The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance is soliciting applications for the OJP FY 2026 Special Attorneys Program Round 10 cooperative agreement to fund prosecutors, criminal investigators, and investigative support staff assigned to federal fraud and criminal alien prosecution, with applications due October 28, 2026. No cost-sharing requirement applies.
Eligible applicants are state, county, city/township, and federally recognized Tribal governments, as well as other units of local government (towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state) with legal capacity to employ cross-designated prosecutors. Anticipated total program funding is $300 million, with award amounts based on applicant-requested approved costs and a 36-month performance period beginning June 1, 2026. Funding covers 100 percent of salary and fringe benefits for assigned personnel; up to an additional 20 percent is available for justice system staffing and capacity or equipment and technology purchases.
Selected prosecutors, investigators, and support staff will remain employees of their home agencies while cross-designated to work under the direction of the National Fraud Enforcement Division or Criminal Division, or as Special Assistant United States Attorneys within a United States Attorney's Office. They will investigate and prosecute fraud and crimes committed by aliens within the United States, and may also be assigned drug or human trafficking cases. The program aims to improve law enforcement investigative information collection and analysis, strengthen investigative and prosecutorial capacity, expand intergovernmental coordination, and enhance jurisdictions' ability to counter criminal activity.
The proposal narrative (maximum 15 pages) is scored as follows: Project Goals and Objectives 20 percent, Project Design and Implementation 35 percent, Capabilities and Competencies 30 percent, and Budget 15 percent. Required submissions include the SF-424, budget documentation, proof of active bar admission and certificates of good standing for designated attorneys, letters of support from federal partners, and a supporting document affirming statutory authority and coordination capabilities with federal immigration authorities. Recipients must submit semi-annual performance reports and enter into memoranda of understanding with relevant federal divisions or U.S. Attorneys' Offices.
The opportunity is listed under CFDA 16.076 (Law Enforcement Support for Combatting Criminal Aliens, Drug, and Human Trafficking), authorized by Public Law 119-21, Section 100055 (34 U.S.C. 61101). The full application deadline in JustGrants is October 30, 2026, by 8:59 p.m. ET.