Congressionally Recommended Awards
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.753
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 1,884 $1,129,368,361 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- Congressionally Recommended
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Cooperative Agreement
- Block Grant
- 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 is funding congressionally designated criminal justice improvement projects under Assistance Listing 16.753, with the most recent award disbursed on July 1, 2025 and four active FY 2026 opportunities posted in June 2026 with deadlines in July and October.
This program funds diverse criminal justice initiatives designated by Congress. Recent awards show heavy concentration in law enforcement equipment and technology—body-worn cameras, patrol vehicles, real-time crime centers, rapid DNA systems, license plate readers, and digital forensics labs dominate the portfolio. A substantial secondary stream supports victim services: domestic violence advocacy, sexual assault resource centers, human trafficking victim support, and trauma-informed care for crime survivors. A third category addresses reentry and recidivism reduction through mental health co-responder teams, substance abuse treatment programs, gang violence intervention, employment training for formerly incarcerated individuals, and juvenile delinquency prevention. Mental health crisis response emerges as a consistent theme, with numerous projects pairing clinicians with law enforcement. Awards also fund training platforms, data infrastructure, and forensic genetic genealogy for cold case identification.
Project Grants represent 97 percent of awards (1,832), with Cooperative Agreements at 3 percent (48) and Block Grants minimal (4). The portfolio totals 1,884 awards and $1.13 billion in federal dollars obligated across activity spanning from 2008 to July 2025. The Bureau of Justice Assistance leads by federal dollars obligated at $603.5 million across 784 awards, followed by the parent Office of Justice Programs at $375.8 million across 894 awards, Victims of Crime at $84 million (97 awards), and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention at $58.4 million (99 awards). Award volume surged in 2024 (471 awards) and shows two awards year-to-date in 2025, with recent awards ranging from $44 thousand to $4.2 million in federal obligated dollars.
Recent representative awards include Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence securing $4.2 million for comprehensive family violence victim advocacy and case management (July 2025); Snohomish County Sheriff's Office receiving $448 thousand for rapid DNA crime-solving technology (January 2025); and University of Southern Mississippi funded at $3 million for a Rural Digital Forensics Initiative serving law enforcement across rural communities (October 2024). Four active opportunities remain open: BJA FY 2026 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants (due October 6, 2026), OVC FY 2026 (due October 6, 2026), OJJDP FY 2026 (due October 6, 2026), and NIJ FY 2026 (due July 29, 2026 on Grants.gov). All are by invitation to congressionally designated applicants; the source notes both Grants.gov and JustGrants deadlines have been extended.
Objective and description
- Objective
These awards vary in nature and in scope. The Bureau of Justice Assistance does not recommend listing standard measures because they may change significantly over time depending on the nature of the projects that are funded.
- Description
To provide assistance in improving the functioning of the criminal justice system, provide assistance to victims of crime (other than compensation) and to prevent or combat juvenile delinquency.
Eligibility
- 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 solicitation available at the Office of Justice Programs web site (http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/CurrentFundingOpportunities.htm). For additional information, see the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide section on "Period of Availability of Funds" at http://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.2a.htm.
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/overview
Grant opportunities
Show all 21
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 1,884 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alaska Department Of Public Safety | $12,999,999 | 1% |
| 2 | Crime & Delinquency Pa Commission On | $9,982,627 | 1% |
| 3 | The Connie Rice Institute For Urban Peace | $7,619,933 | 1% |
| 4 | City Of Minneapolis | $7,430,609 | 1% |
| 5 | City Of New York Police Department | $7,076,300 | 1% |
| 6 | Unlawful Narcotics Investigations, Treatment And Education, Inc. | $6,450,000 | 1% |
| 7 | Calhoun County Calhoun County Justi | $6,200,000 | 1% |
| 8 | Vermont Department Of Public Safety | $5,819,221 | 1% |
| 9 | City Of Henderson | $5,786,000 | 1% |
| 10 | Mississippi State University | $5,345,934 | <1% |
10 of 1,208 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$5,942,373 |
| FY2025 | -$3,281,256 |
| FY2024 | $344,683,704 |
| FY2023 | $230,934,000 |
| FY2022 | $182,668,000 |
| FY2020 | $35,588 |
| FY2019 | -$1,729,793 |
| FY2018 | $1,102,114 |
| FY2017 | -$164,560 |
| FY2016 | $967,278 |
| FY2015 | -$512,210 |
| FY2012 | $100,000 |
| FY2011 | $7,065,000 |
| FY2010 | $165,780,688 |
| FY2009 | $144,630,280 |
| FY2008 | $63,531,903 |
Show all 16
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.753?
Assistance Listing 16.753 is Congressionally Recommended Awards, a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for Congressionally Recommended Awards?
Its CFDA number is 16.753: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.753 awarded?
1,884 grant awards under 16.753 have obligated $1,129,368,361 in federal funds to 1,208 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.753?
The recipients obligated the most under Congressionally Recommended Awards are Alaska Department Of Public Safety ($12,999,999), Crime & Delinquency Pa Commission On ($9,982,627) and The Connie Rice Institute For Urban Peace ($7,619,933).
How much did 16.753 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.753 obligated -$3,281,256 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.753?
1 listed opportunity under 16.753 is open or forecasted. The latest, OJJDP FY 2026 Invited to Apply - Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program, was posted on June 17, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
- Every grant award and opportunity under it
- Funding by recipient, agency and assistance type
- Alerts for new opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this program