BJA FY 2026 Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes
Funds education and workforce development programs for adults and youth leaving prison or jail to improve job readiness, employment outcomes, and reduce recidivism.
RESTRICTED TO: STATE LOCAL GOV · TRIBAL ENTITIES · NONPROFITS
⚑ Primary purpose is reentry education/employment programming, not research. · Eligible applicants are state, local, and tribal governments and community-based organizations; public universities are not listed as eligible direct applicants. · Award ceiling is $1,000,000.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 20 weak | prototyping/demonstration stage |
| IPPRA | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 15 none | university cannot apply directly (ineligible) |
Description
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.
Eligibility
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.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Bureau of Justice Assistance <OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.