BJA FY 2026 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Strengthening State and Local Operations to Reduce Crime and Recidivism
Open Posted
- Opportunity number
- O-BJA-2026-172770
- Agency
-
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $4,000,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Law, Justice and Legal Services
- Eligible applicants
-
- County Governments
- City/Township Governments
- Special District Governments
- State Governments
- Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Other
- Points of contact
-
- OJP Response Center ojp.responsecenter@usdoj.gov (800) 851-3420
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Bureau of Justice Assistance is soliciting applications for the FY 2026 Justice Reinvestment Initiative to fund state, local, and tribal government efforts to reduce wasteful spending across justice system operations and redirect resources to address crime and recidivism, with applications due November 20, 2026.
Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and other units of local government. No cost share or matching funds are required.
The program will distribute up to $12.67 million across 3–6 awards of up to $4 million each for 36-month projects beginning January 1, 2027. Applicants must propose projects addressing one or more urgent local justice system challenge across law enforcement, prosecution, sentencing, jails and prisons, probation, and parole, using existing data to identify specific challenges and refocus resources on strategies most likely to reduce crime.
Scoring allocates 35 percent to Project Design and Implementation, 30 percent to Capabilities and Competencies, 15 percent to Project Goals and Objectives, 15 percent to Budget, and 5 percent to Description of Need. Priority consideration goes to applicants addressing violent crime, law enforcement operations, services to citizens, child protection, trafficking and sexual assault victims, or demonstrating coordination with federal law enforcement through compliance with 8 U.S.C. 1373.
The two-step submission process requires completion of the SF-424 form via Grants.gov by November 20, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. ET, followed by full application submission in JustGrants by December 1, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. ET. The Proposal Narrative is limited to 10 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font. Required documents include Budget Detail Worksheet, Memorandum of Understanding with partners, and Certification by the Chief Executive Officer or senior official.
Assistance Listing Number is 16.827. Statutory authority derives from the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2026 (Pub. L. No. 119-74).
Synopsis
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the BJA FY 2026 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Strengthening State and Local Operations to Reduce Crime and Recidivism. This opportunity will support state, local, and tribal government efforts to reduce wasteful spending and inefficient uses of funds across justice system operations and redirect that funding to target crime and other public safety and/or justice system challenges. Applicants should propose projects that address one or more urgent local justice system challenge. Applicants should use existing data and information to identify the specific challenges they will focus on and how they will refocus resources on the strategies and populations most likely to reduce crime. Jurisdictions may consider addressing challenges across the judicial system, including those related to law enforcement, prosecution, sentencing, jails and prisons, probation, and parole.
Eligibility
Other units of local government: For the purposes of this notice of funding opportunity, other units of local government include towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| PKG00294324.pdf |
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