Peace Officers Behavioral Health Support and Community Partnerships Grant Program Notice of Funding Availability/Application Overview Fiscal Year 2023 to 2024 (Funding)
Program Purpose
The Peace Officers Behavioral Health Support and Community Partnerships (POMH) grant program within the Department of Local Affairs (DOLA) is available for law enforcement agencies, peace officer organizations, and public safety agencies for purposes of the seven listed categories below.
- Co-responder community responses.
- Community-based alternative responses.
- Counseling services for peace officers and their immediate family members.
- Assistance for development and implementation of policies to support peace officers who are involved in shootings or fatal use of force.
- Training and education programs that teach peace officers and their immediate family members the symptoms of job-related mental trauma and how to prevent and treat such trauma.
- Peer support programs for peace officers.
- Hiring, contracting, or developing a remote network to provide behavioral health counseling, therapy, or other related support services to peace officers involved in job-related traumatic situations.
Behavioral Health Support
The POMH program supports a wide range of behavioral health support services for peace officers and peace officer immediate family members. Behavioral health support services are also available to Public Safety Agencies including law enforcement agencies, fire protection, emergency medical and response, and 911 emergency dispatch services.
Eligible expenses in the POMH-supported grant include:
- Counseling services including professional counseling, therapy, treatment services, mental health wellness checks, critical incident debriefing, trauma, prevention and reimbursement of expenses for counseling services incurred by a peace officer.
- Peace Officer immediate family members are eligible for counseling services, training and education programs associated to job-related trauma of the peace officer and how to prevent and treat job-related trauma,
- Peer support programs including professional training and oversight, “train the trainer” costs, on-site training and education, and costs of a behavioral health provider,
- Training and education including costs of registration and travel expenses for conferences, retreats, on or off-site training, membership fees, licenses for software applications,
- Development and implementation of behavioral health policies including consulting fees, printing, training, and
- Hiring, contracting, or developing a remote network to provide behavioral health counseling, therapy, or other related support service including IT services and training.
Eligible applicants for POMH Behavioral Health support include:
- County sheriff’s offices
- Municipal police departments
- Colorado State Patrol
- Colorado Bureau of Investigation
- Colorado Department of Corrections
- Colorado Department of Revenue
- Campus police departments
- Town marshal’s offices
- Colorado Division of Parks and Wildlife
- Public safety agencies
- Peace officer organizations
Co-Responder/Community-Based Alternative Response Support
Behavioral health entities, county or district public health agency, or community-based social services or behavioral health providers are eligible to apply for a grant in partnership with a law enforcement or public safety agency for co-responder or community-based alternative response programs.
Eligible expenses in the co-responder/community-based alternative response program include:
- Clinician’s actual service hours provided to an intervention.
- Crisis intervention training for peace officers.
- Cross-training between law enforcement officers and behavioral health disciplines.
- IT hardware, software applications related to a co-response/community-based alternative program.
Eligible entities in the co-responder/community-based alternative programs include:
- Law enforcement or peace officer agencies.
- Behavioral health entities.
- County or district public health agency.
- Community-based social service or behavioral health providers in partnership with a law enforcement or public safety agency.
POMH Program Ineligible Expenses
The Peace Officers Behavioral Health and Community Partnerships Grant Program will not reimburse grantees for the expense categories listed below:
- Vehicle purchase or lease
- Peace officer or first responder regular or overtime wages
- Retainer-type contracts (e.g., standard fee per month every month)
- Capital improvements (e.g., office renovations)
- Equipment (uniforms, office furniture, exercise equipment, etc.)
- Grant administration or overhead
- Child care
- Food
Total Funding Available
Approximately $1,862,059
Local Match
No local match is required from any applicant.
Timeline
- Application opens: December 13, 2023
- Application closes: January 19, 2024
- Projected award notice: February 20, 2024
- Executed contract: March 2024
- Contract term: Through June 30, 2026
Online Application Process
All applications must be submitted using the DOLA online grants portal. Please allow yourself time to become familiar with the grants portal system. Applicants will need to create an account, log into the system, and complete each section of the application. If necessary, you will be able to save and close a completed section of your online application and return to complete it at a later time.
Program criteria and helpful details on completing the online application:
- Ensure your application is complete and all questions answered before submitting.
- Note: the Chief Elected Official/Principal Representative is a Mayor, County Commission Chair, or City Council President.
- County Sheriffs’ Offices and Municipal Police Departments are encouraged to apply in collaboration with behavioral health agencies in their region.
- Do not provide confidential information in the application or supporting documents.
- Utilize the budget form provided on the POMH website.
- All Grant applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
- Narrative clearly defines the purpose of the project.
- Includes a statement identifying the need for the funds.
- Includes a statement on the correlation between grant project goals and your organizational goals.
- Provides information that the objectives of the project are specific and measurable.
- Includes a completed line item project budget that accurately reflects the project.
Application Overview
- Applicant/Contact Information
- Applicant name (All applicants must be a law enforcement agency or peace officers organization within the State of Colorado). Behavioral health entities may apply in partnership with a law enforcement or public safety agency.
- Chief Elected Official/Principal Representative (i.e. Mayor, County Commission Chair, City Council President).
- Designated contact person/Responsible Administrator for the application.
- Application Questions
- Amount of grant funds requested.
- Intended use of grant funds.
- Describe your need for these funds.
- How do the project goals correlate to your organization goals?
- Explain how your project goals are specific and measurable.
- Collaboration
- Project budget (use form provided)
- Board Approval/Tabor (for local government applicants)
- Official board action: Every application must provide the date the city/town/county board, council or trustees authorized the submittal of the grant application.
- TABOR (for local government applicants): The funds for the Peace Officers Behavioral Health Support Grant and Community Partnerships Grant Program are state funds and may be subject to TABOR. Local jurisdictions are responsible for their own Tabor compliance. Please consult with your legal counsel regarding TABOR limits before submitting an application.
Contact Information
Program Contacts
Ella Bowman
Grant Program Manager
(303) 864-7896
ella.bowman@state.co.us
Alejandra Madrigal
Program Assistant
(720)795-8410
alejandra.madrigal@state.co.us