BJA FY25 Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes

The BJA Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes program is a federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The program is designed to support state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and certain for-profit entities in implementing education and employment programs for individuals preparing to transition from incarceration back into the community. The funding opportunity aligns with the goals of the Second Chance Act of 2007 and the First Step Act of 2018, both of which support reentry initiatives intended to improve public safety, reduce recidivism, and increase successful reintegration outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals. The solicitation identifies a strong emphasis on workforce readiness, vocational and trade education, digital literacy, and employment pathways that respond to local labor market demand. The program contains two funding categories. Category 1 supports educational programming and vocational or trade training for incarcerated individuals who are within two years of release from prison or jail. Category 2 supports employment-focused programming, including career pathway systems, workforce development networks, and employment preparation initiatives that are informed by regional labor market needs and employer demand. Both categories are intended to improve educational attainment, job readiness, employment retention, and long-term career opportunities for individuals returning to the community after incarceration. Applicants are encouraged to develop projects that create marketable skills, leverage technology, and support participation in the digital economy. The Bureau of Justice Assistance also indicates that priority consideration may be given to projects that focus on vocational and trade education, employer partnerships, individualized career planning, and measurable employment outcomes. The total amount available under the funding opportunity is $19,800,000. The anticipated award ceiling for both categories is up to $900,000, with approximately 10 awards anticipated for Category 1 and 12 awards anticipated for Category 2. The anticipated project start date is June 1, 2026, and the period of performance is 36 months. Applicants may propose budgets below the maximum award amount if appropriate for the scope of work. The solicitation specifically states that no cost sharing or match requirement applies to this funding opportunity. Allowable costs include expenses necessary to implement educational and employment-related programming, staffing, partnerships, career services, and workforce development activities. However, the solicitation identifies several unallowable uses of funds, including prizes, client stipends, gift cards, vehicle purchases, food and beverages, and certain immigration-related legal services. Programs that violate federal immigration laws or federal civil rights laws are also deemed out of scope. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, tribal governments, independent school districts, public and private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations including small businesses, and units of local government. Nonprofit and non-correctional government applicants are required to demonstrate formal collaboration with correctional agencies through memoranda of understanding or memoranda of agreement. Applicants must also demonstrate that at least one correctional or community supervision agency will support the proposed project through commitments of staff time, space, services, or related resources. Applications involving multiple organizations are permitted, but only one lead applicant may apply, while partner entities must participate as subrecipients. Applications are submitted through a two-step federal process involving Grants.gov and JustGrants. Applicants must first submit the SF-424 Application for Federal Assistance through Grants.gov by May 8, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. Full application materials must then be submitted through JustGrants by May 11, 2026 at 8:59 PM Eastern Time. Required application components include a proposal abstract, proposal narrative, budget detail form, financial management questionnaire, mandatory chief executive assurance regarding recidivism data collection, documentation of proposed subrecipients and procurement contracts, resumes of key personnel, timeline attachments, memoranda of understanding, letters of support, and several federal disclosures and certifications. The proposal narrative may not exceed 15 pages and must address four primary sections: description of need, project goals and objectives, project design and implementation, and organizational capabilities and competencies. Applications are evaluated according to responsiveness, technical merit, project design, organizational capacity, and budget completeness. The merit review process includes both peer review and programmatic review. Peer reviewers evaluate applications using weighted criteria that include statement of the problem, project goals and objectives, project design and implementation, organizational capabilities, and budget quality. Additional factors considered during final award decisions include geographic distribution, strategic priorities, past performance, and funding availability. Successful applicants will receive notification through JustGrants and must accept awards within 45 days. Award recipients are required to submit quarterly financial reports, semi-annual performance reports, and final reports. Recipients must also collect and report recidivism indicator data for all participants. The solicitation indicates that future continuation funding may be available depending on congressional appropriations, recipient performance, and alignment with Department of Justice priorities. Program contacts include the OJP Response Center at OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov and 800-851-3420, as well as Grants.gov and JustGrants technical support resources for submission assistance.

Applicants should demonstrate strong employer partnerships workforce alignment and measurable employment outcomes. Priority consideration may be given to vocational and trade education projects individualized career planning labor market analysis and programs that track employment outcomes after release.