U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

National Institute of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice 

is seeking applications for funding under the DNA Missing Persons Program. This 

program furthers the Department’s mission by offering assistance in performing DNA 

analysis on unidentified human remains and family reference samples to support the 

efforts of States and units of local government to identify missing persons. 

Solicitation:

Using DNA Technology to Identify the 

Missing

Eligibility

(See ―Eligibility,‖ page 4)

Deadline

Registration with Grants.gov is required prior to application submission.

(See ―Deadline: Registration,‖ page 3)

All applications are due January 21, 2009, 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

Contact Information

For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Lois Tully, Deputy Chief, 

Investigative and Forensic Sciences Division, at 202–307–0694 or lois.tully@usdoj.gov.

This application must be submitted through Grants.gov. For technical assistance with 

submitting the application, call the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 1–800–518–

4726 or send an e-mail to support@grants.gov.

Note: The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are Monday–Friday from 

7 a.m. to 9 p.m. eastern time.

Grants.gov Funding Opportunity No. NIJ–2009–1943

SL# 000860
CONTENTS

Overview.........................................................................................................................3

Deadline: Registration.....................................................................................................3

Deadline: Application.......................................................................................................3

Eligibility..........................................................................................................................4

Faith-Based and Other Community Organizations...............................................4

American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Tribes and/or Tribal Organizations.... 5

Specific Information.........................................................................................................5

Performance Measures ...................................................................................................9

How to Apply...................................................................................................................9

What an Application Must Include .................................................................................11

Selection Criteria...........................................................................................................12

Review Process ............................................................................................................13

Additional Requirements ...............................................................................................14
Using DNA Technology to Identify the 

Missing

CFDA No. 16.560

Overview

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is the research, development, and evaluation 

agency of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and a component of the Office of 

Justice Programs (OJP). NIJ provides objective, independent, evidence-based 

knowledge and tools to enhance the administration of justice and public safety. NIJ 

solicits applications to inform its search for the knowledge and tools to guide policy and 

practice.

The goal of the ―Using DNA Technology to Identify the Missing‖ solicitation is twofold: 

(1) to assist eligible entities in performing DNA analysis on unidentified human remains 

and/or reference samples to support the efforts of States and units of local government

to identify missing persons and (2) to enter the resulting DNA profiles into the FBI’s 

National DNA Index System using the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) version 

6.0.

Deadline: Registration

Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, processing delays may 

occur and it can take up to several weeks for first-time registrants to receive 

confirmations/user passwords. OJP highly recommends that applicants start the 

registration process as early as possible to prevent delays in submitting an application 

package to our agency by the application deadline specified. The registration process for 

organizations involves these steps: (1) Obtain a Data Universal Numbering System 

(DUNS) number; (2) Register your organization with the Central Contractor Registration

(CCR) database; (3) Register with Grants.gov’s Credential Provider and obtain a 

username and password; (4) Register with Grants.gov to establish yourself as an

Authorized Organization Representative (AOR); and (5) The E-Business Point of 

Contact (POC) assigns the ―Authorized Applicant Role‖ to you. For more information 

about the registration process, go to www.grants.gov. Note: Your CCR must be 

renewed once a year. Failure to renew the CCR may prohibit submission of a grant 

application through Grants.gov.

Deadline: Application

The due date for applying for funding under this announcement is January 21, 2009, 

11:59 p.m. eastern time.

Within 24 to 48 hours after submitting your electronic application, you should receive an 

e-mail validation message from Grants.gov. The validation message will tell you whether

the application has been received and validated or has been rejected, and why. 
Important: You are urged to submit your application at least 72 hours prior to the due 

date of the application to allow time to receive the validation message and to correct any 

problems that may have caused the rejection notification. 

If you experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond your control, you must 

contact OJP staff within 24 hours after the due date and request approval to submit 

your application. At that time, OJP staff will require you to e-mail the complete grant 

application along with your DUNS number and provide a Grants.gov Help Desk tracking 

number(s). After OJP reviews all of the information submitted and contacts Grants.gov to 

validate the technical issues reported by the applicant, OJP will contact you to either 

approve or deny the request. 

To ensure a fair competition for limited discretionary funds, the following conditions are 

not valid reasons to permit late submissions: (1) failure to begin the registration process 

in sufficient time; (2) failure to follow Grants.gov instructions on how to register and apply 

as posted on its Web site; (3) failure to follow all of the instructions in the OJP 

solicitation; and (4) technical issues experienced with the applicant’s computer or 

information technology (IT) environment.

