FY22 Expansion of Regional De-Escalation Training Centers - Community Policing Development Solicitation | O COPS 2022 171168

Opportunity Information: Apply for O COPS 2022 171168

The FY22 Expansion of Regional De-Escalation Training Centers opportunity is a Community Policing Development (CPD) solicitation from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office). It is designed to strengthen law enforcement capacity to carry out community policing through practical de-escalation training and related guidance that can be used in the field. At its core, the program treats community policing as an agency-wide approach that relies on partnerships and problem-solving to address the conditions that contribute to crime (violent and nonviolent) as well as community fear and distrust. The grant focuses on expanding regional training centers and producing usable materials that help agencies apply de-escalation and community policing principles more consistently and effectively.

This funding sits within the broader CPD purpose: building knowledge about what works, testing or refining innovative strategies, and turning those lessons into products that can be shared widely across the profession. The COPS Office also highlights several cross-cutting priorities applicants are expected to keep in mind when shaping their proposals, including advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, responding to evolving public safety threats, and improving trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. In practice, that means proposed de-escalation training and any associated resources should be aligned with fair, lawful, and community-centered policing outcomes, not just tactical skill-building.

The solicitation is an open competition and uses a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which typically means the federal agency expects to have substantial involvement during the life of the project (for example, in review of deliverables, coordination, or approvals). Applicants are allowed to submit multiple applications, but each project requires its own separate application, and proposals must clearly identify the correct solicitation to pass initial screening. Award recipients are expected to begin work quickly after selection and notification, so proposed timelines and readiness to launch matter.

A major emphasis of this opportunity is on deliverables that translate into high-quality, field-ready guidance and training resources. The COPS Office is explicit that products should reflect "principles of good guidance," meaning they should be quality-driven (clear action statements that reduce inconsistency in performance), evidence-based (recommendations that match the best available research, ideally supported by systematic review), accessible (plain language and reasonable length for working practitioners), and memorable (designed to support quick recall and better decision-making in complex, high-stress encounters). In other words, the program is not just funding training events; it is funding the development and expansion of promising practices and knowledge products that agencies can adopt and sustain.

The solicitation also sets several compliance and process expectations for any organization that receives an award. For training and curriculum-related deliverables, recipients must follow the COPS Office Curriculum Standards and Review Process Guides available through the COPS training website. If the project includes convenings or conferences, deliverables must follow the COPS Office conference request approval process. Written products should follow the COPS Office Editorial and Style Manual, reinforcing that the agency expects professional, consistent, publishable outputs. Where projects involve site-specific work with particular departments or jurisdictions, letters of support from targeted agencies are strongly encouraged, signaling that the COPS Office values demonstrated buy-in and practical pathways for implementation.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant under CFDA 16.710, administered by DOJ COPS. The opportunity (number O-COPS-2022-171168) was posted May 5, 2022, with an original closing date of June 21, 2022. The award ceiling listed is $3,000,000, with an expectation of three awards, indicating a small number of relatively large projects intended to have regional or national influence. The solicitation is authorized under federal law, including the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (as amended) and the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, and awards are contingent on appropriated funding and any legal requirements that apply at the time of award.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as an investment in scaling de-escalation training infrastructure and producing evidence-informed, easy-to-use guidance that advances community policing. Successful projects would be positioned to expand training reach through regional centers while also generating practical curriculum and knowledge products that help agencies improve consistency, legitimacy, and outcomes in police-community interactions. For questions during application development, the solicitation directs applicants to the COPS Office Response Center by phone (800-421-6770) or email (AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov) during standard business hours Eastern Time.

• The Department of Justice, Community Oriented Policing Services in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY22 Expansion of Regional De-Escalation Training Centers - Community Policing Development 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 05, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 21, 2022. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O COPS 2022 171168

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: