SMART FY26 Support for Adam Walsh Act Implementation Grant Program

Source-based overview

General Purpose of the Funding: The Adam Walsh Act (AWA) Implementation Grant Program assists jurisdictions with developing and enhancing programs designed to implement SORNA. SORNA was enacted to provide a set of comprehensive standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. “Jurisdiction” is defined in SORNA as any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes — to the extent provided by 34 U.S.C. § 20911(10) — that have elected to implement SORNA. SORNA requires all states, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and participating federally recognized Indian tribes to maintain a sex offender registry and sex offenders to register and maintain a current registration in each jurisdiction where the individual lives, works, or goes to school. SORNA also sets forth requirements regarding what jurisdictions must include in their sex offender registries, what information sex offenders and sex offender registries must provide, requires jurisdictions to participate in the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW.gov) and exchange interjurisdictional information, and offenders must provide advance notice when traveling internationally. For more information about SORNA’s requirements, applicants should review the National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification, the Supplemental Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification, the Supplemental Guidelines for Juvenile Registration Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and Attorney General Rules. These, and other guidance documents, are available on the SMART Office website (SMART.gov). Applicants should refer to the Application Contents and Format section, Budget and Associated Information subsection for information on allowable and unallowable costs that may inform the development of their project design. The official record contains the controlling eligibility, budget, attachment and submission requirements for opportunity O-SMART-2026-172794.

Eligibility

Eligible applicant types listed by the agency: Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification); Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized); State governments. Applicants must also satisfy every programme-specific condition in the official notice.

Funding and benefits

Award ceiling: USD 400,000

Expected number of awards: 50

Themes and supported activities

General Purpose of the Funding: The Adam Walsh Act (AWA) Implementation Grant Program assists jurisdictions with developing and enhancing programs designed to implement SORNA. SORNA was enacted to provide a set of comprehensive standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. “Jurisdiction” is defined in SORNA as any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and federally recognized Indian tribes — to the extent provided by 34 U.S.C. § 20911(10) — that have elected to implement SORNA. SORNA requires all states, the District of Columbia, the principal U.S. territories, and participating federally recognized Indian tribes to maintain a sex offender registry and sex offenders to register and maintain a current registration in each jurisdiction where the individual lives, works, or goes to school. SORNA also sets forth requirements regarding what jurisdictions must include in their sex offender registries, what information sex offenders and sex offender registries must provide, requires jurisdictions to participate in the Dru Sjodin National Sex Offender Public Website (NSOPW.gov) and exchange interjurisdictional information, and offenders must provide advance notice when traveling internationally. For more information about SORNA’s requirements, applicants should review the National Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification, the Supplemental Guidelines for Sex Offender Registration and Notification, the Supplemental Guidelines for Juvenile Registration Under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and Attorney General Rules. These, and other guidance documents, are available on the SMART Office website (SMART.gov). Applicants should refer to the Application Contents and Format section, Budget and Associated Information subsection for information on allowable and unallowable costs that may inform the development of their project design.

Opportunity number: O-SMART-2026-172794

Deadline and timeline

Applications close 2026-11-25: Applications close 2026-11-25: Nov 25, 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.