COPS SVPP Grant
Up to $500,000 in federal funding.
The COPS SVPP grant helps K-12 communities fund the security and emergency-response technology that protects students, faculty, and staff — including AI gun detection.
Administered by the U.S. Department of Justice COPS Office, SVPP funds physical security and emergency-response improvements in and around K-12 schools.
One of the most impactful federal funding sources for school safety.
The FY26 SVPP funding opportunity is open now — here's what this cycle provides. Use it to scope your project and apply before the August 2026 deadlines.
In federal funding per awarded project for physical security and emergency-response technology.
A performance period of up to 36 months to plan, procure, and deploy your safety improvements.
Most SVPP grants require a 25% local cash match. A waiver may also be available for districts demonstrating severe financial need.
Reserved in recent funding specifically for rural, tribal, and low-resourced districts.
What SVPP funding can pay for.
SVPP supports meaningful school safety improvements that speed up response and strengthen coordination with law enforcement.
Emergency notification
Mass notification and alerting systems that shorten the time between a threat and a coordinated response.
Security cameras
Camera infrastructure and video systems — the foundation that AI gun detection layers onto.
Access control
Door hardware, locks, and entry-management systems that control who gets in and when.
Communication tools
Technology that improves coordination between school personnel and first responders.
Lighting & infrastructure
Site improvements such as lighting that enhance overall campus safety and situational awareness.
Response technology
Systems designed to improve response times and accelerate emergency notification end-to-end.
A short list of what the grant excludes — and why it works in your favor.
The most recent SVPP guidance lists several technologies as unallowable. The exclusions point toward exactly the kind of privacy-conscious detection ZeroEyes was built around.
Biometric technology
Including facial recognition and other identity-based biometric systems.
License-plate recognition
Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) hardware and software.
Firearms & ammunition
Weapons and ammunition of any kind are outside the program's scope.
Drones & UAVs
Unmanned aerial vehicles and related drone equipment.
Body-worn cameras
Officer body-worn camera systems and their storage infrastructure.
Officer salaries
Salaries or benefits for sworn officers or security guards.
ZeroEyes does not use facial recognition. It detects a visible firearm, not a person's identity — which keeps it clear of the program's biometric exclusion and easier to defend to a school board.
Eligibility at a glance.
Eligible applicants generally include
- States
- Units of local government (city, county, municipal, township, parish)
- Indian tribes
- Public agencies — including public school districts, school boards, and law enforcement agencies
Important for private & independent schools
Individual, independent, and private schools cannot apply directly as primary applicants. However, they may participate in projects led by an eligible public agency when permitted under the current funding guidance. See other funding worth exploring.
Higher-ed and technical colleges should confirm their status early — the right partner structure often determines eligibility. The ZeroEyes team can help you identify the appropriate applicant for your community.
A more achievable path for rural, tribal, and high-need districts.
Approximately $1 million in recent SVPP funding was reserved specifically for Microgrants. For many smaller or under-resourced districts, this track removes the biggest barriers to federal funding — making critical safety upgrades possible without a large local financial commitment.
The set-aside is small and competitive — only a handful of Microgrants (roughly a dozen) were awarded in the most recent cycle. Strong, well-documented applications still win it.
AI gun detection, aligned to what SVPP rewards.
SVPP authorizes five statutory purpose areas. AI gun detection maps most directly to expedited notification of law enforcement and to measures that significantly improve security — and ZeroEyes reduces the time between a visible firearm appearing on camera and the start of emergency response.
Faster alerts
Verified alerts are rapidly reviewed and shared with school personnel and law enforcement, accelerating the emergency notification SVPP prioritizes.
Shared awareness
Detections improve situational awareness across school staff and responders — strengthening the communication and coordination SVPP is built to fund.
Coordinated response
By connecting cameras, personnel, and 911 into one loop, ZeroEyes aligns directly with SVPP's focus on coordinated, faster emergency response.
The Only AI Gun Detection Platform
With a Human Safety Net
ZeroEyes pairs cutting-edge computer vision with 24/7 analyst verification inside the ZeroEyes Operations Center. Every firearm detection is reviewed by a trained expert before an alert reaches first responders — exactly the kind of expedited, coordinated response SVPP is designed to fund.
Start your applicationZeroEyes holds the U.S. Department of Homeland Security SAFETY Act Designation — independent federal validation that strengthens the compliance and procurement narrative of an SVPP application.
Images used to train our models to recognize firearms accurately in any environment or lighting condition.
Video frames analyzed per second across all active deployments by our real-time detection pipeline.
As fast as 3–5 seconds from detection and human verification to first-responder alert dispatch.
U.S. states where ZeroEyes protects schools, campuses, and facilities every day.
Not sure where your project fits?
Our funding specialists help schools identify eligible project components and align AI gun detection with SVPP priorities — before you write a single line of the application.
The FY26 window is open — apply by August 11, 2026.
The FY26 SVPP funding opportunity is open now and uses a strict two-step submission. Don’t wait — start your application today and submit well ahead of the deadlines below.
Submit the SF-424 application on Grants.gov by 4:59 PM ET.
Submit the full application in JustGrants by 4:59 PM ET.
Optional COPS Office applicant webinar at 1:00 PM ET.
Register in SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and JustGrants now. SVPP uses a strict two-step submission — Grants.gov forms first, then the full JustGrants narrative — and missing the first deadline disqualifies you even with a finished application.
Gather safety data, complete a risk assessment, and review your current camera and security infrastructure.
Identify allowable costs and connect requested technology to clear emergency-response improvements.
Submit a competitive application. ZeroEyes funding specialists help with alignment, narrative, and application support throughout.
Other funding worth exploring.
SVPP isn't the only path. Depending on your organization and state, several other programs can fund AI gun detection — our team tracks them all.
State-administered funding to create safe, healthy learning environments and prevent school violence.
For 501(c)(3) institutions — including private technical colleges. New rounds typically open in fall/winter.
State and local funding accessed through your County Emergency Management Agency and regional workgroup.
Millions are allocated to school safety in every state. We have funding specialists who navigate yours.
Request grant assistance.
Preparing a federal application can feel overwhelming — especially the first time. Tell us about your campus and a ZeroEyes funding specialist will help you identify eligible components, align with SVPP priorities, and navigate the application.
