O-BJA-2026-172648 DOJ FY 2026 Invited to Apply - National Integrated Ballistic Information (NIBIN) Modernization Program

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) is committed to advancing work that furthers the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) mission to keep our country safe and secure and uphold the rule of law and protect the rights of American citizens. OJP provides federal leadership, funding, and other critical resources to directly support law enforcement, combat violent crime, protect American children, provide services to American crime victims, and address public safety challenges, including human trafficking and the opioid crisis. This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) FY 2026 Byrne Discretionary Community Project Grants/Byrne Discretionary Grants Program. This opportunity seeks to support projects designated for funding pursuant to the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2026 (Pub. L. No. 119-74, Div. A, Title II.) to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to prevent or combat juvenile delinquency, and to assist victims of crime (other than compensation). The Congressional Joint Explanatory Statement accompanying the 2026 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) Appropriations Act lists the designated projects, which the Act incorporates by reference, as stated in relevant part, below— • $537,978,926 is for discretionary grants to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system, to prevent or combat juvenile delinquency, and to assist victims of crime (other than compensation), which shall be made available for the OJP—Byrne projects, and in the amounts, specified in the table titled ‘‘Community Project Funding/Congressionally Directed Spending’’ included for this division in the explanatory statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding division A of this consolidated Act): Provided, That such amounts may not be transferred for any other purpose; (Pub. L. No. 119-74, Div. A, Title II). Note that this NOFO is only for OJP-Byrne projects to be administered by BJA. Separate NOFOs will be posted and invitations sent for projects to be administered by OJP’s National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the OJP FY 2026 Special Attorneys Program. This program will support state, local, Tribal, and territorial prosecuting agencies to assign or hire qualified prosecutors to serve full-time or part-time (on a case-by-case basis) as Special Attorneys under the direction of the National Fraud Enforcement Division or the Criminal Division, or to serve as Special Assistant United States Attorneys (SAUSAs) within a United States Attorney’s Office. These “cross-designated” prosecutors will remain employees of their home agencies but will investigate and prosecute assigned fraud and other crimes committed by aliens within the United States (hereafter referred to as “criminal aliens”) for the duration of their appointment under this program. Cross-designated prosecutors may also be assigned cases involving drug or human trafficking committed within the United States. The National Fraud Enforcement Division, Criminal Division, and United States Attorney’s Offices will coordinate with selected prosecutor offices on a case-by-case basis to address logistics and any unique local circumstances. This grant program, authorized under Public Law 119-21, Title X, Subtitle A, Part II, Section 100055 (codified at 34 U.S.C. § 61101), is intended to strengthen investigative and prosecutorial capacity, expand intergovernmental coordination, and enhance the ability of jurisdictions to investigate and prosecute fraud and other crimes committed by aliens within the United States, as well as investigate and prosecute drug and human trafficking crimes. The program is also intended to increase the availability of cross-designated prosecutorial personnel who can pursue these matters in coordination with federal authorities and contribute to the effective enforcement of applicable criminal laws.

This program, authorized under the BIDEN Reimbursement Fund established by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Public Law 119-21, Title X, Subtitle A, Part II (codified at 34 U.S.C. § 61101), provides funding for grants to eligible States, State agencies, and units of local government and tribal governments, pursuant to their existing statutory authorities to support the seven statutory purposes outlined in 34 U.S.C. § 61101: 1. Locating and apprehending aliens who have committed a crime under federal, state, or local law, in addition to being unlawfully present in the United States (hereafter referred to as “criminal illegal aliens”). 2. Collection and analysis of law enforcement investigative information within the United States to counter gang or other criminal activity. 3. Investigating and prosecuting (a) crimes committed by aliens within the United States; and (b) drug and human trafficking crimes committed within the United States. 4. Court operations related to the prosecution of (a) crimes committed by aliens; and (b) drug and human trafficking crimes. 5. Temporary criminal detention of aliens. 6. Transporting aliens described in paragraph (1) within the United States to locations related to the apprehension, detention, and prosecution of such aliens. 7. Vehicle maintenance, logistics, transportation, and other support provided to law enforcement agencies by a state agency to enhance the ability to locate and apprehend aliens who have committed crimes under federal, state, or local law, in addition to being unlawfully present in the United States. Awards from this program should be used to support significant participation in and support of Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) activities, and other DOJ efforts to combat gangs, cartels, and other violent crime. This NOFO includes three funding categories: Category 1: Hiring • Sworn and Non-Sworn Law Enforcement Personnel – Funding can be used to hire or rehire full-time sworn career law enforcement officers/deputies and civilian/non-sworn personnel as outlined below: o Hire new full-time officers/deputies and full-time civilian/non-sworn personnel, including by filling existing officer/deputy vacancies that are no longer funded in your agency’s budget. o Rehire full-time officers/deputies and full-time civilian/non-sworn personnel who have been laid off by any jurisdiction as a result of state, local, or Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) budget reductions. The rehired officers/deputies must be rehired on or after the official award start date on the notice of award. o Rehire full-time officers/deputies and full-time civilian/non-sworn personnel who are (at the time of application) currently scheduled to be laid off by your jurisdiction on a specific future date as a result of state, local, or BIA budget reductions. Recipients will be required to continue funding the positions with local funding until the date(s) of the scheduled layoffs. Applicants may request funding for full-time officer/deputy salaries or a combination of officer and salaries of civilian/non-sworn. Funding will support salaries for up to three years of eligible positions to be expended within a five-year period of performance to accommodate time needed for recruitment and hiring. • Non-Law Enforcement Personnel – Funding can be used for the hiring, retention, and training of critical personnel across the full continuum of criminal justice operations for the purposes cited above. Examples of personnel could include but need not be limited to the following: forensic, investigative, analytical; prosecution and legal support; corrections, detention, and custodial; and transportation, security, and operations logistics. Funding may not be used for co-responders, interpreters, or translators. Category 2: Technology and Equipment – Funding can be used to purchase and support multi-year implementation, ongoing subscriptions, training, and maintenance of equipment and advanced technology to address critical resource gaps and enhance capacity to support criminal justice operations related to the purposes cited above. Note: If you apply for and receive funding for Unmanned Arial Systems (UAS), body-worn cameras, body armor, and/or NIBIN machines, you will be required to submit equipment-specific certifications and other documentation as a condition of your award. Category 3: Construction of Temporary Detention Facilities for Criminal Illegal Aliens – Funding can be used for the following: • Major Construction Projects – Funding would support large-scale projects, including building temporary detention facilities to house criminal illegal aliens awaiting prosecution, immigration proceedings, or transfer to federal custody. • Substantial Renovation/Expansion/Modernization – Funding would support the expansion or modernization/targeted improvement of existing facilities, including bolstering detention infrastructure through addition of housing units, or renovation of existing facilities to meet current detention standards and significantly enhance capacity and operational functionality for temporary detention of aliens who have committed a crime in addition to being unlawfully present in the U.S.