BJA FY 21 Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program | O BJA 2021 46003

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2021 46003

The BJA FY 21 Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program is a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funding opportunity designed to strengthen problem-solving courts that focus on treatment and recovery rather than solely on incarceration. The program offers both financial support and technical assistance to help jurisdictions implement new courts and improve existing adult drug courts (ADCs) and veterans treatment courts (VTCs). In practical terms, the grant is meant to help courts and their partners build or enhance coordinated systems that connect people in the criminal justice system to evidence-based substance use treatment, mental health services when needed, supervision, and recovery supports, with the overall goal of reducing recidivism and improving public safety and participant outcomes.

The solicitation is structured around multiple categories. Categories 1 through 3 focus on supporting individual courts, either by implementing a veterans treatment court, supporting or enhancing a veterans treatment court, or supporting an adult drug court. For these categories, eligibility is geared toward applicants who can apply on behalf of a single drug court or veterans treatment court. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, and city or township governments, as well as federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The solicitation also allows an "Other" applicant type in these categories, but the key qualifier provided is that the application must be on behalf of a single drug court or veterans treatment court, indicating the funding is intended to be closely tied to direct court operations and the services surrounding that specific docket.

Category 4 is aimed at broader, statewide efforts that help sustain and improve adult drug courts and veterans treatment courts across an entire state or territory. Unlike the earlier categories that target one court, this statewide category is intended to support strategies, infrastructure, or coordination mechanisms that benefit multiple courts. Eligibility for Category 4 includes state governments and certain other state-level entities, such as the State Administering Agency, an Administrative Office of the Courts, and a State Substance Abuse Agency. It also includes state criminal justice agencies and other state agencies involved in providing substance use disorder services, mental health services, or related supports to justice-involved individuals with substance use issues. The solicitation clarifies that "state" is defined broadly to include U.S. states plus the District of Columbia and U.S. territories and commonwealths (Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands), which matters for determining who can apply under the statewide strategy category.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary grant (not a formula award), meaning applications are competitively reviewed and funding is not guaranteed. The funding opportunity number is O-BJA-2021-46003, and the associated CFDA number is 16.585. The award ceiling listed is $1,500,000, which indicates the maximum amount an applicant could receive under the program (actual award sizes can vary by category and project scope). The opportunity was created on December 22, 2020, and the original closing date for applications was March 31, 2021. The listing also tags the funding activity category as Affordable Care Act, which often appears in federal listings when the supported activities relate to treatment access, health-related services, or integrated approaches that overlap with health system goals.

Overall, the core purpose of this grant program is to help jurisdictions operate and expand court-based interventions that combine judicial supervision with treatment and recovery-oriented services. Adult drug courts generally target individuals with substance use disorders who are involved in the criminal justice system, using structured phases, regular court appearances, monitoring, incentives and sanctions, and linkage to treatment. Veterans treatment courts adapt a similar model for justice-involved veterans, typically integrating veteran-specific services and coordination with the Department of Veterans Affairs and community-based veteran support organizations. Through the mix of implementation support, enhancement funding, and statewide systems-building, the BJA program is intended to promote consistency, quality, and capacity in these courts so they can better address underlying substance use and mental health needs while improving long-term public safety outcomes.

• The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the affordable care act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 21 Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.585.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2020-12-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-03-31. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others.

Apply for O BJA 2021 46003

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