Prisoner Reintegration Program (reissue)

The Division of Care and Treatment Services is seeking applications for funding to support individuals from Milwaukee County transitioning from prison or jail who face a range of behavioral, social, and economic challenges. Specifically, some of these challenges include but are not limited to substance use, mental health, physical health, social isolation, complex trauma, unemployment, and environmental factors.

The Prisoner Reintegration Program is authorized under Wis. Stat. § 46.48(8) . Under this authorization, DHS developed an application process to award funds to organizations to assist individuals reentering Milwaukee County. The intended geographic area and/or population for this program are individuals from Milwaukee County transitioning from prison or jail.

Recipients of this funding must use the funds to implement and maintain evidence-based case management services and address criminogenic needs of program participants during their adjustment to the community.

Recipients of this funding will provide qualified staff, such as a case manager, certified peer specialist, or both, offering program participants individualized support and assistance with referral to community services. This could include but is not limited to housing, substance use/mental health counseling, employment assistance, transportation, education services, community engagement, health care, and family reunification. The reentry plan may consist of goals and objectives to meet the needs of the individual and challenges or barriers to achieve the goals and objectives.

Recipients of this funding must collaborate with prisons and jails to coordinate release dates and meet with program participants within 48 hours of release. The coordination of care with community partners from pre- to post-release increases the likelihood of achieving successful community adjustment, creating prosocial relationships, minimizing substance use, and reducing recidivism.

The following items are required for applications for this funding opportunity:

• Description of the overall design of the program’s services provided pre- and post-release and how that design promotes improved outcomes for participants thus reducing recidivism.
• Efforts that will be made to engage with institution and jail staff to ensure timely reentry preparation that includes releases of information and collaboration.
• Screening tool(s) used to determine a participant’s level of need.
• List of resources and services for participants post-release and a description of the referral process for the listed resources and services. This may include but is not limited to resources and services related to housing, financial literacy, employment assistance, substance use, mental health services, health care, nutrition, education, and community engagement.
• Structure of the case management team to include job duties and responsibilities, with information that notes whether a case manager, certified peer support specialist, or similar qualified role will provide services through the transition from release to the community. This structure should outline the conditions for successful discharge or behavioral termination from the program.

Eligible applicants

• A nonprofit organization doing business in Wisconsin listed as a nonprofit organization on the IRS website at the time of application OR
• A federally recognized Tribal nation in Wisconsin OR
• A county in Wisconsin

Eligibility requirements are mandatory as of the date the applicant applies.

Application deadline

January 30, 2026, at 11:59 p.m.

Applications must include:

• A narrative response (8 page maximum).
• IRS Form W-9 (PDF) .
• DCTS Summary Line Item Budget, F-01601C (Excel) .
• Organizational chart.
• Position descriptions for each position directly involved with this program.

Estimated number of awards

1

Estimated award amount(s)

$125,000 per year

Total funding available

$625,000

Anticipated length of funding opportunity

5 years

Anticipated contract dates

March 1, 2026 – December 31, 2026
January 1, 2027 – December 31, 2027
January 1, 2028 – December 31, 2028
January 1. 2029 – December 31, 2029
January 1, 2030 – December 31, 2030

Renewal of the contract each year will be based upon the awardee’s satisfactory performance, satisfactory completion of annual deliverables and grant expectations, audit findings, and the availability of funds.

Match requirement

None

Funding source

General purpose revenue

Written questions due

January 19, 2026

Submit written questions about this funding opportunity to DHSDCTSBPTRFundingOpportunities@dhs.wisconsin.gov with the subject line Prisoner Reintegration Program (reissue).

Answers posted

January 23, 2026 (estimated)

Award/denial notification timeline

March 17, 2026 (estimated)

Award statement

Award(s) will be made to the responsive and responsible applicant(s) that:

• Attains the highest scored application.
• Best meets the needs of the population of focus.
• Best meets the needs of the people within the state, as determined by DHS.
• Serve residents of Milwaukee County ( Wis. Stats. § 46.48(8)(a-d) ).

Application requirements

Applications must include responses to the statements in the narrative response section.

There is a eight-page narrative response maximum. Any information after the page limit will not be read, reviewed, nor scored for this funding opportunity.

Applications must also include the following additional documents:

• IRS Form W-9 (PDF)
• DCTS Summary Line item Budget, F-01601C (Excel)
• Organizational chart
• Position descriptions for each position directly involved with this program

The additional documents do not count toward the eight-page narrative response page limit.

Application scoring rubric

Applications are read, reviewed, and scored by an evaluation team using the 100-point scale listed below. For sections with a higher point value, more detail in the response may be needed.

• Program design: 30 points
• Capacity: 10 points
• Experience and knowledge: 10 points
• Required documents: 5 points
• Grant priorities: 45 points total
  • Priority one: 15 points
  • Priority two: 15 points
  • Priority three: 15 points

Narrative response

The narrative response describes how you will address the purpose of this funding opportunity. The narrative response must:

• Use a page size of 8.5” x 11”
• Use a black font size of at least 11-point

Arial and Times New Roman are the recommended fonts for the narrative response.

The narrative response is a required component of your application. It must be organized into the following sections.

Reporting requirements

Recipients of this funding are required to follow all reporting requirements defined by DHS, including:

• Performance reporting completed two times per contract year with due dates that will be set in writing. Performance reporting is required no later than 30 days past the mid-point of the contract period, and no later than 30 days past the contract end date.
• Expense reporting forms submitted monthly in a format approved by DHS.
• Data submitted for the following:
  • Number of people screened, enrolled, and served by the program.
  • Number of people who withdrew or were terminated from the program.
  • Number/percent of people who successfully completed the program.

Application submission

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. January 30, 2026.

Applications must include the narrative response and the additional documents outlined in the application requirements section.

By submitting an application, the applicant acknowledges the statements on the Grant Funding Opportunities: Legal Definitions and Requirements page .

Submit applications to DHSDCTSBPTRFundingOpportunities@dhs.wisconsin.gov with the subject line Prisoner Reintegration Program (reissue).