The Michigan Department of Education (MDE) is currently accepting applications under Section 31aa(4) for school resource officers and contracted safety dogs. MDE’s live Grants Spotlight lists the current application period as September 1 through October 5, 2026.
Current application window
The live MDE Grants page is the controlling current-status source for this round. Older FY26 FAQ materials still show a prior March 30 through May 3 application period; those dates are stale for the currently open round and should not be used as the current deadline.
MDE’s current public Grants Spotlight gives an October 5, 2026 closing date but does not publish an exact closing clock time or time zone. Applicants should verify the live NexSys application and current-round materials before submission. New Atlas cold outreach remains blocked until the exact closing time and time zone are authoritatively confirmed with at least 48 hours remaining.
Eligible applicants
MDE guidance identifies Michigan public school districts, public school academies, intermediate school districts, nonpublic schools, and the Michigan School for the Deaf as eligible applicants through the competitive process.
Allowable use
Section 31aa(4) funding is specifically for hiring or contracting school resource officers and contracting for safety dogs. MDE guidance states that safety dogs must be contracted rather than purchased and defines them for detection of firearms, explosives, narcotics, or vape substances. School resource officers must meet applicable MCOLES training requirements. Broader school-safety technology, mental-health technology, and unrelated equipment should not be charged to this subsection unless current controlling MDE guidance expressly changes.
Funding
MDE’s FY26 guidance identifies an original statewide Section 31aa(4) allocation of $53.5 million, consisting of $50 million from the School Aid Fund and $3.5 million from the General Fund. The public materials reviewed do not establish how much of that allocation remains for the current September–October application window or a universal applicant-level cap. Applicants should verify current-round funding and budget limits in NexSys.
Application requirements
Prior MDE guidance requires a budget, an accounting of staff hired or contracted, and a plan to sustain positions after grant funding. Because the current live Grants page has reopened the opportunity, applicants should use the current NexSys application and any current-round instructions, scoring criteria, certifications, and required uploads rather than assuming all prior-cycle details remain unchanged.
Atlas fit
This is a strong Michigan school-safety opportunity because it directly funds school resource officers and contracted safety-dog services for eligible schools. Formal Atlas Opportunity and N9+ fit scoring are deferred until MDE authoritatively confirms the exact current-round closing time and time zone and the remaining current-round requirements. Section 31aa(4) is specifically limited to school resource officers and contracted safety dogs, so broader safety technology and clinical technology should not be positioned under this subsection absent changed controlling guidance. Dr. Miltie, LLC is not a published eligible prime applicant for this school-aid grant.