August Trend at a Glance
August closed out the summer’s heaviest law-enforcement application window and opened a new one built around BJA and OVW victim-services and crisis-response programs. The COPS Office’s FY2026 cycle wrapped up by month’s end, HSGP and NSGP moved fully into state administrative review, and the BIDEN Program’s second round closed on schedule. September and October now carry the bulk of upcoming deadlines, and FEMA fire-grant applicants should continue watching for award activity in the coming weeks.
August 2026 Executive Trend Summary
• The COPS Office’s FY2026 grant cycle effectively closed in August. Community Policing Development, Collaborative Reform, Accreditation, and Safer Outcomes deadlines all passed by August 31, shifting law-enforcement grant activity toward BJA and OVW programs with September and October deadlines.
• HSGP and NSGP moved fully into state administrative review in August. With the federal HSGP deadline behind them, State Administrative Agencies are now issuing their own subgrant solicitations and timelines to local jurisdictions; several states, including California, have already released FY2026 NSGP state-level guidance for eligible nonprofits and houses of worship.
• FEMA fire-grant applicants remain in a documentation and pre-award review stage. GrantFinder has not yet seen confirmed FY2025 AFG, SAFER, or FP&S award announcements; FEMA’s stated timeline points to releases beginning in the coming weeks and continuing into October.
• The BIDEN Program’s second round closed August 26 (Grants.gov) and August 28 (JustGrants). DOJ has signaled that additional rounds may follow as funding remains, so eligible jurisdictions that missed Round 2 should keep documentation current.
• OVW’s FY2026 Notices of Funding Opportunity continued posting throughout August, adding tribal-governments, tribal sexual-assault-services, disability-services, and tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney programs to a crowded September calendar.
• The OMB’s proposed Uniform Guidance overhaul remains unfinalized. The public-comment period closed July 13, and groups including the National League of Cities pressed Congress and OMB in August to delay implementation and address provisions that could limit local access to federal grant funds.
FM Global Fire Prevention Grant: A Live Opportunity for Fire Agencies
While FEMA’s FY2025 AFG, SAFER, and FP&S cycle remains in review with no confirmed award announcements yet, fire departments and community organizations don’t have to wait to pursue prevention funding. The FM Global Fire Prevention Grant Program is open now, with a September 30, 2026 deadline, and provides seed funding for fire prevention, preparedness, and control projects including pre-incident planning, fire-prevention education and training, and arson prevention and investigation work.
Who Can Apply
Any U.S. fire department, brigade, or national, state, regional, local, or community organization that supports fire prevention is eligible, provided funds serve a public purpose. No specific funding cap is published; awards function as seed money for prevention, preparedness, and control efforts.
• Applications are reviewed four times a year, with deadlines March 31, June 30, September 30, and December 31 award decisions typically follow three to four months later.
• This program rewards a clear, well-scoped prevention project; agencies should pair the application with a specific initiative such as a juvenile firesetter program, a smoke-alarm campaign, or an arson-investigation partnership.
• Because it’s a rolling quarterly cycle, agencies that miss the September 30 deadline can prepare for the December 31 round without waiting a full year.
OVW’s August NOFOs Open Three New Doors for Tribal and Disability-Services Programs
Beyond the OVW programs already on the priority calendar, three additional FY2026 Notices of Funding Opportunity posted in August deserve a closer look: the Tribal Governments Program, the Disability Grant Program, and the Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA) Program. Together they extend OVW’s FY2026 funding into victim-services and prosecutorial capacity for tribal communities and people with disabilities areas that hadn’t seen a dedicated NOFO earlier in the fiscal year.
Application Tip
The Tribal Governments Program (deadline Sept. 3) supports tribal victim-services and law-enforcement capacity; the Disability Grant Program (deadline Sept. 29) funds services for victims of abuse who have disabilities; and the Tribal SAUSA Program (deadline Sept. 17) builds tribal prosecutorial capacity through Special Assistant U.S. Attorney positions. These programs share OVW’s FY2026 Application Companion Guide, so agencies already assembling SAM.gov, financial, and MOU documentation for other OVW NOFOs can reuse much of that package.
DOJ, BJA, and OVW: August Closures Give Way to a September Wave
The COPS Office’s FY2026 grant cycle largely wrapped up in August. Community Policing Development Microgrants closed August 24, and the Collaborative Reform Initiative, Law Enforcement Products & Resources, Accreditation, and Safer Outcomes programs all closed by August 31. With COPS deadlines behind, attention now shifts to a dense slate of BJA and OVW opportunities carrying September and October deadlines.
