Executive Leadership Training for New Wardens
Closed Posted
- Opportunity number
- 26PR09
- Agency
-
Bureau of Prisons
Department of Justice
- Applications due
- Award size
- Up to $200,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Other
- Eligible applicants
- Not on record
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Justice Bureau of Prisons, through the National Institute of Corrections, is soliciting applications for a cooperative agreement to deliver the Executive Leadership Training for New Wardens program, with applications due July 15, 2026.
Eligible applicants include states, general units of local government, public and private agencies, educational institutions, organizations, and individuals involved in the development, implementation, or operation of correctional programs and services. The program targets wardens with fewer than two years of experience and addresses the workforce gap created by rapid retirements and population growth across prisons, jails, and community corrections facilities.
The Executive Leadership Training for New Wardens is a 36-hour, instructor-led curriculum originally launched in 2001 and fully updated in 2022. Core topics include institutional culture, central office relationships, fiscal decision-making, human resource management, media relations, action planning, and self-care. The program emphasizes peer networking across geographic regions as a critical component of professional development.
Training delivery encompasses virtual instructor-led and in-person formats across various geographical locations nationwide. Recent awards under the parent Corrections Training and Staff Development program (CFDA 16.601) have ranged from $75,000 to $275,000 for 12-month performance periods, with potential for multi-year extensions. Cooperative agreement recipients must maintain complete records on federal fund receipt and disposition for at least three years following submission of the final financial report and are subject to full fiscal and program audits at project closeout and on-site inspections as needed throughout the agreement period. Funds must be expended within 90 days of the agreement ending date.
Synopsis
The continued growth of the incarcerated population, combined with the rapid retirement of baby boomers, has created a significant increase in the number of wardens needed to operate prisons, jails, and community corrections facilities across the nation. Wardens play a critical role in ensuring public safety, protecting the well‑being of staff and incarcerated individuals, and serving as responsible stewards of public resources. Today's wardens lead complex organizations that manage specialized populations, address staffing shortages and overcrowding, and interact with a wide range of external stakeholders. As chief executive officers of multimillion‑dollar public institutions, their responsibilities are both extensive and widely misunderstood by the public.
To meet this urgent workforce need, NIC developed the Executive Leadership Training for New Wardens curriculum, originally launched in 2001 and fully updated in 2022. This 36‑hour, instructor‑led program is specifically designed for wardens with fewer than two years of experience and focuses on the essential leadership and administrative skills required to effectively manage a correctional facility. Core topics include institutional culture, central office relationships, fiscal decision‑making, human resource management, media relations, action planning, and self‑care. The program also provides participants with valuable opportunities to network with peers from across the country, a component consistently identified as one of the most beneficial aspects of the training.
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