The Bureau of Justice Assistance opened the FY2026 STOP School Violence Program on September 21, 2026, with up to about $111 million available. The first deadline is October 30, 2026, so school leaders who want to apply have about three weeks. If you are hoping to use the money for radios, read the section on radios below before you build a budget, because the solicitation does not say what some vendor flyers say it does.
Deadlines and dollars
Applying is a two-step process. The first step is the SF-424 in Grants.gov, due October 30, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. The second is the full application in JustGrants, due November 6, 2026 at 8:59 p.m. Eastern.
Awards are split into two categories. Category 1, for state governments and public higher education, offers up to $2,000,000 per award with 15 awards expected. Category 2, for local governments, school districts, nonprofits and tribal governments, offers up to $1,000,000 per award with 80 awards expected. Awards run 36 months starting January 1, 2027. The solicitation requires no cost match, and each applicant may submit one application to one category.
One timing warning. The solicitation tells applicants to begin SAM.gov registration or renewal by September 21 and no later than September 30, and that date has already passed. A district that is not registered should call the OJP Response Center right away at 800-851-3420 and ask what it means for them.
Who can apply
Most school applicants fall under Category 2. Independent school districts apply directly, public charter schools apply as independent school districts, and private K-12 schools apply as nonprofits. Counties, cities, townships, special districts, federally recognized tribal governments and nonprofits are eligible in the same category.
What the grant actually pays for
The solicitation lists three project objectives. The first is training school personnel and educating students on preventing student violence against others and themselves. The second is building school threat assessment or intervention teams that identify violence risks and put strategies in place to reduce them. The third is deploying a technology tool, such as an anonymous reporting app, hotline or website, that lets students, staff and community members flag threats. The same objective says other technology that improves school safety also qualifies.
Several things are excluded. Target hardening equipment, such as cameras, fencing and locks, is pointed to the COPS School Violence Prevention Program instead. Hiring armed security or new school resource officers is excluded, as are food and promotional items. Any technology purchased also cannot use covered telecommunications equipment or services, which is one more reason to check your vendor’s equipment against the FCC’s Covered List before it goes into a budget.
Where school radios fit, and where they may not
The solicitation, as published, does not mention two-way radios. It names training, threat assessment teams and anonymous reporting. Some vendor flyers describe radios as something the grant has been interpreted to cover, but that language is not in the solicitation text, so treat it as unconfirmed until the Bureau of Justice Assistance says so in writing.
That does not mean radios are out. The “other technology that improves school safety” language leaves room for an argument, but nothing in the document guarantees it. The solicitation says costs must be reasonable, allocable and necessary, and the budget narrative has to explain how each line connects to your goals and objectives. A radio line that supports a stated objective, for example how a threat assessment team communicates and responds across campuses and buses, is a stronger request than a standalone radio purchase.
The safest path is to ask. Call the OJP Response Center at 800-851-3420, open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, or email OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov, and put the question in writing: can radio equipment be a budget item if it supports a stated objective? Keep the answer with your application file.
How applications are scored
Reviewers weight the narrative and budget as follows: project design and implementation 35 percent, capabilities and competencies 30 percent, project goals and objectives 15 percent, budget 15 percent and description of the need 5 percent. The narrative is limited to 10 pages, double spaced, in 12 point type. The abstract is capped at 2,000 characters. Required pieces include the SF-424, standard applicant information, the abstract, the narrative and the budget. Letters of intent or memoranda of understanding are needed for each named partner, such as a local law enforcement agency.
If you need radios whether or not the grant comes through
Many districts need radios for campuses, buses and events regardless of grant outcomes. Our two-way radios for schools buyer’s guide covers what to specify and what it costs, and our piece on reliable two-way radio systems for K-12 school safety covers how campus systems work day to day. If your district also uses FirstNet, read FirstNet radio compatibility for schools and public safety agencies. For a different funding source aimed at police and sheriff radios, see our FY2026 JAG grant guide.
Where to read the source documents
Everything above comes from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Read the FY2026 STOP School Violence opportunity page and the full solicitation PDF before you apply. Deadlines and rules can be amended, and this article is not grant or legal advice.
How Whisler Communications can help
Whisler Communications is a radio dealer, not a grant writer, so we will not write your narrative. If your district decides radios belong in the project, we can provide equipment specifications and written quotes for your budget, and describe how radios would work across your campuses and buses. Whisler has been a family-owned two-way radio dealer in Olympia since 1959 and serves school districts in Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Grays Harbor, Pierce, Kitsap and Clark counties. See our school radio systems page or contact Whisler Communications.