BIDEN Program Round 2 Closes; Watch for Round 3
The second round of the FY2026 Bridging Immigration-Related Deficits Experienced Nationwide (“BIDEN”) Program closed August 26 (Grants.gov) and August 28 (JustGrants). The program supports eligible state, local, and tribal jurisdictions for law-enforcement activities tied to criminal aliens, drug and human trafficking, investigations, prosecutions, detention, transportation, technology, and equipment. DOJ has indicated the program is structured in multiple rounds; agencies that were not ready for Round 2 should watch bja.ojp.gov for a possible Round 3 as remaining funds are released.
Missed Round 2? Prepare Now
Eligibility for BIDEN funding depends on participation in (or a commitment to) an ICE 287(g) partnership and support for Homeland Security Task Force operations or similar DOJ-led initiatives. Agencies considering a future round should confirm this eligibility requirement, keep SAM.gov and JustGrants registrations active, and have project documentation ready so they can move quickly if DOJ announces another round.
Priority Applications Due in September and October 2026
| Program | Primary Focus | Deadline(s) Grants.gov/JustGrants | Agency |
| BJA Project Safe Neighborhoods Formula Grant | Violent-crime reduction through district PSN strategies | Sept. 3 | BJA |
| OVW Cybercrimes Against Individuals | Local enforcement and prosecution of cybercrimes against individuals | Sept. 3 | OVW |
| OVW Tribal Governments Program | Tribal victim-services and law-enforcement capacity | Sept. 3 | OVW |
| BJA Houses of Worship Security | Security measures for houses of worship | Sept. 2 / Sept. 9 | BJA |
| OJP Special Attorneys Program (Round 8) | Special federal prosecutorial capacity | Sept. 16 | OJP |
| OVW Consolidated Youth & Engaging Men | Prevention/intervention addressing violence and youth | Sept. 10 | OVW |
| OVW Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Program | Tribal SAUSA prosecutorial capacity | Sept. 17 | OVW |
| OVW Abuse in Later Life | Training, coordinated response and services for victims age 50+ | Sept. 16 | OVW |
| OVW Disability Grant Program | Services for victims of abuse with disabilities | Sept. 29 | OVW |
| BJA Body-Worn Camera Policy & Implementation | BWC program development and equipment | Oct. 2 | BJA |
| BJA Public Safety and Mental Health Initiative | Co-responder and mental-health crisis response | Oct. 2 | BJA |
| BJA Byrne State Crisis Intervention Formula Program | Crisis-intervention court and diversion programs | Oct. 13 | BJA |
| Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS) | Comprehensive public-safety funding for tribal communities | Oct. 15 / Oct. 22 | BJA |
Thank You for Visiting Us at FRI 2026
Lexipol and GrantFinder staff had a great time meeting agencies at Fire-Rescue International (FRI) 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri, August 12-14. Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth to talk about upcoming fire and emergency-service funding opportunities we look forward to connecting again at future events.
On-Demand Resource
Catch the “Navigating the 2026 Grants Landscape” webinar on demand at gov1.com and police1.com for a practical rundown of this year’s public-safety grants environment.
September-October Grant Strategy
• Prioritize applications by deadline and readiness, not simply by award size.
• Confirm that SAM.gov, Grants.gov, JustGrants, FEMA GO, and state portal access is active before the final week of a deadline.
• Confirm your SAM.gov registration is active and that the correct person is listed as your Authorized Organization Representative (AOR), an expired registration or an outdated AOR can stall a submission at the worst possible time.
• Keep decision-makers available for certifications, resolutions, MOUs, and required approvals.
• For FEMA fire applications already submitted, monitor communications rather than making unsolicited changes.
• For HSGP and NSGP, check each State Administrative Agency’s calendar directly, state subaward and pass-through deadlines rarely mirror the federal dates.
• Prepare now for winter and early-2027 cycles by refreshing equipment inventories, staffing data, call volume, incident trends, quotes, and capital plans.
• Pull together a grants team, not a grants person. Grants shouldn’t be a one-person job, bring in finance, the mayor or city/county manager’s office, your SAM.gov account holder, department head(s), IT, and maintenance or public works, and meet monthly to work through the pipeline together. The more buy-in across departments, the more funding you will ultimately secure.
Useful Grant Education
- Gov1: FY26 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A): A key funding opportunity for municipal roadway safety
DOJ Funding Links
Foundation Grants Currently Open
