Howard and Carol Safir Foundation and UVA Seek Proposals to Fund Public Safety Innovations

The University of Virginia Center for Public Safety and Justice and the Howard and Carol Safir Foundation are Seeking Proposals for a New Public Safety Research Initiative Grant Program  

The University of Virginia’s (UVA) Center for Public Safety and Justice (CPSJ) is pleased to invite proposals for the Howard and Carol Safir Foundation (HCSF) Public Safety Initiative. This initiative is designed to support forward-thinking innovation in public safety. We seek projects that address long-standing, current, or future public safety challenges and extend beyond traditional approaches and introduce new methods, strategies and solutions to some of the most pressing and complex challenges facing the field. Priority will be given to proposals that test, pilot, or refine innovative practices with strong potential to generate meaningful, measurable improvements in public safety outcomes.

The HCSF Public Safety Initiative plans to fund three innovative projects, called “Innovation Labs,” one in each of the following categories: (1) Urban Policing, (2) Drug Enforcement, and (3) Cross-Jurisdictional Collaboration. Each selected project will receive up to $50,000 over a two-year period and will culminate in a Public Safety Innovation Symposium hosted at UVA. At the symposium, awardees will share findings, insights, and tools with an audience of researchers, public safety leaders, and practitioners from across the country.  

Background 

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This initiative honors the legacy of Howard Safir, a transformational public safety leader whose distinguished career spanned more than three decades. Mr. Safir served as New York City’s Police Commissioner and Fire Commissioner and held senior leadership roles in the U.S. Marshals Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Throughout his public service, he was widely respected for championing innovative, data-informed, and community-centered strategies that strengthened public trust, improved outcomes, and elevated standards across agencies.

To carry forward Mr. Safir’s legacy of leadership and service, the Safir family—led by his wife Carol Safir and children Jennifer and Adam Safir—established the HCSF and partnered with UVA’s Center for Public Safety and Justice to advance his vision for public safety grounded in excellence, innovation, and impact. 

The mission of UVA’s Center for Public Safety and Justice is to challenge and shape future public safety leaders and key stakeholders to improve public service and strengthen community wellbeing in a diverse and rapidly changing world. The Center addresses complex public safety challenges through education, collaboration, research and innovation, and strengthening public service and communities.  

Establishment of Innovation Labs 

The initiative is anchored by three Innovation Labs, each representing a core area of Mr. Safir’s public safety priorities. Selected proposals will be aligned with one of the following Labs:

• Urban Policing Lab: This Lab will support innovations focused on crime prevention, public engagement, and enhancing the quality of life in urban communities. Proposals may address innovative investigative techniques and data analysis, strategies for improving case clearance rates, and practical applications of science, technology and/or data that reduce crime victimization." New topics and ideas are welcome.
• Drug Enforcement Lab: This Lab will support innovations to disrupt the illicit drug trade and reduce its impact on communities. Topics may include the use of cryptocurrency in trafficking, evolving drug delivery methods, improving intelligence-gathering practices, informant management, forensics, and lawful intercept of drug trafficking communications. New topics and ideas are welcome. 
• Advancing Safety and Justice Across Jurisdictions Lab: This Lab will support innovations that focus on interagency coordination and cross-jurisdictional collaboration. Proposals may include the development of new types of joint task forces, approaches to protecting public officials, apprehending fugitives, safeguarding witnesses, or strategies for international law enforcement partnerships. New topics and ideas are welcome. 

Applicants are expected to use the funding to support the practical innovation work of their lab, rather than on general convenings, research studies, caucuses, or policy deliberations. 

Eligible Recipients  

Eligible recipients include federal, state, or local law enforcement agencies, colleges/universities (includes faculty and PhD students), nonprofit organizations, and private sector firms.  

Submission Requirements 

• Letters of interest should be submitted using the attached template no later than May 1, 2026 at 11:59 pm to Jenna Tyler, Center Research Scientist at jenna.tyler@virginia.edu.  
• The Selection Committee will review letters of interest and invite finalists to submit a full proposal.
• Proposals must be no more than 10,000 words (approximately ten single-spaced pages) and must include the following components:
  • Contact information for the submitting individual or organization
  • Identification of the selected Innovation Lab and proposed innovation
  • Executive summary
  • Statement of the problem or issue being addressed
  • Project objectives and intended outcomes
  • Detailed work plan of proposed innovation
  • Budget summary (not to exceed $50,000)
• Applicants may submit proposals to more than one Innovation Lab, but each submission must be unique and focused on a single lab topic.
• Finalists may be asked to provide additional information in writing or through oral interviews. 
• Proposals must be submitted via email to jenna.tyler@virginia.edu by June 19, 2026 at 11:59 pm ET. 

Scoring 

The Selection Committee will review proposals submitted by finalists based on the following criteria: 

Award Notification 

Awardees will be notified by July 31, 2026. Awardees will receive half of the requested funding amount at the onset of award. The remaining funds will be disbursed six months after award or once the awardee demonstrates adequate progress towards implementing their work plan. 

Questions 

For questions regarding proposal preparation or submission, please contact Jenna Tyler, UVA Center for Public Safety and Justice Research Scientist, at jenna.tyler@virginia.edu.