BJS FY 2026 Consolidated National Criminal History Improvement Program
Opportunity number: O-BJS-2026-172688
Program owner: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics
Summary: Federal cooperative-agreement funding for eligible state governments, federally recognized tribal governments, and designated state court administrative entities to improve criminal-history records, firearm-prohibitor reporting, background-check systems, record interoperability, and lawful record-sealing or expungement processes.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics seeks to fund projects improving the accuracy, completeness, utility, accessibility, and electronic exchange of criminal-history and related records. Projects may strengthen NICS, the Interstate Identification Index, the National Fingerprint File, and other FBI-compatible record systems used by law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and corrections agencies.
Allowable activities include automating records, linking arrests and fingerprints to case outcomes, reducing missing-disposition backlogs, improving qualifying juvenile-record reporting, purchasing justified Livescan equipment for local agencies, and automating lawful sealing or expungement processes. Direct applicants are limited to state governments, federally recognized tribal governments, and qualifying state court administrative entities. Local law-enforcement agencies are not listed as independent direct applicants, although eligible recipient projects may include local agencies, project partners, or subrecipients when consistent with the NOFO.
Who is eligible?
Applicant types: State governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and courts through the state central administrative office or a similar entity designated by statute or regulation to administer federal grant funds for the jurisdiction's court system.
Direct applicants are state governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and qualifying state court administrative entities. Up to two applications may be submitted for each state if one is submitted by the designated NCHIP agency or state record repository and the other by the state court. Although the purpose statement references territories, territorial governments are not separately included in the formal Eligible Applicants list. Local police departments, sheriff's offices, prosecutors, and corrections agencies are not expressly listed as independent direct applicants but may participate in an eligible applicant's project when permitted under the NOFO and applicable subaward rules.
What can the funding be used for?
Improving the accuracy, completeness, automation, utility, and interstate accessibility of criminal-history records; linking arrests and fingerprints to court and prosecutor outcomes; reducing missing-disposition backlogs; converting manual records to electronic records; qualifying equipment upgrades; justified Livescan purchases for local agencies; improving and transmitting firearm-prohibitor records to NICS; supporting Interstate Identification Index and National Fingerprint File participation; synchronizing state and FBI records; developing qualifying software and hardware for electronic record access; automating and reporting relevant juvenile records where permitted by law; training and technical assistance; and automating or reducing backlogs in lawful record sealing and expungement. Staff overtime is allowable with BJS approval, and travel may be supported for program-specific meetings or conferences.
Restrictions
Purchasing or leasing vehicles; studies, analysis, design, or development of integrated-system strategies; projects primarily improving NGI-related investigative capabilities such as latent workstations, palm-print capture, facial recognition, or DNA capture; ongoing costs of presale firearm background checks; equipment or contract maintenance beyond the stated initial 12-month or initial-year period; activities that violate or impede applicable federal immigration law; activities that violate federal civil-rights or nondiscrimination law; and legal services for removable aliens or aliens unlawfully present in the United States, subject to the NOFO's stated exceptions.
How to apply
First submit the SF-424 through Grants.gov by September 28, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Then submit the complete application through JustGrants by October 5, 2026, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Begin or renew SAM.gov registration as soon as possible and complete all required JustGrants forms, narrative, budget, timeline, disclosures, assurances, certifications, and applicable attachments.
Required materials
The core application components expressly marked required are the SF-424 in Grants.gov and, in JustGrants, Standard Applicant Information, a proposal abstract, a proposal narrative, and the web-based budget. The application-content list also calls for the Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire and related application data. A detailed project timeline and applicable disclosures, assurances, and certifications must be completed or attached as directed. Depending on the application, supporting materials may include an Agency Funding Priorities Inventory, indirect-cost-rate agreement, consultant-rate documentation, employee-compensation waiver, executive-compensation disclosure, MOU or letter of intent with project partners, tribal authorizing resolution, Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity Statement, vendor quotes for equipment or contractual services, and subaward budget-category breakdowns.
Program contact
Stephanie Burroughs
[email protected]
202-307-0765
Official sources
- Office of Justice Programs checked September 2, 2026
Grant details can change. Confirm all requirements on the official source before applying.