BJA FY 20 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program | BJA 2020 18433

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2020 18433

The BJA FY 20 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program is a U.S. Department of Justice funding opportunity run by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) focused on strengthening forensic science and medical examiner/coroner operations at the state and local level. The central goal is to improve the quality, efficiency, and effectiveness of forensic services, including work performed by publicly operated forensic laboratories as well as medical examiner or coroner offices. A major emphasis is on practical capacity-building efforts that help the justice system move cases forward more quickly and reliably, especially by addressing delays in forensic testing and analysis.

A key purpose of the program is to reduce or eliminate backlogs in the analysis of forensic evidence. Funding can support actions that directly increase throughput and improve timeliness, such as hiring additional forensic laboratory personnel, training existing staff, or otherwise expanding the workforce needed to process evidence. While the summary highlights backlog reduction and staffing/training, the program is broadly aimed at overall forensic and medicolegal improvement, meaning applicants typically propose targeted upgrades in workflows, quality practices, and service delivery that enhance how forensic evidence and death investigations are handled.

This particular solicitation is for competitive awards only, reflecting the statutory requirement in the Coverdell Act that 15 percent of program funds be awarded through a competitive process. Under this competitive set-aside, funds may be awarded to State Administering Agencies (SAAs) or awarded directly to units of local government, depending on the strength and merits of the applications submitted. In other words, both state-level entities and local jurisdictions can compete, and awards are made based on the quality and impact of the proposed improvements rather than by formula distribution.

Administratively, this opportunity is a discretionary grant offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates that BJA expects to have substantial involvement in the project during the award period (for example, through monitoring, guidance, or coordination expectations) compared to a standard grant. The funding is associated with CFDA 16.742 and spans several activity areas, including law and justice, science and technology, training, and information/statistics, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of forensic capacity work.

Eligible applicants include state governments as well as county governments, city or township governments, and special district governments. The opportunity was posted on April 20, 2020, with an original closing date of June 19, 2020. BJA anticipated making about 20 awards, with an award ceiling of $250,000 per award. The official listing identifiers are Funding Opportunity Number BJA-2020-18433 and the title BJA FY 20 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the employment, labor and training, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), information and statistics, law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 20 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.742.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 20, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 19, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments.

Apply for BJA 2020 18433

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