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Grants / Department of Justice / Bureau of Justice Assistance

O-BJA-2022-171215: BJA FY 22 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program

Closed Closed June 1, 2022 Opportunity O-BJA-2022-171215

This grant is closed. Who won this program's grants before is below, and similar open grants are at the end of the page. It is in our archive of Bureau of Justice Assistance notices from 2022.

Bureau of Justice Assistance offered grants of up to $500,000 to nonprofits, colleges and universities and tribes. It expected to make about 12 awards worth $6.0 million in total. Applications closed on June 1, 2022.

From the official notice on Grants.gov, last changed June 15, 2022. Checked November 7, 2026.

Other notices with this title

Bureau of Justice Assistance has posted this title under other numbers: earlier or later rounds, or the same competition for another area. Each has its own dates and may change its rules.

NoticePostedDeadlineStatus
O-BJA-2026-172726September 21, 2026Closed November 2, 2026Closed
O-BJA-2025-172493March 27, 2026Closed May 8, 2026Closed
O-BJA-2024-172049March 20, 2024Closed May 15, 2024Closed
O-BJA-2023-171677March 21, 2023Closed May 17, 2023Closed

Key dates

PostedApril 6, 2022
DeadlineJune 1, 2022

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits, colleges and universities and tribes.

All 6 applicant types the notice lists

County, state, or local public defender offices that have in-house post-conviction representation programs that show demonstrable experience and competence in litigating post-conviction claims of innocence. If the applicant is not a WCR entity, they must be partnered with one. For purposes of this solicitation, “state” means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. To advance Executive Order 13929 Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Attorney General determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process to be eligible for FY 2022 DOJ discretionary grant funding. To become certified, the law enforcement agency must meet two mandatory conditions: (1) the agency’s use-of-force policies adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and (2) the agency’s use-of-force policies prohibit chokeholds except in situations where use of deadly force is allowed by law. The certification requirement also applies to law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ discretionary grant funding through a subaward. For detailed information on this certification requirement, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/SafePolicingEO to access the Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Implementation Fact Sheet, and the List of Designated Independent Credentialing Bodies. All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or management fee.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities, tribes.

Is this a realistic fit?

What the grant funds

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. The ROL/WCR Program supports efforts by wrongful conviction review entities (WCR entities) that represent individuals with post-conviction claims of innocence to review individual cases.

Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services.

Who has won Capital Case Litigation Initiative grants before

From fiscal 2021 to 2025, Capital Case Litigation Initiative (16.746) awarded $35.0 million across 64 grant awards, an average of $546,621 per award.

Largest recipients, fiscal 2021 to 2025
RecipientStateAwardsAmount
Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, IncDistrict of Columbia2$2.9 million
National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Inc.District of Columbia2$2.8 million
The National Judicial CollegeNevada1$1.9 million
The Trustees of the University of PennsylvaniaPennsylvania2$1.8 million
President and Board of Trustees of Santa Clara CollegeCalifornia2$1.1 million

Top states: District of Columbia ($6.3 million), Pennsylvania ($3.4 million), California ($3.1 million), Texas ($2.1 million), Michigan ($1.9 million).

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Agencies often post the same opportunity again under a new number, so check the program's notices on Grants.gov and the similar open grants below.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.

Questions people ask

Is O-BJA-2022-171215 still open?

No. It closed on June 1, 2022.

Who can apply for BJA FY 22 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program?

Bureau of Justice Assistance accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities and tribes. The notice adds further conditions, so read its eligibility section.

What is the deadline for BJA FY 22 Upholding the Rule of Law and Preventing Wrongful Convictions Program?

Closed June 1, 2022. Applications are no longer accepted; the program's newer notices are on this page when there are any.

How much funding is available?

Awards of up to $500,000 each. About $6.0 million in total across about 12 awards.

Who has won Capital Case Litigation Initiative grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, Inc, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Inc., The National Judicial College. The program made 64 awards worth $35.0 million in that time.

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