As the school year wraps up, many district leaders are already shifting their attention to what comes next: reviewing safety plans, identifying technology gaps, and getting ready for upcoming grant opportunities. One major funding source for K–12 schools and local governments is the COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP), which helps turn safety plans into real, on-the-ground improvements.
As of this writing, FY2026 details aren’t out yet, but now is a great time to get familiar with how SVPP works, who’s eligible, and the kinds of projects that have been funded in recent years. A little early prep can make applications stronger and the process far less stressful.
Key Takeaways
- SVPP is a federal COPS Office grant that helps eligible K-12 communities fund school security improvements, including emergency notification technology, access control, cameras, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures.
- FY2026 SVPP details have not yet been released. The most recent official benchmark is FY25, which offered up to $73 million in total funding, awards of up to $500,000 over 36 months, and generally required a 25% local cash match.
- Eligible applicants include states, units of local government, Indian tribes, and public agencies. Individual schools, independent schools, and private schools cannot apply directly.
- Strong SVPP applications connect every proposed cost to documented risk, an allowable purpose area, stakeholder input, and a broader school safety strategy.
From Parkland to the COPS SVPP Grant: How the Program Began
Since 1994, the Community-Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office has awarded billions in grant funds to support community policing, law enforcement agencies and school safety. After the February 14, 2018, Parkland attack, Congress passed the STOP School Violence Act to fund preventing school violence through DOJ programs, including the COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) and Bureau of Justice Assistance tracks.
SVPP is focused on K‑12 school grounds in the applicant’s jurisdiction, not general criminal justice projects or higher education campuses.
What Is the COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)?
The COPS School Violence Prevention Program is a competitive federal grant administered by the COPS Office. It supports eligible K-12 school safety projects such as physical security upgrades, law enforcement coordination, training, and emergency notification technology.
Applicants should link their suggested improvements to the identified safety needs of the school and the goals of the School Violence Prevention Program.
Current Award Structure and Funding Levels
According to the COPS Office FY25 SVPP page and related program materials, awards are for up to $500,000 in federal funding over 36 months. SVPP generally requires a minimum 25% local cash match, unless a match waiver is requested and approved based on demonstrated severe financial need. Matching funds must be paid during the award period. An in-kind match is not allowed unless a specific solicitation states otherwise.
Microgrant Track
Approximately $1 million of FY25 SVPP funding was reserved for microgrants for school districts, including rural, tribal, and low-resourced schools. Microgrant requests must be $100,000 or less. For selected microgrant applicants, the COPS Office waived the 25% local cash match requirement, making smaller school-safety projects more accessible to high-need districts.
Who Can Apply? SVPP Eligibility and Applicant Types
Eligible applicants for the School Violence Prevention Program are states, units of local government, Indian tribes and their public agencies. Public school districts often qualify as local government entities or apply through a city or county partner.
Individual schools that do not operate as school districts, independent schools, and private schools, including private charter schools, are not eligible to apply as primary applicants. The COPS Office allows applications where two or more entities carry out the federal award, but only one eligible entity may be the applicant. Other participating entities must be identified as proposed subrecipients when applicable. Use the eligibility shorthand carefully: “local government” and “Indian tribes” are separate eligible categories, not one combined category.
State and local government applicants must also meet federal conditions, including compliance with 8 U.S.C. § 1373 regarding citizenship or immigration-status information sharing with DHS and other government entities. Local government agencies should review the latest SVPP NOFO before applying.
Key Program Requirements
SVPP funding is authorized for five main purposes to enhance safety in and around K-12 schools:
- Coordination with local law enforcement
- Training for local law enforcement officers to prevent school violence against others and self
- Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures
- Acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency
- Any other measure the COPS Office director determines may provide a significant improvement in security
Applicants must show that the application was prepared in consultation with stakeholders beyond law enforcement, including licensed mental health professionals, social workers, students, parents, teachers, principals, and other school personnel. The proposed improvements are part of a comprehensive approach to preventing school violence.
