Over the past several years, the US federal government has prioritized funding school safety solutions. Federal school safety grants provide funding for: security infrastructure updates, investments in new safety technologies, professional development, and security personnel. 

These federal funding sources are earmarked to improve school safety planning and emergency response and school mental health resources, including social-emotional learning curriculum and personnel. Districts pursuing this funding can increase their schools’ safety and provide resources for students’ and teachers’ well-being. 

Federal funding sources districts should consider for school safety solutions include:

The Coronavirus Aid Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act allotted approximately $13.2 billion to the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) Fund. ESSER grant awards were designed to address the lasting impacts of COVID-19 on elementary and secondary schools across the U.S. by providing emergency relief funds. 

The ESSER Act was passed in 2020 and funded a variety of measures intended to make schools safer and close gaps caused by the pandemic. Schools can still use ESSER federal funding sources to buy personal protective equipment, provide academic support, and improve mental health support to alleviate conditions worsened during the pandemic.

Here are the options for ESSER Relief Funds:

The 2018 Students, Teachers, and Officers Preventing School Violence (STOP School Violence Act) gave the Department of Justice’s Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) office the authority to award funding for security improvements to states, local governments, and federally recognized Indian tribes and their public agencies.

Eligible units of local government include counties, cities, and school districts. The program funds evidence-based school safety programs and technology to enhance security and reduce school violence. 

The School Violence Prevention Program will provide up to 75% funding for the following school safety measures for K-12 schools:

The US Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) administers the STOP School Violence Grant Program. This program, initiated in 2018, seeks to improve school security by providing students and teachers with the tools they need to recognize, respond quickly to, and prevent acts of violence. The STOP School Violence Grant Program funds schools to develop and operate evidence-based school safety solutions, including threat assessment protocols and crisis intervention teams. Funds can also be used for new and improved safety technology and school security infrastructure. 

Eligible applicants include:

Units of local government

BJA’s section of the STOP School Violence Act of 2018 targets several school safety measures for funding:

The Office of Justice and Juvenile Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) will fund the Enhancing School Capacity to Address Youth Violence grant program. This program supports targeted, evidence-based prevention and intervention programs to address youth violence in schools. The program’s goals are to reduce the incidence of school violence through improved school safety and climate and to prevent youth violence, delinquency, and victimization in the targeted community.

The Greenlights Grant Initiative is a national program connecting schools across the country with billions of dollars in grant funding to make schools and students safer. This nonpartisan program identifies federal school safety grants and partners with school districts in the complex application process. 

The Greenlights Grant Initiative focuses on the school safety grants included in the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. These include funding for:

The organization provides free resources to assist school districts nationwide in accessing school safety grants. Greenlights Grant Initiative tools include webinars, guidebooks, how-to’s, and tutorials. These resources enhance districts’ ability to successfully apply for and receive federal grants. In turn, schools gain the resources they need to keep students safe and nurture environments conducive to learning.

The 2022 Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) provides historic funding to support state and local education agencies and schools to establish safe, healthy, and supportive learning environments. The BCSA expands vital mental health services and provides support for states and districts to design and enhance initiatives that will promote safer, more inclusive, and positive school environments for all students, educators, and school staff.

The Stronger Connections Grant Program is one component of the BSCA. This program seeks to capitalize on the strength of local communities and leaders to improve schools’ climates and student achievement. The Stronger Connections Grant Program utilizes a portion of the $1 billion in BSCA funding for state education agencies (SEAs) to competitively award subgrants to high-need local education agencies (LEAs). The program seeks to award LEAs that employ evidence-based approaches to create comprehensive plans for creating safe, supportive, and healthy schools. As such, security measures, wellness initiatives, safety planning, and associated training may all be eligible for funding.

Initiatives that may receive funding include: 

The Stronger Connections Grant Program mandates that SEAs and LEAs engage community members and local partners to identify areas for which they will seek funding. Because the program aims to assist schools and students most in need of services, LEAs applying for funding should seek input from a diverse set of community members and from communities that face systemic barriers.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) aims to prevent and reduce violence in communities by supporting comprehensive, evidence-based community-based violence intervention and prevention programs, based on partnerships among community residents, local government agencies, victim service providers, community-based organizations, law enforcement, hospitals, researchers, and other community stakeholders. This collaborative approach will help ensure all communities have access to expertise to address community violence.

Many of these federal funding resources award grant money to agencies and schools investing in new technologies that nurture a culture of safety in schools. CENTEGIX seeks to ensure that school staff and students receive the highest possible quality education while remaining safe inside their buildings. It shares this mandate with the federal laws that grant money for safety and security improvements in schools. 

CENTEGIX is the leader in incident response solutions. CENTEGIX innovates safety solutions to empower and protect people every day. We’re the leading wearable safety technology provider for K-12 education, and leaders nationwide trust our safety solutions to provide peace of mind in the workplace. Our Safety Platform is the fastest and easiest way for staff to get help in an emergency, from the everyday to the extreme. 

The CENTEGIX Safety Platform™ is a worthy investment for schools seeking to spend their federal funding on effective, innovative, user-friendly technology. The Safety Platform is a multi-layered approach to safety.

CENTEGIX Safety Platform™, featuring CrisisAlert™, accelerates your response to emergencies. We’ve built the CENTEGIX Safety Platform to support you in the single most critical factor of incident response: time. Because in an emergency, every second matters. Find out more about how your district can apply federal funding toward an investment in CENTEGIX’s innovative multi-layered safety technology. 

Want to see your individual state’s school safety legislation and funding? Explore school safety standards by state and see what funding is available to your district.