This funding record is inactive. Please see the program website or contact the program sponsor to determine if this program is currently accepting applications or will open again in the future.

Second Chance Act Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes

Link

https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/opportunities/o-bja-2024-172135

Additional Links

Notice of Funding Opportunity (Grants.gov)
Solicitation Overview

Deadline

Application Deadline: Jul 11, 2024

Sponsor

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)

Purpose

Provides funding for re-entry services and programs focused on enhancing education and employment outcomes for individuals currently incarcerated with 2 years or less before release into the community. Supports collaboration among stakeholders to establish career pathway systems or workforce development networks that implement fair chance opportunities for the target population that will increase their access to in-demand jobs and meaningful careers.

There are 2 funding categories for this opportunity.

Category 1: Improving Re-entry Education Outcomes
Category 2: Improving Re-entry Employment Outcomes

Objectives include:

Build a data-informed re-entry education and employment continuum that will encompass fair chance opportunities tenets, policies, and structures
Assess the local and statewide landscape of re-entry education and employment support from incarceration through post-release obtainment of high-quality credential and/or employment
Establish collaborative solutions that result in career pathways and result in stronger connections between employers, job training, and education programs

Applicants should engage in a process that includes the following elements:

Conduct labor market analysis to identify available and viable employment opportunities or apprenticeships that result in meaningful work experiences, in the jurisdiction or surrounding area
Articulate and implement a robust vision for re-entry education with transitional supports and a focus on students completing credentials, certificates, and diplomas
Engage a consortium of stakeholders to examine and expand opportunities for fair chance hiring, including state or local departments of education, corrections, community supervision, and labor, as well as academic institutions, community-based organizations, employers, faith-based institutions, and people with lived experience
Operate a program to expand fair chance opportunities via academic or vocational education that includes wraparound services

Applicants are encouraged to make investments in re-entry employment and education that go beyond high school equivalency, licensure, and placement in a transitional or initial job following release. A detailed list of potential investments can be found in the funding announcement.

Amount of Funding

Award ceiling: $900,000 per year
Project period: Up to 3 years
Estimated number of awards: 22
Estimated total program funding: $19,800,000

Who Can Apply

Eligible applicants include:

States and territories
City, township, county, or special district governments
Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
Nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education

Priority consideration is given to proposals that advance equity and remove barriers to accessing services and opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization, and to applicants that meet the following criteria:

Provide an assessment of local demand for employees in the geographic areas to which incarcerated individuals are likely to return as well as provide job-training grants that look at the local labor/job markets in communities where individuals leaving incarceration are returning
Conduct individualized re-entry career planning upon the start of incarceration or post- release employment planning for each individual served under the grant
Demonstrate connections to employers within the local community
Track and monitor employment outcomes

Geographic Coverage

Nationwide

What This Program Funds

Capacity Building • Operating Costs and Staffing

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 July 11, 2024 deadline.
Step 2: Applicants will submit the full application, including attachments, in the JustGrants grants management system by the July 18, 2024 deadline.

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

Topics This Program Addresses

Community Planning and Coalition Building • Re-entry and Community Supervision • Vocational Training, Education, and Employment