Eligibility

In general, NIJ is authorized to make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative 

agreements with, States (including territories), local governments (including federally 

recognized Indian tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions), nonprofit 

and profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and profit organizations), institutions of 

higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), and certain qualified 

individuals. Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign institutions of higher 

education are not eligible to apply.

Federal agencies are eligible to apply for funding under this solicitation. If an award is 

made to a Federal agency, it will be through an Interagency Agreement (IAA) with the 

National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

Faith-Based and Other Community Organizations: Consistent with Executive Order 

13279, dated December 12, 2002, and 28 C.F.R. Part 38, it is DOJ policy that faithbased and other community organizations that statutorily qualify as eligible applicants 

under DOJ programs are invited and encouraged to apply for assistance awards to fund 

eligible grant activities. Faith-based and other community organizations will be 

considered for awards on the same basis as other eligible applicants and, if they receive 

assistance awards, will be treated on an equal basis with all other grantees in the 

administration of such awards. No eligible applicant or grantee will be discriminated for 

or against on the basis of its religious character or affiliation, religious name, or the 

religious composition of its board of directors or persons working in the organization.

Faith-based organizations receiving DOJ assistance awards retain their independence 

and do not lose or have to modify their religious identity (e.g., remove religious symbols)

to receive assistance awards. DOJ grant funds, however, may not be used to fund any 

inherently religious activity, such as prayer or worship. Inherently religious activity is 

permissible, although it cannot occur during an activity funded with DOJ grant funds; 

rather, such religious activity must be separate in time or place from the DOJ-funded 
program. Further, participation in such activity by individuals receiving services must be 

voluntary. Programs funded by DOJ are not permitted to discriminate in the provision of 

services on the basis of a beneficiary’s religion.

If your organization is a faith-based organization that makes hiring decisions on the 

basis of religious belief, it may be entitled, under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, 

42 U.S.C. § 2000bb, to receive Federal funds and yet maintain that hiring practice, even 

if the law creating the funding program contains a general ban on religious discrimination 

in employment. For the circumstances under which this may occur, and the certifications 

that may be required, please see the section titled ―Funding to Faith-Based 

Organizations‖ on the "Other Requirements for OJP Applications" Web page at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm.

Applicants are also encouraged to review the ―Civil Rights Compliance‖ section of the

―Other Requirements for OJP Applicants‖ Web page, which also can be found at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm.

American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Tribes and/or Tribal Organizations: If a 

grant application is being submitted on behalf of a tribe or tribal organization, a current 

authorizing resolution of the governing body of the tribal entity or other enactment of the 

tribal council or comparable government body authorizing the inclusion of the tribe or 

tribal organization named in the application must be included with the application.

Specific Information—Using DNA Technology to Identify 

the Missing

Background 

DNA technology can provide valuable information to assist in determining the source of 

unidentified human remains. In recent years, newer DNA technologies have substantially 

increased the successful analysis of aged, degraded, limited, or otherwise compromised 

biological evidence. As a result, biological samples, including skeletal remains, once 

thought to be unsuitable for testing, may now yield DNA profiles. Additionally, samples 

that previously generated inconclusive DNA results may now be amenable to reanalysis 

using newer methods. 

A recent census by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) demonstrated the magnitude 

of the number of unidentified decedents nationwide. This Special Report, entitled 

Medical Examiners and Coroners’ Offices, 2004 (available at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/meco04.pdf) stated that over 4,000 unidentified 

human decedents are reported each year by medical examiners and coroners, and of 

those, an estimated 1,000 remain unidentified 1 year later and become ―cold cases.‖ As 

of 2004, almost 13,500 unidentified human decedents were on record. The true number 

may actually be higher, as this census did not include unidentified human remains that 

are stored in other locations, such as law enforcement agencies. Experts refer to this 

national crisis as a ―mass disaster over time‖ (―Missing Persons and Unidentified 

Remains: The Nation’s Silent Mass Disaster.‖ NIJ Journal No. 256. January 2007). (Also 

see the BJS Fact Sheet Unidentified Human Remains in the United States, 1980–2004,

available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/uhrus04.pdf.) 
The goal of the ―Using DNA Technology to Identify the Missing‖ solicitation is twofold: 

(1) to assist eligible entities in performing DNA analysis on unidentified human remains 

and/or reference samples to support the efforts of States and units of local government 

to identify missing persons and (2) to enter the resulting DNA profiles into the FBI’s 

National DNA Index System using CODIS version 6.0.

