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BJA FY 2026 Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes

Federal funding opportunity O-BJA-2026-172698 from Bureau of Justice Assistance (Department of Justice).

Apply on Grants.gov →Application closes September 24, 2026

Posted: August 17, 2026
Closes: September 24, 2026
Award ceiling: $1,000,000
Cost sharing: No
Instrument: Grant
Assistance listing: 16.812
Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services

Program funding history

Awards made under Assistance Listing 16.812 across FY2024–FY2026, from public federal spending records.

FY2024 obligated: $49.7M
FY2025 obligated: $28.4M
FY2026 (to date) obligated: $0
Awards in window: 395

Top recipients: The Council of State Governments Ltd., The Soulfisher Ministries, Keystone Restituere Justice Center, Inc., American Institutes for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, Corrections, Colorado Department of

Source: USAspending.gov · refreshed August 2026

Synopsis

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for BJA FY 2026 Second Chance Act (SCA) Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes. This opportunity supports state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations to provide education and employment programs for adults and youth leaving prison and jail. The goal of the program is to improve academic and vocational/trade programs available to adults and youth in prisons and jails and expand workforce development and career pathways that result in improved job readiness, employment attainment, and retention, thereby improving employment prospects and reducing recidivism. Applicants may consider proposing projects that develop marketable skills, leverage technology, and build capacity to align with their local job market and engage in the digital economy.

Who can apply

State governments
Special district governments
Small businesses
Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
County governments
Independent school districts
Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
City or township governments
For profit organizations other than small businesses
Private institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)

Other Units of Local Government: For the purposes of this notice of funding opportunity, other units of local government include towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state.; Faith-based Organizations: Religious organizations, faith-based nonprofits, and organizations with religious charters, names, or missions.

How to apply

Applications go through the official government listing. Grants Radar links you straight to the source — applying is free.

View on Grants.gov Full announcement

Agency contact: Bureau of Justice Assistance · [email protected] · 202-514-9354

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