Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program, Local Formula Solicitation
JAG is the main formula grant for local criminal justice, allocated by a statutory formula based on population and violent crime data. Local recipients do not compete, but they must file a complete application with a short narrative, a budget, the JAG survey and the chief executive certifications, after making the application available to their governing body and the public. Funds can cover personnel, equipment, technology, prosecution, courts, corrections, prevention, treatment, victim services and mental health programs.
Program facts
- Agency
- Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice
- Assistance Listing
- 16.738
- Statutory authority
- Title I, Part E, Subpart 1 of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968, Pub. L. No. 90-351 (34 U.S.C. 10151-10158); see also 28 U.S.C. 530C(a)
- Award ceiling
- Formula allocation; the largest FY2026 local allocation was about $4.96 million
- Awards
- The FY2026 local solicitation planned about 1,190 awards from up to $96.5 million
- Period of performance
- 24 months for awards under $25,000; 48 months for awards of $25,000 or more
- Cost share
- None required
- Cycle
- Allocations and the local solicitation typically post in late summer; the FY2026 local solicitation posted August 25, 2026, and BJA later extended the deadlines to November 3 (Grants.gov) and November 6, 2026 (JustGrants)
Program goals
- Improve the administration of the criminal justice system
- Provide local governments with personnel, equipment, supplies, contractual support, training, technical assistance and information systems
- Assist local governments with criminal justice needs across the statutory program purpose areas
- Encourage coordination with state JAG plans and federal law enforcement partners
Scoring rubric
Description of the need20
The specific gaps in criminal justice resources the jurisdiction will address, tied to a statutory purpose area.
Project design and implementation30
Programs to be funded over the period, planned subawards, and how JAG coordinates with state and other justice funds.
Capabilities and competencies15
Who will collect and report performance measure data, and the capacity to manage the award and any subrecipients.
Budget and budget narrative20
Line items with computations, administrative costs designated and kept at or below 10%, no prohibited items without a waiver, and a combined budget for disparate partners.
Certifications and governing body review15
Chief executive certifications and assurances, the 30-day governing body review and public comment requirement, and any applicable BWC, body armor, ERPO or UAS certifications.
JAG Local is a formula program and BJA does not score applications competitively; it reviews them for completeness and compliance. The points above are ELIXIR CONSUMERS' readiness weighting of the FY2026 local solicitation's required elements, not BJA scores.
Eligibility
- Units of local government listed on the BJA JAG allocations page for their state (cities, counties, townships, parishes and similar general-purpose subdivisions)
- Federally recognized Tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions
- Law enforcement or judicial enforcement districts with independent budget and taxing authority (for example, Louisiana district attorneys and parish sheriffs)
- Jurisdictions certified as disparate must apply through a single fiscal agent for the combined allocation
- Nonprofits cannot apply directly but can receive subawards from local recipients
Required attachments
- SF-424 in Grants.gov (Step 1)
- Proposal abstract (2,000 characters) in JustGrants
- JAG Survey and Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire
- Proposal narrative covering need, project design and implementation, and capabilities
- Budget Detail Separate Attachment with administrative costs designated
- Certifications and Assurances by the Chief Executive of the Applicant Government
- BWC policy, body armor mandatory wear, ERPO, UAS or counter-UAS certifications and prohibited expenditure waiver requests, if applicable
- Memorandum of understanding among disparate jurisdictions, if applicable
Formatting rules
- The FY2026 local solicitation sets no fixed page limit for the narrative; it must contain the three named sections
- Abstract limited to 2,000 characters and becomes public for funded projects
- Disparate groups should submit one budget worksheet labeled by partner jurisdiction, or separate budgets per partner
Why applications lose points
- Applying when the jurisdiction is not on the allocation list, or applying separately when it is part of a certified disparate group
- Skipping the governing body review and public comment period required by 34 U.S.C. 10153
- Budgeting prohibited expenditures or controlled items without a waiver
- Administrative costs above the 10% statutory limit or not designated in the budget
- Missing certifications that hold up the award or trigger withholding conditions
How ELIXIR CONSUMERS helps with BJA JAG Local
- 1.Checks your jurisdiction against the allocation table and drafts the disparate-group MOU language when a county and its cities share an allocation
- 2.Drafts the three narrative sections from your prior JAG performance reports and current program plans in the vault
- 3.Builds the budget with the 10% administrative cap and flags prohibited or controlled items before you upload
- 4.Generates a certification checklist with the governing body review dates so the 30-day notice is documented
More public safety breakdowns
- BJA SCA Reentry BJA Second Chance Act Community-based Reentry ProgramALN 16.812
- COPS CHP COPS Hiring Program (CHP)ALN 16.068
- FEMA AFG Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) ProgramALN 97.044
- OJJDP Mentoring OJJDP Mentoring Programs (FY2026 Mentoring for Youth Impacted by Opioids and Other Substance Use)ALN 16.726
Questions, answered
Is JAG Local competitive?
No. Allocations are set by formula. BJA reviews the application for completeness and compliance before making the award.
Can a nonprofit get JAG money?
Not as a direct applicant to the local solicitation, but local governments often subaward JAG funds to nonprofits for prevention, reentry and victim services.
What if our allocation is very small?
Awards under $25,000 have a 24-month period. Many small jurisdictions use them for equipment or overtime, and some join disparate or regional arrangements.
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