BJA FY 2026 Public Safety and Mental Health Initiative

The BJA Public Safety and Mental Health Initiative is a federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Office of Justice Programs provides federal leadership, funding, and other resources supporting law enforcement, violent crime reduction, services for crime victims, protection of children, and responses to public safety challenges. This initiative is intended to address untreated mental illness and substance use in ways that reduce burdens on law enforcement and the justice system, restore order in communities affected by homelessness, mental illness, and substance use, decrease recidivism and crime, improve public safety, and restore confidence in public spaces. The initiative supports coordinated direct interventions involving public safety, justice, mental health, and substance use agencies. Funded work is intended to increase access to mental health and substance use treatment through civil commitment, institutional treatment, and step-down approaches spanning pre-arrest through reentry, with accountability measures supporting compliance with treatment plans. Funding focuses on three core areas. These are crisis stabilization centers providing 24-hour crisis receiving and law enforcement drop-off capacity, comprehensive mental health and substance use treatment services, and electronic health record systems and related technology modernization. Projects must provide an alternative to hospitals, jails, or street settings for crisis care and law enforcement drop-offs and establish protocols for frequent utilizers and formal transfer agreements for high-acuity individuals. Approximately $38,000,000 is expected to be available for approximately 13 awards, with individual awards of up to $3,000,000. The anticipated award period is 36 months beginning October 1, 2026. Cost sharing is required and may consist of cash and/or in-kind contributions. The match is based on the total project budget and escalates over the project period. Years 1 and 2 combined require a 20 percent match and permit an 80 percent federal share, while Year 3 requires a 40 percent match and permits a 60 percent federal share. Applicants must identify the sources and uses of the non-federal match. Award funds may not be used for prizes, rewards, entertainment, trinkets, monetary incentives, client stipends, gift cards, vehicle purchases, or food and beverages. Other activities identified as outside program scope or otherwise unallowable under applicable federal requirements are also prohibited. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments, Native American Tribal governments other than federally recognized governments, and other units of local government. Nonprofit or for-profit mental health agencies and other nongovernmental applicants may apply only when they are designated by the state mental health authority to provide services as a unit of state or local government and provide documentation supporting that designation. Applicants must demonstrate participation by at least one justice agency and one mental health agency through commitments of staff time, space, services, or other project needs documented in a memorandum of understanding or letter of intent. An applicant may submit only one application. If multiple entities will carry out the project, one entity must apply and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. Required state or local government applicants must also submit the specified certification using the template provided in the notice. Application submission occurs in two steps. Applicants first submit the SF-424 through Grants.gov by September 25, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The full application must then be submitted through JustGrants by October 2, 2026, at 8:59 PM Eastern Time. Required components include the SF-424, Standard Applicant Information, Proposal Narrative, Budget, Memorandum of Understanding, and applicable required additional components such as a State Mental Health Authority Designation Letter and the Certification by the Chief Executive Officer or senior official of the Applicant Government. Other application elements include a proposal abstract, financial management and internal controls questionnaire, Agency Funding Priorities Inventory, timeline, subrecipient and contract disclosure, applicable financial attachments, and applicable planning, tribal, research, disclosure, and assurance materials. The proposal narrative may not exceed 10 pages and must address Description of the Need, Project Goals and Objectives, Project Design and Implementation, Capabilities and Competencies, and Plan for Sustainability. Peer review scoring assigns 5 percent to Description of the Need, 15 percent to Project Goals and Objectives, 35 percent to Project Design and Implementation, 25 percent to Capabilities and Competencies, 5 percent to Plan for Sustainability, and 15 percent to the Budget. Priority consideration may apply to projects addressing specified Department of Justice priorities and additional public safety criteria, but priority consideration does not guarantee funding. Within one year of award, recipients are expected to submit an action plan and a signed and executed memorandum of agreement or understanding. Recipients must also submit regular performance reports demonstrating progress toward program goals and objectives. The notice does not state that this funding opportunity recurs annually or on another established schedule. The notice was released August 14, 2026. Applicants are advised to begin SAM.gov registration or renewal by August 26, 2026, and no later than September 11, 2026. The Grants.gov submission deadline is September 25, 2026, and the JustGrants final application deadline is October 2, 2026. The notice lists an anticipated notification date of September 30, 2026, and an anticipated 36-month award period beginning October 1, 2026. Program questions may be directed to the OJP Response Center at OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov or 800-851-3420. Grants.gov assistance is available at support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726, and JustGrants assistance is available at JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov or 833-872-5175.

Prioritize Project Design and Implementation because it represents 35% of the application score and Capabilities and Competencies because it represents 25%. Clearly connect documented need to project goals, activities, deliverables, partnerships, and the budget. Ensure the requested amount does not exceed the award ceiling and the project is responsive to the NOFO scope. Clearly identify match sources and uses. Follow the 10-page narrative limit and formatting requirements. Submit all required eligibility certifications and partnership documentation. Applicants seeking priority consideration should identify the applicable priorities in the narrative and explain how the project advances them.