National Center on Restorative Justice
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.030
- Agency
-
Bureau of Justice Assistance
Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 3 $14,588,643 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Center for Restorative Justice
- Assistance type
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Treasury account
-
- 15-0404-0-1-754
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance is funding the National Center on Restorative Justice (CFDA 16.030), with a competitive cooperative agreement opportunity due May 13, 2026.
The program funds education, training, research, and implementation support for restorative justice approaches within criminal justice systems. Recent awards support curriculum development tailored to different criminal justice stakeholder groups (law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, correctional institutions), online training modules, intensive technical assistance to criminal justice agencies, establishment of restorative justice programs through competitive subawards, and research on restorative justice strategies and their impact on public safety and social equity.
The portfolio reflects sparse but sustained activity: three cooperative agreements totaling $14.6 million in federal obligations across awards in 2020, 2023, and most recently October 2023. The program operates exclusively through cooperative agreements. All funding derives from the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Award magnitudes range from $3 million to $5.6 million, with award periods extending 36 to 48 months.
Representative recent awards include the October 2023 expansion award to Vermont Law and Graduate School for $5,588,643 to expand the National Center on Restorative Justice's reach through online modules, intensive training for criminal justice agencies, development of an undergraduate certificate program in restorative justice for community colleges, tribal colleges, and historically Black colleges and universities, and subawards to establish new restorative justice programs. An earlier 2020 award to Vermont Law School for $6 million established the original Center, tasked with educating justice leaders, hosting annual restorative justice institutes, and supporting research on restorative justice strategies.
The current open solicitation (O-BJA-2025-172496, due May 13, 2026) seeks applications from higher education institutions to manage and expand the National Center on Restorative Justice. Eligible applicants are limited to accredited public and private higher education institutions. The program has released periodic opportunities—most recently in fiscal year 2023 and 2024—with continuation and expansion cycles, indicating routine recompetition or invited continuation mechanisms among prior recipients.
Objective and description
- Objective
Program goal(s) name: Strengthen public safety. Program goal(s) description: Strengthen juvenile and criminal justice leadership through victim-centered, accountability-driven approaches and improve the operational effectiveness of justice system age
- Description
This program will support the National Center on Restorative Justice, strengthening public safety by providing current and future justice system professionals with the knowledge and tools that combine personal accountability for the offender with a focus on victim restoration.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
Other private institution/organization, Anyone/general public, Scientist/Researchers, State, Local, Public nonprofit institution/organization, Federally Recognized Indian Tribal Governments
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Award periods for Office of Justice programs generally range from 12 to 36 months. For specifics pertaining to this program, please see the current fiscal year's program NOFO available at the Office of Justice Programs web site (https://www.ojp.gov/funding/explore/current-funding-opportunities).
How to apply
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria for selecting proposals is determined as part of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
- Award procedure
All final award decisions will be made by the Assistant Attorney General, unless a statute explicitly authorizes award decisions by another official or there is written delegation of authority to another official. For successful applicants, JustGrants will send a system-generated email to the Application Submitter, Authorized Representative, and Entity Administrator with information on accessing their official award package in JustGrants. The award package will include key information (such as funding amount and period of performance) as well as award conditions that must be followed. The Authorized Representative for the entity should accept or decline the award within 45 days of the notification.
- Time to approval or disapproval
The review procedure for applications is specified in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and generally includes eligibility and responsiveness, merit, programmatic, budget, and risk reviews.
- Renewals
In some cases, award periods may be extended if specific criteria are met. For details, please review the discussion of no-cost extensions in the Criteria for Award Extension section of the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide available at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/iii-postaward-requirements.
Grant opportunities
Grant awards
| Award | Recipient | Federal obligations | Awarded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Through this project, national center on restorative justice - expansion, vermont law and graduate school seeks to… | Vermont Law School, Inc. | $5,588,643 | |
| National center on restorative justice (NCRJ) | Vermont Law School, Inc. | $6,000,000 | |
| The establishment of a national center on restorative justice at vermont law school | Vermont Law School, Inc. | $3,000,000 |
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vermont Law School, Inc. | $14,588,643 | 100% |
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2025 | $2,623,643 |
| FY2023 | $2,965,000 |
| FY2022 | $3,000,000 |
| FY2021 | $3,000,000 |
| FY2020 | $3,000,000 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.030?
Assistance Listing 16.030 is National Center on Restorative Justice, a federal grant program run by Bureau of Justice Assistance (Office of Justice Programs).
What is the CFDA number for National Center on Restorative Justice?
Its CFDA number is 16.030: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.030 awarded?
3 grant awards under 16.030 have obligated $14,588,643 in federal funds to 1 recipient.
Who receives the most funding from 16.030?
The recipients obligated the most under National Center on Restorative Justice are Vermont Law School, Inc. ($14,588,643).
How much did 16.030 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.030 obligated $2,623,643 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.030?
No opportunity listed under 16.030 is open now. The latest, BJA FY25 National Center on Restorative Justice, was posted on April 16, 2026.
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