RFAs: FY 2026 Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (United States)

Deadline: 30-Oct-2026

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is offering a discretionary grant opportunity to support rural law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices in the United States to prevent, respond to, and reduce violent crime. The BJA FY 2026 Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative provides funding to implement a violent crime reduction strategy addressing a specific violent crime challenge. The application deadline is 30 October 2026. This notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) supports local law enforcement in rural jurisdictions to implement a violent crime reduction strategy. Applicants are expected to equip rural law enforcement agencies and prosecutors’ offices with resources to address a specific violent crime challenge. The initiative focuses on equipping agencies to reduce violent crime through one or more approaches, including personnel, tactics, training, equipment, technology enhancements, and data analytics/intelligence. The NOFO describes support for resources and capabilities that help agencies implement a violent crime reduction strategy, including staffing, technology, and analytical capacity.

Eligible applicants include:

Additional eligibility clarification provided in the source: If you are unsure whether your organization fits the “Additional Information on Eligibility” language, review the full NOFO text referenced on Grants.gov (see “How to Apply”). The initiative supports implementation of a violent crime reduction strategy using one or more of the following approaches: Rural jurisdictions often face challenges such as limited staffing, fewer specialized resources, and constrained access to technology and data-driven tools. This initiative is designed to help rural law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices build practical capacity—through staffing, training, technology, and intelligence/data analytics—to implement a targeted strategy for reducing violent crime.

Official application page:

If you have difficulty accessing the full announcement electronically, contact: Note: The source provided does not include step-by-step submission mechanics (e.g., specific forms or document lists). Applicants should follow the instructions in the NOFO package linked from the Grants.gov page. What is the BJA FY 2026 Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative? It is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to help rural law enforcement and prosecutors’ offices prevent, respond to, and reduce violent crime through a violent crime reduction strategy. Who can apply for this grant? Eligible applicants include county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, state governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), among others specified in the NOFO eligibility text. What is the funding amount available? The verified editorial record indicates “More than $1 million.” The Grants.gov page also lists an award ceiling of $2,637,041 and an award floor of $0. The total program funding is not specified in the source. Is matching or cost sharing required? No. The source states Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No. What is the application deadline? The application deadline is 30 October 2026. What types of activities does the grant support? The NOFO supports approaches such as personnel, tactics, training, and equipment; technological enhancements; and data analytics and intelligence, plus other approaches aligned with Department priorities that provide a significant reduction in violent crime rates. Where can I find the official application materials? Use the official Grants.gov opportunity page for O-BJA-2026-172761 and open the NOFO and related documents included in the package. Review the official NOFO materials linked from the Grants.gov opportunity page for O-BJA-2026-172761 to confirm your eligibility category, understand the required application components, and ensure your proposed strategy aligns with the rural violent crime reduction approaches described by BJA. Follow the submission instructions in the official package to prepare and submit your application by 30 October 2026.