Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2023 171692
Apply for O BJA 2023 171692
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 23 Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Incubator Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.812.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2023-03-28.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
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Opportunity Summary:
The BJA FY 23 Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Incubator Initiative is a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funding opportunity under the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) designed to strengthen community-based reentry support for people returning home after incarceration. The central idea is to expand the reach and long-term stability of community- and faith-based organizations that provide reentry services, while also addressing the reality that many of these organizations struggle to directly compete for, administer, and remain compliant under federal grant requirements. The opportunity is framed within OJP priorities that emphasize civil rights and racial equity, improved access to justice, support for victims and justice-involved individuals, stronger community safety, protection from evolving threats, and greater trust between law enforcement and communities. In practice, that means the initiative is not only about delivering services, but also about building stronger, more equitable systems of support that help people successfully reintegrate and reduce the likelihood of returning to incarceration.
Rather than funding many local providers directly, BJA intends to make awards to two intermediary organizations that will operate an incubator-style program for local reentry providers. These intermediaries are expected to design and run a competitive subaward process, selecting community- and faith-based reentry organizations to receive funding and structured support. The intermediary role is substantial: it includes administering subawards, monitoring performance and compliance, and delivering comprehensive training and technical assistance (TTA). The goal of the TTA is to build the practical capability and organizational capacity of subawardees, helping them improve service delivery for returning citizens and, importantly, become sustainable organizations that can successfully pursue and manage future funding, including both public grants and private philanthropic support. In other words, this is meant to be a pipeline-builder that helps smaller or less-resourced community groups grow into strong, grant-ready organizations with durable programs.
This is a discretionary grant opportunity using a cooperative agreement funding instrument, which generally signals that the federal agency expects to have an ongoing, active partnership role in the project rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The program is listed under CFDA 16.812 and is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education. The opportunity was created on March 28, 2023, with an original closing date of June 20, 2023. The maximum award amount listed is $4,000,000. While the notice indicates the initiative expects to fund two intermediary organizations, the provided source fields do not specify a number in the "ExpectedAwards" entry beyond that intent described in the narrative.
At a program level, this initiative is aimed at solving a common structural problem in reentry funding: many trusted, community-rooted organizations do the day-to-day work of helping people with housing stability, employment readiness, behavioral health connections, mentoring, family reunification, transportation, basic needs, and navigation of supervision requirements, yet they often face hurdles such as complex federal application processes, unfamiliar compliance rules, limited administrative infrastructure, and insufficient grant management experience. By placing well-qualified intermediaries in the middle, BJA is essentially funding organizations that can both distribute resources to local reentry providers and provide hands-on support to help those providers professionalize their internal systems, document outcomes, meet reporting standards, and position themselves for long-term growth. The desired end state is stronger local reentry ecosystems where community providers are better equipped to meet participant needs and are also better prepared to directly access and responsibly manage funding in the future.
FAQs: BJA FY 23 Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Incubator Initiative
What is the BJA FY 23 Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Incubator Initiative?
It is a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funding opportunity under the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) designed to strengthen community-based reentry support for people returning home after incarceration. The initiative focuses on expanding the reach and long-term stability of community- and faith-based organizations that deliver reentry services, while also addressing the challenges many local providers face in meeting federal grant requirements.
What problem is this initiative trying to solve?
The initiative is designed to address a structural challenge in reentry funding: many community-rooted organizations provide critical, day-to-day reentry services but often struggle to compete for federal grants, administer awards, and stay compliant with federal requirements. This program funds intermediaries to help those organizations build capacity, improve compliance readiness, and become more sustainable over time.
Who is the funder and administering agency?
The program is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
What type of grant is this?
This is a discretionary grant opportunity using a cooperative agreement funding instrument. A cooperative agreement generally means BJA expects an ongoing, active partnership role in the project rather than only providing funding with minimal involvement.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The program is listed under CFDA 16.812.
Who is eligible to apply as the primary applicant?
Eligible applicants are nonprofit organizations, including 501(c)(3) nonprofits and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, as long as they are not institutions of higher education.
Are institutions of higher education eligible to apply?
No. The eligibility description states that nonprofit organizations are eligible as long as they are not institutions of higher education.
Is this opportunity intended to fund local reentry service providers directly?
