Grant News

What Recent Executive Orders and the Review of Federal Financial Assistance Mean for You

**This is a comprehensive blog that covers the key developments, implications, and strategies for grant seekers navigating the landscape of federal financial assistance under the new Administration. Updates to this blog will continue to be made as the situation develops. Blog last updated on September 10, 2025, at 4:36 pm ET**

The federal grant landscape was upended early this year by the release of several Executive Orders and Memorandum M-25-13, a sweeping directive that temporarily halted financial assistance programs for a review process aligned with the new Presidential Administration’s policy priorities. While the Administration later rescinded some of these efforts with memorandum M-25-14, grant seekers across all sectors - including public agencies and nonprofits – still face a multitude of questions and uncertainty around the effect of the President’s Executive Orders on federal funding opportunities.

SUMMARY: The Sexual Assault Services – Community-based Services Program (SAS CSP) supports nonprofit organizations that aim to enhance access to services for all survivors by providing community-based services in culturally specific communities. Applicants must have documented organizational experience in the area of sexual assault intervention or partner with an organization having such expertise.

SUMMARY: The purpose of the Lead Hazard Reduction (LHR) Grant Program is to maximize the number of children under the age of six protected from lead poisoning by assisting states, cities, counties/parishes, Native American Tribes or other units of local government in undertaking comprehensive programs to identify and control lead-based paint hazards in eligible privately-owned rental or owner-occupied housing populations. In addition, there is Healthy Homes Supplemental funding available that is intended to enhance the lead-based paint hazard control activities by comprehensively identifying and addressing other housing hazards that affect occupant health in homes with lead-based paint hazards being treated under the grant.

SUMMARY: The Sexual Assault Services – Community-based Services Program (SAS CSP) supports nonprofit organizations that aim to enhance access to services for all survivors by providing community-based services in culturally specific communities. Applicants must have documented organizational experience in the area of sexual assault intervention or partner with an organization having such expertise.

SUMMARY: From the Department of Homeland Security, this program is designed to enhance the safety of the public and firefighters regarding fire and fire-related hazards.

By Shannon Day, Senior Grants Development Consultant (Public Safety)

A Department of Justice memo released on February 5, 2025, indicates the department’s intention of withholding federal grant funding from so-called “sanctuary jurisdictions,” furthering demands put in place by an Executive Order signed by President Trump on January 20, 2025.

There is no legal definition of a “sanctuary” jurisdiction, but unofficially, it is a state, county, city, or town with policies to protect undocumented immigrants. During the first Trump administration in 2016, the DOJ withheld Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) program funding from numerous jurisdictions, including New York, Las Vegas, Chicago, and Miami. Attorneys General from 20 states filed an appeal in 2018. It is important to note that while federal funds were tied up in various lawsuits, the Supreme Court never ruled on the legality of the Department of Justice’s actions during the first Trump term because the Biden administration overturned the policy in 2021, immediately releasing federal funds. However, lower courts have repeatedly upheld the legality of most sanctuary laws. Law enforcement agencies cannot hold a person in custody for “an unreasonable amount of time” (this is undefined in the Constitution, but most states and prosecutors define “reasonable” as 72 hours) without bringing charges against them or without a signed judicial warrant transferring custody to another jurisdiction. According to Onondaga County, New York Sheriff Toby Shelley, when asked if his department would comply with administrative warrants, “If we do things that are against the law, we will be sued, and that will cost the taxpayers…So it is important to understand the law.” (Hayes, 2025)

SUMMARY: The OVW Campus Program (Campus Program) encourages institutions of higher education to develop and strengthen effective security and investigation strategies to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus, develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving such crimes on campus, and develop and strengthen prevention education and awareness programs.

By Sam Rawdon, Grants Development Associate (K-12 Education)

Alyssa's Law, named after Alyssa Alhadeff, one of the 17 victims of the tragic 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, is a law passed in 2019 that requires all public schools in Florida to implement a panic alarm system linked to law enforcement. This system’s purpose is to immediately alert authorities in the event of an emergency, particularly during active shooter situations or other violent threats. The law is a critical part of a broader effort to enhance school safety and improve emergency response times. While Alyssa’s Law mandates the installation of panic alarms, its influence extends beyond this, sparking a national conversation about school safety and widely impacted funding for security measures in schools. It has shaped the allocation of school safety grants, providing financial support for a wide range of security enhancements designed to protect students, staff, and faculty.

SUMMARY: The Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Grant Program (Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program) is designed to encourage partnerships between state, local, and tribal governments, courts, victim service providers, coalitions and rape crisis centers, to ensure that sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking are treated as serious violations of criminal law requiring the coordinated involvement of the entire criminal justice system and community-based victim service organizations. The Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program challenges the community to work collaboratively to identify problems and share ideas that will result in new responses to ensure victim safety and offender accountability.

