Virtual Reality De-escalation Training
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.054
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 1 $3,982,693 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Assistance type
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Treasury account
-
- 15-0404-0-1-754
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funds virtual reality de-escalation training development and deployment for law enforcement under Assistance Listing 16.054, with the most recent grant award dated October 1, 2024.
The program supports state, local, and tribal governments, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, probation and parole departments, and sheriff's departments in developing, implementing, or expanding de-escalation and crisis response training programs. Funded activities include designing immersive VR platforms for police de-escalation training, creating model policies and procedures for VR-based instruction, conducting needs assessments, piloting training with law enforcement agencies, and developing transferable, scalable training modules for diverse agencies. The program targets improved responses to and outcomes for individuals in crisis who have behavioral health conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries. Award periods typically range from 12 to 36 months and may be extended if specific criteria are met. Coordination with an academic partner is required.
Award activity is limited: the portfolio shows one award totaling $4 million in federal dollars obligated as of October 2024, structured as a Cooperative Agreement. The single recent award went to Florida State University-VR Consortium in collaboration with BJA to enhance an existing VR platform with realistic de-escalation scenarios, conducting needs assessment, piloting with selected law enforcement agencies, and disseminating a VR training guidebook. The award runs through September 30, 2027.
BJA is the sole funder under this Assistance Listing. Recent solicitations indicate the program operates through invitation-to-apply mechanisms targeting prior recipients or specific partner types rather than open competition. The most recent opportunity posted January 16, 2025 (due January 23, 2025) was an invited administrative funding adjustment for prior grant recipients. Earlier opportunities from 2023–2024 required partnerships between two or more universities or targeted specific law enforcement agencies for VR adoption. Eligible applicant types have included public and private higher education institutions and municipal, county, state, and tribal governments. No open solicitation is currently available for new applicants outside pre-identified cohorts.
Objective and description
- Objective
Program goal(s) name: Improve law enforcement responses to and outcomes for individuals with disabilities. Program goal(s) description: Improve effectiveness of de-escalation and crisis response skills among law enforcement and correctional officers
- Description
This program supports state, local, and tribal governments, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, probation and parole departments, and sheriff's departments in developing, implementing, or expanding de-escalation and crisis response training programs that improve responses to and outcomes for individuals in crisis who have behavioral health conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs), physical disabilities, and/or traumatic brain injuries. This program also equips law enforcement and correctional officers with tactical skills, strategies, and technology to effectively de-escalate and handle crisis situations, enhance safety, and protect officer wellbeing.
Eligibility
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Award periods for Office of Justice programs generally range from 12 to 36 months. For specifics pertaining to this program, please see the current fiscal year's program solicitation available at the Office of Justice Programs web site (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities). For additional information, see the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide section on "Period of Availability of Funds" at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
Coordination with an academic partner is required.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria for selecting proposals is determined as part of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
- Award procedure
All final award decisions will be made by the Assistant Attorney General, unless a statute explicitly authorizes award decisions by another official or there is written delegation of authority to another official. For successful applicants, JustGrants will send a system-generated email to the Application Submitter, Authorized Representative, and Entity Administrator with information on accessing their official award package in JustGrants. The award package will include key information (such as funding amount and period of performance) as well as award conditions that must be followed. The Authorized Representative for the entity should accept or decline the award within 45 days of the notification.
- Time to approval or disapproval
The review procedure for applications is specified in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and generally includes eligibility and responsiveness, merit, programmatic, budget, and risk reviews.
- Renewals
In some cases, award periods may be extended if specific criteria are met. For details, please review the discussion of no-cost extensions in the Criteria for Award Extension section of the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide available at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/overview
Grant opportunities
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| BJA FY25 Invited to Apply- Administrative Funding Adjustment 2 | Closed | ||
| BJA FY24 Invited to Apply- Initiatives that Support Law Enforcement | Closed | ||
| BJA FY 23 Virtual Reality Training Development for Law Enforcement | Closed | ||
| BJA FY 23 Virtual Reality De-escalation Site-Based Initiative | Closed |
Grant awards
| Award | Recipient | Federal obligations | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| The florida state university-VR consortium, in collaboration with the bureau of justice assistance (BJA), will… | Florida State University | $3,982,693 |
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida State University | $3,982,693 | 100% |
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2024 | $4,482,689 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.054?
Assistance Listing 16.054 is Virtual Reality De-escalation Training, a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for Virtual Reality De-escalation Training?
Its CFDA number is 16.054: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.054 awarded?
1 grant award under 16.054 have obligated $3,982,693 in federal funds to 1 recipient.
Who receives the most funding from 16.054?
The recipients obligated the most under Virtual Reality De-escalation Training are Florida State University ($3,982,693).
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.054?
No opportunity listed under 16.054 is open now. The latest, BJA FY25 Invited to Apply- Administrative Funding Adjustment 2, was posted on January 16, 2025.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
- Every grant award and opportunity under it
- Funding by recipient, agency and assistance type
- Alerts for new opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this program