State Rep. Chris Pielli released a grant memo Tuesday, Sept. 22, listing state funding programs with October and November deadlines. West Chester, West Goshen and East Goshen governments, school districts and fire companies are among the eligible applicants.

The most urgent: the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency's Regional Policing Assistance Program closes Thursday, Oct. 1. The program offers up to $200,000 in federal funds for municipalities that form a new regional police department.

Municipalities that add a chartered community to an existing regional department can receive up to $100,000. A total of $1 million is available statewide, and any borough or township can apply.

School districts face an Oct. 16 deadline for the commission's School Safety and Mental Health Grants. The state set aside $138.8 million for the program.

Each district receives a $100,000 base amount plus additional funding tied to enrollment. Charter schools and intermediate units are eligible for $70,000 each. The grants can fund physical security upgrades and mental health programs.

The West Chester Area School District's exact share depends on its adjusted average daily membership, a figure not included in the memo.

Fire companies and emergency medical services agencies have until Oct. 22 to apply for grants through the Office of the State Fire Commissioner. Awards range from $2,500 to $20,000 per fire company and up to $15,000 per EMS agency.

The funds cover equipment, facility repairs, training and recruitment. Goshen Fire Company received an $800,254 state grant in July 2026 for station upgrades through a separate program, as reported by MyChesCo. The Oct. 22 deadline opens another avenue for local fire and EMS agencies.

Other programs in the memo include:

• Alternative Fuel Incentive Grants (Oct. 7 deadline): Up to $5 million statewide for school districts, municipal authorities and political subdivisions through the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP).
• VICTIM Program Grant (Oct. 21 deadline): $3.4 million for law enforcement agencies to improve clearance rates on homicides and violent crimes.
• Multimodal Transportation Fund (Oct. 30 deadline): Awards up to $3 million per project through the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Project costs must exceed $100,000.
• Local Share Account Statewide (Nov. 30 deadline): Grants from $25,000 to $1 million for counties, municipalities and economic development agencies, funded by gaming revenues.

Rolling programs with no fixed deadline include a DEP lead-testing grant for schools and childcare facilities and a $25 million Solar for Schools program.

Pielli, a Democrat whose district office sits at 121 W. Miner St. in West Chester, has steered state dollars to the area in recent weeks. As we reported Sept. 23, West Goshen landed $1.2 million in Commonwealth Financing Authority grants for sewer and stormwater work.

"One of my biggest priorities is working to make sure our district residents and organizations receive the funding that they not only deserve but need," Pielli said Sept. 15, when announcing those grants.

Local municipalities that want to explore a regional policing arrangement face the Oct. 1 application deadline.