WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced a new grant competition directing nearly $300 million in federal funding to as few as two and as many as four American cities willing to adopt a comprehensive law-enforcement strategy the administration is calling the Model Cities Initiative.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the program as a centerpiece of the administration’s public-safety agenda. “This administration is leveraging every authority to ensure the safety of all Americans,” Blanche said. “The Model Cities Initiative will supercharge our law enforcement partners and restore the rule of law to America’s neighborhoods, towns, and cities. Our message is clear: We will help those who help us Make America Safe Again.”
Eligible applicants are local government entities serving a population of at least 100,000. Proposals are due September 1, and the DOJ expects to announce initial award decisions in late 2026.
The initiative requires a whole-of-city application, meaning mayors, sheriffs, county prosecutors, and other local leaders must submit a single joint proposal outlining how the funds would be deployed across law enforcement, victim services, detention and reentry programs, and crime prevention. Allowable spending covers hiring and retention of sworn and non-sworn personnel, real-time crime centers, forensic and DNA tools, body-worn cameras, license plate readers, artificial intelligence systems, small unmanned aircraft systems, ballistic identification technology, and information technology upgrades.
Beyond policing hardware, the $300 million can fund mental health and substance-use services tied to public-safety outcomes, reentry and recidivism-reduction programs — including operational costs for county jails and state prisons — and youth crime-prevention efforts such as gang intervention and suppression. Victim services eligible for funding include emergency assistance, shelter and temporary housing, medical and dental care, legal services, and employment assistance.
The competition is structured as a multi-phase process. Cities can direct questions to MCIquestions@usdoj.gov and submit applications to MCIapplications@usdoj.gov, with full details available at justice.gov/grants. Initial award decisions are expected in late 2026.