OAJJA: John R. Justice Program

The purpose of the John R. Justice Grant Program is to encourage qualified individuals to enter and continue employment as local and state prosecutors and local, state, or federal public defenders. The Colorado John R. Justice (JRJ) Grant Program provides educational loan repayment benefits to local and state prosecutors and as local and state prosecutors and local, state, or federal public defenders in Colorado, using Federal grant funding awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs.

Colorado selects local and state prosecutors and public defenders as beneficiaries of its JRJ Grant Program in cohorts. Each individual in the cohort is eligible for three consecutive years of funding.

OAJJA anticipates accepting applications in the fall of 2026 for the new three year cohort of JRJ beneficiaries.

What will satisfy as the National Student Loan Data System (NSLDS) “document”?

You just need to print the screen with the loan information. Unfortunately, the NSLDS website does not have a printer friendly option to create a “document”.

You must print and submit the summary page and a NSLDS “document” for each student loan that you possess, including the loan for which you are requesting assistance.

What if I have more than one qualifying student loan?

An applicant may have more than one qualifying student loan, but for purposes of this solicitation, the applicant must choose the one loan for which he/she requests financial assistance. Payments will not be made to multiple lending institutions or towards multiple loan numbers held at a one lending institution.

What if I do not have my lending institution’s Federal Tax ID (FEIN) number?

Contact your lending institution and ask them to provide you with this information as it is needed for federal reporting. The FEIN number should be a nine-digit numerical sequence.

If selected to receive funds, payment on your behalf cannot be made without a FEIN number for the loan company to be paid. This is an essential component of the application.

Will I be contacted if my application is missing information?

No. Applicants will not be notified if any information or document is missing from their application. Any missing information or documentation will result in the denial of your request.

If I have already submitted my application but have since discovered errors, may I resubmit?

Yes. You may resubmit your application up until the posted deadline. When resubmitting your application, use the on-line system in addition send an email to rebecca.oakes@state.co.us asking to replace the first submission with the most recently submitted version. This will result in the deletion of the application date stamped earliest.

The Application requests the contact person for my loan institution. What if I don’t have a specific contact person?

If your lending institution has a customer service center in which there is not one specific person that can handle inquiries, please just indicate “Customer Service Rep” and provide the telephone and fax number for that center. If your lending institution does have a contact person, please provide that designated person’s name and telephone/fax number.

If I have a student loan currently in forbearance, is that loan still eligible?

Yes. A loan in forbearance is eligible. Unless you have any other federal student loans reported as defaulted.

If an applicant has defaulted on any federal student loan, he or she is ineligible to apply for JRJ benefits.

Do I have to currently be employed as a prosecutor or public defender in order to submit an application under JRJ?

Yes. To qualify for JRJ benefits you must be actively employed and meet the applicant eligibility requirements at the time of submitting your application. Being offered a position with a start date after 11/19/23 but before the contract start date does not make you eligible this year.