In Fiscal Year 2020, all state and local forensic capacity enhancement programs previously administered by NIJ, including this program, moved to the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on June 19, 2020.
Category Archives: Funding
New BJA Solicitations: Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program (Competitive and Formula)
Maloney Hails Senate Passage of Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney’s (D-NY) H.R. 777 – Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019 passed the Senate by unanimous consent. This bipartisan bill was introduced with Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) in January and passed the House in October.
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Posted in Cold Cases, Database, Funding
Washington gets nearly $5.3 million to test backlogged rape kits
Washington State Patrol got a grant for $1,857,667 to increase crime lab capacity, including equipping a new DNA section in the Vancouver crime lab. State patrol also got a grant for $920,921 that will digitize and store about 480,000 case records so they can be more easily accessed by investigators. Those records are currently archived in off-site storage.
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Posted in Funding
Maloney Hails Passage of Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the House of Representatives passed Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney’s (D-NY) H.R. 777 – Debbie Smith Reauthorization Act of 2019. This bipartisan bill was introduced with Congresswoman Ann Wagner (R-MO) in January.
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Posted in Backlogs, Cold Cases, Database, DNA Legislation, Forensic Industry News, Funding
Congress urged to renew funding for DNA testing
Over the next 15 years, nearly 200,000 DNA matches have been made by a national database after samples were submitted because of the Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program. But now that funding is set to expire, so Smith stood on a podium in Washington on Friday morning and pleaded with Congress to reauthorize the funding before the law expires Sept. 30.
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Posted in Backlogs, Database, Forensic Industry News, Funding
Federal funding necessary for clearing rape kit backlog
Congress has the opportunity to renew important funding for helping solve a critical issue in the U.S. — the number of untested rape kits languishing on shelves of police departments, hospitals and state crime labs.
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Posted in Editorial, Forensic Industry News, Funding
Senators Dianne Feinstein and John Cornyn Announce Debbie Smith Act Reauthorization Bill to Fight Nationwide Rape Kit Backlog Passes Committee
May 7, 2019 – Washington – Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) released the following statements after the Debbie Smith Act of 2019 passed out of the Senate Dianne FeinsteinJudiciary Committee:
Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program – Formula
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for formula funding under the FY 2019 Paul Coverdell
Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing States with tools needed to meet the challenges of crime and justice.
Specifically, this program seeks to improve forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services, including services provided by laboratories operated by States and units of local
government.
Applications Due: June 4, 2019
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Posted in Funding
New Solicitation: FY 2019 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program (Formula)
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for the FY 2019 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by funding States and units of local government with existing crime laboratories that conduct DNA analysis to increase the capacity of publicly funded forensic DNA and DNA database laboratories to process more DNA samples, thereby helping to reduce the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis and/or prevent a backlog of forensic and database DNA samples.
Applications Due: May 13, 2019
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Posted in Funding
New Solicitation: Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence, Fiscal Year 2019
With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for funding to assist in defraying the costs associated with postconviction DNA testing in cases of violent felony offenses (as defined by State law) in which actual innocence might be demonstrated.
Funds may be used to identify and review such postconviction cases, and to locate and analyze associated biological evidence.
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 6, 2019.
Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application.
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Posted in Funding
Using DNA tests to reunite migrant families on the border raises privacy concerns
SAN FRANCISCO — Genetics testing companies are offering to help reunite families separated at the border, but it’s unclear how they would get DNA kits into the hands of migrants and the testing itself could carry hefty privacy risks for migrant families.
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Posted in Ancestry, Funding, Immigration
Update to Several Open NIJ Solicitations – NIJ Funding Update
NIJ has updated several solicitations (listed below) with instructions for submitting environmental documentation, commonly known as the “NEPA checklist,” with your grant application, if the checklist is required.
NIJ is making this checklist and associated instructions available to you in an effort to streamline the application process and to avoid post-award withholding conditions, related to NEPA, where possible.
Please carefully review the instructions and submit the completed and signed checklist, if appropriate, with your grant application.
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Posted in Funding
New Solicitation: Forensic DNA Laboratory Efficiency Improvement and Capacity Enhancement Program
The EI&CE program awards funding to eligible entities, through a competitive application process with three program objectives:
Enhancing the capacity and increasing the efficiency of crime laboratories to process, record, screen, and analyze DNA and other forensic evidence
Decreasing the turnaround time to process and analyze DNA evidence.
Ensuring continued support for enhancing the quality of DNA analysis results.
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 7, 2018.
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Posted in Funding
New Solicitation: DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction Program (Formula)
NIJ is seeking applications for the FY 2018 DNA Capacity Enhancement and Backlog Reduction (CEBR) program.
This program furthers the Department’s mission by funding States and units of local government with existing crime laboratories that conduct DNA analysis to process, record, screen, and analyze forensic DNA and/or DNA database samples, and to increase the capacity of public forensic DNA and DNA database laboratories to process more DNA samples, thereby helping to reduce the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis.
All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on May 7, 2018.
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Posted in Funding
Cornyn, Poe Introduce Bill To Reauthorize The Debbie Smith Act, Provide Resources To Fight Rape Kit Backlogs
U.S. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and Representative Ted Poe (TX-02) today introduced the Debbie Smith Crime Victims Protection Act, legislation to reauthorize the Debbie Smith Act and dedicate much-needed resources to state and local law enforcement agencies to conduct forensic analyses of crime scenes, including untested rape kits. Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Dean Heller (R-NV), and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) cosponsored the bill.