John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.816
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 685 $46,920,340 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act
- Assistance types
-
- Project Grant
- Formula Grant
- 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 Bureau of Justice Assistance funds student loan repayment assistance for eligible state and local prosecutors and public defenders who commit to continued employment, with the most recent grant awards disbursed on October 1, 2024 (CFDA 16.816).
The program distributes Formula Grants—predominantly, with some Project Grants and Block Grants in the portfolio—to state-designated administering agencies that execute statewide programs. Each state conducts outreach to eligible attorneys, reviews applications based on financial need and ability to repay, and makes direct payments to loan servicers on behalf of selected beneficiaries. Eligible beneficiaries are full-time prosecutors and public defenders employed by state or local government (including tribal government), nonprofit organizations under contract with state or local government, and federal defender attorneys. Recipients must commit to an additional three years of qualifying service. Award periods are generally two years, with no-cost extensions available under specified criteria.
The program maintains consistent annual activity. Over the past five years (2020–2024), award counts have ranged from 38 to 43 per year, with 685 total awards since inception in 2010. The most recent award date is October 1, 2024. The portfolio is composed of 434 Project Grants (63 percent), 159 Formula Grants (23 percent), and 92 Block Grants (13 percent). Combined federal dollars obligated total $46.9 million. The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance dominates funding, accounting for 372 awards worth $24.7 million federal dollars obligated (54 percent of awards). The broader Office of Justice Programs adds 306 awards at $21.9 million (44 percent), with the Department of Justice providing a small residual of 7 awards at $370 thousand.
Representative recent awards include California's FY24 award of $124,557 for loan repayment to prosecutors and public defenders statewide; Florida's FY24 award of $97,461 supporting loan assistance across state attorney offices, public defender offices, and federal public defender offices; and Illinois's FY24 award of $79,984 for centralized administration serving state and federal public defenders and prosecutors across five appellate districts and a statewide prosecutor category. Individual award magnitudes to states range from approximately $20,000 to $125,000 per fiscal year.
A new opportunity is open now. The BJA FY 2026 John R. Justice Formula Grant Program (O-BJA-2026-172779) was posted September 25, 2026 with a due date of November 3, 2026. It targets state governments to administer loan repayment programs for prosecutors and defenders committing to three years of continued service. A prior FY 2025 opportunity (O-BJA-2025-172568) posted March 18, 2026 with an April 17, 2026 due date (now closed).
Objective and description
- Objective
Program goal(s) name: Recruit and retain prosecutors and public defenders. Program goal(s) description: Improve the recruitment and retention of local, state, and federal public defenders and local and state prosecutors. Program objective(s) name:
- Description
Formula funding provided to states to administer statewide programs to provide loan repayment assistance for eligible prosecutors and public defenders who commit to continued employment.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
Please see https://bja.ojp.gov/program/john-r-justice-jrj-program/overview under subtitle. The following individuals are eligible beneficiaries under the JRJ Program: 1) Prosecutor - full-time employee of a State or unit of local government (including tribal government) who is continually licensed to practice law and prosecutes criminal or juvenile delinquency cases at the state or local government level, 2) Public Defender - an attorney who is continually licensed to practice law and is a full-time employee of a State or unit of local government (including tribal government) who provides legal representation to indigent persons, 3) A full-time employee of a nonprofit organization operating under a contract with a State or unit of local government who devotes substantially all of the employee's full-time employment to provide legal representation to indigent persons, and 4) A full-time Federal defender attorney in a defender org. that provides legal representation to indigent person.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Generally awards will be for a two-year project and budget period.
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
| Opportunity | Status | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|---|
| BJA FY 2026 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program | Open | ||
| BJA FY25 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program | Closed | ||
| BJA FY24 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program | Closed | ||
| BJA FY 23 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program | Closed | ||
| BJA FY 22 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program | Closed | ||
| BJA FY 21 John R. Justice (JRJ) Program Formula Grant Solicitation | Closed | ||
| BJA FY 17 John R. Justice Program | Closed |
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 685 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Office Of Emergency Services | $3,248,102 | 7% |
| 2 | Florida Department Of Education | $1,471,467 | 3% |
| 3 | Crime & Delinquency Pa Commission On | $1,458,900 | 3% |
| 4 | Illinois Student Assistance Commission | $1,410,532 | 3% |
| 5 | Executive Office State Of Ohio | $1,358,450 | 3% |
| 6 | Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board | $1,330,143 | 3% |
| 7 | New York State Division Of Criminal Justice Services | $1,215,858 | 3% |
| 8 | Georgia Student Finance Commission | $1,142,595 | 2% |
| 9 | New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority | $1,110,754 | 2% |
| 10 | Prosecution Coordination Commn | $998,542 | 2% |
10 of 76 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | -$378,023 |
| FY2025 | -$117,417 |
| FY2024 | $2,280,134 |
| FY2023 | $4,251,851 |
| FY2022 | $3,620,277 |
| FY2021 | $1,567,162 |
| FY2020 | $1,772,547 |
| FY2019 | $1,511,340 |
| FY2018 | $1,481,277 |
| FY2017 | $1,267,324 |
| FY2016 | $1,505,264 |
| FY2015 | $2,543,653 |
| FY2014 | $1,727,917 |
| FY2013 | $3,242,483 |
| FY2012 | $3,352,312 |
| FY2011 | $7,296,378 |
| FY2010 | $9,995,860 |
Show all 17
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.816?
Assistance Listing 16.816 is John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act, a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act?
Its CFDA number is 16.816: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.816 awarded?
685 grant awards under 16.816 have obligated $46,920,340 in federal funds to 76 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.816?
The recipients obligated the most under John R. Justice Prosecutors and Defenders Incentive Act are Office Of Emergency Services ($3,248,102), Florida Department Of Education ($1,471,467) and Crime & Delinquency Pa Commission On ($1,458,900).
How much did 16.816 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.816 obligated -$117,417 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.816?
1 listed opportunity under 16.816 is open or forecasted. The latest, BJA FY 2026 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program, was posted on September 25, 2026.
On GovTribe
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