Not primarily. Instead of funding many local providers directly, BJA intends to make awards to two intermediary organizations that operate an incubator-style program. Those intermediaries are expected to run a competitive subaward process for community- and faith-based reentry organizations.
How many awards does BJA expect to make?
The narrative indicates BJA intends to fund two intermediary organizations. The provided source fields do not specify a number in the "ExpectedAwards" entry beyond that intent described in the narrative.
What is the maximum award amount?
The maximum award amount listed is $4,000,000.
What is an intermediary organization in this program?
An intermediary is a well-qualified organization that receives the BJA award and then designs and operates an incubator-style program for local reentry providers. The intermediary is responsible for selecting subawardees through a competitive process and providing both funding and structured support to help them strengthen services and organizational capacity.
What are intermediaries expected to do under this initiative?
Intermediaries are expected to: (1) design and run a competitive subaward process; (2) administer subawards to community- and faith-based reentry organizations; (3) monitor performance and compliance; and (4) deliver comprehensive training and technical assistance (TTA) aimed at improving service delivery and building organizational capacity and sustainability.
What is the purpose of the training and technical assistance (TTA)?
The TTA is intended to build both practical capability and organizational capacity of subawardees. It is meant to help local providers improve reentry service delivery for returning citizens and become sustainable, grant-ready organizations that can pursue and manage future funding, including public grants and private philanthropic support.
What does "incubator-style" mean in the context of this initiative?
In this context, "incubator-style" refers to a structured approach where intermediaries do more than pass through funding. They provide hands-on support, guidance, and capacity-building so community and faith-based organizations can strengthen internal systems, document outcomes, meet reporting expectations, and improve long-term organizational stability.
What kinds of services are community-based reentry organizations expected to support?
The description highlights reentry services such as housing stability support, employment readiness, connections to behavioral health services, mentoring, family reunification, transportation, meeting basic needs, and helping participants navigate supervision requirements.
Who are the intended beneficiaries of this initiative?
The initiative is aimed at strengthening support for people returning to the community after incarceration (often referred to as returning citizens), by improving the strength and reach of the community-based organizations that serve them.
How does this initiative align with OJP priorities?
The opportunity is framed within OJP priorities emphasizing civil rights and racial equity, improved access to justice, support for victims and justice-involved individuals, stronger community safety, protection from evolving threats, and greater trust between law enforcement and communities. The initiative is presented as both a service-delivery effort and a systems-strengthening approach meant to support more equitable reentry outcomes.
Why does BJA use intermediaries instead of awarding many smaller grants directly to local providers?
The program description explains that many community and faith-based organizations are effective service providers but face barriers to directly competing for and managing federal awards, including complex application processes, compliance rules, limited administrative infrastructure, and limited grant management experience. Intermediaries are intended to reduce those barriers by providing both resources and structured capacity-building support.
What is the long-term goal for subawardee organizations?
The long-term goal is for subawardees to become stronger and more sustainable organizations, with improved internal systems and the ability to document outcomes, meet reporting standards, and successfully pursue and manage future funding from public and private sources.
When was this opportunity created and when did it originally close?
The opportunity was created on March 28, 2023, and had an original closing date of June 20, 2023.
What does "community-based reentry" mean in the context provided?
Based on the description, community-based reentry refers to local, community-rooted support systems and organizations that help people transition from incarceration back into the community by addressing practical needs (like housing and employment readiness), supportive services (like mentoring and behavioral health connections), and navigation challenges (like supervision requirements).
Does the opportunity description specify the exact reporting or compliance requirements?
No. The description notes that intermediaries must monitor performance and compliance and that local providers often struggle with federal compliance rules, but it does not list specific reporting formats, timelines, or compliance checklists in the information provided here.
Does the opportunity describe how the competitive subaward process must be designed?
Only at a high level. The information provided states that intermediaries are expected to design and run a competitive subaward process, but it does not specify scoring criteria, required documentation, or the size and number of subawards.
What outcomes is the initiative ultimately trying to influence?
Based on the description, the initiative aims to strengthen reentry ecosystems, improve service delivery and organizational capacity among local providers, support successful reintegration, and reduce the likelihood of people returning to incarceration.
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