BJA FY 2026 Crisis Response Training Program | O BJA 2026 172706

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2026 172706

The BJA FY 2026 Crisis Response Training Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), focused on strengthening how law enforcement and corrections personnel respond to people experiencing crises. The core purpose is to help agencies develop, implement, or expand crisis response training programs that improve public safety, officer safety, and day-to-day operational effectiveness. The NOFO emphasizes practical improvements in field and facility responses when individuals are in crisis and may have behavioral health conditions (including mental health needs and substance use disorders), intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DDs), physical disabilities, and/or traumatic brain injuries. In plain terms, the program is designed to reduce the likelihood of harm during high-stress encounters by giving officers better tools, training, and strategies to recognize crisis-related behaviors, de-escalate conflict, and connect people to appropriate supports when possible.

This funding opportunity is grounded in the idea that well-trained personnel can defuse volatile situations more safely and consistently. The program highlights crisis intervention techniques and related tactical skills and strategies, with an additional emphasis on technology that supports effective crisis response. While the NOFO summary does not list specific required curricula, the intent is clearly to build agency capacity so officers and correctional staff are better prepared to manage incidents involving behavioral health crises and disability-related needs, including situations involving people with I/DDs. The training focus is not limited to street encounters; it also explicitly includes correctional environments and community supervision contexts, reflecting the reality that crises can arise in jails, prisons, during transport, or during probation and parole interactions.

Eligible applicants are broad and include state governments, county governments, and city or township governments, as well as Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and Native American tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized tribal governments). The eligibility list also includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and other eligible entities. The description further clarifies that units of local government can include towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, and other general-purpose political subdivisions of a state. It also specifically calls out public or state-controlled institutions of higher education that have on-campus police departments, and public or state-controlled hospitals that have on-campus police departments, signaling that campus and hospital-based law enforcement agencies are within the intended scope when they maintain sworn police functions.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 16.065 and falls within the Law, Justice and Legal Services activity category. The funding instrument is a grant. The opportunity number is O-BJA-2026-172706, and the posted closing date is October 5, 2026. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $650,000 per award, though the source data does not specify the number of expected awards. The NOFO was created on August 25, 2026. Overall, applicants should read this as a competitive BJA funding opportunity aimed at measurable improvements in crisis response readiness, with funding sized to support training program build-out or expansion, and with a strong emphasis on safer outcomes for both community members in crisis and the officers and staff responding to them.

• The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 2026 Crisis Response Training Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.065.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-08-25.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-10-05. (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 $650,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Private institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for O BJA 2026 172706

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