By Meghan Jacobsen, Grants Development Associate

Public safety agencies such as law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency medical services are essential to any community. However, these agencies often face budget shortfalls that limit their ability to invest in new technologies, training, and other important initiatives. Many of these agencies also lack the workforce to dedicate time to applying to federal grants or to meet the post-award requirements. Others may lack grant experience and feel overwhelmed by the process of applying for federal funds. Both of these are great to dip your toes into grants through foundations. However, even for departments with seasoned grants experience, foundations are an excellent option to fund various needs and projects.

SUMMARY: The objective of the Gary Sinise Foundation First Responder Outreach Grant is to support First Responder Departments by providing funding for essential equipment and training.  It aims to enhance the capabilities of law enforcement, firefighting, emergency medical services (EMS), and search and rescue (SAR) organizations, ensuring they have the necessary tools and training to respond effectively to emergencies and protect communities.

Tribal communities across the United States face unique challenges related to public safety and law enforcement. These challenges stem from a combination of geographical isolation, underfunded services, and complex jurisdictional issues that often leave Native American communities vulnerable.

One critical solution to these problems is increased public safety grant funding for tribes. Grants can provide tribes with the resources necessary to build or strengthen their public safety infrastructure. Whether it is funding for law enforcement agencies, emergency services, or crime prevention programs, grants can allow tribes to strengthen their capacity to protect their communities.

SUMMARY: This program provides funds to tribal governments to respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, sex trafficking, and stalking in their communities. 

SUMMARY: The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) offers the COPS School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP) which is designed to improve security at schools and on school grounds through evidence-based school safety programs and the purchase and installation of certain allowable technologies.

By Shannon Day, Senior Grants Development Consultant (Public Safety)

In the nearly five years I have worked with law enforcement agencies in their grant funding pursuits, I’ve often heard, "I'd love our department to apply for more grants, but we just don't have the time." The departments I work with most often are the little guys because small departments don't have the luxury of having a dedicated grant manager on staff, and certainly not an entire grants department. Let's be honest: when considering the priorities for first responders, grants don't often rank high on the list, in part because of their typically complicated processes.

Similar feedback has been heard across all sectors resulting in the bipartisan Streamlining Federal Grants Act of 2023 (H.R 5934). Introduced to Congress in October 2023, this act is currently awaiting a vote from the 119^th Congress. The federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has proactively begun simplifying the grant process, including streamlining and standardizing application guidance and simplifying grants.gov.

Provides federally recognized Tribes and Tribal consortia an opportunity to develop a comprehensive and coordinated approach to public safety and victimization issues and to apply for funding.  Applicants may apply for funding under the Purpose Area(s) that best addresses Tribes’ concerns related to public safety, criminal and juvenile justice, substance use-related crime, and access to treatment and recovery support, including Tribal healing to wellness courts; and the needs of victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking.

Congressionally directed spending (also known as community project funding or earmarks) are line items in the United States federal budget specifically requested by individual legislators. There was a 10-year moratorium on these appropriations, but that ran out in 2021. Proponents of congressionally directed spending argue that it creates a more transparent appropriation process and enables local jurisdictions to more directly request and receive funds for their specific needs. Others believe that congressionally directed spending is wasteful or corrupt. Regardless of how you feel about this type of funding, they are a part of the current federal funding landscape and should be considered carefully when looking for support for your project.

In this article, we will explore the fiscal year 2024 congressionally directed spending landscape. We will evaluate where the funds are going and what types of projects they are predominantly funding. We will also reflect on where we are in the fiscal year 2025 funding congressionally directed spending process.

Last month marked the start of the U.S. federal Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) new set of rules directing the majority of federal grantmaking to nonprofits; education institutions; state, local, or tribal government agencies; and others. These rules, colloquially known as the Uniform Guidance, were first established in December 2013. Originally a consolidation of several federal rulemaking circulars, the Uniform Guidance’s policies have been periodically adjusted over the last 20 years. The most recent of these updates took effect on October 1, 2024.

When browsing through Grants.gov, you find a grant perfectly aligned with what your organization is trying to accomplish. Say you work in a university's criminal justice program and want to research police practices. You find a seemingly perfect grant, but as you read the eligibility…" Only applicants that received an official invitation letter from NIJ are able and eligible to apply." This "invitation-only" status is a common frustration for grant seekers. So, how do you crack that elusive list and get your foot in the door?

As a result of the rising number of violent incidents at K-12 schools over the last decade, schools have dedicated significant time and resources to developing ways to keep their students, faculty, and staff safe. There are a couple of different approaches education institutions take while creating and implementing an overarching school safety plan. Some institutions have focused on providing staff and students with training on what to do in the event of an incident, while others have begun developing systems for reporting suspicious or threatening behaviors before an incident happens. At the end of the day, the question all institutions must answer is - what components should a school-wide plan include to keep everyone inside (and outside) our schools safe? While there is no one-size-fits-all plan that will work for all, there are many different elements to include in your comprehensive plan, based on the needs of your institution.

