Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention · Department of Justice
OJJDP FY 2026 Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Nov 2, 2026 · 26 days left
- Award size
- Up to $750K
- Total available
- $12.4M · about 16 awards
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Tribal government, State government, Nonprofit with 501(c)(3), City or town government, Nonprofit without 501(c)(3), County government, and others named in the official notice
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
How this fits you
- Available in Tennessee (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 35
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/62067672-8ffd-459d-81d2-8f0db947c743 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/38b36498-e39b-4569-9e28-ca3a1cdd4c40
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
More from Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
- OJJDP FY 2026 Juvenile Drug Treatment Court Program · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 22 days left
- OJJDP FY 2026 Strengthening Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Technological Investigative Capacity · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 22 days left
- OJJDP FY 2026 Missing and Exploited Children Training and Technical Assistance · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 22 days left
- OJJDP FY 2026 Community and Schools Youth Drug Prevention Program · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 22 days left
- OJJDP FY 2026 Multistate Mentoring Programs · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 22 days left
- OJJDP FY 2026 Victims of Child Abuse Act Training and Technical Assistance for Child Abuse Professionals · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 22 days left
About this grant
Who can apply, from the official notice
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct7
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Oct12
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Oct26
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Oct30
Submit
Suggested: submit a few days early. Agency portals can slow down near deadlines. - Nov2
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
What the official notice requires
Pulled from the official notice ojjdp-2026-172751.pdf (17 pages) so you can see the requirements at a glance. Each item shows the notice's own words. Open the page to read it in context.
Registrations you need first (3)
Grants.gov · p. 1
“OMB No. 1121-0329 Approval Expires 02/28/2027 OJJDP FY 2026 Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program Grants.gov Funding Opportunity Number:” Open page 1
JustGrants · p. 1
“Submit full application in JustGrants:” Open page 1
SAM.gov · p. 4
“C-OJJDP-2026-00017-PROD Expected Total Amount of Funding $12, 440,720 Anticipated Number of Awards Category 1: 5 Category 2: 11 Award Type(s) Grant Anticipated Award Amount Up to $750,000 Expected Award Period(s) 36 months starting on January 1, 2027 Key…” Open page 4
The deadline is in 26 days. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Get-ready checklist
What to submit
Form SF-424 · p. 1
“Complete SF-424 and submit in Grants.gov:” Open page 1
Memorandum of understanding (MOU) · p. 6
“Applicants must include—as an attachment—a draft or fully executed MOU that clearly demonstrates an established relationship between the applicant and the correctional agencies that (1) oversee the specific facility or facilities from which the applicant…” Open page 6
Letters of support or commitment · p. 7
“To request priority consideration, applicants must provide a letter of support from DOJ through the U.S.” Open page 7
Project abstract or summary · p. 11
“JustGrants Standard Applicant Information *Required* Online Form Proposal Abstract Text Box Data Requested With Application” Open page 11
Timeline or schedule of completion · p. 12
“Timeline Attachment In addition to the items marked *Required* in the table above, the following are considered basic minimum requirement elements that are considered in the responsiveness review:” Open page 12
Resumes or bios of key staff · p. 16
“Provide resumes of key personnel who will work on the proposed project or a description of the experience and skills of key personnel necessary to implement the project.” Open page 16
Length limits
Proposal Abstract: 2,000 characters max · p. 12
“Proposal Abstract In JustGrants, enter a proposal abstract (limited to 2,000 characters) summarizing the proposed project.” Open page 12
Dates in the notice
January 1, 2027 · p. 4
“C-OJJDP-2026-00017-PROD Expected Total Amount of Funding $12, 440,720 Anticipated Number of Awards Category 1: 5 Category 2: 11 Award Type(s) Grant Anticipated Award Amount Up to $750,000 Expected Award Period(s) 36 months starting on January 1, 2027 Key…” Open page 4
Mistakes that get applications rejected (1)
Missing a required part: If your application does not include the required cost sharing, it will be deemed ineligible for funding. · p. 5
“If your application does not include the required cost sharing, it will be deemed ineligible for funding.” Open page 5
See how others wrote it
The agency posted this example. Read them for structure and level of detail. Don't copy their words: funders treat copied text as plagiarism, and requirements change from year to year, so follow the current notice.
- Any OJP grant (sample for a rural police department)
Sample budgets
A sample budget summary and budget narrative. Not a full application · Link checked Oct 7, 2026
Who in Tennessee has won this program
28 awards to Tennessee groups in 9 counties since 2017. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rescue 180, Inc. | Jefferson City, Jefferson County | $1.1M | 2024 |
| Shelby County Government | Memphis, Shelby County | $999K | 2025 |
| Persevere | Memphis, Shelby County | $900K | 2023 |
| Knoxville Leadership Foundation | Knoxville, Knox County | $900K | 2024 |
| Project Return Inc | Nashville, Davidson County | $900K | 2023 |
| County of Rutherford | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | $900K | 2023 |
| Helen Ross Mcnabb Center, Inc. | Knoxville, Knox County | $877K | 2022 |
| County of Hamilton | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | $844K | 2025 |
| Helen Ross Mcnabb Center, Inc. | Knoxville, Knox County | $825K | 2025 |
| Shelby County Government | Memphis, Shelby County | $750K | 2023 |
| Westcare Tennessee, Inc. | Dandridge, Cocke County | $750K | 2023 |
| Hope Works, Inc. | Memphis, Shelby County | $750K | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration passes it on: watch that agency for applications, not the federal agency. 7 pass-through grants on file. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hamilton County, Tennessee | Chattanooga, Hamilton County | Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs | $131K spent that year | 2025 |
| Staples Nina | Memphis, Shelby County | Hope Works, Inc. | $53K | 2023 |
| Grundy County, Tennessee | Altamont, Grundy County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $34K spent that year | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Rutherford County | $28K spent that year | 2025 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Hamilton County | $26K spent that year | 2025 |
| Cedar Recovery of Middle Tennessee, LLC | Mount Juliet | Rescue 180, Inc. | $11K | 2024 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | Shelby County Office of Reentry | $10K spent that year | 2025 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
About the federal program
Second Chance Act Reentry Initiative, also called “Second Chance Act”
Program number 16.812 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs · Cooperative agreement (a grant with close agency involvement), project grant
How applications are judged
In each year's official notice: read this year's.
Match
None required (federal program listing).