FY25 COPS Hiring Program

The FY25 COPS Hiring Program (CHP), administered by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office), is a competitive grant initiative aimed at increasing law enforcement capacity and crime prevention efforts by supporting the hiring or rehiring of career law enforcement officers. This funding opportunity aligns with the COPS Office’s overarching mission to advance public safety through community policing, which emphasizes strategic partnerships and problem-solving to address public safety concerns. Since its inception, the COPS Office has distributed over $21 billion in funding to over 13,000 law enforcement agencies nationwide. The FY25 CHP provides up to $156,668,839 in funding, with a maximum award of $6,250,000 per recipient. Awards will support salary and fringe benefits for officers for three years within a five-year performance period. Funding may be used to hire new officers, rehire officers laid off due to budget cuts, or rehire those scheduled for future layoffs. Each position funded must be retained for a minimum of 12 months after the three-year period using local funds. A local match of 25% is generally required unless a waiver is granted. The maximum federal share per officer is $125,000 over the three-year period. Eligibility is restricted to operational local, state, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies with primary law enforcement authority. These agencies must be currently operational with a governing legislative framework and an existing budget. The grant specifically excludes civilian, part-time, correctional officers, and non-sworn personnel, as well as items like equipment, travel, training, and indirect costs. Agencies operating under budgeted strength may still apply if they affirm compliance with non-supplanting requirements. Applicants must follow a two-step submission process: first submitting an SF-424 through Grants.gov by June 25, 2025, at 4:59 PM ET, followed by completing the full application in JustGrants by July 1, 2025, at 4:59 PM ET. The application must include budget justifications, survey responses, community policing narratives, and, if applicable, school resource officer (SRO) memoranda of understanding. Late applications may be considered only in exceptional circumstances, such as natural disasters or technical issues. Evaluation criteria include fiscal need, crime statistics, and the strength of the community policing strategy, each contributing one-third to the total application score. Additional consideration is given to agencies addressing key problem areas like violent crime, encampments, school safety, and border security. Awards are expected to be announced on or after September 1, 2025. All applications must comply with federal civil rights laws and financial audit requirements, and recipients are required to submit periodic financial and programmatic reports. For assistance, applicants may contact the COPS Office Response Center at 800-421-6770 or AskCopsRC@usdoj.gov. Technical support for Grants.gov and JustGrants is also available through their respective hotlines and support emails. Full application guidance is available at https://cops.usdoj.gov/chp.