BJA FY24 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program | O BJA 2024 172088

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2024 172088

The BJA FY24 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program is a Bureau of Justice Assistance funding opportunity designed to help states strengthen and stabilize their indigent defense and prosecution workforce by easing the student loan burden for eligible attorneys. The central goal is to improve recruitment and retention of local, state, and federal public defenders and local and state prosecutors by offering partial loan repayment assistance. This effort sits within the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP) broader priorities around civil rights and equity, expanding access to justice, supporting people impacted by the justice system, enhancing community safety, protecting the public from evolving threats, and building trust between communities and the justice system.

This solicitation provides grant funding to state-level administering agencies rather than directly to individual attorneys. The eligible applicants are state governments and certain designated government agencies listed as "other," meaning the state or U.S. territory agency formally designated by the governor (or, in the District of Columbia, by the mayor) to run the JRJ program. Once a state receives an award, it is responsible for administering a statewide JRJ program, which typically includes setting up a process to solicit applications from eligible attorneys, reviewing and selecting recipients, and managing payments and compliance requirements in line with program rules.

The direct beneficiaries of the program are the attorneys selected by the state JRJ program, specifically public defenders and prosecutors who meet eligibility requirements under the JRJ framework. In exchange for receiving loan repayment assistance, each selected beneficiary must commit to an additional three years of qualifying service. The loan repayment is not paid to the attorney as cash; instead, funds are paid directly to the beneficiary's loan servicer, which helps ensure the assistance is used for its intended purpose and supports program accountability.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a grant (FundingInstrumentType: Grant) and is listed under the law, justice, and legal services category. The opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number O-BJA-2024-172088 and CFDA (now commonly referenced through Assistance Listings) number 16.816. While titled as a formula grant program, it is presented here within an OJP solicitation context and is categorized as discretionary in the provided source data, meaning applicants should rely on the solicitation instructions and BJA guidance for the exact application, allocation, and award process.

Key logistical details in the listing include an original closing date of July 26, 2024, an award ceiling of $500,000, and an expected 56 awards, which generally aligns with the idea of funding being distributed across states and territories. Overall, the program is meant to reduce financial barriers for attorneys who choose and remain in public service roles that are essential to the functioning and fairness of the justice system, with the states acting as the administrators that identify recipients and carry out the loan repayment assistance in return for continued service.

• The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY24 John R. Justice (JRJ) Formula Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.816.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-29.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-26. (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 56 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others.

Apply for O BJA 2024 172088

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: