BJA FY25 Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- O-BJA-2025-172507
- Agency
-
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $900,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
-
- Humanities
- Eligible applicants
-
- County Governments
- State Governments
- Higher Education Inst. (Private)
- Small Businesses
- Higher Education Inst. (Public)
- Tribal Governments (Federally Recognized)
- Other
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- For Profit Organizations
- Tribal Organizations (Not Federally Recognized)
- Non-501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- Independent School Districts
- City/Township Governments
- Special District Governments
- 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 (BJA), under the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs, seeks applications from state, local, and tribal governments, as well as community-based organizations, to develop and deliver education and employment programs for individuals transitioning from incarceration. Applicants must design projects that improve academic and vocational/trade programs within correctional facilities and jails while expanding workforce development and career pathways to enhance job readiness, employment attainment, and retention. Key objectives include reducing recidivism, improving employment prospects, and developing marketable skills that align with local job markets and digital economy engagement. Projects should demonstrate alignment with evidence-based practices and capacity to deliver measurable outcomes in employment and recidivism reduction. Applications will be evaluated based on merit, programmatic quality, budget reasonableness, and organizational capacity, with the application deadline of May 8, 2026.
Individual project grants typically range from approximately $500,000 to $1,000,000 over three-year periods, with some cooperative agreements reaching up to $4,000,000 over five-year periods. Performance periods generally extend 36 to 48 months, allowing organizations adequate time to implement comprehensive interventions and measure outcomes. Projects may be implemented in correctional facilities, detention centers, and community-based settings nationwide, with successful applicants serving as primary recipients and often collaborating with community-based service providers, workforce development agencies, and educational institutions. All records must be retained for three years from the final expenditure report submission, and the Authorized Representative must accept or decline awards within 45 days of notification.
Synopsis
This NOFO supports state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations to provide education and employment programs for people leaving jail and prison. The goal of the program is to improve academic and vocational/trade programs available to people 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.
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