BJA FY 20 Improving Reentry for Adults with Substance Use Disorders Program | BJA 2020 17106

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2020 17106

The BJA FY 20 Improving Reentry for Adults with Substance Use Disorders Program (Funding Opportunity Number: BJA 2020 17106) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It is designed to strengthen and expand the services available to adults with substance use disorders as they transition from incarceration back into the community. The core idea behind the program is that reentry is a high-risk period for relapse, overdose, and reoffending, and that improving the continuity and quality of treatment and recovery supports during this transition can reduce recidivism, improve public safety, and support long-term recovery.

This opportunity funds projects that improve how correctional and community-based systems identify people with substance use disorders, connect them to appropriate care, and support them after release. While the source description is brief, the intent is clear: support interventions that make reentry planning more effective and that link individuals leaving jail or prison to treatment and recovery services in the community, rather than leaving them to navigate fragmented systems on their own. The program sits at the intersection of justice and health, emphasizing practical service improvements that address substance use as a driver of criminal justice involvement.

The grant is offered under CFDA number 16.812, and the funding activity category spans several areas, including education, employment, labor and training, health, and law, justice, and legal services. That mix reflects how reentry typically requires more than clinical treatment alone. Successful reentry often depends on coordinated supports such as housing stability, employment readiness, benefits enrollment, and ongoing case management, alongside evidence-informed substance use treatment and recovery supports.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of public and nonprofit entities: state governments; county governments; city or township governments; special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). This eligibility structure is consistent with reentry work being led by corrections agencies, community supervision agencies, behavioral health providers, and community-based reentry organizations, often in partnership with one another.

Key dates and award details are straightforward. The opportunity was created on February 26, 2020, with an original application closing date of April 27, 2020. BJA anticipated making about 14 awards. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) was $900,000 per award. Funding was provided through a grant instrument, meaning selected applicants would receive federal financial assistance to carry out the proposed reentry improvements consistent with the program’s goals.

In practical terms, the program aims to improve outcomes for people leaving incarceration who have substance use disorders by ensuring they have better access to treatment and recovery services at the moment they reenter the community. By improving service delivery and coordination during this transition, the program’s stated goals are to reduce repeat involvement in the justice system, increase community safety, and support recovery.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the education, employment, labor and training, health, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 20 Improving Reentry for Adults with Substance Use Disorders 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 Feb 26, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 27, 2020. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

Apply for BJA 2020 17106

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