Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2018 14401
The BJA FY 18 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2018 14401) is a competitive federal grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. It was released on May 8, 2018, with an original application deadline of June 11, 2018. The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally means the awarding agency expects to have a more active role than in a standard grant, often including ongoing collaboration, shared planning, and participation in project direction or oversight.
The purpose of the program is to reduce the risk of wrongful convictions and strengthen the integrity of the justice process by funding projects that bring key stakeholders together to examine where failures can occur and to put practical safeguards in place. Funded applicants are expected to create multidisciplinary teams that can assess and address risk factors for wrongful conviction, and also support the review and assessment of post-conviction claims of innocence. In practice, that means the work is not limited to policy discussions; it is meant to translate into concrete, coordinated procedures for identifying error risks (such as witness identification issues, forensic science challenges, disclosure practices, false confessions, jailhouse informant reliability, or other breakdowns) and for responsibly handling innocence claims after conviction.
A central feature of the solicitation is its emphasis on collaboration among prosecutors, conviction integrity units, and innocence programs. Applicants are expected to lead and coordinate these partnerships, aligning different perspectives and responsibilities into a functioning team that can analyze case review practices, identify systemic vulnerabilities, and implement improvements. The intent is to encourage honest assessment and continuous learning within offices and jurisdictions, while also building processes that can more consistently detect and correct miscarriages of justice.
The solicitation also includes support for training and technical assistance. In addition to project awards, BJA sought a training and technical assistance provider to support the selected projects through structured training and hands-on help. That assistance is meant to strengthen implementation by helping sites adopt effective methods, troubleshoot operational barriers, develop sound protocols, and share lessons learned across projects, rather than leaving each awardee to reinvent processes in isolation.
Funding is discretionary, with an award ceiling of $500,000 per award and an anticipated total of seven awards. The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The funding activity areas tied to the opportunity span law, justice, and legal services, as well as training, research and development, information and statistics, and related fields, reflecting the program's blend of policy improvement, operational practice, and evidence-informed approaches.
Overall, this opportunity is designed to help jurisdictions and partners build durable, multidisciplinary capacity to prevent wrongful convictions before they happen and to ensure that credible innocence claims are reviewed in a careful, consistent, and transparent way after conviction, supported by targeted training and technical assistance to improve the quality and impact of the work.Apply for BJA 2018 14401
- The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the education, employment, labor and training, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), information and statistics, law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 18 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.746.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 08, 2018.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 11, 2018. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 7 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.
[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is the BJA FY 18 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program.
Who is offering this funding?
This is a competitive federal funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
What is the Funding Opportunity Number?
The Funding Opportunity Number is BJA 2018 14401.
When was the solicitation released?
It was released on May 8, 2018.
What was the original application deadline?
The original application deadline was June 11, 2018.
Is this a grant or something else?
The program is structured as a cooperative agreement.
What does it mean that this is a cooperative agreement?
A cooperative agreement generally means BJA expects to play a more active role than in a standard grant. That can include ongoing collaboration, shared planning, and participation in project direction or oversight.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The purpose is to reduce the risk of wrongful convictions and strengthen the integrity of the justice process by funding projects that bring key stakeholders together to identify where failures can occur and to put practical safeguards in place.
What kinds of projects is BJA trying to fund through this program?
The solicitation describes projects that build multidisciplinary teams to assess and address risk factors for wrongful conviction and to support review and assessment of post-conviction claims of innocence. The work is intended to translate into concrete, coordinated procedures and safeguards.
Does the program focus only on policy discussions?
No. The solicitation emphasizes that the work should lead to practical, coordinated procedures to identify error risks and to responsibly handle innocence claims after conviction.
What kinds of wrongful-conviction risk factors are mentioned in the solicitation?
Examples in the solicitation include witness identification issues, forensic science challenges, disclosure practices, false confessions, jailhouse informant reliability, and other breakdowns that can contribute to wrongful convictions.
What is expected regarding post-conviction innocence claims?
Funded applicants are expected to support the review and assessment of post-conviction claims of innocence and to build processes that review credible claims in a careful, consistent, and transparent way.
What does the solicitation mean by a "multidisciplinary team"?
It refers to bringing together key stakeholders who can collectively examine how wrongful convictions happen, assess case review practices, identify systemic vulnerabilities, and implement improvements. The solicitation specifically emphasizes collaboration among prosecutors, conviction integrity units, and innocence programs.
Is collaboration a central requirement of the program?
Yes. A central feature is collaboration, with applicants expected to lead and coordinate partnerships (including prosecutors, conviction integrity units, and innocence programs) into a functioning team.
What is the role of prosecutors, conviction integrity units, and innocence programs in this program?
