School Safety Grants with Upcoming Application Deadlines

School safety leaders are constantly looking for funding opportunities, but keeping up with grant announcements across federal agencies can be difficult. One resource I highly recommend bookmarking is SchoolSafety.gov's Grants Finder Tool, which regularly adds new federal funding opportunities related to school safety, emergency preparedness, mental health, and prevention. You can also sign up to receive email notifications when new grants are added, making it one of the easiest ways to stay informed without having to monitor multiple websites.

Below is a roundup of current grant opportunities and upcoming application deadlines.

Physical Security & Emergency Preparedness

Below are several grant opportunities that are currently accepting applications.

FY 2026 COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)

• Application Deadlines: August 4 (Grants.gov) and August 11 (JustGrants)

The Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) Office is accepting applications for its FY 2026 School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP), which supports technology, equipment, and physical security improvements designed to help prevent and respond to school violence.

Up to $73 million is available through this year's program. Awards may be up to $500,000 over a 36-month period and require a 25% local match. Approximately $1 million has been reserved for microgrants of up to $100,000 for school districts, including rural, tribal, and low-resourced schools.

Eligible projects may include access control systems, visitor screening and detection technologies, emergency communications and notification systems, security lighting, locks, coordination with law enforcement, and other measures that enhance school safety.

Note: SVPP uses a two-step application process. Applicants must first submit the required SF-424 through Grants.gov by August 4, followed by the full application in JustGrants by August 11.

Virginia School Security Equipment Grant Program (Virginia Only)

• Application Deadline: August 1

The Virginia Department of Education is accepting applications for its 2026–2027 School Security Equipment Grant Program.

School divisions may apply for up to $250,000 each fiscal year to support eligible school security equipment and installation costs.

Eligible projects include:

• Electronic access control systems
• Visitor badging systems
• Surveillance cameras
• Two-way radios
• Security alarm and panic systems
• Security lighting
• Classroom door locks
• Mass notification equipment
• Security scanning equipment
• Intercom systems
• Other approved security equipment

Additional eligibility requirements and application information are available through the Virginia Department of Education.

Mental & Behavioral Health Grants

The following funding opportunities support student mental health, behavioral health, trauma-informed practices, prevention, and recovery.

Mental Health Awareness Training (MHAT) Grants

• Application Deadline: July 27

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is providing approximately $22 million to support the implementation of mental health awareness and literacy training.

Up to 110 grants of up to $200,000 per year for three years (up to $600,000 total) will be awarded. Eligible applicants include states, local governments, Tribal governments and organizations, and nonprofit organizations. No cost share or matching funds are required.

Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education)

• Application Deadline: July 27

SAMHSA is providing approximately $55.8 million to help communities build sustainable school-based systems that address student mental health, substance use, co-occurring disorders, and social-emotional well-being.

Up to 31 grants of up to $1.5 million per year for five years (up to $7.5 million total) will be awarded. Eligible applicants are domestic public and private nonprofit organizations. No cost share or matching funds are required.

Trauma-Informed Services in Schools

• Application Deadline: July 16

This grant aims to increase student access to evidence-based support services and mental health care by supporting innovative initiatives, activities, and programs that connect local school systems with trauma support and mental health providers.

Approximately $6 million is available through the program. Eligibility is limited to State Education Agencies (SEAs), with proposed budgets not to exceed $970,000 per project year.

National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative – Category II, Treatment and Service Adaptation (TSA) Centers

• Application Deadline: July 15

This grant supports expert centers that help improve responses to specific types of child trauma, affected populations, and child-serving systems.

NCSSD Government Relations Committee Chair Guy Grace noted that while this is not a traditional physical security grant for individual school districts, it remains highly relevant to school safety because it supports evidence-based trauma treatment, recovery practices, behavioral health response, and stronger service-system support for children, youth, families, and schools.

Preventing Youth Overdose: Treatment, Recovery, Education, Awareness and Training Program

• Application Deadline: July 16

This SAMHSA grant provides funding to help communities prevent youth opioid overdoses through education, treatment, and recovery support.

Approximately $2.7 million is available through six awards. Eligible applicants may receive up to $450,000 annually for three years, with no matching funds required.

Domestic public and private nonprofit organizations, including eligible community-based organizations and tribal organizations, can apply. School districts may be able to participate as partners but are not the primary intended applicants.

Statewide Family Network (SFN) Grants

• Application Deadline: July 27

SAMHSA is providing approximately $1.85 million to strengthen family-led mental health organizations that support, train, and mentor parents and caregivers of children, youth, and young adults with serious emotional disturbances or co-occurring disorders.

Up to 12 grants of up to $150,000 per year for three years (up to $450,000 total) will be awarded. Eligible applicants are domestic public and private nonprofit organizations. No cost share or matching funds are required.

Note: Most school districts and school safety departments are not eligible to apply directly for the SFN grant. However, they may benefit by partnering with or referring families to organizations that receive funding.

State-Level School Safety Opportunities

Although school districts typically cannot apply directly for these grants, they shouldn't overlook them. Early conversations with state education agencies and other partners can help ensure local school safety priorities are represented in statewide funding proposals.

School Safety Enhancement Program

• Application Deadline: July 28

The U.S. Department of Education has also announced its School Safety Enhancement Program.

Unlike most grant opportunities, this is not a typical district-by-district program. Eligible applicants are State Education Agencies (SEAs), and only one application per state is permitted.

That means districts, school safety leaders, public safety partners, and community stakeholders should engage with their state education agency as early as possible if they want local needs and priorities reflected in the state's application.

The grant may support evidence-based school safety measures, including:

• Improving school infrastructure security
• Strengthening emergency response planning and coordination
• Supporting training and preparedness exercises for school personnel and school resource officers
• Improving physical security measures such as secure entry systems, interior door locks, perimeter controls, visitor screening infrastructure, and emergency communications

School safety leaders should carefully review each Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to confirm eligibility, allowable expenses, application requirements, and submission deadlines. Even when districts are not eligible to apply directly, many of these opportunities provide valuable partnership opportunities with nonprofit organizations, behavioral health providers, state agencies, and other community partners.

NCSSD Member Discussion

School safety funding is a frequent topic of discussion within the NCSSD community. Members share grant announcements, discuss eligibility requirements, compare application experiences, ask questions, and exchange practical advice.

Interested in joining the conversation? Learn more about NCSSD membership. Scholarships are available.