BJA FY 2022- 2023 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Formula Solicitation | O BJA 2023 171458

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2023 171458

The BJA FY 2022-2023 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP) Formula Solicitation is a U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) grant opportunity designed to help states build, improve, or put into practice crisis intervention strategies aimed at preventing gun violence and saving lives. The program sits within the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) broader mission of promoting civil rights and racial equity, expanding access to justice, supporting crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, addressing evolving public safety threats, and building public trust between communities and law enforcement. In practical terms, this solicitation focuses on giving states resources to develop and run court-based and community-based approaches that can intervene when someone is at elevated risk of harming themselves or others with a firearm, while also emphasizing constitutional protections and fair legal process.

A central focus of the funding is the creation and or implementation of Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) programs, along with state crisis intervention court proceedings and related gun violence reduction initiatives. ERPOs, often referred to as "red flag" laws, are described here as a preventive, time-limited legal tool that allows certain petitioners, such as family members, health care providers, school officials, or law enforcement, to ask a court to temporarily restrict a persons access to firearms when that person is determined to pose a danger to themselves or others. The program is framed as an effort to act earlier, before warning signs escalate into tragedy, by supporting state systems that can respond quickly and appropriately to credible risk. The solicitation also points to DOJ work released in 2021, including model legislation intended to help states structure ERPO laws and procedures in a way that is clear, workable, and consistent with legal safeguards.

The policy backdrop for this grant opportunity is the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, signed into law on June 25, 2022. That legislation is presented as a major federal effort to reduce gun violence by investing in violence prevention approaches that focus on people at highest risk of committing gun crimes or becoming victims of gun crime. Byrne SCIP is one of the mechanisms created or strengthened in that environment to help states implement those interventions with real operational capacity, such as trained personnel, coordinated court processes, and supporting systems that make ERPOs and related crisis interventions functional rather than purely theoretical. The solicitation also emphasizes that these programs should be implemented in a manner consistent with the Constitution and built around due process, not shortcuts.

A notable requirement highlighted in the opportunity description is the expectation that ERPO programs funded under Byrne SCIP include meaningful due process protections for the person who is the subject of the order. The solicitation specifically states that programs must ensure the accused has the right to an in-person hearing, the right to know the opposing evidence, and the right to be represented by counsel at no expense to the government. In other words, while the program is designed to make intervention possible when risk is high, it is also designed to ensure that the process is transparent, contestable, and fair, with clear opportunities for the individual to be heard and represented. This is an explicit attempt to balance public safety goals with individual rights and procedural safeguards.

Administratively, the opportunity is listed as a discretionary grant under Funding Opportunity Number O BJA 2023 171458, with an eligible applicant pool that includes state governments (and additional eligible parties as described in the solicitation eligibility details). The CFDA number associated with the program is 16.738, and the awarding agency is the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance. The posting indicates an expected 56 awards, consistent with a formula-oriented approach that typically aligns awards with states and territories. The opportunity record lists an award ceiling of 29,231,074, reflecting the maximum award amount under the posting. The solicitation record shows a creation date of October 19, 2022, and an original closing date of December 12, 2022.

Overall, this grant opportunity is best understood as a federal investment in state-level infrastructure for crisis intervention and court processes that can temporarily separate firearms from situations of acute risk. It encourages states to operationalize ERPO frameworks and related initiatives in ways that are measurable and functional on the ground, while also requiring that the legal process includes strong due process protections. The underlying theme is prevention: intervening at a point when credible warning signs exist, using a court-supervised process, and doing so in a way that aims to protect both community safety and constitutional rights.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 2022- 2023 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Formula Solicitation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.738.
• This funding opportunity was created on Oct 19, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 12, 2022. (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 $29,231,074.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 56 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O BJA 2023 171458

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