What SVPP Funds: School Safety Measures, Programs and Allowable Equipment
SVPP funding may support physical security, deterrent measures, and emergency communication tools when those costs are clearly linked to the approved SVPP project. Examples may include metal detectors, locks, security lighting, access control equipment, door-locking mechanisms, school-site alarm and protection systems, emergency call boxes, intercom or public address systems, panic and immediate alarm notification systems, two-way radios, automated emergency text or email alerts, ID scanning devices, GIS mapping, and security cameras or systems.
A compliant project could upgrade perimeter access control, install or improve camera systems, add panic or immediate alarm notification systems, and deploy emergency communication tools that reduce notification times to local law enforcement.
Applicants should also review the current NOFO and Application Resource Guide for restrictions. The FY25 SVPP Application Resource Guide lists biometric technology, including facial recognition technology, and automatic license plate recognition software as unallowable. SVPP funds may also not be used for salaries and benefits of sworn officers or civilian security guards.
AI Gun Detection and Video-Based Threat Detection
AI gun detection can be an eligible SVPP expense when it’s part of a larger, allowable school security technology project, such as camera systems, emergency alerting workflows, or tools that speed up notification to local law enforcement. SVPP guidance allows certain security cameras and systems, panic or immediate‑alert tools, emergency notifications, communication technology, and other solutions that help strengthen school security and reduce the time it takes to alert police.
AI gun detection is a video‑based security tool that uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to spot visible firearms in live camera feeds. It works with the cameras schools already have, adding a layer of firearm detection without requiring a full camera replacement.
For schools, this technology can help close the gap between the moment a weapon first appears on camera and when an emergency response begins. When the system spots a possible firearm, it can send an alert, share the video clip for quick human review, and activate emergency workflows. This gives staff and first responders better awareness of what’s happening and helps them move faster during a potential threat.
School Violence Prevention Programs and Training
Beyond equipment and technology, SVPP may also fund civilian, non-sworn personnel who perform roles directly related to the SVPP project, such as project coordinators, project managers, technology managers, emergency management coordinators, or trainers. The program supports improved information sharing, increased communication between law enforcement and school officials, reduced notification times, improved response times, and school safety planning.
Applicants should be careful with threat assessment language. SVPP requires comprehensive school safety assessments during the award period and may support them, but developing and operating school threat assessment and intervention teams are listed as out of scope for SVPP and may be more appropriate under BJA or OJJDP STOP School Violence funding.
SVPP Deadlines and Two-Step Application Process
The COPS Office hasn’t opened the FY2026 SVPP application yet. The most recent update says the FY25 window closed on June 26, 2025, and directs people to the COPS Office Grants page for anything currently open. If you’re preparing for FY2026, keep checking the SVPP site, the COPS Grants page, and Grants.gov for the next NOFO.
Key dates to watch:
- NOFO release: Eligibility, budget rules, purpose areas, match requirements, partner expectations
- Grants.gov: SF-424 and required federal forms
- JustGrants: Narrative, budget, letters, certifications, attachments, MOUs/letters of support
Step 1: Grants.gov Submission
Applicants submit the initial package through Grants.gov. Missing this deadline could prevent you from completing the JustGrants portion, even if your narrative and budget are ready.
Step 2: JustGrants Full Application
The JustGrants stage is where applicants upload the full application, including project narrative, budget, timeline, certifications, and all supporting documents.
For SVPP, applicants should show a well‑rounded school safety plan and document input from key school and community stakeholders.
SVPP Grant Statistics and Funding Trends
FY25 SVPP made up to $73 million available, and prior or future funding totals may vary based on congressional appropriations. SVPP is a competitive program for eligible applicants serving urban, rural, suburban, and tribal communities. Strong applications should document local needs, security gaps, and how the proposed project will improve security at schools and on school grounds, including any measures likely to provide a significant improvements in security.
How to Build a Strong SVPP Application: Best Practices for School Safety
Successful SVPP grant applications should demonstrate a comprehensive school safety strategy that is specific to each school’s needs. Strong proposals connect suggested improvements to documented risks, stakeholder input and allowable SVPP purpose areas.
