BJA FY 21 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Crime by Improving Justice System Performance | O BJA 2021 06002

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2021 06002

The BJA FY 21 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Crime by Improving Justice System Performance is a competitive, discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The program is designed to help jurisdictions strengthen how their justice systems operate so they can reduce crime, improve fairness, and make better use of public resources. At its core, the opportunity supports the Justice Reinvestment approach, which treats public safety as a shared responsibility across the entire justice system rather than something handled by a single agency. That means law enforcement, courts, prosecution, defense, corrections, supervision, treatment providers, and victim services are all seen as part of the solution when it comes to preventing crime, improving outcomes, and maintaining community trust.

This grant focuses on developing and implementing innovative and research-based strategies to address persistent criminal justice challenges. The intent is not simply to fund isolated programs, but to support approaches that measurably improve system performance, such as increasing efficiency, strengthening decision-making, improving sentencing and supervision practices, expanding access to treatment when appropriate, and ensuring that policies and practices promote both safety and fairness. The broader DOJ framing emphasizes several connected goals: advancing civil rights, increasing access to justice, supporting victims of crime, protecting the public from both traditional crime and emerging threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. The structure of the opportunity reflects that bigger picture by encouraging systemwide problem-solving rather than narrow, one-off interventions.

Awards are issued as cooperative agreements, which generally indicates closer involvement and collaboration with the federal agency compared to a standard grant. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $1,000,000, and BJA anticipated making approximately six awards under this solicitation. The opportunity was posted on May 13, 2021, with an original application deadline of June 28, 2021. The funding opportunity number is O-BJA-2021-06002, and the CFDA listing associated with the program is 16.827. The opportunity is categorized as discretionary, meaning applicants compete based on merit, alignment with program goals, and the strength and feasibility of the proposed strategy.

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full solicitation text under an "Additional Information on Eligibility" section. In practice, opportunities in this space often involve state or local governments and justice system partners, but the solicitation language signals that applicants should rely on the detailed eligibility guidance in the official notice. Overall, the grant is aimed at helping jurisdictions use data, evidence, and cross-agency collaboration to improve justice system outcomes, promote public safety, and ensure the system operates in a way that is both effective and equitable.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the affordable care act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 21 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Crime by Improving Justice System Performance" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.827.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 13, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 28, 2021. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O BJA 2021 06002

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