Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2023 171520
The BJA FY 23 Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It is designed to help communities build or strengthen coordinated, cross-system responses for people who have mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders and who come into contact with law enforcement. The central idea is to improve both public safety and public health outcomes by making sure law enforcement and behavioral health partners work together in a structured, intentional way rather than operating in separate silos.
The program is rooted in broader OJP priorities that include advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, protecting the public from evolving threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the community. In practice, applicants are expected to show how their proposed collaboration will lead to safer encounters, better decision-making in the field, and more effective connections to treatment and supports. The focus is not only on crisis response, but also on improving outcomes after the initial law enforcement contact, such as diversion from arrest when appropriate, linkage to services, and coordinated follow-up that reduces repeat encounters and harm.
BJA funding under this solicitation supports jurisdictions that want to prepare, create, or expand comprehensive plans and then implement collaborative projects aimed at preliminarily qualified individuals, meaning the target population is people whose behavioral health needs are reasonably identifiable and relevant to the law enforcement contact. While the solicitation description does not list specific model requirements in the text provided, the emphasis is clearly on structured partnership approaches that can be operationalized across agencies, including shared planning, coordinated protocols, and an implementation strategy that improves how people are identified, responded to, and connected to care.
A key eligibility and program design requirement is joint administration. BJA will only accept applications that demonstrate the project will be administered jointly by (1) an agency responsible for criminal or juvenile justice activities and (2) a mental health agency. This is not a loose recommendation; it is presented as a threshold condition for application acceptance. The intent is to ensure that the program is not driven solely by law enforcement or solely by behavioral health, but instead reflects shared ownership, shared decision-making, and integrated operations across the two systems.
Eligible applicants include a wide range of government and public entities, including state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The solicitation also allows for "other" applicants, but it places an important limitation on entities with a different legal status, such as nonprofit or for-profit mental health agencies. Those organizations may apply only if they meet two specific requirements: first, the applicant must be designated by the state mental health authority to provide services as a unit of state or local government; second, the applicant must attach documentation that supports and verifies that designation. This condition effectively narrows eligibility for non-governmental providers to those operating with formal governmental designation and documentation.
From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity number is O-BJA-2023-171520 and the CFDA number is 16.745. The original closing date listed is April 24, 2023, and the opportunity was created on January 26, 2023. The award ceiling is $550,000. The notice indicates expected awards, but the specific number is not provided in the source text included. The funding instrument type is a grant, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary. The listing also labels the activity category as humanities, though the substance of the program is clearly centered on justice and behavioral health collaboration.
Finally, the solicitation points applicants to examples of previously successful applications through a "Successful Grant Application Examples" page. This signals that BJA expects well-developed proposals with clear partnership roles, an actionable plan that moves from planning to implementation, and documentation that the project is truly cross-system and jointly administered.Apply for O BJA 2023 171520
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the humanities sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 23 Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Program" 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 2023-01-26.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-24. (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 $550,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1) What is the BJA FY 23 Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health Response Program?
It is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The program supports communities in building or strengthening coordinated, cross-system responses for people with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who come into contact with law enforcement.
2) What is the main purpose of this grant program?
The purpose is to improve public safety and public health outcomes by helping law enforcement and behavioral health partners work together in a structured, intentional way. The program emphasizes coordinated planning and implementation so responses are not handled in separate silos.
3) What kinds of outcomes is the program trying to improve?
Applicants are expected to propose collaborations that lead to safer encounters, better decision-making during law enforcement contacts, and more effective connections to treatment and supports. The focus includes what happens after the initial contact, such as diversion from arrest when appropriate, linkage to services, and coordinated follow-up to reduce repeat encounters and harm.
4) Is this program only focused on crisis response?
No. While crisis response is relevant, the description emphasizes improving outcomes beyond the initial encounter, including diversion strategies (when appropriate), linkage to services, and coordinated follow-up.
5) Who is the target population for projects funded under this program?
The target population is people whose behavioral health needs are reasonably identifiable and relevant to the law enforcement contact, including individuals with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.
6) What does BJA mean by "preliminarily qualified individuals" in this context?
Based on the description provided, it refers to individuals whose behavioral health needs are reasonably identifiable in connection with a law enforcement contact, making them relevant for a coordinated behavioral health response and connection to care.
7) What types of activities does BJA funding support under this solicitation?
The solicitation supports jurisdictions that want to prepare, create, or expand comprehensive plans and then implement collaborative projects. The emphasis is on structured partnership approaches that can be operationalized across agencies, including shared planning, coordinated protocols, and an implementation strategy to improve identification, response, and connection to care.
8) What is the required partnership or administrative structure for applications?
Applications must demonstrate joint administration by (1) an agency responsible for criminal or juvenile justice activities and (2) a mental health agency. This is described as a threshold condition for application acceptance, intended to ensure shared ownership and integrated operations across the two systems.
9) Is joint administration optional or strongly recommended?
It is not optional in the information provided. The notice states BJA will only accept applications that demonstrate the project will be administered jointly by a justice agency and a mental health agency.
10) What kinds of applicants are eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The solicitation also allows for "other" applicants with limitations described for entities with different legal status.
11) Can nonprofit or for-profit mental health agencies apply?
They may apply only if they meet two conditions: (1) they are designated by the state mental health authority to provide services as a unit of state or local government, and (2) they attach documentation that supports and verifies that designation.
12) What documentation is required for a nonprofit or for-profit mental health agency to be eligible?
The description states the applicant must attach documentation supporting and verifying its designation by the state mental health authority to provide services as a unit of state or local government.
13) What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?
The award ceiling listed in the provided information is $550,000.
14) What is the funding instrument and type of opportunity?
The funding instrument type is a grant, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary.
15) What federal office administers this grant?
It is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), U.S. Department of Justice.
16) What is the opportunity number for this solicitation?
The opportunity number is O-BJA-2023-171520.
17) What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 16.745.
18) When was this opportunity created, and what was the original closing date?
The opportunity was created on January 26, 2023. The original closing date listed is April 24, 2023.
19) Does the provided information say how many awards BJA expects to make?
No. The notice indicates expected awards, but the specific number is not provided in the source text shared.
20) What broader priorities does this program align with?
The program is rooted in OJP priorities including advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, protecting the public from evolving threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the community.
21) What does BJA appear to expect in a strong application?
Based on the description, BJA expects well-developed proposals with clear partnership roles, an actionable plan that moves from planning to implementation, and documentation showing the project is truly cross-system and jointly administered.
22) Are there resources mentioned that show examples of previously successful applications?
Yes. The solicitation points applicants to examples of previously successful applications through a "Successful Grant Application Examples" page.
23) Is there anything unusual about the activity category listed for this opportunity?
The listing labels the activity category as humanities, even though the substance of the program described focuses on justice and behavioral health collaboration.
24) What is the central approach emphasized by this program?
The emphasis is on structured, coordinated partnership approaches between law enforcement and behavioral health agencies, including shared planning, coordinated protocols, and an implementation strategy that improves how individuals are identified, responded to, and connected to care.
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