Think Holistically About School Safety
Strong proposals connect school security tools to broader school safety planning, emergency operations planning, routine training and drills, and violence prevention. Applicants should make sure their proposed security measures support the school’s mission, avoid unnecessary privacy or civil rights concerns, and help maintain a safe, positive learning environment.
Use Data to Validate Need
Ground your proposal in real information: recent safety assessments, site and risk reviews, incident trends, response‑time data, equipment inventories, and emergency preparedness findings. Explain how your project addresses documented risks, strengthens security, and improves notification or response times.
Prioritize Expedited Notification and Law Enforcement Coordination
Focus on tools and processes that help schools communicate quickly during an emergency and work seamlessly with local law enforcement. This can include panic or immediate‑alert systems, emergency notifications, interoperable radios, and other technology that helps responders act fast.
Engage Stakeholders and Build a Coalition
Bring people into the planning process from the start: administrators, teachers, families, students, police, fire, emergency managers, mental health staff, social workers, school board members, and other community partners. A stronger coalition leads to a stronger application.
SVPP Pre-Flight Checklist for Districts and Local Governments
Before the application opens:
- Confirm eligibility and whether the applicant is a qualifying public agency, state, unit of local government, Indian tribe or public agency.
- Update SAM.gov, UEI, Grants.gov and JustGrants access.
- Gather school safety assessments, incident data, response-time information and current infrastructure inventories.
- Conduct vendor research while ensuring that procurement is open, fair, and compliant.
- Match every proposed cost to an allowable SVPP purpose area and the current NOFO’s allowable-cost guidance
- Identify local cash match sources early, unless the current NOFO provides a waiver or microgrant exception.
Need Help Finding and Applying for School Safety Grants?
For districts that know they need stronger security technology but are unsure how to fund it, school safety grants can help close the gap between safety needs and available budgets. Omnilert offers grant assistance through partner-supported programs and can connect organizations with grant funding specialists who help identify federal, state, and local funding opportunities aligned to their safety needs and guide them through the application process.
Through Omnilert’s grant assistance program, schools and other organizations can work with a grant funding specialist to review available grant opportunities, assess eligibility, document security needs, and prepare application materials.
Start Preparing Before the Next SVPP Window Opens
Even though FY2026 SVPP details aren’t out yet, districts and local governments can use this time to get application-ready: confirm eligibility, gather safety data, identify allowable projects, and align partners before the next funding window opens.
SVPP can support meaningful school safety upgrades, including access control, emergency notification tools, camera systems, and other technologies that help schools coordinate more quickly with law enforcement. For districts considering tools like AI gun detection, the key is to connect the technology to documented risk, faster emergency notification, and a broader, well-planned safety strategy.
Explore Omnilert’s solutions to see how your district can prepare for the next SVPP funding opportunity and build a faster, more coordinated emergency response.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Can a single K-12 school or private school apply directly for an SVPP grant?
No. Primary applicants must be states, units of local government, Indian tribes, or public agencies. Individual schools, independent schools, and private schools cannot apply directly. Other entities may participate only when an eligible applicant leads the application and the arrangement is allowed under the current NOFO, contract, or subaward rules.
Does SVPP fund school resource officer positions or guard salaries?
No. SVPP does not fund salaries or benefits for sworn officers or civilian security guards. It may fund allowable training, law enforcement coordination, civilian/non-sworn project personnel, deterrent measures, and emergency-notification technology when those costs fit the current NOFO.
How long do SVPP projects last?
Most recent official benchmark: FY25 SVPP awards were for up to 36 months. Recipients should plan procurement, installation, testing, training, and reporting within the approved award period.
How do we know if a specific technology is allowable?
Check the current NOFO’s allowable and unallowable cost sections. When in doubt, ask the COPS Office before including the item in a budget.
What is the biggest mistake applicants make?
Treating SVPP as a shopping list. Strong SVPP applications connect every camera, lock, alert tool, or other measure to documented risk, stakeholder consultation, an allowable SVPP purpose area, and measurable school safety outcomes.
