School safety funding: which grant pays for what
Three sources fund most K-12 safety technology. The federal STOP School Violence program pays for prevention: training, anonymous reporting and threat assessment, with no match required. The federal COPS SVPP program pays for physical security and faster police notification, with a 25% match. In Texas, the School Safety Allotment gives every district money each year for safety and security.
Every figure checked against the program's own notice · Last verified October 23, 2026
The three programs at a glance
| Program | Who can apply | Award | Match | Deadline | Pays for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STOP School Violence (BJA, FY2026)Open | School districts, public charter schools, private K-12 schools (as nonprofits), local governments, tribes and nonprofits (Category 2). States and public universities (Category 1). | Up to $1,000,000 (Category 2) or $2,000,000 (Category 1) | None | Grants.gov Oct 30, 2026, 11:59 p.m. ET · JustGrants Nov 6, 2026, 8:59 p.m. ET | Violence-prevention training, anonymous reporting technology, threat assessment and intervention teams |
| COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP, FY2026)Closed Aug 11, 2026 | States, local governments, tribes and their public agencies, including school districts, public charter schools, school boards and law enforcement. Individual schools and private schools can't be the primary applicant. | Up to $500,000 · microgrants up to $100,000 | 25% cash, unless waived (waived for microgrants) | Closed for FY2026. Watch for the FY2027 notice. | Coordination with law enforcement, locks and other deterrents, technology that notifies law enforcement faster in an emergency |
| Texas School Safety Allotment (TEC §48.160)Annual state funding | Texas public school districts | $20 per student in ADA (raised to $21.10 per TEA) + $33,540 per eligible campus | None | Paid through the state funding formula | Facility security, emergency communication technology, cameras, threat reporting systems, emergency response training, safety staff |
STOP School Violence (FY2026): what it funds
The Bureau of Justice Assistance expects to award up to $111,145,913 through about 80 local awards of up to $1,000,000 and 15 state awards of up to $2,000,000, each lasting 36 months from January 1, 2027. No match is required. The STOP School Violence Act allows four uses:
- Training to prevent student violence against others and self, for law enforcement, school staff and students.
- Technology such as anonymous reporting systems for threats of school violence, including phone apps, hotlines and websites.
- School threat assessment and intervention teams that coordinate with law enforcement.
- Specialized training for school officials in responding to mental health crises.
The notice rules out target-hardening equipment (it points those requests to COPS SVPP) and hiring armed security. Each entity can submit one application, to one category.
How to apply before the deadline
- Confirm your SAM.gov registration is active. BJA asked applicants to start registration or renewal by September 30; if yours lapsed, contact the SAM.gov help desk today.
- Submit the SF-424 in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. ET on October 30, 2026.
- Submit the full application in JustGrants by 8:59 p.m. ET on November 6, 2026.
COPS School Violence Prevention Program: what it funds
SVPP is the federal program for physical security. In FY2026 the COPS Office offered up to $73,000,000 in awards of up to $500,000, with a 25% cash match unless a waiver is approved. About $1,000,000 was set aside for microgrants of up to $100,000 with the match waived. The FY2026 window closed on August 11, 2026. Projects must fall within the statute's purpose areas:
- Coordination with local law enforcement.
- Training for local law enforcement officers to prevent student violence.
- Metal detectors, locks, lighting and other deterrent measures.
- Technology for expedited notification of local law enforcement during an emergency.
- Any other measure the COPS Office Director finds significantly improves security.
Texas School Safety Allotment: what it funds
House Bill 2 (2025) moved the allotment to Texas Education Code §48.160 and raised it from $10 per student in average daily attendance (ADA) and $15,000 per campus to $20 per student and $33,540 per eligible campus. TEA says the per-student amount is further raised to $21.10, tied to increases in the district's Basic Allotment. The money must go to school safety and security, including securing facilities, cameras and surveillance equipment, communication technology for emergencies, threat reporting systems, emergency response training, and safety staff.
Which QuickSecure module each grant can cover
Matched to each program's stated uses. The program office decides what is allowable, so confirm with its contact before you build your budget.
| Need | Grant fit | QuickSecure module |
|---|---|---|
| An anonymous way for students and families to report threats | STOP School Violence (named in the statute) · Texas allotment (threat reporting systems) | Anonymous Tip LineWeb reporting for students, parents and the community, with AI triage of urgency and tiered escalation to the right staff. |
| Getting law enforcement notified faster in an emergency | COPS SVPP (statutory purpose area) · Texas allotment (emergency communication technology) | Emergency management (Panic)Staff start an alert from their phone; dispatch is notified directly through RapidSOS with the alert's location. |
| Reaching every staff member and family during an incident | Texas allotment (communication technology for emergencies) | Mass NotificationsPush, Apple Critical Alerts, SMS, email and in-app messages, targeted by campus, building or group, sent by hand or automatically from an emergency workflow. |
| Practicing and documenting emergency drills | Texas allotment (emergency response training) | Drill ManagementPlans a year of drills from your state's requirements, runs them on the same workflows as real emergencies, and keeps the record. |
| Seeing existing cameras in one place | Texas allotment (cameras and surveillance equipment) | Video ManagementBrings feeds from the cameras a district already owns onto the campus map in Nexus. |
Writing a grant budget?
We can send a product description and a quote for the modules you're including, ready to attach to your budget narrative.