Community Policing Development (CPD) De-Escalation Training Solicitation | O COPS 2021 75008

Opportunity Information: Apply for O COPS 2021 75008

The Community Policing Development (CPD) De-Escalation Training Solicitation is a U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office funding opportunity designed to strengthen law enforcement agencies ability to carry out community policing through improved de-escalation training and related guidance. The program is rooted in the idea of community policing as an agency-wide philosophy that relies on partnerships and problem-solving to address the conditions that contribute to public safety problems, including violent crime, nonviolent crime, and community fear of crime. CPD funding is positioned less as a traditional equipment or staffing grant and more as an investment in developing and spreading practical, field-relevant approaches that help agencies prevent crime, respond effectively, and build safer communities.

A central purpose of this solicitation is to develop, test, and expand promising practices and translate them into usable products for the field. The COPS Office emphasizes producing knowledge products and training resources that reflect "good guidance" principles. In practice, that means the deliverables are expected to be quality-driven and actionable (clear statements that can change behavior and reduce inconsistent performance), evidence-based (recommendations should align with the strongest available research, ideally informed by systematic review), accessible (plain language and reasonable length so working law enforcement professionals can actually use them), and memorable (structured in a way that helps officers apply concepts quickly in complex, real-world situations). The overall direction is that training and guidance should not just exist on paper, but should be practical, implementable, and tied to what is known to work.

The opportunity also aligns with broader Department of Justice priorities for FY 2021, including advancing civil rights, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims, protecting the public from evolving threats, and strengthening trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The solicitation frames law enforcement as playing a key role in these priorities by building meaningful relationships across all community segments and working in partnership with community stakeholders to deliver effective prevention, intervention, and response services. Applicants are encouraged to reflect these priorities in their project design and narrative, as applicable, and to connect proposed de-escalation training work to trust-building and community safety outcomes.

From an administrative and compliance standpoint, this is an open competition and awards are made as cooperative agreements, meaning recipients should expect substantial involvement and oversight from the COPS Office compared with a more hands-off grant structure. Selected recipients are expected to start work immediately after award notification. Any training curricula or training-related deliverables must follow the COPS Office Curriculum Standards and Review Process Guides (available on the COPS Office training website). Projects involving conferences must follow the COPS Office conference request approval process, and written products should follow the COPS Office Editorial and Style Manual. If a proposal includes site-specific work with particular law enforcement agencies, letters of support from the agencies being targeted are strongly encouraged, signaling that the project has real partners and a workable path to implementation.

Key funding details from the notice include the funding opportunity number O-COPS-2021-75008, listing under CFDA 16.710, and classification in the Law, Justice and Legal Services activity category. The award ceiling is $1,750,000, and the COPS Office anticipated making up to 48 awards under this solicitation (subject to appropriations and any legal or policy changes). The original posting date was June 3, 2021, with an original closing date of July 21, 2021. Eligibility is noted broadly as "Others" with additional clarification referenced in the full eligibility section of the solicitation, so applicants would need to confirm their organizational type against the detailed eligibility language in the official announcement.

The statutory authority for the program is 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 (34 U.S.C. 10381 et seq.). For questions, the solicitation directs applicants to the COPS Office Response Center (800-421-6770) or AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov during weekday business hours Eastern Time, 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 "Community Policing Development (CPD) De-Escalation Training 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 Jun 03, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 21, 2021. (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 $1,750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 48 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O COPS 2021 75008

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