BJA FY 23 Community Courts Initiative | O BJA 2023 171688

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2023 171688

The BJA FY 23 Community Courts Initiative is a discretionary federal grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The overall purpose is to help jurisdictions create new community courts or strengthen existing ones as a practical way to improve public safety while also increasing fairness and access to justice. The solicitation is framed around DOJ and OJP priorities that emphasize civil rights and racial equity, better outcomes for people affected by the justice system, stronger support for crime victims, and efforts that build legitimacy and trust between communities and justice system partners, including law enforcement.

At its core, the opportunity is focused on the community court model, which generally brings court processes closer to the neighborhood level and ties case handling to problem-solving approaches rather than relying only on traditional case processing and sanctions. While specific program designs vary by jurisdiction, the intent is to support local approaches that can respond more directly to community-defined concerns, reduce repeated low-level offending, connect individuals to services, and increase accountability in ways that are visible and meaningful to residents. The grant is meant to provide resources that help communities set up the partnerships, operations, and practices that allow a community court to function effectively and in alignment with equity and access-to-justice goals.

Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The solicitation also indicates that a state, city, township, county, or tribal government may apply either directly or through agreements with other public or private entities, as long as the application is on behalf of a single community court. In practice, that means the lead applicant must be a government entity, but the work can be carried out in collaboration with courts, prosecutors, public defenders, community-based service providers, behavioral health partners, housing or workforce agencies, victim service organizations, and other stakeholders who contribute to the community court’s day-to-day operations and service connections.

Administratively, this is a grant funding instrument under the public safety and justice assistance category (Law, Justice and Legal Services) and is associated with CFDA number 16.585. The funding opportunity number is O-BJA-2023-171688. The solicitation was created on March 27, 2023, and the original closing date was May 24, 2023. The award ceiling listed is $900,000, indicating the maximum amount an individual award could reach under this competition. The listing notes “ExpectedAwards:” but does not provide a number in the source data provided, so the total number of awards cannot be determined from the excerpt alone.

The public policy rationale running through the solicitation is that community courts can be a concrete way to deliver justice that is more responsive, more coordinated, and more trusted, especially in communities that have historically experienced disparities in enforcement and access to resources. By investing in the establishment or enhancement of a community court, BJA is aiming to help local jurisdictions strengthen community safety while also improving how the justice system engages with people who come into contact with it, including individuals who need services and supports and victims who need meaningful attention and protection. The program is positioned as one tool among broader DOJ efforts to address evolving public safety challenges while reinforcing civil rights, procedural fairness, and community confidence.

• The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 23 Community Courts Initiative" 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 2023-03-27.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-05-24. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others.

Apply for O BJA 2023 171688

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