About
Beginning with legislation in 2004, the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) launched 2 years later as a program under the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Its mission is to unify justice and health partners around a common goal: reducing criminal justice involvement for people with mental health conditions, or mental health and co-occurring substance use conditions, and connecting them to treatment and services. Since 2006, JMHCP has funded more than 818 grantees across 49 states, the District of Columbia, and 3 U.S. territories to support this goal. Grantees include states, local governments, and federally recognized Indian tribes. In 2020, BJA relaunched the Connect and Protect: Law Enforcement Behavioral Health grant program under JMHCP. Connect and Protect is specifically focused on helping law enforcement and behavioral health agencies work together to improve crisis responses for people with mental health needs or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. Connect and Protect has funded 111 grantees across 35 states and the District of Columbia since 2020 and supports the national Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Sites Program.
JMHCP supports efforts at every point in the criminal justice system, from pre-arrest through reentry, and helps communities strengthen their responses to behavioral health crises. With JMHCP funding, communities have implemented specialized courts to increase diversion opportunities for people with behavioral health conditions, developed innovative responses to 911 crisis calls, and stood up reentry initiatives. JMHCP funding has also been used to increase housing options, improve crisis services and early diversion to reduce jail bookings, develop gender-responsive services, and address the unique needs of rural communities.
With initial funding by JMHCP and now under the Connect and Protect grant track, law enforcement agencies have pioneered police-mental health collaborations across the country, created co-responder units, homeless outreach teams, mobile crisis teams, crisis intervention models, and more. In fact, more than 250 law enforcement agencies have used this funding to establish partnerships with local behavioral health professionals and implement models that help reduce officer encounters with people who have mental health needs.
In addition to directly funding initiatives for grantees, JMHCP and Connect and Protect also distribute resources and up-to-date guidance for leaders throughout the country looking to promote public safety, connect people to treatment and services, and reduce unnecessary arrests and criminal justice contact. This includes a range of briefs, publications, interactive tools, and support centers that center evidence-based strategies and promising practices. It also includes national efforts such as the Stepping Up Initiative, Taking the Call, and the Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Sites.
Grant Announcements
Visit BJA.OJP.gov to learn about newly announced federal grant funding opportunities and how they can support justice and mental health partnerships in your community.
Learn more about JMHCP.
Learn more about Connect and Protect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Find answers to frequently asked questions about JMHCP and its offerings.
Who is eligible to apply for JMHCP and Connect and Protect grants?
Eligible applicants are limited to states, units of local government, federally recognized Indian Tribes and Tribal organizations, and public and state controlled institutions of higher education. Agencies with a different legal status (such as nonprofit or for profit mental health agencies) are also eligible to apply, but only if they can provide documentation that they are designated by the state mental health authority to provide services as a unit of the state or local government. Applications must demonstrate that the proposed project will be administered jointly by a criminal or juvenile justice agency and a mental health agency, although only one is responsible for submitting the application.
When can I apply for grants?
The solicitation for JMHCP and Connect and Protect applications is typically released in the first half of each calendar year. Please subscribe to receive updates from the CSG Justice Center to hear about these solicitations and other funding opportunities.
When does the grant term begin? Does it begin when we receive notification, when we begin to draw down funds, or when the revised budget is approved?
The start date of the grant is indicated by the date included in the award notification document, where it can be found in box number 6. However, some award letters include a special condition prohibiting you from spending any money pending an approval of your budget. You will then receive notification from BJA indicating that your budget has been approved.
Do we have to file for an extension if our progress was delayed due to the necessity of submitting a budget revision? How do we file for an extension?
- If you will not be able to complete the work described in your application within the time period provided, you should request a no cost extension. Project period extension requests are made by submitting a grant adjustment notice in the JustGrants Grant and Payment Management System. You can access information on submitting grant adjustment notices through the Office of Justice Programs Financial Guide. Questions about JustGrants can be answered by visiting https://justicegrants.usdoj.gov/.
- It is not unusual for grantees to request an extension, but before beginning this process, you should first contact your grant manager to explain the need for an extension. Your grant manager can also address any questions you have about the process.
What are the reporting requirements under each grant?
- Information on budget reporting requirements can be found on the Office of Justice Program’s Funding Resource Center. This website provides a detailed explanation of reporting requirements under the links to the “Financial Guide” and “Post Award Instructions.” As a JMHCP or Connect and Protect grantee, you will be required to submit performance measure data on a quarterly basis to the BJA Performance Measurement Tool (PMT). Before the first reporting deadline, CSG Justice Center staff will conduct trainings to walk you through the PMT. In addition, you must also file progress reports to BJA twice a year through the JustGrants Grant and Payment Management System. You should describe the level of success you have had around these objectives and your activities to date. The Post Award Instructions document also contains a list of frequently asked questions about these reporting requirements that may be helpful to you.
- If you are a planning and implementation grantee, you will also be required to submit a copy of a completed planning and implementation guide, which you can learn about in your grantee orientation webinar.
Who can we call with questions or requests for assistance regarding the work of our grant?
The CSG Justice Center can support your grant activities with information, resource materials, and answers to your questions during the term of your grant. The CSG Justice Center has great expertise on staff, has authored numerous publications, and is well positioned to connect you with other sources of information and assistance. The staff can also help connect you with colleagues so that you can benefit from their experiences. If you have any questions, contact the CSG Justice Center staff person assigned to your project.
Will representatives of the CSG Justice Center visit our site?
Travel restrictions are currently in effect for most CSG Justice Center staff. However, the staff member assigned to your project may be able to provide virtual “on-site” technical assistance to grantees. You can discuss this with that staff member as you develop a technical assistance plan.
How can we ensure that the program we develop is sustainable over time?
- It is important to collect outcome data and educate your community about the availability of services for people with mental illness coming into contact with the criminal justice system in order to plan successfully for future sustainability. There are several resources available on this website that provide information about data and metrics and sustainability. Visit the Resources page and filter by these additional topics to quickly find them.
- Here are a few notable publications and tools to assist in sustainability planning:
- Chapter Eight of The Consensus Project Report provides recommendations for disseminating findings and publicizing the successes of a program.
- Mental Health Court programs will find A Guide to Collecting Mental Health Court Outcome Data a helpful resource for planning their data collection.
- Financing the Future of Local Initiatives is a set of tools that helps jurisdictions plan for financial sustainability.