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

In plain English

Bureau of Justice Assistance (Department of Justice) is accepting applications for this grant until Nov 11, 2026 (closes today).

Awards are up to $1,000,000 each.

Eligible applicant types include nonprofits, small businesses, for-profit companies, state governments, local governments, tribal governments & organizations, colleges & universities and school districts, plus others described in the listing.

The listing says cost sharing or matching is not required.

Built only from the fields in the Grants.gov listing. Always confirm on the official listing.

Browse similar: Nonprofits · Small businesses · For-profit companies · State governments · Local governments · Tribal governments & organizations · Colleges & universities · School districts

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
• Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
• Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
• Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
• Private institutions of higher education
• For-profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses
• Others (see the eligibility details in the listing)

Additional eligibility information (excerpt from the listing):

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.

Excerpt from the official synopsis on Grants.gov (shortened; read the full text on the official listing):

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.

Read the full listing on Grants.gov → · Agency's announcement page