01 — Program Overview
What Is the STOP School Violence Act?
The STOP (Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence) School Violence Act is the primary federal funding vehicle for AI-powered threat detection software. Administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Department of Justice, it provides competitive grants to school districts, nonprofits, and local governments for school safety technology and training programs.
$83M
Total FY25 allocation (FY26 expected similar)
79
Awards issued per fiscal year
$0
Cost-share required (unlike SVPP)
Key advantage: Unlike the COPS SVPP program (which requires a 25% local match), STOP grants require zero cost-share. Districts can receive 100% federal funding with no out-of-pocket contribution.
02 — Award Structure
How Much Can Your District Get?
STOP grants are divided into two categories. School districts apply under Category 2.
| Category |
Eligible Applicants |
Award Ceiling |
# Awards |
Total Pool |
| Category 1 |
States, Tribal Governments |
$2M per award |
~10 |
~$20M |
| Category 2 ← You |
School Districts, Nonprofits, Localities |
$1M per award |
~69 |
~$69M |
Awards span 36 months (3 years), with a typical October 1 performance start date. That means roughly $300K–$333K per year in annual funding — enough to cover AI threat detection software, staff training, and a part-time threat assessment coordinator.
03 — 2026 Application Timeline
Key Dates for the FY26 Funding Cycle
The official FY26 Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) has not yet been released as of April 2026. Based on historical patterns:
Now — May 2026
Preparation Phase
Assemble your cross-functional team: security director, CFO, IT staff, mental health coordinator. Gather documentation: incident data, current security gaps, enrollment figures. Draft your Statement of Need.
March–April 2026
NOFO Release (Expected)
Official announcement on Grants.gov and bja.ojp.gov. Monitor these sites closely. BJA email alerts are available via bja.ojp.gov.
June–July 2026
Application Deadline (Expected)
Submit via Grants.gov first, then JustGrants. Both portals must be completed. Allow 2–3 weeks buffer for technical issues.
September–October 2026
Award Announcements
BJA notifies award recipients. Performance period begins October 1, 2026 — funds available through September 30, 2029.
⚠️ Start Now: Districts that begin preparation 3–4 months before the deadline submit significantly stronger applications. Don't wait for the NOFO — your Statement of Need and team structure can be drafted today.
04 — Eligible Expenses
What STOP Funds Can (and Can't) Pay For
This is where most districts get tripped up. STOP is a prevention and technology grant — not an infrastructure grant. AI threat detection software is explicitly listed as eligible.
| Expense Type |
STOP Eligible? |
Notes |
| AI threat detection software (e.g., anonymous reporting, behavioral monitoring) |
✓ Yes |
Primary use case — explicitly listed in NOFO |
| Anonymous tip line / mobile app |
✓ Yes |
Core STOP program objective |
| Threat assessment team staffing (coordinator) |
✓ Yes |
Partial salary covered |
| Staff training & professional development |
✓ Yes |
BTAM protocols, crisis response |
| Mental health referral systems |
✓ Yes |
Behavioral intervention programs |
| Security cameras / physical locks / fencing |
✗ No |
Use COPS SVPP ($73M, up to $500K) instead |
| School resource officers (SROs) |
✗ No |
Use COPS Hiring Program instead |
| Physical infrastructure (walls, doors) |
✗ No |
Not covered under STOP |
Pro tip: Many districts stack STOP (software + prevention) with COPS SVPP (cameras + hardware) for a combined $1.5M+ budget. These programs are designed to complement each other.
05 — Application Requirements
What Your Application Must Include
-
✓
Statement of Need — Document current threats, gaps, incident history. Quantify the problem: # of threats reported, response times, mental health referrals. Districts with documented incidents score higher.
-
✓
Program Plan (24–36 pages) — Describe your Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) team structure, technology implementation plan, training curriculum, and Year 1/2/3 milestones.
