Criminal Justice Division Funding Announcement: Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding (CESF) Program, FY2020
Office of the Governor, Public Safety Office • April 21, 2020
Purpose
The purpose of this announcement is to solicit applications for projects that seek to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus.
Available Funding
Federal Funds are authorized under Division B of H.R. 748, Pub. L. No. 116136 (Emergency Appropriations for Coronavirus Health Response and Agency Operations); 28 U.S.C. 530C. CESF funds are made available through a Congressional appropriation to the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated federal funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.
Texas expects to make approximately $37.8 million available to local units of government through regionally based allocations using the Regional Councils of Governments boundaries. Please see the Regionally Based Allocations Appendix at the end of this announcement for more information.
Eligible Organizations
Applications may be submitted by Native American tribes and units of local government, which are defined as a non-statewide governmental body with the authority to establish a budget and impose taxes.
Note: Units of local government eligible for a direct award from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) should first seek funds directly through BJA. The list of local allocations for direct BJA awards to Texas jurisdictions can be found here, and the federal solicitation is available here. Applications are due to BJA by May 29, 2020.
Application Process
Applicants must access the PSO’s eGrants grant management website at https://eGrants.gov.texas.gov
to register and apply for funding. For more instructions and information, see Developing a Good Project Narrative Guide, available here.
Action Date
Funding Announcement Release 04/15/2020
Online System Opening Date 04/15/2020
Final Date to Submit and Certify an Application 06/15/2020 at 5:00 PM CST
Earliest Project Start Date 02/01/2020
| Action | Date |
|---|---|
| Funding Announcement Release | 04/15/2020 |
| Online System Opening Date | 04/15/2020 |
| Final Date to Submit and Certify an Application | 06/15/2020 at 5:00 PM CST |
| Earliest Project Start Date | 02/01/2020 |
***Applications will be reviewed and processed as they are received. PSO intends to issue awards in an expeditious manner and encourages applicants to submit prior to the deadline in order to receive notification of an award as soon as reasonable. ***
Project Period
Projects must begin on or after 02/01/2020 and may not exceed a 12-month project period.
Funding Levels
Minimum: $10,000
Maximum: None
Match Requirement: None
Standards
Grantees must comply with standards applicable to this fund source cited in the State Uniform Grant Management Standards (UGMS), Federal Uniform Grant Guidance, and all statutes, requirements, and guidelines applicable to this funding.
Eligible Activities and Costs
Funds must be utilized to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. Allowable projects and purchases include, but are not limited to, overtime, equipment (including law enforcement and medical personal protective equipment), hiring, supplies (such as gloves, masks, sanitizer), training, travel expenses (particularly related to the distribution of resources to the most impacted areas), and addressing the medical needs of inmates in local and tribal jails and detention centers.
Examples of allowable costs include:
- Personnel Overtime (Peace Officer, Jailer, Correctional Officer, Medical, and other Essential Staff)
- Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Supplies (i.e. gloves, masks, sanitizer, disinfectant)
- Temporary Staff
- Medical care for inmates that have tested positive for COVID-19
- Any other costs associated with the implementation of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Guidance documents, specifically:
- Interim Guidance on Management of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Correctional and Detention Facilities
- What Law Enforcement Personnel Need to Know about Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Interim Guidance for Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Systems and 911 Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) for COVID-19 in the United States
- Interim Guidance for Businesses and Employers to Plan and Respond to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)
Eligibility Requirements
- Entities receiving funds from PSO must be located in a county that has an average of 90% or above on both adult and juvenile dispositions entered into the computerized criminal history database maintained by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) as directed in the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 66. The disposition completeness percentage is defined as the percentage of arrest charges a county reports to DPS for which a disposition has been subsequently reported and entered into the computerized criminal history system.
- Beginning January 1, 2020, counties applying for grant awards from the Office of the Governor must commit that the county will report at least 90 percent of convictions within seven business days to the Criminal Justice Information System at the Department of Public Safety. By January 1, 2021, such reporting must take place within five business days.
- Eligible applicants operating a law enforcement agency must be current on reporting Part I violent crime data to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) for inclusion in the annual Uniform Crime Report (UCR). To be considered eligible for funding, applicants must have submitted a full twelve months of accurate data to DPS for the most recent calendar year.
- The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has established a goal set by the Texas Legislature for all local law enforcement agencies to implement and report crime statistics data by using the requirements of the National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) no later than September 1, 2019. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) will collect required crime statistics solely through the NIBRS starting January 1, 2021. Due to these upcoming state and federal deadlines, grantees are advised that eligibility for future grant funding may be tied to compliance with NIBRS. Financial grant assistance for transitioning to NIBRS may be available for your jurisdiction from the Criminal Justice Division (CJD).
