Justice Department Launches $300 Million Model Cities Initiative

WASHINGTON — The Justice Department announced the Model Cities Initiative on June 3, 2026, committing nearly $300 million in federal funding to transform public safety in selected U.S. cities.

The initiative will select two to four cities to receive awards supporting implementation of comprehensive strategies to reduce crime and restore law and order. Qualifying cities must submit proposals by September 1. The funding represents a whole-of-city approach that bundles resources for innovative policing, prosecution, and prevention tactics.

The program changes the status quo by shifting from fragmented federal grants to concentrated, multi-year awards for a small number of model jurisdictions. Cities that win will move from standard formula-based funding into tailored, high-dollar implementation plans effective after award decisions expected later in 2026.

Downstream, the September 1 deadline now requires city governments and law enforcement agencies to assemble detailed applications that demonstrate measurable crime-reduction tactics. Winning cities will trigger subsequent obligations to report performance metrics to the Justice Department, while non-selected jurisdictions continue under existing grant streams.

The initiative also activates coordination requirements across local police, prosecutors, courts, and community programs that must align with the awarded strategies. Congress will receive updates on the selected models as the department evaluates scalability to other cities.

This is the first major DOJ grant program launched under Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. The department described the effort as leveraging every authority to ensure safety of all Americans and to supercharge law enforcement partners. The Model Cities Initiative operates as a competitive discretionary program rather than an entitlement, concentrating resources where local plans align with federal priorities on violent crime and public order.