-
✓
Evaluation Plan — Define measurable outcomes: # threats identified, # student referrals, response time improvements. BJA requires quantifiable metrics.
-
✓
Budget Narrative — Line-item breakdown: software licenses/subscriptions, personnel costs, training expenses. Must be justified and matched to milestones.
-
✓
Letters of Support — From law enforcement, mental health agencies, school board. Strong partnerships improve scoring significantly.
-
✓
Project Timeline — 36-month breakdown with Year 1, 2, 3 milestones and deliverables tied to BJA performance measures.
-
✓
Civil Rights Certification — Standard federal requirement. Your district's legal counsel can sign off in minutes.
06 — Approval Strategy
How to Write a Winning Proposal
Category 2 has a ~15–17% approval rate with 400–500 applicants competing for 69 awards. Strong application language makes the difference.
Language that wins: BJA reviewers score on "behavioral threat assessment infrastructure" — not security cameras or policing. Frame your project as prevention + early intervention.
Sample Proposal Narrative (adapt to your district):
"[District Name] will establish a Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) team including administrators, counselors, school resource officers, and mental health professionals. The team will utilize ThreatSight's AI-powered anonymous reporting platform to enable students and staff to confidentially report concerning behaviors, threats of violence, and self-harm indicators. ThreatSight's machine learning model identifies high-risk patterns, prioritizing threats for immediate response by the BTAM team. Across 3 years, we project identifying 40–60% more early-stage threats, reducing crisis incidents by 35%, and supporting 150+ at-risk students with intervention services."
Key outcomes BJA wants to see in your measurables:
✓
Number of threats identified (before vs. after)
✓
Number of students referred to mental health services
✓
Response time improvements (hours to identify + respond)
✓
Staff training completion rates (% trained on BTAM protocols)
✓
Community satisfaction scores (annual survey)
Don't say: "We're buying a security camera system."
Do say: "We're establishing a behavioral threat assessment infrastructure with AI-enhanced early warning to identify students at risk and intervene before escalation."
07 — State Supplemental Funding
Stack Federal + State Grants for $1.5M+
Districts in ThreatSight's primary service region can layer additional state funding on top of federal STOP grants. Common combinations push total available funding to $1.5M–$2M over 3 years.
🏔️ Colorado
- School Security Disbursement (SSD): up to $1M+
- Stronger Connections Grant: $6K–$40K
- SAFER Emergency Response: $4.85M pool
- Stacking potential: +$500K–$1M
🦅 Wyoming
- State Mental Health: $206/student (2024–2026)
- Speak Up Speak Out: up to $1,000/building
- Digital Mapping Requirement (ThreatSight qualifies)
- Stacking potential: +$100K–$300K
🌾 North Dakota / Montana
- Federal GSEM Grant (Region 1 passthrough)
- State safety passthrough: $3.7M (FY24+)
- Rural districts: lower competition, strong positioning
- Stacking potential: +$50K–$200K
🌻 South Dakota
- Homeland Security Grants: ~$2M/yr available
- State School Safety Grant: competitive
- Digital mapping + BTAM certification required
- Stacking potential: +$100K–$300K
Rural advantage: Districts in MT, WY, ND, SD face less competition for state grants than urban districts. Fewer applicants + documented personnel scarcity = stronger Statement of Need scoring.
08 — Success Rates
What the Numbers Say
15–17%
Category 2 approval rate
400–500
Applicants competing for 69 awards
3–4 mo
Lead time for top applications
The five factors BJA reviewers consistently reward:
✓
Clear documented need — Districts with incident history or verified threat gaps score 20–30% higher
✓
Comprehensive BTAM team plan — Named roles, clear responsibilities, coordination with law enforcement
✓
Specific technology integration — "We will implement [specific system] to achieve [measurable outcome]" beats vague language every time
✓
Evidence-based justification — Cite peer-reviewed threat assessment research; align with BJA's published priorities
✓
Strong community partnerships — Letters of support from law enforcement, mental health, school board board members