2026 Massachusetts Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program

The Massachusetts Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program is a funding initiative administered by the Office of Grants and Research, part of the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This state-funded program is authorized under Chapter 24 of the General Appropriations Act of 2025 and is designed to address municipal public safety staffing deficiencies, specifically within police and fire departments. The funding supports local governments in maintaining adequate public safety personnel, aiming to enhance emergency response services and overall public safety in eligible communities. This grant targets municipalities that can demonstrate specific financial and demographic criteria. To qualify, a municipality must have had a population of at least 60,000 and must show that its police department's operating budget per capita was under $200 in the year 2010. A total of ten municipalities meet this eligibility standard: Brockton, Fall River, Framingham, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Malden, Newton, and Somerville. Only these communities may apply for FY26 funding. The program supports the hiring or retention of police and fire personnel, which is critical to ensuring that municipalities are able to continue providing uninterrupted public safety services. Funding can be used for salaries and wages directly related to public safety staffing. The solicitation outlines that applicants may also request expedited review and award if justified within the application materials, allowing for some flexibility depending on municipal need. The FY26 solicitation was posted on Friday, July 18, 2025. An applicant assistance webinar is scheduled for Tuesday, July 22, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Each eligible municipality is requested to send at least one representative to this webinar for an overview of application requirements, eligibility confirmation, and technical support. Application materials include the FY26 Municipal Public Safety Staffing Program Online Application, the required Budget Worksheet (Attachment A), and an Application Guidance Form (AGF). Applicants are encouraged to submit their proposals before the stated deadline if they seek an expedited award. Applications are due by 4:00 PM on Friday, August 8, 2025. The anticipated grant period will run from the contract start date through December 31, 2026. Although no specific award amounts or match requirements are listed in the program description, applicants must complete the budget worksheet to propose their requested funding amounts and allocations. The point of contact for this program is Allison C. Garvey, who can be reached by email at Allison.C.Garvey@mass.gov. There is no phone number listed for direct contact. The FY26 program does not accept FY25 recipient materials for submission and maintains a separation between resources for current recipients and new applicants.