spots, broken locks or emergency egress issues.
• Threat assessments: Evaluating how you currently identify and support students of concern.
• Risk analysis: Using historical incident data to justify the need for technology that accelerates emergency response.

Prioritize expedited notification

Typically, time-to-police-arrival is a key metric. Successful applications can often focus on technology that removes the human bottleneck during an emergency. This includes automated alerts that go directly to 9-1-1 or local patrol cars, significantly reducing response times when seconds matter most.

Your SVPP pre-flight checklist

The FY 2026 SVPP window is fast approaching. Federal grants can be overwhelming, but starting the administrative review now means you aren’t rushing when the portal opens.

Before the window opens, ensure you have checked these four critical boxes:

System registrations

Federal systems can take weeks to update. Don’t wait until the solicitation is live to verify your SAM.gov, Grants.gov and JustGrants registrations.  

Documentation & data

A winning SVPP grant application is built on evidence. Gather school safety assessments and letters of support from law enforcement and the community.   

Budget & matching funds

Identify your source of matching funds or prepare your financial hardship justification. Start gathering preliminary quotes from vendors for allowable supplies and equipment.   

Narrative survey prep

Unlike other grants, the COPS SVPP application often uses a series of survey questions rather than a single long essay. Start drafting responses.

 

Eligible technology for the FY 2026 COPS SVPP grant  

To qualify for the SVPP grant, districts should prioritize integrated systems. The STOP School Violence Act emphasizes that technology should enhance the overall safety and responsiveness of a campus. When evaluating ways to prevent school violence, consider these eligible technology categories:

Video security & intelligent analytics

Modern visual verification systems are a component of SVPP deterrent measures. These systems provide the hard security necessary for preventing school violence before it reaches the classroom.

• Proactive threat detection: Under the COPS SVPP grant, applicants are encouraged to use modern analytics that identify unusual patterns, such as unauthorized persons on campus after hours.
• Unified campus visibility: High-definition cameras help security teams maintain a holistic safety strategy, a key requirement for a successful COPS SVPP grant application. These systems integrate into video management software (VMS) to provide real-time alerts and high-speed footage search, allowing administrators to significantly reduce incident response times.

Integrated access control

Access control solutions enable perimeter hardening, a primary allowable cost under the School Violence Prevention Program. These tools are essential for stopping school violence by securing restricted areas.

• Real-time lockdown: Administrators can manage access events from any location to initiate campus-wide lockdowns from a single interface. This is a key element of any school’s emergency operations plan (EOP).
• Identity verification: Integrating video with door controllers helps to ensure that staff can verify identities before granting entry, effectively preventing school violence by maintaining a robust perimeter.

Crisis communications and expedited notification

The COPS School Violence Prevention program specifically prioritizes technology that reduces the human response bottleneck during an emergency.

• Mass notification platforms: These systems align with the STOP School Violence Act by enabling multimodal alerts (text, email and voice) to be sent to staff and first responders simultaneously.
• Emergency panic buttons: An SVPP grant application can be strengthened by including panic solutions that provide a direct, automated link to 9-1-1 dispatch, significantly reducing emergency response times.

Mission-critical interoperability

A winning COPS SVPP grant narrative must demonstrate coordination with local law enforcement. That could be accomplished through the following means:

• Interoperable two-way radios: Providing clear, reliable communication between school staff and police is a top priority of the STOP School Violence initiative.
• Broadband push-to-talk (PTT): These solutions bridge the gap between different devices, helping to ensure that bus drives, district administrators and first responders remain connected under the STOP Program guidelines.

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Rave Alert

Provide reliable alerts for crises, weather events and critical updates to keep students, staff and parents informed. 

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Rave Panic Button

Rapidly dial 9-1-1 response or send smart notifications to key stakeholders based on the type of event and location. 

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WAVE PTX & TLK radios

Give your staff device and connectivity flexibility with broadband portable, mobile and wearable two-way comms options. 

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MOTOTRBO portable radios

Connect teams with rugged two-way radios that deliver superior voice clarity, exceptional range and long battery life. 

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Fixed video cameras

Create a safe campus with cameras for every location - grounds, big rooms and dark areas like stairwells. 

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Access control

Provide touchless mobile entry experiences for students and staff while instantly detecting propped doors and loiterers. 

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Conclusion: Securing the future of our schools

With school violence once again on the rise, securing our educational institutions remains a complex, yet urgent challenge, requiring both a committed community and a robust technological foundation. The COPS SVPP grant offers a vital opportunity for K-12 districts to bridge the budget gap and implement life-saving security measures. By building a strong coalition, conducting thorough assessments and choosing evidence-based solutions, your district can create a safer environment where students and staff can thrive.

Don’t wait for the application window to open. Start your registrations and safety audits today to ensure your school is first in line for this critical funding.

For help navigating this education grant season, connect with a Grant Expert.

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