School Violence Prevention Program (SVPP)

BACKGROUND            INTENT             USAGE            ELIGIBILITY            FILING            PAYMENT           ​ RESOURCES            ​ ACRONYM GLOSSARY ​
Background
This federal grant was developed by the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), in conjunction with the U. S. Department of Justice, to provide funding to eligible organizations like school districts for specific categories of investment that will further the awardee’s safety and security goals.
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Intent
Changes being made to restore safety and security in school across the country due to rising rates of school violence, ease of access to firearms and other weaponry, and increased sophistication of potentially threatening technology.
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Usage
Update technological deficits, train security personnel, and educate students on proper safety and emergency procedures.
  • Each award is three years (36 months) in duration for a maximum of $500,000 per award.
  • Total available funding for the 2021 SVPP grant was $53 million.

Examples of allowable uses
Applying districts have the option of requesting funding for costs that fall under one of the following categories, so long as they can adequately prove that the costs are related to the SVPP project.

1. Coordination (People): New or existing positions including project coordinators, project managers, technology managers, emergency management coordinators, and trainers.

​The grant pays salaries and provides benefits to fund these positions.

2. Entry Control Equipment
  • Door locking mechanisms and access control doors
  • Peepholes for classroom doors
  • School site alarm and protection systems
  • Motion detectors
  • Metal detectors and X-ray machines (including portable): Hand-held and walk through
  • Lighting (on school grounds)
  • Communication technology
  • Emergency call box
  • Intercom or public address (PA) system
  • Panic and alarm systems
  • Two-way radios
  • Emergency alerts
  • Automated text messages or email
  • Identification technology
  • ​ID scanning devices (and accompanying equipment)
  • Laptops (directly related to SVPP)
  • Maps of schools or bus routes
  • GIS Software
  • Printers (directly related to SVPP)
  • Social media monitoring
  • Automated scans of online content
  • Tracking systems
  • Smartphone applications
  • Video surveillance technology
  • Surveillance cameras or systems (and accompanying equipment)
  • Violence prediction technology
  • Data-driven software​
3. Supplies
4. Travel and Training
5. Consultants/Contracts: Usage must directly contribute to the implementation or enhancement of the SVPP project.
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Eligibility
The completed SVPP grant application must be submitted to the COPS office by a state, a unit of local government (city, county, township, etc.), Indian tribes, or their public agencies, which include county or city public school systems, public boards of education, independent school districts, police departments, and sheriff’s departments.

All eligible applications will include a budget and plan for the grant, that if awarded, must be used to benefit primary and secondary schools and their students, from K-12.

​District must match a minimum of 25% of total project costs.
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Filing
Applicants must complete a two-step process in order to apply for the School Violence Prevention Program grant.
  1. Eligible applicants must register through www.grants.gov and complete an SF-424. Once completed, the SF-424 must be submitted through grants.gov.
  2. The COPS office will send an automated email invitation that includes instructions for the applicant to follow to best complete the second part of the SVPP application. The second portion of the application process is completed through the COPS office online application system.
Applicants must have:
  • A DUNS number, which is required for all agencies that request federal funding.
  • An active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) database. SAM registration must be updated annually to maintain an active status.
In 2021, SVVP applications were accepted starting on February 4,. Applicants were required to complete the two-step submission process, detailed above, by April 8, 2020 at 7:59 p.m. EDT. Any applications submitted after this period were considered ineligible for funding unless an adequate explanation was provided to the COPS office.
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Payment
If selected to receive the COPS- SVPP School Safety Grant, the COPS office will notify the applicant electronically at which point the applicant must:
  • Access www.cops.usdoj.gov
  • Select the “Account Access” tab in the upper right corner to log in.
  • Review, and sign the award document. Doing so will officially begin the three-year (36-month) award period. Applicants will not be able to draw funds from the grant until they have signed the award document.
Budget requests associated with the COPS- SVPP School Safety Grant cannot exceed the three-year award period, unless specifically approved by the COPS office. Any funds that have not been used by the end of the three-year award period will no longer be able to be used or accessed by the awardee.
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Resources
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Note that New York State Education Dept. (NYSED) is still issuing guidelines for use of NYS's $7.9 billion allocated in the American Rescue Plan (ARP) passed by U.S. Congress in March 2021. Currently, available district funds must be spent by Sept. 30, 2024, although a deadline extension is possible. Sign up to be notified when significant content updates are posted.
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