FY 2026 Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program
🏛 Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention (USDOJ-OJP-OJJDP)
✓ Free, no account · Source: Grants.gov · Last verified Oct 7, 2026
Can you apply?
This grant is for state agencies, local governments, federally recognized Native American Tribes, and community-based organizations providing reentry services for youth. Applicants must focus on moderate- to high-risk youth transitioning from juvenile detention or correctional facilities. Programs must include comprehensive reentry support before, during, and after release. Collaborative partnerships between government, Tribal, community, and faith-based organizations are strongly encouraged and often required for competitiveness.
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Program description
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the OJJDP FY 2026 Second Chance Act Youth Reentry Program. This opportunity will support states, units of local government, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments, and community-based organizations to provide (1) comprehensive reentry services for moderate- to high-risk youth before, during, and after release from confinement, and (2) support transitional services to assist youth to successfully reenter the community. This program supports collaborations between state agencies, local government, Tribes, and community- and faith-based organizations to address the challenges that reentry and recidivism reduction pose for moderate to high-risk juvenile offenders returning to their communities from juvenile residential or correctional facilities.
Who can apply
Eligible applicants
- 501(c)(3) Public Charity
- City / Municipal Government
- County Government
- Nonprofits
- Public Authority
- Reentry Program
- State Government
- Tribal Nation
- Tribal Organization
Demographic focus
How to apply
Application links
Required documents
- SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance)
- Project Narrative
- Budget and Budget Narrative
- Organizational capacity documents (resumes, job descriptions)
- Letters of support from partners
- Evaluation plan
- Logic model
Program contact
- 👤 Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
- 📧 OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov
- 📞 0000000000
Funding track record
Recent awards under CFDA 16.812 from the last 3 years — real organizations that won funding through this same program.
Top 10 Largest Recent Awards
-
$7,300,000
-
$6,543,386
-
$6,150,000
-
$5,474,583
-
$5,200,000
-
$4,976,276
-
$4,000,000
-
$4,000,000
-
$4,000,000
-
$3,600,000
Top States by Funding
- KY 9 awards $29.3M
- CA 8 awards $19.3M
- VA 5 awards $15.7M
- LA 6 awards $8.0M
- NY 6 awards $6.3M
Source: USAspending.gov — federal spending transparency. Data covers last 3 years.
Funding history
Annual funding for this program — Federal obligations (CFDA 16.812). How funding has trended year over year.
| 2024 | $51,326,073 | |
| 2025 | $35,408,289 |
FAQ
Who is eligible to apply?
States, local governments, federally recognized Tribes, and CBOs can apply. Applicants must demonstrate capacity to serve moderate-to-high-risk justice-involved youth.
What activities does this grant fund?
Comprehensive reentry services, transitional support, case management, employment assistance, housing support, and mentoring for youth returning from confinement.
Is cost-sharing required?
No. This grant does not require matching funds or cost-sharing from applicants.
What makes applications competitive?
Strong collaboration across agencies, demonstrated need, evidence-based practices, measurable outcomes, and plan to reduce recidivism.
When is the deadline?
The deadline is November 2, 2026. Check the OJJDP website for any updates or extensions.
💡 Tips for applicants
- Start early engaging local government, tribal leaders, and community partners to build a credible coalition before writing.
- Focus your narrative on outcomes: recidivism reduction, employment rates, school enrollment, housing stability.
- Use data on local juvenile justice trends and reentry gaps to justify your program's design and target population.
- Budget conservatively and align all costs directly to reentry service delivery; reviewers scrutinize every line item.
- Build in evaluation capacity and partner with researchers or evaluators from the start to track impact.
⚠️ Common mistakes
Weak partnerships or vague collaboration agreements. Reviewers want to see signed MOUs and clear roles for each partner.
Targeting youth who are too low-risk or already succeeding. This grant requires focus on moderate-to-high-risk offenders where intervention matters most.
Weak evaluation plans or lack of baseline data. Applicants must show how they'll measure outcomes and track recidivism reduction over time.
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- OPEN OJJDP FY 2026 Multistate Mentoring Programs — Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention
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