County Essential Services Grant Program

The County Essential Services Grant Program is administered by the Office of the Governor of Texas to provide critical financial assistance to counties within the state. This program specifically targets support for essential public services, including but not limited to law enforcement, jail operations, court services, and reimbursements related to the prosecution of capital murder or hate crimes as defined in Article 104.004 of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure. The program is financed through state funds authorized under the Texas General Appropriations Act, specifically through Trusteed Programs within the Office of the Governor. Eligible applicants are restricted to Texas counties and are invited to apply through a limited submission process. The application must be submitted through the PSO’s eGrants management platform. All necessary application documents and instructions are available via the eGrants User Guide. The funding announcement opens on September 1, 2025, and remains available until August 31, 2026, with the same period defining the earliest and latest allowable project start dates. Projects must commence within this window. The scope of funding covers a range of trial and prosecution-related costs, such as expert witness fees and travel, courtroom security, juror expenses, court reporter fees for original transcripts, and other costs directly tied to the prosecution of qualifying crimes. While there is no minimum or maximum funding limit per project, all awards are subject to available state appropriations and are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. To be eligible, counties must meet several administrative requirements. These include compliance with cybersecurity training mandates for local governments, reporting thresholds to the Texas Department of Public Safety for criminal history dispositions, up-to-date Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) submissions, and full participation in the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit tracking program. Counties must also adhere to federal immigration enforcement cooperation standards and maintain active registration in the federal System for Award Management (SAM) with a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). All applications undergo a screening process by the Office of the Governor to ensure compliance with eligibility and submission requirements. Final award decisions are made based on staff recommendations, the availability of funds, geographic distribution, legislative priorities, and other relevant factors. Projects may receive partial funding depending on these considerations. Technical assistance is available through the eGrants help desk, and further inquiries can be directed to the Office of the Governor via phone or email. This program does not specify an award notification timeline or number of expected awards, and no matching funds are required. The grant does not support costs such as transcript copy fees, indigent defense, standard issue law enforcement equipment, or construction and remodeling expenses. This funding opportunity recurs annually, with the next cycle expected to begin in September 2026.

Submit accurate and timely UCR data; ensure SAEK backlog compliance; upload all required certifications.