BJA FY 23 Improving Adult and Youth Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Program | O BJA 2023 171525

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2023 171525

The BJA FY 23 Improving Adult and Youth Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), created under the broader policy priorities of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). It is designed to support efforts that advance civil rights and racial equity, improve access to justice, strengthen public safety, support crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, and build trust between communities and the justice system. The program sits within the Second Chance Act (SCA) framework, a major federal initiative first enacted in 2007 and later reauthorized through the First Step Act of 2018, which focuses on helping people transition successfully from incarceration back into the community in ways that reduce recidivism and improve long-term outcomes.

A central idea behind the solicitation is that "reentry" is not a single service or short-term project, but a continuous process that begins at the start of incarceration and continues through release and reintegration. The grant encourages comprehensive and collaborative approaches that address the real-world barriers people face when returning home from prisons, jails, or juvenile residential facilities. In practice, that means projects are expected to coordinate across corrections, community-based service providers, and other local systems so that participants can access stabilization supports and reentry services in a connected way rather than through disconnected referrals.

This particular FY 2023 solicitation emphasizes implementing programming and services in response to the Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Act of 2020. The goal is to strengthen crisis stabilization supports alongside reentry planning for both adults and youth, recognizing that untreated behavioral health needs, substance use disorders, and destabilizing crises can increase the likelihood of cycling back into the justice system. While the solicitation summary does not list every allowable activity, the framing strongly points toward integrated crisis response and stabilization services linked to reentry planning, case management, and community-based supports that help people remain safe, stable, and engaged in services after release.

Funding is organized into two categories. Category 1 is intended for state and local governments implementing adult and youth crisis stabilization and community reentry programs. Category 2 is designed for nonprofit organizations and tribal governments. A key feature of the program is its emphasis on partnership: community-based nonprofit organizations, including culturally specific organizations, are explicitly eligible and encouraged to apply under Category 2 in partnership with correctional agencies, and state/local government applicants under Category 1 are encouraged to partner with community-based and culturally specific organizations to achieve program goals. The solicitation also highlights that applicants should be prepared to document these collaborations, including through memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and required proposal and budget materials.

Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, federally recognized tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), excluding institutions of higher education). The funding activity category is listed as Health, reflecting the behavioral health and stabilization focus embedded in crisis stabilization and reentry. The program is associated with CFDA number 16.812. The opportunity number is O-BJA-2023-171525, and the solicitation was posted January 26, 2023, with an original closing date of March 20, 2023.

In terms of scale, the grant listed an award ceiling of $7,500,000 and anticipated making around 10 awards. That suggests BJA expected a limited number of relatively significant awards, likely supporting multi-partner, multi-component initiatives rather than small standalone projects. Applicants would generally need to demonstrate a clear plan for implementation, collaboration, and the capacity to deliver services at meaningful scale, particularly given the program's focus on reducing reentry challenges and strengthening crisis stabilization pathways.

The solicitation also situates this program within the FY 2023 Second Chance Act "suite" of reentry-related funding opportunities. It notes that other competed programs in the same family include initiatives focused on community reentry, improving adult reentry education and employment outcomes, improving substance use disorder treatment and recovery outcomes for adults in reentry, Pay for Success models, Smart Supervision, and supervision approaches such as Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision and the HOPE Institute. In addition, BJA highlights several related programs that support behavioral health treatment during and after incarceration, including the Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Abuse Site-Based Program, the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Program for State Prisoners, and the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program. The practical takeaway is that BJA is encouraging applicants to think strategically about how this funding could fit into a broader continuum of reentry and behavioral health supports, while also noting that eligibility varies by program and that applicants should confirm fit and eligibility by reviewing each solicitation in full.

Overall, this opportunity targets jurisdictions and community partners that want to build or expand coordinated crisis stabilization and reentry strategies for adults and youth impacted by incarceration, with an emphasis on equity, collaboration, and evidence-informed approaches to reducing recidivism and improving stability during the transition back to the community.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 23 Improving Adult and Youth Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.812.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 26, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 20, 2023. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $7,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

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