Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program Service

The Bureau of Justice Assistance seeks applications for the FY 2026 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program. The program goals focus on enhancing the government authority's ability to identify, assess, and manage post-conviction claims of innocence, strategically reviewing cases and appeals for those at greatest risk for error, and apprehending actual perpetrators. Offsite work will be performed by USA organizations. Applicants must complete a two-step digital submission process. Applicants must first submit the SF-424 in Grants.gov by November 2, 2026, at 11:59 PM ET, followed by the full application in JustGrants by November 9, 2026, at 8:59 PM ET. Required application components include the SF-424, Standard Applicant Information, Data Requested With Application, a double-spaced Proposal Narrative, and a Budget Detail Worksheet. The evaluation weights the Description of the Need at 5 percent and the Budget at 15 percent of the application score. Applicants are instructed to submit detailed proposals outlining project budget calculations.