BJA FY 19 Improving Justice and Mental Health Collaboration: Training and Technical Assistance to Grantees and the Field | BJA 2019 15123

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2019 15123

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), within the U.S. Department of Justice, released this FY 2019 discretionary funding opportunity to support a national Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program. The core purpose is to provide coordinated, cross-system technical assistance to jurisdictions funded under the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP), while also strengthening the broader field of justice and behavioral health collaboration. In practical terms, the opportunity is designed to help communities build stronger partnerships between law enforcement, courts, corrections, and behavioral health providers so they can respond more effectively and safely when people with mental illnesses, or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, come into contact with the justice system.

This TTA program is framed as a way to increase the criminal justice system's capacity to reduce violence and improve outcomes during key points of contact: calls for service in the community, interactions in court settings, and throughout correctional or detention environments. The intent is not simply to provide general guidance, but to offer targeted support that helps JMHCP grantees implement evidence-informed approaches, solve operational barriers, and improve coordination across agencies that often work under different rules, cultures, and priorities. The opportunity emphasizes helping grantees reduce the number of people with mental illnesses entering the justice system, and to better support individuals who do enter so they do not unnecessarily cycle deeper into detention, court involvement, or incarceration.

The funding instrument for this opportunity is a cooperative agreement, which typically signals an active federal role during the project period. That structure often implies closer collaboration with BJA, more ongoing communication, and potentially more federal input on project direction compared to a standard grant. The award ceiling listed is $2,480,000, and BJA anticipated making two awards, meaning the funded entities would likely serve as major TTA providers with a national footprint rather than small, localized assistance programs.

Eligible applicants were broad and included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private colleges and universities, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations (other than small businesses), and other entities as further clarified in the solicitation's eligibility section. The program sits at the intersection of several activity areas, including employment/labor and training, health, humanities/cultural affairs (as categorized in CFDA listings), and information and statistics. The CFDA number associated with this opportunity is 16.745, linking it to BJA's justice and mental health collaboration work.

Administrative details indicate the opportunity was created on April 10, 2019, with an original application closing date of June 11, 2019. The funding opportunity number is BJA-2019-15123, and the official title is "BJA FY 19 Improving Justice and Mental Health Collaboration: Training and Technical Assistance to Grantees and the Field." Overall, the solicitation is geared toward organizations capable of delivering high-quality training, practical tools, and implementation support that improves cross-system responses to behavioral health needs, enhances safety for the public and justice professionals, and reduces avoidable justice involvement for people living with mental illness or co-occurring conditions.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the employment, labor and training, health, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 19 Improving Justice and Mental Health Collaboration: Training and Technical Assistance to Grantees and the Field" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.745.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 10, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 11, 2019. (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 $2,480,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for BJA 2019 15123

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