More than $14.8 million in federal grant money is headed to 16 Arizona cities, law enforcement agencies and community organizations, with the city of Peoria alone pulling in the largest single award at $2.85 million. U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine announced the statewide distribution Thursday, part of a wave of Department of Justice funding aimed at shoring up local criminal justice systems.
The money flows through the Bureau of Justice Assistance's FY 2026 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants and Byrne Discretionary Grants Program, according to KTAR News. KTAR reports that the grants are designated to improve how the criminal justice system functions, prevent or combat juvenile delinquency, and assist crime victims. That federal notice ties the funding to projects designated under the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026, aimed at victims of crime beyond compensation claims, per the Office for Victims of Crime.
Who's Getting the Largest Checks
Peoria's $2.85 million is the single biggest award on the list. Behind it, the Coconino County Sheriff's Department was awarded $1.98 million and the Pima County Sheriff's Department received $1.4 million, the station's report states.
Several other agencies landed seven-figure sums. The city of Glendale and Valley Metro Rail Inc. were each awarded $1 million, while the city of Surprise received $999,000. The Arouet Foundation picked up $1,008,000, rounding out the tier of recipients above the million-dollar mark.
Smaller Cities and Sheriffs Share the Rest
Mid-sized awards went to a mix of police departments and county agencies across the state. The town of Sahuarita Police Department was awarded $809,687, the city of Douglas received $627,000, Axiom Community Recovery was granted $580,000, and the La Paz County Sheriff's Department received $579,000.
Further down the list, the city of Nogales was awarded $481,000, the city of Williams received $462,000, the Wellton Police Department was granted $324,000, and the city of Safford was awarded $250,000. Arizona State University rounded out the recipients with a $500,000 grant.
Part of a Bigger Federal Push
The 16 Arizona awards come on top of $14 million the Department's Office of Justice Programs has already distributed to cities, organizations and Indian communities since January, per the KTAR report. As KGUN9 notes, the latest round of awards is part of an end-of-fiscal-year cycle, suggesting more federal justice dollars could be on the way as the government closes out its books.
The dossier of federal funding notices, including a separate FY 2026 posting from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, confirms the Byrne Discretionary program's broader mandate to fund community-level criminal justice work nationwide. For now, the specifics of how each Arizona recipient will spend its award have not been detailed beyond the program's stated purposes of improving justice system functions, combating juvenile delinquency and assisting crime victims.