- Local units of government, including cities, counties and other general purpose political subdivisions, as appropriate, and institutions of higher education that operate a law enforcement agency, must comply with all aspects of the programs and procedures utilized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to: (1) notify DHS of all information requested by DHS related to illegal aliens in Agency’s custody; and (2) detain such illegal aliens in accordance with requests by DHS. Additionally, counties and municipalities may NOT have in effect, purport to have in effect, or make themselves subject to or bound by, any law, rule, policy, or practice (written or unwritten) that would: (1) require or authorize the public disclosure of federal law enforcement information in order to conceal, harbor, or shield from detection fugitives from justice or aliens illegally in the United States; or (2) impede federal officers from exercising authority under 8 U.S.C. § 1226(a), § 1226(c), § 1231(a), § 1357(a), § 1366(1), or § 1366(3). Lastly, eligible applicants must comply with all provisions, policies, and penalties found in Chapter 752, Subchapter C of the Texas Government Code.
- Each local unit of government, and institution of higher education that operates a law enforcement agency, must download, complete and then upload into eGrants the CEO/Law Enforcement Certifications and Assurances Form certifying compliance with federal and state immigration enforcement requirements. This Form is required for each application submitted to OOG and is active until August 31, 2021 or the end of the grant period, whichever is later.
- Eligible applicants must have a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number assigned to its agency (to request a DUNS number, go to https://fedgov.dnb.com/webform).
- Eligible applicants must be registered in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) database located at https://sam.gov/.
Failure to comply with program eligibility requirements may cause funds to be withheld and/or suspension or termination of grant funds.
Prohibitions
Grant funds may not be used to support the unallowable costs listed in the Guide to Grants
or any of the following unallowable costs:
- Law enforcement equipment that is standard department issue; and
- Any other prohibition imposed by federal, state or local law or regulation.
Selection Process
Application Screening: PSO will screen all applications to ensure that they meet the requirements included in the funding announcement, to understand the overall demand for the program and to identify significant variations in costs per item. After this review, the Office of the Governor will determine if eligible applications can be funded based on funds available, if there are cost-effectiveness benefits to normalizing or setting limits on the range of costs, and if other fair-share cuts may allow for broader distribution and a higher number of projects while still remaining effective.
Final Decisions: The PSO executive director will consider staff recommendations along with other factors and make all final funding decisions. Other factors may include cost effectiveness, overall funds availability, state government priorities and strategies, legislative directives, need, geographic distribution, balance of focuses and approaches, or other relevant factors.
PSO may not fund all applications or may only award part of the amount requested. In the event that funding requests exceed available funds, PSO may revise projects to address a more limited focus.
Contact Information
For more information, contact the eGrants help desk at eGrants@gov.texas.gov
or (512) 463-1919.
Regionally Based Allocations Appendix
Texas is divided into 24 regions, each served by a voluntary organization of local governmental entities that coordinate programs and services to address needs that cross jurisdictional boundaries. PSO will use the allocations below as a guide when making funding decisions for applications within each region. Funds remaining within a regionally based allocation after all eligible applications have been selected for award from that region may be reallocated to other regions.
Please visit https://txregionalcouncil.org/regional-councils/
to determine which Council of Governments region your jurisdiction belongs to.
Registration is now open for the Texas Illegal Dumping Resource Center Illegal Dumping Class , co-hosted with the East Texas Council of Governments. This two-day training is designed to support city and county officials, enforcement partners, and others who work to address illegal dumping and related environmental concerns in their communities. About the Class Illegal dumping continues to be a challenge for many communities, impacting public health, safety, property, waterways, and the overall quality of life for residents. This class will provide information and resources to help local partners better understand enforcement tools and response strategies. Topics covered will include: Illegal dumping Outdoor burning Public health nuisances Water pollution Hazardous waste City and county enforcement considerations Other related environmental enforcement issues Event Details Dates: August 17–18 Time: 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Location: Workforce Solutions East Texas Address: 1905 W Loop 281, Suite 40, Longview, TX 75604 Cost: $125 Continuing Education: 12 CEUs included Who Should Attend This class is suitable for professionals involved in environmental enforcement and community response efforts, including: County deputies Constables Fire marshals Code enforcement officers Emergency management coordinators Prosecutors Local officials Others involved in environmental enforcement How to Register Participants can register at https://tidrc.regfox.com/cee-illegal-dumping---longview---aug-18-19 ETCOG is proud to help bring this training opportunity to East Texas and support local partners working to protect public health, safety, and the communities we serve.
