BJA FY 20 Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence

Bureau of Justice Assistance

Description

The goal of this program is to assist states and units of local government with postconviction DNA testing in cases of violent felony offenses where actual innocence might be demonstrated. Program objectives with respect to target number of cases to be reviewed and other concrete goals must be outlined in the proposal. Funded projects are expected to implement some aspect of each of the following activities, except for case identification, which is not mandatory: 1. Identify potential postconviction DNA testing cases. A maximum of 15 percent of the proposed budget may be dedicated to case identification activities. 2. Review appropriate postconviction cases to identify those in which DNA testing could prove the actual innocence of a person convicted of a violent felony offense as defined by state law. 3. Locate biological evidence associated with such postconviction cases. 4. Perform DNA analysis of appropriate biological evidence.

Who can apply

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education

Contact

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800–518–4726, 606–545–5035, at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html, or at support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays. <br/> <br/>An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the BJA contact identified below within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline. Additional information on reporting technical issues appears under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the How To Apply (Grants.gov) section in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. <br/> <br/>For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Response Center: toll-free at 1-800-851-3420; via TTY at 301-240-6310 (hearing impaired only); email grants@ncjrs.gov; fax to 301-240-5830; or web chat at https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp. The NCJRS Response Center hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern time on the solicitation close date. <br/><br/>support@grants.gov
support@grants.gov