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Simpler Grants

No. O-BJA-2026-172698 · Bureau of Justice Assistance

Open

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

grants.gov listing
Dealbreakers Cost share: not stated Audit: not stated Reimbursement-only: not stated
Award range
$0 – $1,000,000
Expected awards
Not specified
Application deadline
Sep 24, 2026 22 days left
Posted
Aug 17, 2026
Last verified
6 days ago

At a glance

No plain-language summary yet for this grant — the official description below is the best source.

What it funds

  • Law, Justice and Legal Services
Official description from grants.gov

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

  • City or township governments
  • County governments
  • For-profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Independent school districts
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized)
  • Others
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Small businesses
  • Special district governments
  • State governments
Geographic restriction None found in the announcement — likely nationwide

Program history

USASpending.gov

Assistance listing 16.812 · Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative

Real awards this federal program has made — the whole assistance listing (16.812), not just this notice.

Fiscal year Awards Median award Middle half
FY 2026 (so far) 0 — —
FY 2025 25 $900,000 $899,716 – $900,000
FY 2024 58 $825,000 $749,997 – $848,271
FY 2023 111 $784,195 $750,000 – $900,000
FY 2022 169 $766,942 $749,834 – $900,000
FY 2021 63 $750,000 $661,042 – $900,000

For comparison, this notice advertises $0 – $1,000,000.

Who wins it Nonprofit (233), Local government (83), State government (68) of 426 awards — categories can overlap.
Top states NY (26) · CA (21) · PA (17) · OH (16) · TX (16)
Largest recent awards
  1. AMERICAN INSTITUTES FOR RESEARCH IN THE BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES $6,150,000 · FY 2023
  2. THE COUNCIL OF STATE GOVERNMENTS LTD. $5,474,583 · FY 2023
  3. CENTER FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLIC POLICY, INCORPORATED $4,500,000 · FY 2022
  4. IMPACT JUSTICE $4,000,000 · FY 2023
  5. THE LATINO COALITION FOR COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP $4,000,000 · FY 2023

Source: USASpending.gov · refreshed Aug 14, 2026