Award Purposes

The following must be the primary objective of all proposals submitted to this solicitation. 

Proposals lacking this objective will not be given further consideration:

DNA analysis of unidentified human remains and/or reference samples, followed 

by review of DNA profiles and upload into the FBI’s National DNA Index System 

using CODIS version 6.0.

o DNA analyses conducted using funding from this program must be 

performed by a laboratory (government-owned or fee-for-service) that (1) 

is accredited by a nonprofit professional association of persons actively 

involved in forensic science that is nationally recognized within the 

forensic science community and (2) currently undergoes external audits 

not less than once every 2 years that demonstrate compliance with the 

DNA Quality Assurance Standards established by the Director of the FBI.

o All eligible DNA profiles obtained with funding under this program must be 

entered into the FBI’s National DNA Index System using CODIS version 

6.0.

The following activities are allowable as secondary objectives. The proposal must clearly 

demonstrate that these activities can be successfully performed and that the applicant 

has prior experience performing this work:

Anthropological/odontological examinations of unidentified human remains for 

the following purposes:

o Pre-DNA analysis: To establish if unidentified human remains are

amenable to subsequent DNA analysis.

o Post-DNA analysis: For creating and entering information into the 

unidentified decedents database of the National Missing and Unidentified 

Persons System (NamUs).

Evaluation and application of new DNA technologies designed to increase the 

amount of genetic information obtained from compromised skeletal remains.

Additional Requirements

The application must include the following:

The number of unidentified human remains and/or reference samples to be 

analyzed.
A description of the source(s) of the samples to be analyzed, how the samples 

will be obtained, the entity that will perform the DNA analysis, and how the DNA 

analysis will support the efforts of States and units of local government to identify 

missing persons.

A description of the type of DNA analysis to be performed (e.g., short tandem 

repeat [STR], mitochondrial DNA) and a demonstration of the laboratory’s 

proficiency in performing such DNA analysis on unidentified human remains 

and/or reference samples.

A description of the processes to be used to review and enter DNA data into the 

FBI’s National DNA Index System using CODIS version 6.0, including the name

of the entity that will review and enter the data and a demonstration of that 

entity’s ability and authority to perform this function. If the entity designated to 

review and enter DNA data is not the entity performing the DNA analysis,

an appropriate written agreement between the entities must be in place and 

included with the application.

If the DNA analysis will be performed by a public or private entity other than the 

applicant, an appropriate written agreement between the applicant and the entity 

performing the DNA analysis must be included.

Award period

In general, NIJ will limit any grants under this program to a maximum period of 18 

months after the start of the award.

Permissible Uses of Funds

1. Salary (full-time, part-time, overtime) and benefits. Funds may be used for 

staff directly engaged in performing DNA analysis on unidentified human remains 

and/or reference samples from State or local government missing persons 

investigations. Funds may also be used for anthropologists/odontologists for 

those activities directly related to establishing whether unidentified human 

remains are amenable to subsequent DNA analysis or to the entry of information 

into NamUs. Note: NIJ makes no assurance that funds will be available for this 

purpose in any future award announcements. Supplanting is not allowable.

2. Training (limited). Funds may be used for appropriate internal and external 

training of individuals directly engaged in performing DNA analysis on 

unidentified human remains and/or reference samples from State or local 

government missing persons investigations. The proposal must clearly 

demonstrate that the training will directly benefit the performance of the 

proposal’s objectives. General conference (e.g., American Academy of Forensic 

Sciences) attendance is not allowable, although costs related to workshops 

within a conference may be allowable if there is a sufficient DNA and/or missing 

persons component. Training to enhance the laboratory’s overall DNA capacity is 

not allowable.

3. Travel (limited). Funds may be used for reasonable travel expenses related to 

transporting unidentified human remains from State or local government missing 
persons investigations to the laboratory for analysis; for travel to approved 

training venues (see no. 2 above); and for other travel directly related to the 

performance of the proposal’s objectives.

4. Equipment and computers. Funds may be used for upgrading, replacing, and 

purchasing equipment, instrumentation, and computer hardware or software for 

DNA analyses of unidentified human remains and/or reference samples from 

State or local government missing persons investigations. All equipment must be 

dedicated solely to this purpose or costs must be prorated accordingly. 

