BJA FY 2026 Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes

Closed Posted

Opportunity number
O-BJA-2026-172698
Agency
Applications due
Award size
Up to $1,000,000

Opportunity facts

Assistance listings
Funding instrument
Grant
Category
  • Law, Justice and Legal Services
Eligible applicants
  • Higher Education Inst. (Private)
  • County Governments
  • 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
  • State Governments
  • Tribal Organizations (Not Federally Recognized)
  • City/Township Governments
  • For Profit Organizations
  • Non-501(c)(3) Nonprofits
  • Special District Governments
  • Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
  • Small Businesses
  • Independent School Districts
  • Higher Education Inst. (Public)
  • Other
Points of contact
Full announcement

Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .

About this opportunity

Written by GovTribe AI ·

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is soliciting applications for FY 2026 Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes grants, with an SF-424 submission due September 24, 2026, and full application due October 1, 2026. Approximately $20 million funds two categories: Category 1 (prison educational and vocational/trade programming for individuals with 2 years or less before release) and Category 2 (employment programs including career pathway systems and workforce development networks). No cost share is required.

Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments; higher education institutions (public and private); 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits; for-profit organizations; faith-based organizations; small businesses; county and city/township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; and other units of local government. Nonprofit organizations and non-correctional government applicants must submit a Memorandum of Understanding demonstrating an established collaborative relationship with a correctional agency. All applicants must submit the Mandatory Chief Executive Assurance confirming ability to collect and report participant recidivism indicator data.

Awards reach up to $1 million each, with 10 anticipated awards per category. The 36-month award period begins October 1, 2026. Proposal narratives (maximum 10 pages) are scored on description of need (5%), project goals and objectives (15%), project design and implementation (35%), organizational capabilities and competencies (30%), and budget (15%). Priority consideration goes to vocational/trade education proposals (Category 1) and employment programs demonstrating local labor market assessment, individualized reentry career planning, employer connections, and employment outcome tracking (Category 2). Unallowable costs include prizes, client stipends, gift cards, vehicle purchases, and food and beverages. The program operates under CFDA 16.812.

Synopsis

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for BJA FY 2026 Second Chance Act (SCA) Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes. This opportunity supports state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations to provide education and employment programs for adults and youth leaving prison and jail. The goal of the program is to improve academic and vocational/trade programs available to adults and youth in prisons and jails and expand workforce development and career pathways that result in improved job readiness, employment attainment, and retention, thereby improving employment prospects and reducing recidivism. Applicants may consider proposing projects that develop marketable skills, leverage technology, and build capacity to align with their local job market and engage in the digital economy.

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.; Faith-based Organizations: Religious organizations, faith-based nonprofits, and organizations with religious charters, names, or missions.

Files

File Type Posted
PKG00293999.pdf PDF
PKG00293998.pdf PDF

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