Although the concept of recording law enforcement interactions is not new – police departments began using cumbersome vehicle- and helmet-mounted cameras in the 1960s (Seaskate, Inc., 1998) – the use of body-worn cameras in the United States took off after the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, sparked national outrage and renewed scrutiny of police-citizen interactions. The lack of video evidence from the incident fueled public demands for greater transparency and accountability. This moment proved to be a tipping point for Body-worn Cameras (BWC), which led to the U.S. Department of Justice's creation of the Body-worn Camera Policy and Implementation Program (BWC PIP).

The Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking on Campus Program (Campus Program) encourages institutions of higher education to develop and strengthen effective security and investigation strategies to combat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking on campus, develop and strengthen victim services in cases involving such crimes on campus, and develop and strengthen prevention education and awareness programs.

School safety has been a primary concern for school districts over the past several years. In the wake of tragic events such as the Uvalde school shooting in 2022, K-12 school districts have made it a priority to improve the physical security of their school buildings. However, funding was not always readily available until the Stop School Violence Act of 2018. An important result of this act was the STOP School Violence Prevention Program, or SVPP, a federal grant program that provides K-12 school districts, state and local governments, and Tribes the financial means to improve the physical security of their schools through evidence-based school safety programs and technology. In fiscal year 2023, up to $73 million was available for potential applicants, with future funding available through 2028.

Every year in the United States, citizens cast their ballots for the candidates of their choice in federal, state, and local elections. Voters rely on the security of election infrastructure to ensure that they can cast their votes safely and that all votes will be counted fairly. Unfortunately, physical threats against election workers have increased in the past several years, and more must be done to protect these individuals. Making voting facilities safe is important for workers and members of the public who visit to cast their ballots. In the past, states and local governments have implemented procedures and tools to keep the voting process safe and secure. In addition to physical safety measures like door locks, security cameras, and more, investments have also been made in election IT infrastructure to ensure that election information is safe from breaches and cyber threats. This includes investments in the modernization of voting equipment and election-related computer systems. To make further improvements in physical security and cybersecurity, state and local governments have the opportunity to apply for grant funding through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. 

Technology is used across the criminal justice spectrum to streamline processes, ensure compliance, and protect people and their data. Gone are the days of hand-written police reports faxed to the District Attorney’s office.

We all know how important technology is, but equipment ages, technology advances, and sometimes we don’t know how to fund it. Federal and state grantmakers provide funding to help those working within the criminal justice system keep ahead of the curve or at least keep abreast with it.

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program is the primary provider of federal criminal justice funding to state and local jurisdictions. The JAG Program provides states and units of local governments with critical funding necessary to support a range of program areas including law enforcement, prosecution and court programs, prevention and education programs, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, crime victim and witness initiatives, and planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs. JAG funds may be used for state and local initiatives, technical assistance, strategic planning, research and evaluation (including forensics), data collection, training, personnel, equipment, forensic laboratories, supplies, contractual support, and criminal justice information systems that will improve or enhance areas such as: law enforcement programs, prosecution and court programs, prevention and education programs, and crime victim and witness programs.

The Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence Act of 2018 (STOP School Violence Act of 2018) gave the COPS Office authority to provide awards to improve security at schools and on school grounds in the jurisdiction of the grantee through evidence-based school safety programs.
Anticipated outcomes of SVPP awards include improved information sharing with local law enforcement; increased interaction and improved communications between law enforcement and school officials; reduced notification times to law enforcement; improved response time to threats and events; accurate identification of danger and follow-up; increased knowledge of and use of community policing principles; and increased school safety and sustainability planning efforts. In FY2023, funding will be available for the following school safety measures:

•     Acquisition and installation of technology for expedited notification to law enforcement during an emergency.
•     Coordination with local law enforcement.
•     Placement and use of metal detectors, locks, lighting, and other deterrent measures.
•     Training for local law enforcement officers to prevent school violence.
•     Any other measure that the COPS Office Director determines may provide a significant security improvement.

The Department of Justice Edward Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) was released on Friday, June 30th.

The JAG program is the primary grant funding provider for an array of initiatives across the criminal justice spectrum. Areas supported include law enforcement, courts and corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, victim and witness support, and technology improvement programs.

The two primary federal funding agencies for public safety initiatives are the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security. A review of the FY 2023 Federal Budget provides a glimpse into what these agencies will prioritize in the coming year.

ELIGIBILITY: Eligible applicants are federally recognized Indian Tribes (or a consortium of Indian Tribes).