Children of Incarcerated Parents

The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) funds programs that develop or expand services in juvenile and adult detention or correctional facilities to address the needs of incarcerated parents and their minor children, with the most recent grant awards issued in October 2024 under CFDA 16.831.

The program funds concrete activities: evidence-based parenting education and skills development; facilitation of parent-child contact through in-person visits, video visitation, and correspondence; trauma-informed training for correctional staff; design and operation of child-friendly visitation spaces; reentry planning and case management; and wraparound services addressing housing, employment, legal assistance, and substance abuse treatment. Recent awards support initiatives such as the Uplifting Families Together Project in Maine (pairing incarcerated parents with their children in York and Cumberland Counties), the Parents and Children Together program in Ohio (supporting at-risk fathers and families), and the Family Re-Entry Support & Help program across thirteen North Carolina reentry facilities. Recipients include state departments of correction, county governments, city governments, and nonprofit organizations.

The program is predominantly funded by OJJDP, which has awarded 71 of 78 total grants ($39.5 million of $42 million combined federal dollars obligated) over the past decade; the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs accounts for the remaining 7 awards ($2.5 million). The assistance-type mix is dominated by Project Grants (83 percent of awards), with smaller shares of Block Grants (12 percent) and Cooperative Agreements (5 percent). Award patterns are consistent: approximately six awards per year since 2020, with recent awards in the $691 thousand to $744 thousand range; the portfolio totals $42 million in federal dollars obligated and $43.3 million combined federal and non-federal share, indicating minimal cost-share requirements from recipients.

Two grant opportunities are open or recently posted. The solicitation O-OJJDP-2025-172513 (due March 30, 2026) targets county governments, city/township governments, tribal governments, state governments, and other applicants; it prioritizes development or expansion of programs to reduce recidivism and antisocial behaviors among children with incarcerated parents. The solicitation O-OJJDP-2025-172286 (due February 6, 2025, posted December 18, 2024) expands eligible applicant types to include both federally recognized and non-federally recognized tribal organizations and 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits alongside government entities, seeking implementation of programs that prevent violent crime and provide support for minor children.