The solicitation emphasizes aligning these partners to analyze case review practices, identify systemic vulnerabilities, and implement improvements, while encouraging honest assessment and continuous learning within offices and jurisdictions.
Does this opportunity include training and technical assistance?
Yes. The solicitation includes support for training and technical assistance (TTA). In addition to project awards, BJA also sought a TTA provider to support selected projects.
How is the training and technical assistance intended to help awardees?
The described TTA is meant to provide structured training and hands-on help so sites can adopt effective methods, troubleshoot operational barriers, develop sound protocols, and share lessons learned across projects.
How much funding can an applicant receive?
The award ceiling is $500,000 per award.
How many awards did BJA anticipate making?
The solicitation anticipated a total of seven awards.
Is the funding discretionary or formula-based?
The funding is discretionary.
Who is eligible to apply?
The eligible applicant pool is broad and includes:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education)
- For-profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
What kinds of subject areas does this funding opportunity cover?
The solicitation ties the opportunity to activity areas spanning law, justice, and legal services, as well as training, research and development, information and statistics, and related fields.
What outcomes is the program trying to achieve?
Based on the solicitation description, the program aims to help jurisdictions and partners build durable, multidisciplinary capacity to prevent wrongful convictions and to ensure credible innocence claims are reviewed carefully, consistently, and transparently after conviction, supported by training and technical assistance to improve the quality and impact of the work.
What does "strengthen the integrity of the justice process" mean in the context of this program?
In this solicitation, it refers to stakeholders working together to identify systemic vulnerabilities that can lead to miscarriages of justice and then implementing practical safeguards and improved procedures to reduce those risks.
Is the program intended to help jurisdictions standardize their review and improvement processes?
Yes. The solicitation emphasizes developing coordinated procedures and protocols, learning from implementation challenges, and sharing lessons learned so improvements are not isolated or purely informal.
Is the program designed only for preventing wrongful convictions, or also for addressing them after conviction?
It is designed to do both: (1) prevent wrongful convictions by identifying and mitigating risk factors, and (2) support the review and assessment of post-conviction claims of innocence.
Browse more opportunities from the same category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Information and Statistics, Law, Justice and Legal Services, Science and Technology and other Research and Develop
Next opportunity: 2019 Quality Samples Program
Previous opportunity: Abating Mercury Emissions Via Mobile Processing Units for Small-scale Gold Processing in Suriname
Applicant Portal:
Are you interested in learning about about how to apply for this government funding opportunity? You can create a free applicant account and receive instant access to our applicant portal that many business owners like you have benefited from.
Apply for BJA 2018 14401
Applicants also applied for:
Applicants who have applied for this opportunity (BJA 2018 14401) also looked into and applied for these:
| Funding Opportunity |
|---|
| BJA FY 18 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) National Training and Technical Assistance Program Apply for BJA 2018 13621 Funding Number: BJA 2018 13621 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Information and Statistics, Law, Justice and Legal Services, Science and Technology and other Research and Develop Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| BJA FY 18 STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program Apply for BJA 2018 14489 Funding Number: BJA 2018 14489 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Information and Statistics, Law, Justice and Legal Services, Science and Technology and other Research and Develop Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| BJA FY 20 Justice Reinvestment Initiative: Reducing Violent Crime by Improving Justice System Performance Apply for BJA 2020 17093 Funding Number: BJA 2020 17093 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Education, Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Information and Statistics, Law, Justice and Legal Services, Science and Technology and other Research and Develop Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
Grant application guides and resources
It is always free to apply for government grants. However the process may be very complex depending on the funding opportunity you are applying for. Let us help you!
Apply for Grants
Inside Our Applicants Portal
Access Applicants Portal
- Grants Repository - Access current and historic funding opportunities with ease. Thousands of funding opportunities are published every week. We can help you sort through the database and find the eligible ones to apply for.
- Applicant Video Guides - The grant application process can be challenging to follow. We can help you with intuitive video guides to speed up the process and eliminate errors in submissions.
- Grant Proposal Wizard - We have developed a network of private funding organizations and investors across the United States. We can reach out and submit your proposal to these contacts to maximize your chances of getting the funding you need.
Premium leads for funding administrators, grant writers, and loan issuers
Thousands of people visit our website for their funding needs every day. When a user creates a grant proposal and files for submission, we pass the information on to funding administrators, grant writers, and government loan issuers.
If you manage government grant programs, provide grant writing services, or issue personal or government loans, we can help you reach your audience.
Learn More
Request more information:
Would you like to learn more about this funding opportunity, similar opportunities to "BJA 2018 14401", eligibility, application service, and/or application tips? Submit an inquiry below:
Don't forget to subscribe to our grant alerts mailing list to receive weekly alerts on new and updated grant funding opportunities like this one in your email.