Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP)

Link

https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2025-172323

Additional Links

Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)

Deadline

Application Deadline: Apr 3, 2025

Sponsor

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Purpose

Supports cross-system collaboration programs to reduce criminal justice system involvement, assist those reentering the community, and improve outcomes for individuals with behavioral health conditions, intellectual disabilities, developmental disabilities, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and/or traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) who interact with the justice system. Focuses on strengthening partnerships between justice and behavioral health systems, helping state and local governments work together effectively to support for individuals at risk of incarceration and those living with behavioral health disorders and who may experience a crisis across the justice continuum.

Program objectives include:

Increase the community's workforce capacity of certified mental health peer recovery specialists and behavioral health clinicians and wraparound services to support people with behavioral health disorders
Improve the capacity to identify and support people with behavioral health needs in the justice system
Enhance collaboration between justice and mental health programs focusing on pretrial, prosecution/defense, courts, corrections, probation and parole
Increase capacity building for criminal justice professionals to identify and provide support to people with behavioral health disorders, including people with TBI and PTSD

In fiscal year (FY) 2054, the focus of this program is on pretrial, prosecution/defense, courts, probation/parole, and the needs of adults with behavioral health disorders who are homeless, particularly those who come in contact with the justice system. There are 3 funding categories for this opportunity:

Category 1: Local and County Government Justice and Behavioral Health Collaboration
Category 2: Tribal Government Justice and Behavioral Health Collaboration
Category 3: State Government Justice and Behavioral Health Collaboration

Category-specific objectives, deliverables, and other requirements can be found in the funding announcement.

Amount of Funding

Award ceiling: $550,000
Project period: 36 months
Estimated number of awards: 29
Estimated total program funding: $15,950,000

Applicants must provide matching funds for a portion of the project. Generally, an award may not exceed 80% of the total project cost in years 1 and 2. Awards may not exceed 60% of the total project cost in year 3.

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants include:

States
City, township, county, and special district governments
Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
Agencies with a different legal status are eligible to apply only if they meet the following 2 requirements:
- Applicant is designated by the state mental health authority to provide services as a unit of the state or local government
- Applicant must attach documentation to support this designation

In order to be eligible, proposed projects must demonstrate at least 1 criminal justice agency and 1 mental health agency will support the project through commitments of staff time, space, services, or other project needs described in an attached memorandum of understanding or letter of intent.

The programmatic funding priority areas for consideration align with the funder's mission and goals, and include proposals that:

Promote effective strategies for identification and treatment of females with behavioral health disorders who are involved with the criminal justice system
Promote effective strategies to expand the use of mental health courts and related services
Propose interventions that have been shown by empirical evidence to reduce recidivism
When appropriate, use validated assessment tools to identify and prioritize individuals with a moderate or high risk of recidivism and a need for treatment services
Demonstrate and ensure that funds are used for public health and public safety.
Demonstrate active participation of co-applicants in administering the program
Document, in whole or in part, that funds used for treatment of incarcerated populations will provide transition and reentry services for such individuals

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building • New Program • Operating Costs and Staffing • Training Providers

Application Process

Application instructions, requirements, and other information about the online application process can be found in the funding announcement.

Applications must be submitted electronically through a 2-step process:

Step 1: Applicants will submit an SF-424 and an SF-LLL in grants.gov by the April 3, 2025 deadline.
Step 2: Applicants will submit the full application, including attachments, in the JustGrants grants management system by the April 10, 2025 deadline.

Applicant webinar
(Registration required)
February 20, 2025
1:00 - 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Contact

For questions on submitting in grants.gov:
800-518-4726
support@grants.gov

For questions on submitting in JustGrants:
833-872-5175
JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov

For programmatic and technical questions:
Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Response Center
800-851-3420
TTY at 301-240-6310
grants@ncjrs.gov

Rural Awards

Past awards communities received in FY 2024 can be found on the program website.

Rural communities who have received funding include:

Confederated Salish & Kootenai Tribes in Pablo, Montana.
4th Judicial District Court Mental Health Court (MHC) in Elko, Nevada

Topics This Program Addresses

Attorneys and Courts • Community Planning and Coalition Building • Crisis Response • Healthcare Workforce • Housing and Homelessness • Jails and Prisons • Law Enforcement • Mental Health • People with Lived Experience/Peers • Re-entry and Community Supervision • Social Service Supports • Substance Use Disorder • Treatment • Violence, Trauma, and Abuse • Vocational Training, Education, and Employment