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law_justice_and_legal_services · USDOJ-OJP-BJA

BJA FY 2026 Invited to Apply -Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program

Bureau of Justice Assistance · O-BJA-2026-172640

Closed

Award Range

$0$8.0M

Total Program Funding

$410.6M

Expected Awards

478

Deadline

July 29, 2026

GRANTQUICK SUMMARYPlain-English Overview

DOJ's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is distributing $410.6M across 478 'Invited to Apply' Byrne Discretionary grants (up to $8M each). The LARGEST single batch of congressional earmarks in this cycle. These are NOT competitive — specific organizations were designated by Congress. Projects span criminal justice: reentry programs, law enforcement equipment, court improvements, diversion programs, etc.

Who Should Apply

ONLY organizations with invitation letters from BJA. These are congressional earmarks — 478 specific named recipients.

Who Should NOT Apply

Everyone without an invitation. Despite the massive funding ($410M), this is not an open competition.

Key Requirements (Plain English)

  • Must have received specific invitation from BJA
  • 478 awards up to $8M each ($410.6M total)
  • Must address criminal justice purposes specified in congressional language

💡 GrantQuick Tip

Congressional earmarks represent a massive share of DOJ discretionary funding. If your organization does criminal justice work and wants earmark funding in future cycles, build a relationship with your congressional delegation. Provide them clear project proposals they can include in appropriations language. The process happens in Congress, not at DOJ.

Competitiveness: Not applicable — 478 congressional earmarks to designated recipients.

What This Grant Funds

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is committed to advancing work that furthers the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) mission to keep our country safe and secure and uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of American citizens. OJP provides federal leadership, funding, and other critical resources to directly support law enforcement, combat violent crime, protect American children, provide services to American crime victims, and address public safety challenges, including human trafficking and the opioid crisis. This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) FY 2026 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program. This opportunity seeks to support projects designated for funding pursuant to the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2026 (Pub. L. No. 119-74, Div. A, Title II.) to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to prevent or combat juvenile delinquency, and to assist victims of crime (other than compensation). The Congressional Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act lists the designated projects, which the Act incorporates by reference, as stated in relevant part, below— • $537,978,926 is for discretionary grants to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to prevent or combat juvenile delinquency, and to assist victims of crime (other than compensation), which shall be made available for the OJP—Byrne projects, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled ‘‘Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending’’ included for this division in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act): Provided, That such amounts may not be transferred for any other purpose; (Pub. L. No. 119-74, Div. A, Title II). Note that this NOFO is only for OJP-Byrne projects to be administered by BJA. Separate NOFOs will be posted and invitations sent for projects to be administered by OJP’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).

Who Can Apply

BJA sent an invitation to apply to all eligible recipients, which are limited to those identified in the Congressional Joint Explanatory Statement for projects designated for funding pursuant to the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2026 (Pub. L. No. 119-74, Div. A, Title II). A list of the projects designated for funding in FY 2026 can be found here: FY 2026 Appropriations. The legal name (or “doing business as” name) associated with the applicant’s unique entity identifier (UEI) as registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) must coincide with the recipient listed in the Joint Explanatory Statement. Prospective applicants still uncertain of eligibility after reviewing this section should contact the agency using the information below before starting or submitting an application.

Eligible Applicant Types

Other (see NOFO for details)

Funding Details

Maximum Award
$8.0M
Total Program Funding
$410.6M
Expected Number of Awards
478
Cost Sharing Required?
No
Funding Instrument
grant

Key Dates

Posted: June 17, 2026
Application Deadline: July 29, 2026 (0 days remaining)

Agency Contact

OJP Response Center OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov

OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov

Ready to apply?

View the full NOFO and submit your application on Grants.gov