Equipment for enhancing the laboratory’s overall DNA capacity is not allowable.

5. Supplies. Funds may be used for supplies related to performing DNA analysis 

on unidentified human remains and/or reference samples from State or local 

government missing persons investigations, and for other supplies directly 

related to the performance of the proposal’s objectives. The proposal must 

clearly demonstrate that the types and number of supplies requested are 

appropriate for the proposed level of effort. Supplies for enhancing the 

laboratory’s overall DNA capacity are not allowable.

6. Consultant and contractor services. Funds may be used to hire consultants 

and/or temporary contract staff to perform DNA analysis on unidentified human 

remains and/or reference samples from State or local government missing 

persons investigations, or for other activities directly related to the performance 

of the proposal’s objectives. Funds may also be used to outsource samples to 

qualified public or private laboratories.

7. Other reasonable expenses directly related to the performance of the proposal’s 

objectives.

Please note: All applicants under this solicitation must comply with Department of Justice 

regulations on confidentiality and human subjects protection. See the Confidentiality and 

Human Subjects Protection Compliance section under ―Other Requirements for OJP 

Applications‖ at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm.

Cost of proposed work: Total funding for this solicitation and the number of awards 

made will depend on the availability of funds and the quality of the applications. All 

awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any 

modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law. NIJ cannot 

guarantee that subsequent phases, stages, or tasks beyond the first 18 months will be 

funded.

Applicants should be aware that the total period of an award, including one that receives 

additional funding, ordinarily will not exceed 3 years.

A grant made by NIJ under this solicitation may account for up to 100 percent of the total 

cost of the project. See "Cofunding" under "What an Application Must Include."

Limitation on use of award funds for employee compensation; waiver: No portion 

of any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation may be used to pay 

any portion of the total cash compensation (salary plus bonuses) of any employee of the 

award recipient whose total cash compensation exceeds 110 percent of the maximum 

annual salary payable to a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive 
Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that 

year. (The salary table for SES employees is available at http://www.opm.gov.)

This prohibition may be waived at the discretion of the Assistant Attorney General for the 

Office of Justice Programs. An applicant that wishes to request a waiver should include 

a detailed justification in the budget narrative for the application.

Performance Measures

To assist in fulfilling the Department’s responsibilities under the Government 

Performance and Results Act (GPRA), P.L. 103–62, applicants who receive funding 

under this solicitation must provide data that measure the results of their work. 

Additionally, applicants must discuss their data collection methods in the 

application. Performance measures for this solicitation are as follows:

Objective Performance Measures Data Grantee Provides

To perform DNA analysis on 

unidentified human remains 

and/or reference samples 

collected as part of State or local 

government missing persons 

investigations, and to enter 

resulting DNA profiles into the

FBI’s National DNA Index System 

using CODIS version 6.0.

Percentage of unidentified human 

remains and/or reference samples 

that yield a DNA profile. 

Percentage of DNA profiles 

resulting in a CODIS match.

Quality of management as 

measured by whether significant 

interim project milestones were 

achieved, final deadlines were 

met, and costs remained within 

approved limits.

The number of unidentified 

human remains and/or reference 

samples analyzed by DNA 

testing. 

The number of unidentified 

human remains and/or reference 

samples that yielded a DNA 

profile. 

The number of DNA profiles from 

State or local government missing 

persons investigations that were 

entered into the FBI’s National 

DNA Index System using CODIS 

version 6.0.

The number of CODIS matches 

resulting from DNA analysis of 

unidentified human remains 

and/or reference samples from 

State or local government missing 

persons investigations. 

How to Apply

DOJ is participating in the e-Government initiative, one of 25 initiatives included in the 

President’s Management Agenda. Part of this initiative—Grants.gov—is a ―one-stop 

storefront‖ that provides a unified process for all customers of Federal grants to find 

funding opportunities and apply for funding.
Grants.Gov Instructions: Complete instructions can be found at www.grants.gov.

If you experience difficulties at any point during this process, please call the Grants.gov 

Customer Support Hotline at 1–800–518–4726, Monday–Friday from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

eastern time.

Funding Opportunities With Multiple Purpose Areas: Some OJP solicitations posted 

to Grants.gov contain multiple purpose areas, denoted by the individual Competition ID. 

