A State of Michigan budget supplemental act has provided for six new grant programs to be administered by MCOLES. Each of the six are one-time appropriations for projects that will run through the end of the State fiscal year 2026, or until funds for each program are exhausted, whichever comes first. The funding totals $58,700,000 for the below programs. Three are general fund appropriations, and three are funded through the American Rescue Plan (ARP)/COVID appropriations to Michigan.
Applications for the Public Safety Academy Assistance grants are now open. The remaining five grant programs are currently under development, and more information and applications will be available from this page as they are implemented.
November 14, 2025
Dear Law Enforcement Community,
Beginning November 14, 2025, the Commission will accept applications under the Public Safety Academy Assistance (PSAA) Program – Appropriation III phase to assist with the expense of training employed recruits to become licensed law enforcement officers.
The 2026 State of Michigan budget contains $10 million for PSAA Appropriation III grants. Unlike in past years, the appropriation was provided through the Department of Treasury’s revenue sharing budget rather than directly to the Commission. As a result, the Commission is coordinating with the Department of Treasury to access the funds. While the Commission will begin accepting and processing applications as of November 14, 2025, payments will not be made until the memorandum of understanding and accounting procedures are finalized with the Department of Treasury. We anticipate that process will take a few more weeks at the most.
The PSAA Program provides funds to agencies for recruit salaries and benefits, academy tuition and other associated approved expenses. To be eligible for the scholarship, the agency must complete all screening requirements for a law enforcement officer, including a comprehensive background investigation, and hire the individual as an employed recruit.
Agencies are eligible to receive a combined total of 35 scholarships across all three programs: the original PSAA Program – Appropriation I, Appropriation II and the current Appropriation III. Scholarship applications will be accepted and available for recruits who started an academy on or after October 7, 2025. As a reminder, these are limited, competitive grant funds; therefore, an application for funds is not a guarantee a scholarship will be awarded.
Detailed information outlining the PSAA Program – Appropriation III application process can be found on the PSAA page on the MCOLES website. For further questions or concerns, please contact MSP-MCOLES-Grants@michigan.gov.
Respectfully,
Timothy S. Bourgeois
Executive Director
Michigan Commission on Law Enforcement Standards
These grants will be to law enforcement agencies for community policing programs that develop collaborative partnerships between law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve. To be eligible for funding the grants must include the following:
Per the statute, prioritization would be to agencies with demonstrated support or established partnerships with the communities they serve. Funds may not be used to hire law enforcement personnel. Implementation of this program will include working with academic institutions and law enforcement agencies to determine and/or develop eligible research-based models.
These grants are for community policing and engagement strategies in three select cities. Two of these are for violence prevention programs, and one for a program that builds positive relationships between law enforcement and the community. Programs have been identified as the following:
The goal of this program is an incentive to pay for the licensing costs for out-of-state law enforcement officers relocating to Michigan for employment with a local law enforcement agency. Implementation of this program will include a review of current requirements for out-of-state officers to be licensed in Michigan, advertisement of the program, and developing a model to be used for payment or reimbursement.
This program is for basic law enforcement training academy costs and recruit salaries for individuals employed by a law enforcement agency and enrolled in an academy session. It provides for up to $24,000 per recruit for academy costs and salary while attending the academy. Funding for an employed recruit is on a first-come, first-served basis and a single agency may receive funding for up to 25 recruits.
