BJA FY 2026 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Strengthening State and Local Operations to Reduce Crime and Recidivism
Supports state, local, and tribal governments in using data to reduce inefficient justice system spending and redirect resources to address urgent challenges, reduce crime, and lower recidivism.
Funder: Bureau of Justice Assistance
Due Dates: November 20, 2026, 11:59 pm Eastern (Grants.gov) | December 1, 2026, 8:59 pm Eastern (JustGrants)
Funding Amounts: Up to $4,000,000 per award; no cost sharing or matching required
Summary: Supports state, local, and tribal governments in redirecting inefficient justice-system spending toward strategies that reduce crime and address public safety challenges.
Key Information: Applicants should use existing data to identify urgent justice-system challenges and target resources toward crime reduction.
Description
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), within the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, administers this competitive Justice Reinvestment Initiative grant. The program supports state, local, and tribal government efforts to reduce wasteful spending and inefficient uses of funds across justice-system operations. Its goal is to redirect those resources toward crime reduction and other public safety or justice-system challenges.
Applicants should propose projects addressing one or more urgent local justice-system challenges. Existing data and information should guide the identification of those challenges and show how resources will be refocused on the strategies and populations most likely to reduce crime. Projects may address law enforcement, prosecution, sentencing, jails and prisons, probation, or parole.
