Overview

The Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (“Byrne SCIP”) is a grant administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). These are federal funds that Pennsylvania receives from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). State governments may use these monies to fund “state, local, and tribal efforts to prevent or reduce crime and violence” in accordance with an approved Byrne SCIP Plan.

This AOPC announcement briefly highlights several funding opportunities in Pennsylvania’s approved plan that relate to the intersection of courts and behavioral health, specifically “Priority Area #1: Equip Pennsylvania communities with training and resources to respond holistically to behavioral health crises.”

Please see PCCD’s entire funding announcement here. Grant application and administrative guides can be accessed on PCCD’s website under the Funding section.

Priority Area #1 Objectives:

• Support behavioral health responses in local jurisdictions across Pennsylvania.
• Support efforts to embed advocates and peer navigators within the justice system.
• Build capacity to offer free SIM workshops statewide, commencing in 2026.

The SCIP grant is an excellent opportunity for governmental agencies to obtain funding for specific behavioral health-related purposes that benefit citizens and criminal-legal system actors. Approved funding opportunities include:

• Establishing the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Technical Assistance Center to provide law enforcement training opportunities.
• A county SIM-Mapping initiative that trains in-house SIM facilitators to provide free workshops to counties. Facilitators will be trained in 2026 and allow counties to receive both adult and upstream SIM workshops at no cost.
• Apply for local grants for virtually any project related to the Pennsylvania Courts’ Behavioral Health Initiative. Suggested projects include peer navigators; implementing pretrial programs; expanding the capacity of mental health courts; and developing or expanding the ability to connect individuals in crisis with services.

Eligibility & Deadlines:

• Your recipient agency must be a local government office. Cities, counties, townships, and towns may apply for funding.
• Subrecipients are eligible for support through primary recipient offices. For instance, a city funded through a SCIP grant may award part of their fund to their Police Department as a subgrant.
• Your organization must be registered in the Pennsylvania eGrants system.
  • At least two organization members must have eGrants user roles. At least one individual must have an e-signature role within eGrants.

The deadline for applying is September 9, 2025.

• For further information, see the funding announcement here. You may contact PCCD about the Byrne-SCIP Initiative by email. Emails must be sent by September 2, 2025, to receive assistance.
• For difficulties with the eGrants system, you may contact the eGrants help desk by phone at (717) 787-5887 or (800) 692-7292 or by email.