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Bureau of Justice Assistance · Department of Justice

BJA FY 2026 Capital Case Litigation Initiative: Improving the Quality of Legal Representation in State Capital Cases

Open

Key facts

Deadline
Due Oct 29, 2026 · 21 days left
Award size
Up to $450K
Match ?
Not required · Work out your budget and match
Who can apply
Set by the official notice: see Who can apply below
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 21 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 Blount County (nationwide program)
  • No match required
  • Past Tennessee awards on file: 3

Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.

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More from Bureau of Justice Assistance

About this grant

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the BJA FY 2026 Capital Case Litigation Initiative: Improving the Quality of Legal Representation in State Capital Cases. This opportunity will enhance the ability of prosecutors to effectively represent the public in state capital cases and to improve the quality of legal representation for defense attorneys who represent indigent defendants in state capital cases. States must allocate funding equally among capital prosecution and capital representation.

Who can apply, from the official notice

For purposes of this NOFO, “State government entities” means any state agency in states that authorize capital punishment and that conduct or will conduct prosecutions in which capital punishment is sought.

Ask a partner for a letter

Your schedule, working back from the deadline

  1. Oct8
    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
  2. Oct8
    Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
    Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters.
  3. Oct22
    Finish a complete draft for a final review
    Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft.
  4. Oct27
    Submit
    Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog
  5. Oct29
    Deadline
    From the funder.

Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.

Writing the need statement? Blount 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.

All sample proposals

Who in Tennessee has won this program

3 awards to Tennessee groups in 2 counties since 2021 · 0 in Blount County. Largest shown:

Past Tennessee winners
Past winnerWhereAmountFiscal year
Shelby County Da's OfficeMemphis, Shelby County$527K2024
Tennessee Innocence ProjectNashville, Davidson County$326K2024
Tennessee Innocence ProjectNashville, Davidson County$257K2022

Source: USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.

About the federal program

Capital Case Litigation Initiative
Program number 16.746 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs · Project grant

How applications are judged

In each year's official notice: read this year's.

Match

None required (federal program listing).

This program on SAM.gov

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What's wrong?

Source: Federal grants from Grants.gov · the official federal record. Last checked by GrantMe Oct 8, 2026.

Reference numbers: official notice number O-BJA-2026-172715 · program number 16.746