BJA FY 23 Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center | O BJA 2023 171723

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2023 171723

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), under the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP), is offering a discretionary cooperative agreement opportunity titled "BJA FY 23 Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center" (Funding Opportunity Number O-BJA-2023-171723; CFDA 16.735). The purpose of this solicitation is to fund the continuation of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Resource Center (PRC), a national resource intended to help confinement facilities and the agencies that oversee them make sustained, measurable progress in implementing PREA standards. The central goal is to reduce and ultimately eliminate sexual abuse and sexual harassment of people held in confinement settings by strengthening policy, practice, staff commitment, and organizational culture across the field.

This opportunity is framed within OJP's broader priorities of advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, protecting the public from evolving threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the community. In practical terms, the solicitation emphasizes that PREA implementation is not only a compliance exercise, but a culture-shaping effort: it prioritizes work that helps facilities and oversight agencies create and reinforce environments where sexual victimization is not tolerated. That includes promoting prevention-oriented leadership, improving staff understanding and behavior, and supporting systems that encourage reporting, accountability, and appropriate responses when incidents occur.

The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally signals a closer working relationship with BJA than a typical grant, often involving substantial federal involvement in shaping deliverables, priorities, coordination, and performance monitoring. The funding listed has an award ceiling of $4,580,222, with an expected number of awards not specified in the source data. The solicitation was created on April 10, 2023, with an original closing date of June 5, 2023. While the specific activities and deliverables are not detailed in the excerpt provided, the stated intent clearly centers on maintaining and strengthening a national-level resource center that supports meaningful PREA standards implementation across the nation's confinement facilities, which can include training and technical assistance, practical tools and guidance, and broader capacity-building support for agencies responsible for safe confinement operations.

Eligibility is broad and includes multiple organization types that could plausibly operate a national technical assistance and resource center. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. Overall, the solicitation is aimed at ensuring the PRC continues to function as a key national hub supporting facility operators and oversight bodies in preventing, detecting, and responding to sexual abuse and sexual harassment in confinement, with a strong emphasis on culture change, staff commitment, and sustained implementation of PREA standards.

• The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 23 Prison Rape Elimination Act Resource Center" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.735.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-04-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-06-05. (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 $4,580,222.00 in funding.
• 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, Nonprofits that do not have 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, Small businesses.

Apply for O BJA 2023 171723

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