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FY26 Safer Outcomes Program (COPS Office) FAQs

1) What is the FY26 Safer Outcomes Program?

The FY26 Safer Outcomes Program is a U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office funding opportunity focused on improving safety during police encounters by expanding and strengthening crisis response and de-escalation training. It is intended to support practical training and related supports that help officers and partner professionals manage high-risk encounters more effectively, reduce the likelihood of force, and connect people in crisis to appropriate services.

2) What type of funding opportunity is this?

This opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement under CFDA 16.710.

3) What is the overall goal of the program?

The overall intent is to make day-to-day responses safer for community members and officers, with a strong emphasis on improving outcomes for individuals experiencing mental health, behavioral health, disability-related, or suicidal crises. The program aims to strengthen decision-making, reduce harmful outcomes, and improve connections to community-based care and services.

4) What are the core training focus areas supported by the program?

Funded projects must address one or more of five core training focus areas:

• De-escalation tactics and alternatives to use of force
• Safely responding to individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises or suicidal crises
• Safe encounters with individuals with disabilities (using the ADA definition of disability)
• Effective participation on a crisis intervention team (CIT)
• Making referrals to community-based services and supports

5) How does the program define de-escalation tactics and alternatives to use of force?

De-escalation is described as verbal and nonverbal actions taken during a potential force encounter to stabilize the situation, reduce immediate threat, and create time and options to resolve events with less or no force.

6) What kinds of crises are included under the mental/behavioral health and suicidal crisis focus area?

This focus area includes responding safely to individuals experiencing mental or behavioral health crises or suicidal crises, including situations involving substance use. The description includes a wide range of crisis symptoms such as fear, anger, confusion, psychosis, or fight/flight/freeze reactions.

7) Can applicants request funding for co-responding clinicians?

Yes. Under the mental/behavioral health and suicidal crisis focus area, applicants are allowed to request funding for co-responding clinicians, reflecting an emphasis on pairing law enforcement response with clinical expertise when appropriate.

8) What does the program mean by safe encounters with individuals with disabilities?

This focus area addresses encounters with individuals with disabilities using the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) definition of disability.

9) What is a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in this program?

A CIT is described as an interdisciplinary collaboration among specially trained officers, mental health providers, and community stakeholders. CIT efforts focus on responding to mental health-related calls, applying de-escalation, and determining whether referral to services or transport for evaluation is appropriate.

10) What kinds of referrals and supports are included under the community-based services focus area?

This focus area includes making referrals to community-based services and supports such as mental and behavioral health care, housing assistance, public benefits, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and similar resources intended to reduce repeat crises and improve longer-term outcomes.

11) What are the main funding categories in the NOFO?

The NOFO is structured around three main funding categories:

• Category 1: Support for Law Enforcement Agencies
• Category 2: Continuation of Regional De-Escalation Training Centers
• Category 3: Curriculum Integration for Law Enforcement Academies and State-Level Training Centers

12) What is Category 1 (Support for Law Enforcement Agencies) intended to fund?

Category 1 is geared toward individual agencies seeking resources to implement training and related supports tied to one or more of the five training focus areas.

13) What is Category 2 (Continuation of Regional De-Escalation Training Centers)?

Category 2 is intended to sustain and expand existing regional training capacity across multistate areas.

14) What are the two paths within Category 2?

Category 2 includes two paths:

• A path that funds continuation of training and programming delivered to state, local, tribal, and territorial agencies in a multistate region
• A path that funds both continuation and formal coordination of the regional training centers, in addition to delivering training

15) What is Category 3 (Curriculum Integration for Law Enforcement Academies and State-Level Training Centers) intended to do?

Category 3 targets systemic change by embedding de-escalation and crisis response concepts into academy and statewide training structures rather than treating them as isolated blocks of instruction.

16) What are the two paths within Category 3?

Category 3 includes two paths:

• Academy Path: revising and integrating de-escalation and crisis response concepts throughout basic training (for example, weaving them into instruction on use of force, criminal law, communication, and procedural justice)
• Commission Path: supporting state POSTs or similar commissions that set training standards and mandated curricula, helping them update and better synthesize requirements around de-escalation and crisis response

17) Are partnerships encouraged for Category 3 projects?

Yes. For Category 3, partnerships with experts in adult learning and curriculum development are strongly encouraged, indicating an emphasis on instructionally sound training designs that are durable over time.

18) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized Tribal governments, certain Tribal organizations, and other eligible entities as defined by the NOFO.

19) Who can be trained or supported through this program?

The program supports training for:

• Sworn law enforcement officers
• Law enforcement-employed support personnel
• Associated mental health professionals who serve on crisis intervention teams, either as employees of a law enforcement agency or through a formal legal agreement with one

20) Is there a compliance or standards consideration mentioned in the NOFO?

Yes. The NOFO flags upcoming LEDTA national standards (referenced via ledtatraining.org). If those standards apply to an award, the COPS Office indicates it will notify recipients of requirements to align training with those national standards.

21) What is the application deadline?

The application deadline listed is August 27, 2026.

22) How many awards are anticipated?

The listing anticipates 32 awards.

23) What is the maximum award amount?

The award ceiling is $750,000.

24) What is the opportunity number for this grant?

The opportunity number is O-COPS-2026-172549.

25) When was this opportunity created, and which office administers it?

The opportunity was created on July 21, 2026, and it is administered by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office).

26) How does this program balance immediate training needs and longer-term training infrastructure?

The program is designed to fund both immediate training delivery (through individual agencies and regional training centers) and longer-term training infrastructure improvements (through academies and state commissions), all aimed at improving decision-making, reducing harmful outcomes, and strengthening connections between law enforcement response and community-based care.