TDA is pleased to see interest from many communities in the upcoming 2027 Texas Community Development Block Grant applications. No action is required for communities at this time; however, here are several items that may be useful as you look forward to the release of grant applications this fall: Save the Date for your local governing body resolution. All TxCDBG grant applications require a resolution adopted by the local governing body to authorize submittal of the application, commit to adhere to the requirements of the TxCDBG program, and commit matching funds, if applicable. TDA recommends marking your calendar to complete this task at your October 2026 meeting. The required resolution language will be provided in the Application Guide, to be released in September 2026. Procure a grant administrator. Many Grant Recipients hire a consultant to be responsible for grant administration and reporting requirements. If your community would like to have a grant administrator also assist in preparation of the grant application, the services contract must be competitively procured prior to any participation by the firm in the application process. TDA has compiled a user-friendly guide to procuring a grant administrator according to TxCDBG policies: Solicitation and Contract Documents for Administration Services* Contracts The Unified Scoring Committee will determine at its meeting in September whether to offer an annual or biennial cycle for the Community Development Fund – the sample documents in this guide account for both options. A similar guide for engineering procurement will be made available later this fall. No engineering work is required for the first phase of the application process. Attend your regional meeting to establish Project Priorities (or review the adopted priorities once posted). Consider the projects important to your community in each of the Priority 1 categories, as well as other projects that are important to your community. ETCOG's regional meeting will be held Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12 noon, at ETCOG headquarters TDA’s default priorities can be used as a reference for the available project categories; each region will identify its own priorities within this structure: 2027 Regional Project Priority Scoring Element - Default.pdf
ETCOG will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. during its Executive Committee meeting at 3800 Stone Road, Kilgore, Texas. The purpose of the hearing is to gather public input on the Texas Community Development Block Grant ( TxCDBG ) Program Regional Project Priority Types for the East Texas region. As part of the standard TxCDBG process, each Council of Governments region in Texas is encouraged to identify the project types that best reflect regional needs and priorities. During the hearing, ETCOG’s Executive Committee will receive comments from local officials, stakeholders, and members of the public regarding which eligible project categories should be prioritized for East Texas. These priorities may include needs such as water and sewer infrastructure, street improvements, housing, and other eligible community development activities. Regional project priority types play an important role in the TxCDBG application process. The priorities adopted by ETCOG will be submitted to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), which administers the TxCDBG program, for use in the upcoming funding cycle. Regional priorities account for a portion of the scoring used to evaluate grant applications. ETCOG encourages anyone with an interest in community development needs across East Texas to attend the hearing and provide input during the public comment period.
The CO-OP Grant team will host a series of Grant Application Workshops to cover all the elements needed for a competitive application. Offered both online and at sites around the state, the workshop will provide application support and assist potential applicants with an overview of the application process, grant program requirements and priorities, scoring criteria, budget planning and eligible grant expenses, and answer questions from applicants. Opportunities for in-person project consultation appointments with grant staff will also be made available at the site-based workshops. The CO-OP Grant will begin accepting project proposals August 3, 2026, through October 1, 2026, at 5 pm CST. Grant Awards will be announced March 1, 2027, and programs will take place over 18 months. Eligible projects should engage program participants in areas of conservation, outdoor recreation, and environmental education and connect participants to TPWD sites, programs, and staff. Grant funding can support personnel, training, travel, food, fees, and supplies. There is no match requirement. This grant supports outdoor programs for populations that are under-served. The CO-OP grant does NOT fund any type of construction, trails, boat ramps, or vehicles. This is a reimbursement grant. REGISTER To attend at workshop, complete the online registration at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BA5AD2DA1F5C16-64420560-tpwd#/ ONLINE WEBINAR Monday, July 20th 2 p.m.- 4 p.m Live (Recording will be available on/after 7/22)
$16.5 Million in Grants Available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that it is making $27.7 million in grants available through the Rural Business Development Grant Program (RBDG). This program provides funding for business and community initiatives that promote economic growth and job creation. Eligible applicants can include rural cooperatives, state government agencies, towns, and communities, nonprofit corporations and institutions of higher learning, and federally recognized Tribes. Individuals and for-profit businesses or organizations are not eligible to apply. Applications will compete in two separate categories: Business opportunity grants: May be used for business support centers, technology-based economic development, leadership and entrepreneur training, feasibility studies, business plans, long-term strategic planning, and other eligible activities. Business enterprise grants: May be used for training and technical assistance, project planning, business counseling, market research, feasibility studies, and product or service improvements, buying or developing land, easements, or rights of way, including access streets and parking areas, constructing or renovating buildings, and buying machinery and equipment, capitalizing revolving loan funds, and supporting rural business incubators and community economic development and other eligible activities. Electronic applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. local time through Grants.gov on the due date. The Rural Business Development Grant Program has two different closing dates: June 15, 2026, only applies to Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) applications. June 30, 2026, applies to the remainder of the applicants. For more information on how to apply please visit on gov or contact your local USDA Rural Development office .
Freedom 250 Event Celebrates Free Enterprise Through National Small Business Competition for $1 Million Cash
Many of our communities have properties that are abandoned or underutilized because of suspected environmental contamination from past uses. These properties are commonly referred to as “Brownfields.” Redeveloping a brownfield site does more than change the look of a property; it strengthens the health, economy, and spirit of the whole community. Through ETCOG’s Brownfield Site Reuse & Revitalization Program, local governments and property owners can receive no-match funding to assess and plan for the safe reuse of vacant or underused sites. Projects can include environmental studies, market analyses, community engagement efforts, and much more, that set the stage for growth while protecting public health and the environment. Every successful project begins with identifying potential sites. If your community has a property that could be brought back to life, now is the time to act. Find details and a site nomination form at www.etcog.org/brownfields-program .
This is an announcement shared from Texas Water Development Board