Community Policing Development (CPD) Crisis Intervention Teams Solicitation | O COPS 2021 75007

Opportunity Information: Apply for O COPS 2021 75007

The Community Policing Development (CPD) Crisis Intervention Teams Solicitation is a Fiscal Year 2021 discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). It is designed to strengthen law enforcement agencies and their partners by expanding the field’s capacity to use community policing strategies, especially in situations involving people in crisis. The core idea behind the solicitation is that community policing works best when agencies build strong local partnerships and use practical problem-solving approaches to prevent and respond to crime and community safety concerns, including the fear of crime. This particular CPD solicitation focuses on crisis response work that can improve outcomes for individuals, families, and communities while supporting public safety and trust.

The purpose of CPD funding is not simply to pay for routine operations, but to help the field learn what works and spread those practices. The COPS Office uses CPD awards to develop, test, and refine innovative strategies, and then turn the results into practical guidance and knowledge products that agencies can actually use. Those deliverables are expected to reflect the COPS Office’s “good guidance” principles: they should be quality-driven and action-oriented (clear steps that can be implemented), evidence-based (aligned with the best available research identified through systematic review), accessible (plain language and reasonable length for practitioners), and memorable (easy to apply in fast-moving, complex real-world situations officers face). In other words, the program emphasizes real-world utility and measurable improvements rather than abstract policy statements.

Programmatically, the 2021 CPD competition is organized around two project subcategories: (1) Implementation of Crisis Intervention Teams, and (2) Crisis Intervention Training Provider. Applicants are expected to choose the most appropriate subcategory for the project they are proposing, and the solicitation is structured as an open competition. If an organization wants to propose more than one project, it can submit multiple applications, but each project requires its own separate application. A key compliance detail is that the application must clearly identify the correct solicitation (and the subcategory, when applicable) on the cover page of the project narrative and in the application selections; applications that label the opportunity incorrectly or choose the wrong subcategory risk failing basic minimum requirements during initial screening.

The opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the COPS Office anticipates substantial involvement in the funded work compared with a standard grant. While the solicitation text here does not list every eligible entity type in full, the posted eligibility category is “Others,” with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation guidance. The funding listing includes CFDA 16.710. For this competition, the award ceiling is $250,000, and the program anticipated making about 34 awards, subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any legal requirements that could modify award conditions.

Substantively, the solicitation is framed around broader Department of Justice priorities, including advancing civil rights, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims, protecting the public from evolving threats, and strengthening trust between law enforcement and communities. Applicants are encouraged to reflect those priorities in their proposals where applicable, and to show how their project supports meaningful relationships with all segments of the community and improves prevention, intervention, and response. Because crisis intervention work often intersects with behavioral health, disability, victim services, and civil rights issues, proposals are implicitly expected to demonstrate thoughtful partnership structures and approaches that reduce harm and improve the quality and legitimacy of police responses.

The solicitation also highlights several practical requirements for award recipients. Awardees should be prepared to begin work immediately upon selection and award notification. For deliverables tied to training or curricula, recipients must follow the COPS Office Curriculum Standards and Review Process Guides (available through the COPS training site). If the project involves convenings or events, deliverables must comply with the COPS Office conference request approval process. Written products should align with the COPS Office Editorial and Style Manual to ensure consistency and usability for the field. For projects involving site-specific work with particular agencies or jurisdictions, letters of support from the targeted agencies are strongly encouraged, signaling that the work is feasible and that local partners are committed.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity was posted May 20, 2021, with an original closing date of July 7, 2021. The funding opportunity number is O-COPS-2021-75007, and the administering agency is the DOJ COPS Office. Questions were directed to the COPS Office Response Center (800-421-6770) or AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov during normal weekday business hours (Eastern Time), excluding federal holidays. The underlying legal authority for the program is cited as 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.), with awards contingent on appropriations and any applicable legal constraints.

Overall, this solicitation targets organizations that can help advance crisis intervention capabilities in ways that are practical, evidence-informed, and replicable, with outputs that can be shared across the law enforcement field. The emphasis is on building knowledge and capacity around Crisis Intervention Teams and crisis intervention training so agencies can respond more effectively, more safely, and in a way that strengthens community trust.

• 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) Crisis Intervention Teams 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 May 20, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 07, 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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 34 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O COPS 2021 75007

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