# BJS FY25 Survey of Public Defenders (SPD)

Source: https://welltoldgrants.com/grants/o-bjs-2025-172531-bjs-fy25-survey-of-public-defenders-spd/  
Official notice: https://www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/361172

> Bureau of Justice Statistics offered grants of up to $1.0 million to nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, small businesses and businesses. It expected to make one award worth $1.0 million in total. Applications closed on March 2, 2026.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Opportunity number | O-BJS-2025-172531 |
| Agency | Bureau of Justice Statistics |
| Status | Forecast |
| Deadline | March 2, 2026 |
| Award ceiling | $1.0 million |
| Award floor | not stated |
| Expected awards | 1 |
| Total funding | $1.0 million |
| Cost sharing | not required |
| Assistance Listings | 16.734 |

## Who can apply

- Independent school districts
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses

## What the grant funds

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) FY 2025 Survey of Public Defenders (SPD) is a new data collection to capture questions about the provision of public defense, including demographics, caseloads, clients, and access to resources, directly from attorneys. BJS’s history studying public defense dates back to 1986, and has periodically updated and modernized its knowledge of public defense field. In 1986 BJS looked more generally at criminal defense with the Criminal Defense System Study, and targeted studies at public defense with the National Survey of Indigent Defense Systems (NSIDS) as a probability sample in 1999 and a census in 2013. In response to lessons learned from the 1999 NSIDS, BJS also conducted the Census of Public Defender Offices (CPDO) in 2007, focusing on publicly-funded defender offices. Each of BJS’s prior collections examined public defense at the office level. After consideration of the results of these efforts, BJS determined that some questions about the provision of public defense. In 2021, the SPD survey instrument and sample design were created and pilot tested. In response to sampling challenges arising from an incomplete current frame of public defender offices, in 2025 BJS ran a new CPDO. The purpose of FY2025SPD solicitation is to use the 2025 CPDO and to implement lessons learned and recommendations from the pilot study into the full national collection of the SPD.

## Questions people ask

### Is O-BJS-2025-172531 still open?

No. It closed on March 2, 2026.

### Who can apply for BJS FY25 Survey of Public Defenders (SPD)?

Bureau of Justice Statistics accepted applications from nonprofits, colleges and universities, state and local governments, small businesses and businesses.

### What is the deadline for BJS FY25 Survey of Public Defenders (SPD)?

Closed March 2, 2026. 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 $1.0 million each. About $1.0 million in total for one award.

### Who has won Special Data Collections and Statistical Studies grants before?

The largest recipients over five fiscal years were Research Triangle Institute, Abt Global LLC, National Opinion Research Center. The program made 36 awards worth $37.2 million in that time.