Bureau of Justice Assistance · Department of Justice
BJA FY 2026 Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry Program
In short: Bureau of Justice Assistance gives grants of up to $1 million. Open to nonprofit without 501(c)(3), tribal government or nonprofit with 501(c)(3).
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Oct 30, 2026 · 19 days left
- Award size
- Up to $1M
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Nonprofit without 501(c)(3), Tribal government, Nonprofit with 501(c)(3)
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. The deadline is in 19 days. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Get-ready checklist
How this fits you
- Available in Davidson County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 35, including your county
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
About this grant
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/9a1d975f-0b57-485e-867a-29aa87729410 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/3ba2fa1e-3fd5-45fa-bf0d-99a5704de0f5
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct11
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 - Oct9
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment (already past: do it now)
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Oct23
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Oct28
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Oct30
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Davidson County facts with citations.
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 · 2 in Davidson County. 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 |
| Project Return Inc | Nashville, Davidson County | $900K | 2023 |
| Persevere | Memphis, Shelby County | $900K | 2023 |
| Knoxville Leadership Foundation | Knoxville, Knox County | $900K | 2024 |
| 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 |
| Persevere | 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 · 0 in Davidson County. 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).
More from Bureau of Justice Assistance
- U.S. Department of Justice FY26 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Notice of Funding Opportunity · Due Oct 15, 2026 · 4 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Program · Due Oct 15, 2026 · 4 days left
- DOJ FY 2026 Assisting Neighborhoods and Governments with Enforcement of Laws (ANGEL) Grant Program · Due Oct 20, 2026 · 9 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Tribal Justice Training and Technical Assistance Program · Due Oct 21, 2026 · 10 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Capital Case Litigation Initiative: Improving the Quality of Legal Representation in State Capital Cases · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 18 days left
- BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR)—Formula Grants Program · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 18 days left
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).