Gov. Beshear Announces Nearly $884,000 in Grant Funding Available To Reduce Crime and Violence
On January 27, Gov. Andy Beshear announced that applications are open for nearly $884,000 in federal grant funding to reduce crime and violence across the commonwealth.
Funding from the federal Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP) is available to units of local governments to assist state, local and tribal efforts to prevent and reduce crime and violence, with a focus on gun violence and programs and initiatives that address root causes. Eligible applicants include towns, counties and cities, as well as law enforcement, judicial enforcement districts, or school districts.
“Preventing crime in all of our communities is essential to building the safer New Kentucky Home all of our children deserve,” Gov. Beshear said. “As we continue to make progress, I am proud to work with our local governments to ensure every corner of our state is safer than ever before.”
This funding opportunity follows December’s announcement of more than $1.3 million in Byrne SCIP funding awarded by Gov. Beshear to 12 organizations, including the city of Somerset, the Fayette County Board of Education, Hope Center Inc., Maryhurst and Western Kentucky University.
Byrne SCIP provides funding to create and implement state crisis intervention court proceedings, including mental health courts, drug courts and veterans’ treatment courts, and related programs or initiatives to prevent or reduce gun violence. Kentucky’s State Crisis Intervention Advisory Board adopted five program areas for priority funding: court programs and court-based diversion programs; behavioral health initiatives and crisis response; community crisis intervention and co-responder programs and training; suicide prevention initiatives, particularly those related to veterans and youth; and education and public awareness campaigns and gun safety device distribution.
“Funding like this is essential to our continued support of local government agencies who work each day to reduce crime in their communities,” said Justice and Public Safety Cabinet Secretary Keith Jackson. “It fosters collaboration and builds relationships that allow us to support all Kentuckians and build brighter futures for all.”
Applications must be submitted online by 5 p.m. EST on Feb. 27, 2026, via Intelligrants 10.0 (IGX), the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet’s electronic grants management system. Assistance with the application process may be obtained by contacting grants management staff at JUSIGX@ky.gov. Awards are expected to be announced in September with the award date beginning Oct. 1.
The Beshear-Coleman administration’s top priority is the safety of all Kentuckians. The Governor’s public safety actions are creating safer communities and a better Kentucky.
Since taking office, the Beshear-Coleman administration has awarded more than $162 million in grant funding to victim service agencies across the commonwealth. Gov. Beshear has also signed legislation to make sexual extortion a felony and strengthened statutory language to include other forms of abuse and sexual exploitation of minors.
For the first time, Kentucky is simultaneously offering basic training in two locations, Richmond and Madisonville. As of January, 37 officers have graduated from the Western Kentucky Law Enforcement Training Facility, which is currently in a building provided by the Madisonville Police Department. Team Kentucky is in the process of constructing a new, state-of-the-art facility in Madisonville, and Gov. Beshear's 2026-2028 executive budget requests an additional $64.8 million to construct the remaining critical elements of the facility, including an indoor firing range and a driving track.
Protecting the commonwealth’s schools are a top priority of Team Kentucky. In August of last year, the Governor announced that 1,315 Kentucky public schools are following statutory safety requirements required by the School Safety and Resiliency Act and that the number of school resource officers protecting schools has increased more than 100% since he took office.
Since Gov. Beshear took office, fewer Kentuckians have returned to prison after their release. In February 2025, it was announced that nearly 70% of those released from state custody have not returned. The 2024 Crime in Kentucky report, released in June, shows that, from 2023 to 2024, there was an overall decrease of 7.66% in reports of serious crime.
For three straight years, overdose deaths have decreased in Kentucky. In 2024, the commonwealth saw 30.2% fewer overdose deaths than the year prior. Gov. Beshear continued this progress in November by scheduling 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I narcotic, making it illegal to sell, possess or distribute any isolated or concentrated forms of 7-OH in the state.
In April of last year, Gov. Beshear officially opened the doors to the new law enforcement training facility named in honor of Jody Cash, who lost his life in the line of duty. The facility is designed for officers to learn intensive and specialized training that will support all of Kentucky’s law enforcement agencies.
Since taking office, Gov. Beshear has awarded nearly $12 million in grant funding to assist state and local law enforcement agencies with enhancing public and officer safety, curbing the sale of illegal drugs and fighting addiction.
