Law Enforcement Grant Programs

A number of organizations provide grant funding for law enforcement professionals or students aspiring to a career as a police officer, forensic pathologist, technology researcher, homeland security official, or other law enforcement professional. While some grants support the educational aspirations of individual law enforcement professionals, other programs aim to support and/or improve existing programs.

The David E. Whitmire Scholarship Fund is available to college juniors and seniors, as well as graduate students majoring in criminal justice, criminology or police administration. The scholarship fund was founded to honor a beloved Ohio police officer. The $500 scholarship can be awarded to either full-time or part-time students. While the application must be submitted via the foundation's web site, any questions can be directed to:

The David E Whitmire Scholarship Fund
PO Box 3934
Akron, Ohio 44314-0934 http://www.davidwhitmire.com/ (no phone number listed)

The Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences (ACJS) funds programs that support students studying criminal justice who plan to enter law enforcement or a related field. The organization offers several grants, including the Minorities and Women Section Esther Madriz Student Travel Awards. These grants fund travel for minorities and women to an ACJS conference, where they are to present papers on law enforcement or criminal justice. In addition, two ACJS Student Scholarship Awards are given out each year. One benefits a master's degree student, while the other goes to a student pursuing a doctoral degree.

ACJS National Office P.O. Box 960 Greenbelt, MD 20768-0960 http://www.acjs.org/ (no phone number listed)

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Scholarship gives money to police officers or others involved in the law enforcement field who are pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in one of the 17 approved degree paths listed on the DHS website. Awards are given to students who are learning about or researching technologies and techniques that could benefit law enforcement professionals or homeland security experts in the future.

DHS Scholarships U.S. Department of Homeland Security Washington, D.C. 20528 202-282-8000 http://www.orau.gov/dhsed/

Several law enforcement grants are administered by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). One is the Byrne Formula Grant Program, which memorializes the death of a New York City police officer killed by drug dealers. The grant program is designed to help train police officers in techniques to combat drugs in their community. Another grant offered by the BJA is the Local Law Enforcement Block Grant (LLEBG), which supports projects that "reduce crime and improve public safety". Police officers from all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and all U.S. Territories are eligible to apply.

Programs Office Bureau of Justice Assistance 810 Seventh Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20531 202-307-0703 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/