BJA FY 2026 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- O-BJA-2026-172726
- Agency
-
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $600,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Law, Justice and Legal Services
- Eligible applicants
-
- Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- City/Township Governments
- Tribal Organizations (Not Federally Recognized)
- Special District Governments
- Non-501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- State Governments
- County Governments
- Higher Education Inst. (Public)
- Higher Education Inst. (Private)
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- 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 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program, with a full application deadline of November 9, 2026. The program distributes up to $5.4 million across approximately 9 awards of up to $600,000 each over a 36-month period beginning January 1, 2027.
Eligible applicants include state and county governments, city and township governments, federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribal governments and organizations, special district governments, towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, and other general-purpose political subdivisions of a state; public and private higher education institutions; 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits; and other entity types. States and counties must demonstrate in-house post-conviction representation programs with demonstrable experience and competence in litigating post-conviction claims of innocence. No cost-sharing match is required.
The program strengthens the capacity of wrongful conviction review entities and their criminal justice and victims' services partners to identify, assess, and manage post-conviction claims of innocence while enhancing public safety and preventing future errors. The program prioritizes projects addressing law enforcement operations, violent crime, services to American citizens, child protection, and trafficking and sexual assault victim support. Federal funds cannot be used for forensic genetic genealogy; applicants interested in DNA-related work should refer to BJA's Postconviction Program.
The application process requires two submissions: Form SF-424 in Grants.gov by November 2, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET, followed by the full application in JustGrants by November 9, 2026 at 8:59 PM ET. Scoring allocates 35% to proposal narrative (maximum 10 pages), 35% to project design and implementation plan, 30% to capabilities and competencies, 15% to budget, and 5% to need description. Applicants may submit only one application per category.
The program is assigned CFDA 16.746 (Capital Case Litigation Initiative).
Synopsis
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the BJA FY 2026 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program. This opportunity strengthens the capacity of wrongful conviction review (WCR) entities and their criminal justice and victims' services partners to more effectively and efficiently identify, assess, and manage post-conviction claims of innocence. Additionally, it aims to enhance public safety by preventing future errors, identifying actual perpetrators of crimes, and delivering justice to victims.
Eligibility
Other Units of Local Government: For the purposes of this NOFO, other units of local government include towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state. States and counties that have in-house post-conviction representation programs that show demonstrable experience and competence in litigating postconviction claims of innocence.
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| PKG00294179.pdf |
On GovTribe
Work this opportunity
- Track it in your pipeline
- Find teaming partners
- Similar grant opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this opportunity