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

Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172698 · Deadline: September 24, 2026 · Advertised ceiling: $1M

Program-level history — this opportunity doesn't publish per-opportunity awards, so these numbers describe its parent program (CFDA 16.812, Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative), not this competition alone. Labeled that way on purpose.

Ask-amount guidance

Applicants here typically receive far less than the advertised ceiling: the program median is $784k against a $1M ceiling (78%). Budgets far above the median need a story; budgets far below leave money on the table.

Draw-down reality (program)

Across 143 completed awards in this program (FY2021+ sample, USAspending outlay records), grantees ultimately drew a median 100% of obligated funds. A median well under 100% means underspend or early closure is common here — worth knowing before promising a spend-down timeline.

Listing summary

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 improv…

Eligibility: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other), Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others · Categories: Law, Justice and Legal Services · official listing ↗

Sources: NIH RePORTER (opportunity-exact) and USAspending (program-level), labeled per section. GrantsDue computes summaries only; verify anything critical against the originals. Methodology.