Last reviewed: September 2026
Funding status: Both solicitations covered on this page are open. The BJA FY 2026 Crisis Response Training Program (O-BJA-2026-172706) closes on Grants.gov October 5, 2026, and the BJA FY 2026 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Formula Program (O-BJA-2026-172690) closes on Grants.gov October 6, 2026. Full applications for both are due in JustGrants on October 13, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern.
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has two crisis-focused funding opportunities open right now, and they work differently. The Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (Byrne SCIP) is a formula program that sends roughly $143.5 million to state administering agencies, which then subaward funds to crisis intervention courts, extreme risk protection order (ERPO) programs, and mental health, drug, and veterans treatment courts. The Crisis Response Training Program is a competitive program that awards up to $650,000 directly to state, local, and tribal agencies to train law enforcement and correctional officers in responding to people in crisis. Both permit award funds for project evaluations under Office of Justice Programs (OJP) guidance, and both require performance reporting. This guide covers what each one funds, who applies, and how to plan the measurement and evaluation work.
I’m Dr. James Pann, principal consultant at EvalNetwork. For more than 25 years, I have served as the external evaluator on federally funded justice system, behavioral health, and youth development programs, including programs funded by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Two crisis programs, two different routes to funding
The most common mistake we expect applicants to make this cycle is applying to the wrong one. Byrne SCIP accepts applications only from state governments. If you run a local mental health court, a county ERPO program, or a treatment court and you want Byrne SCIP support, you do not apply to BJA. Contact your state administering agency about its subaward plans and timeline. The state’s application is due October 6, and its program plan will decide what gets funded locally.
Local agencies apply to the Crisis Response Training Program directly. State, local, and tribal governments, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, probation and parole departments, and sheriffs’ offices can apply to BJA themselves. There are two categories. Category 1 funds training for law enforcement, including police, sheriffs’ deputies, probation and parole officers, and campus police. Category 2 funds training for jails, prisons, and correctional agencies. BJA anticipates four awards in each category.
Byrne SCIP: the formula program behind crisis courts and ERPO programs
The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 created Byrne SCIP. The FY 2026 solicitation makes about $143.5 million available across 56 anticipated awards. State allocations reach up to roughly $16 million. The project period runs 36 months and begins October 1, 2026. States must submit a State Crisis Intervention Program Plan and Budget. The solicitation lists evaluation, data collection, and required cooperation among its program requirements.
For evaluators and the programs they serve, one line matters across recent BJA solicitations: applicants that propose to use award funds to conduct project evaluations must follow OJP’s guidance on project evaluations. Evaluation is an allowable use. Scope it the way our guide to DOJ evaluation funding rules describes.
What this means for your budget: If you are a state agency preparing the application, build evaluation and data collection into the program plan now, before subawards go out. In the statewide plan, name how subrecipient courts and ERPO programs will report data, and who will analyze it. That plan is easier to administer and stronger on review. If you are a local program hoping for a subaward, ask your state administering agency two questions this month: whether it plans to fund evaluation as part of subawards, and what data it will require you to report. A clear measurement plan makes your subaward easier to approve.
Crisis Response Training Program: competitive, scored, and evaluation-friendly
The Crisis Response Training Program makes about $5.3 million available for developing, implementing, or expanding training that improves responses to people in crisis who have behavioral health conditions, intellectual and developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, or traumatic brain injuries. Awards run up to $650,000 over 36 months. The project period begins January 1, 2027.
This solicitation publishes its merit review weights. Those weights favor the work an evaluation partner helps produce. Project Design and Implementation carries 35 percent of the score, Capabilities and Competencies carries 30 percent, Project Goals and Objectives carries 15 percent, Budget carries 15 percent, and Description of Need carries 5 percent. Measurable objectives, a data collection plan tied to them, and a team that includes evaluation expertise speak directly to 80 percent of the points. OJP also states it will measure success through performance reports and the extent to which implementation reflects progress toward goals and objectives. The solicitation directs applicants proposing project evaluations to OJP’s evaluation guidance. Applicants proposing virtual reality training technology should note the solicitation’s expectation that they collect outcome data demonstrating effectiveness.
What this means for your budget: Include a real evaluation line. On a $650,000 training grant, a defensible design that measures officer knowledge and skills, implementation fidelity, and field outcomes typically runs 8 to 12 percent of the award. Training programs are also a strong fit for retrospective pretest designs. Officers often overestimate their baseline understanding of crisis response before the training reframes it. Our guide to retrospective pretest surveys explains the method.
How these connect to treatment courts
BJA has not yet posted FY 2026 solicitations for the Adult Treatment Court Program, the Veterans Treatment Court Program, or the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program. Byrne SCIP is the live route for now. State plans may fund mental health courts, drug courts, and veterans treatment courts through subawards. If you run a treatment court and are waiting on the direct programs, our treatment court evaluation guide covers the measurement work those grants expect. The same preparation also positions you for a Byrne SCIP subaward now.
Frequently Asked Questions About BJA Crisis Funding
What is the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program?
Byrne SCIP is a BJA formula program created by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022. It funds state crisis intervention court proceedings and related programs, including extreme risk protection order programs, mental health courts, drug courts, and veterans treatment courts. States receive allocations and subaward funds to local programs. The FY 2026 solicitation makes about $143.5 million available. State applications are due October 6, 2026.
Can Byrne SCIP funds pay for program evaluation?
Yes. The solicitation lists evaluation and data collection among program requirements. It also permits award funds for project evaluations that follow OJP’s project evaluation guidance. Evaluation scoped to internal program improvement and required performance reporting stays within what those rules allow. A study designed to produce generalizable research findings is treated differently under DOJ rules.
Who can apply for the BJA Crisis Response Training Program?
Eligible applicants are state, local, and tribal governments, law enforcement agencies, correctional facilities, probation and parole departments, and sheriffs’ offices. Category 1 serves law enforcement training. Category 2 serves jails, prisons, and correctional agencies. Local agencies apply directly to BJA. Byrne SCIP is different: it accepts applications only from states.
When are the applications due?
On Grants.gov, the Crisis Response Training Program closes October 5, 2026, and Byrne SCIP closes October 6, 2026, both at 11:59 p.m. Eastern. Full applications for both are due in JustGrants on October 13, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern. Local programs seeking Byrne SCIP subawards should contact their state administering agency well before the state’s deadline.
How much should a crisis program budget for evaluation?
On a competitive award like the Crisis Response Training Program, a defensible evaluation typically costs 8 to 12 percent of the award. That figure covers design, instruments, data collection, analysis, and reporting. On Byrne SCIP subawards, the state’s program plan governs. Local programs should ask their state administering agency whether evaluation is being funded at the state level, the subaward level, or both.
Applying to either program?
EvalNetwork provides program evaluation consulting to justice system and behavioral health programs. We scope measurement and evaluation to match each DOJ office’s rules. We draft the measurement sections with your grant writer, put the right evaluation costs in the budget, and stay with the project for the life of the award. If you are still assembling your team, our guide to choosing a program evaluator covers what to look for.
