Bulletproof Vest Partnership — the working guide
The DOJ Bureau of Justice Assistance has reimbursed more than $500M of armor purchases for state, local, and tribal agencies since 1999. This page is the single stop for deadlines, eligibility, application mechanics, and what to watch for in the next cycle.
Reimbursement
Up to 50% of the purchase price of NIJ-certified armor, per year.
Eligibility
State + local + territorial + tribal LE agencies. NIJ CPL listing required at purchase date.
Cycle
Annual NOFO typically posted Q1; award announcements mid-year; funds drawn over a 24-month period.
Deep dives & how-to
Current cycle
We are building a live cycle tracker that surfaces the next NOFO release, application windows, and state SAA deadlines the moment they are posted. If you want an email the moment your state’s cycle opens, subscribe for alerts. In the meantime the canonical source is bja.ojp.gov/program/bulletproof-vest-partnership.
For agencies that have never applied
We wrote a step-by-step guide that walks a first-time applicant through the whole cycle — eligibility confirmation, state SAA coordination, CPL-matched product selection, submitting through JustGrants, and drawing funds. Read it here.