Grants Information
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Grants Information

Many agencies and labs have found that applying for and receiving grant money is a good way to finance their purchase of an M-Vac®  system. We want to help our customers learn where to look for these grant opportunities as well as how the process works. Grants are often available for only a short window of time (often two or three months from initial posting to the application deadline) so it is important to look at the websites often. There is also some preparatory work that can be done anytime in order to make the specific application process go faster once an opening shows up.

A change was made for grant applications for 2021 which involves having two deadlines for every application. The first deadline is with the Grants.gov and it is for submitting the SF-424 (a 3-page basic information form) and the SF-LLL (a 1-page lobbying activities disclosure) forms in grants.gov. The second deadline is for submitting the full application in JustGrants. You won't be able to submit the main application in JustGrants if the grants.gov forms aren't already submitted.

Here are links to likely grants that are currently open:

  • FY25 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program. Grants.gov deadline is April 27, 2026, 11:59 pm Eastern. JustGrants deadline is May 4, 2026, 8:59 pm Eastern. Notice these deadlines were extended from the original. This grant may only have a loose connection to M-Vac®, but it does want to "Increase the ability of agencies to identify, report, investigate, and prosecute hate crimes." and "Expand the tools available to improve outcomes for victims impacted by hate crimes." The M-Vac® can help with investigating these crimes and help victims by discovering truth in their cases.
  • FY25 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program. Grants.gov deadline is May 4, 2026, 11:59 pm Eastern. JustGrants deadline is May 11, 2026, 8:59 pm Eastern. This solicitation states that some of its objectives are to "Strategically review cases of post-conviction and appeals claims of innocence with a focus on those at greatest risk for error" and to "Identify and apprehend the actual perpetrator of the crime." The M-Vac® has helped to free wrongly convicted people in the past (see Chris Tapp's story in Casework: Consistent Match and What Others Say: Chris Tapp Speaks - How DNA Testing Set Him Free.) There is good potential for using this grant to purchase an M-Vac®.
  • NIJ FY25 Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women. Grants.gov deadline is May 11, 2026, 11:59 pm Eastern. JustGrants deadline is May 18, 2026, 8:59 pm Eastern. This grant is mostly focused on services to victims, but it does have a goal in its Agency Funding Priorities that states, "Directly supporting law enforcement operations..." so that would be an area where M-Vac® funding could be justified. The M-Vac® has been successfully used for several cases involving violence against women, which could strengthen your petition.
  • FY25 Rural Law Enforcement Violent Crime Reduction Initiative. Grants.gov deadline is May 27, 2026, 11:59 pm Eastern. JustGrants deadline is June 3, 2026, 8:59 pm Eastern. One of the main general purposes of this solicitation is to reduce violent crime through technological enhancements, specifically mentioning equipment, so this could include the M-Vac®. It says technological systems "can create the infrastructure for actionable intelligence." If the M-Vac® is used to gain intelligence to quickly solve current crimes, then violent criminals are off the streets and violent crime numbers will reduce.
  • Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative. No deadlines evident on their main page or the two clickable info pages. This grant has a renewed information page (as of May 2026) and it is still funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and "provides grant funding, training, and technical assistance (TTA) support to law enforcement agencies addressing violent crime challenges in rural areas." "Funding and support are available for ...improving investigations..." One of the bullets under items grants can be used for is "Purchase and deploy technology that directly addresses violent crime." 

Here are some key places to look often for new postings. Several of these have the option to subscribe to a periodic email update service that helps you stay apprised of new openings.OVW Fiscal Year 2024 Enhancing Investigation and Prosecution of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking (EIP) Initiative - Solicitation. Grants.gov deadline is April 30, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern. JustGrants deadline is May 2, 2024 at 8:59 PM Eastern. In their description of this program, the OVW says this solicitation "is designed to promote, and evaluate, effective policing and prosecution responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking." It "encourages law enforcement agencies and/or prosecutors' offices to expand and improve their capacity to effectively investigate and/or prosecute" the above-mentioned crimes.

Here are some websites that help explain the various government agencies' processes:

  • DOJ Grants Financial Guide - This Guide gives a lot of definitions and tips for all parts of the DOJ's grant process. Don't miss the first Appendix, which is a guide to all the government's acronyms, so you can keep your DHS apart from your HHS or know your BJA from your JABG!
  • OJP Grant Application Resource Guide - This explains a lot of the rules and regulations for applying for OJP Grants and even goes through the process step by step.The OJP is the first of three subsets for grants under the DOJ.
  • OVW Grants - A page that explains the process for applying for OVW grants. The OVW is the second of three subsets for grants under the DOJ.
  • COPS Grants - A basic page that explains the process for applying for COPS (Office of Community Oriented Policing Services) grants. COPS is the third of three subsets for grants under the DOJ.
  • Grants.gov - This robust site leads to several helpful blogs (linked on the Home tab) with articles of interest to those applying for government grants as well as to the Grants Learning Center (Learn Grants tab) and several other helpful webpages (various other tabs.)
  • Just Grants (Justice Grants System) - This website combines the resources for all three grant making branches of the DOJ mentioned above.
Here is an example of a recent grant that was awarded specifically for implementing the M-Vac®. We have the draft of the application and permission to share it, so it is available upon request.
We would appreciate feedback on your successes in getting grant monies awarded for purchasing the M-Vac® System. Your tips could help others succeed as well.