The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is accepting applications for its Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes Program.
Donor Name: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 05/04/2026
Size of the Grant: $500,000 to $1 million
Grant Duration: 3 Years
Details:
This NOFO supports state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations to provide education and employment programs for people leaving jail and prison. The goal of the program is to improve academic and vocational/trade programs available to people 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.
Categories
- Category 1: Improving Reentry Education Outcomes
- Category 1 will provide support for prison educational programming and vocational/trade education and training that serve individuals currently incarcerated with 2 years or less before release into the community.
- Category 2: Improving Reentry Employment Outcomes
- Category 2 will provide support for employment programs, such as a career pathway system or workforce development network, informed by labor market needs and local demand for employees that serve individuals currently incarcerated with 2 years or less before release into the community.
Funding Information
- Total Amount To Be Awarded Under This Funding Opportunity: $19,800,000
- Category 1: Improving Reentry Education Outcomes
- Anticipated Award Ceiling: $900,000
- Period of Performance: 36 months
- Category 2: Improving Reentry Employment Outcomes
- Anticipated Award Ceiling: $900,000
- Period of Performance: 36 months
Eligibility Criteria
The types of entities that are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:
- Government Entities
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Native American Tribal governments (federally recognized)
- Native American Tribal governments (other than federally recognized)
- Educational Organizations
- Independent school districts
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- For-Profit Organizations
- Organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Other
- Units of local government
State Government Entities: For the purposes of this NOFO, “state” means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
