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

Source-based overview

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. The official record contains the controlling eligibility, budget, attachment and submission requirements for opportunity O-BJA-2026-172698.

Eligibility

Eligible applicant types listed by the agency: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification); Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments); State governments; Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized); Small businesses; Public and State controlled institutions of higher education; County governments; Independent school districts; City or township governments; Special district governments; Private institutions of higher education; For profit organizations other than small businesses. Applicants must also satisfy every programme-specific condition in the official notice.

Funding and benefits

Award ceiling: USD 1,000,000

Themes and supported activities

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.

Opportunity number: O-BJA-2026-172698

Deadline and timeline

Applications close 2026-09-24: Applications close 2026-09-24: Sep 24, 2026.

Applicants should confirm the exact deadline time, time zone, required documents, portal steps and any institutional approvals on the official call page before submitting.

How to apply

Open the official Grants.gov record, review the full notice and attachments, and use the application package or agency route stated there.

Before applying, check eligibility rules, budgets, attachments, page limits, partner requirements, cost-share conditions and whether the opportunity uses an expression of interest, full proposal, registration or nomination stage.