BJA FY25 Strengthening Community Supervision Agency Operations Program

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), part of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, has announced the Strengthening Community Supervision Agency Operations Program. This initiative aims to enhance the operations of state, local, and tribal community supervision agencies by supporting efforts to prevent recidivism and reduce violent crime. The program is grounded in evidence-based strategies and falls under the broader legislative authorities of the Second Chance Act of 2007 and the First Step Act of 2018, which authorize federal reentry services and programs for individuals leaving incarceration. The program is structured into two categories. Category 1, Smart Supervision, provides up to $6,687,630 in total funding to support the development, implementation, or testing of strategies that reduce recidivism among individuals on probation or parole. Category 2, Implementing Swift, Certain, and Fair Principles, has $4,000,000 available for projects that replicate the Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) model. This model emphasizes predictable and proportionate responses to probation violations to deter future misconduct. Each category offers awards of up to $1,000,000 for a 36-month period of performance. Eligible applicants include state governments, local governments (cities, counties, townships), federally recognized tribal governments, other units of local government such as villages or parishes, and organizing bodies or associations of supervision agencies. Entities applying as organizing bodies must include letters of intent or memorandums of understanding from each participating supervision office’s chief executive. The program does not require cost-sharing or matching funds, and applications may propose budgets below the stated ceilings. Applications follow a two-step submission process. The first step requires submission of the SF-424 in Grants.gov by March 19, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. The second step requires submission of the full application in JustGrants by March 26, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Required components include a proposal abstract, project narrative, budget detail form, financial management questionnaire, letters of support, signed assurances, and—where applicable—subrecipient documentation. Technical support is available for SAM.gov, Grants.gov, and JustGrants, with operating hours and contact information provided in the solicitation. The application will be evaluated based on five core criteria: the description of need, project goals and objectives, project design and implementation, capabilities and competencies, and budget. The peer review panel will assign merit-based scores using these criteria. Additionally, BJA will consider geographic diversity, strategic priorities, and past performance when making funding decisions. The anticipated start date for awards is October 1, 2025. Selected projects will be required to submit performance reports, including a final report summarizing interventions and lessons learned. Recipients must also commit to collecting and reporting recidivism data using unique participant identifiers throughout the program. This grant opportunity is nonrecurring but is part of a larger suite of Second Chance Act programs. For future cycles, applicants are encouraged to monitor BJA’s funding pages. Contact for general inquiries is the OJP Response Center ([email protected]), and further guidance is available via pre-application webinars and BJA’s application resources.

Submit at least 48 hours before deadlines; Use validated tools and data; Align to DOJ safety goals