If you are applying to a solicitation with multiple Competition IDs, you must select the 

appropriate Competition ID for the intended purpose area of your application. The 

application will be peer reviewed according to the requirements of the purpose area 

under which it is submitted. 

Note: OJP’s Grants Management System (GMS) does not support Microsoft Vista 

or Microsoft 2007. Therefore, OJP will not review any application whose 

attachments are in Microsoft Vista or Microsoft 2007 format. GMS downloads 

applications from Grants.gov and is the system in which OJP reviews applications and 

manages awarded grants. Applications submitted via GMS must be in the following 

formats: Microsoft Word (*.doc), Word Perfect (*.wpd), PDF files (*.pdf), or Text 

Documents (*.txt) and may include Microsoft Excel (*.xls) files. GMS is not yet 

compatible with Vista and cannot yet process Microsoft Word 2007 documents saved in 

the new default format with the extensions of ―.docx.‖ Please ensure the documents you 

are submitting in Grants.gov are saved using ―Word 97–2003 Document (*.doc)‖ format. 

Additionally, GMS does not accept executable file types as application attachments. 

These disallowed file types include, but are not limited to, the following extensions: 

".com," ".bat," ".exe," ".vbs," ".cfg," ".dat," ".db," ".dbf," ".dll," ".ini," ".log," ".ora," ".sys," 

and ".zip."

CFDA Number: The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this 

solicitation is 16.560, titled ―National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and 

Development Project Grants,‖ and the Grants.gov funding opportunity number is NIJ–

2009–1943.

A DUNS number is required: The Office of Management and Budget requires that all 

businesses and nonprofit applicants for Federal funds include a DUNS (Data Universal 

Numeric System) number in their application for a new award or renewal of an award. 

Applications without a DUNS number are incomplete. A DUNS number is a unique ninedigit sequence recognized as the universal standard for identifying and keeping track of 

entities receiving Federal funds. The identifier is used for tracking purposes and to 

validate address and point-of-contact information for Federal assistance applicants, 

recipients, and subrecipients. The DUNS number will be used throughout the grant life 

cycle. Obtaining a DUNS number is a free, simple, one-time activity. Obtain one by 

calling 1–866–705–5711 or by applying online at http://www.dnb.com/us. Individuals are 

exempt from this requirement.

Central Contractor Registration (CCR) is required: In addition to the DUNS number 

requirement, OJP requires that all applicants (other than individuals) for Federal financial 

assistance maintain current registrations in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) 

database. The CCR database is the repository for standard information about Federal 

financial assistance applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. Organizations that have 

previously submitted applications via Grants.gov are already registered with CCR, as it 

is a requirement for Grants.gov registration. Please note, however, that applicants must 
update or renew their CCR at least once per year to maintain an active status. 

Information about registration procedures can be accessed at www.ccr.gov. 

What an Application Must Include

Standard Form 424

Program Narrative 

The Program Narrative includes:

a. Abstract (not to exceed 600 words).

b. Table of contents.

c. Main body, which includes:

• Purpose, goals, and objectives.

• Project design and methods.

• Management plan and organization.

d. Appendixes (not counted against program narrative page limit) include:

• Bibliography/References (if applicable).

• List of key personnel (required).

• Résumés of key personnel (required).

• List of previous and current NIJ awards (required).

• Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from 

organizations collaborating in the project (if applicable).

• Chart for timeline, research calendar, or milestones (required).

• Other materials required by the solicitation.

Budget Detail Worksheet 

The Budget Detail Worksheet should address the full scope, duration, and cost of the 

project. The Budget Detail Worksheet should include a breakdown of costs associated 

with each budget category, including itemizations and calculations where necessary.

Templates for filling out the Budget Detail Worksheet may be found online at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/forms/budget_detail.pdf, OJP Standard Forms & 

Instructions. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of the Chief Financial 

Officer's Customer Service Center at 1–800–458–0786.

Data Collection Plan

The Data Collection Plan is a description of the applicant’s plan for the collection of the 

data required for performance measures.

Budget Narrative

The Budget Narrative is a plain-language description of each of the proposed 

expenditures listed in the Budget Detail Worksheet. It should clearly explain the purpose 

and reason for all expenditures in the budget. There should be no ambiguities about any 

budget item. The narrative should also include details for calculated rates or other

figures.
Indirect Rate Agreement (if applicable)

Applicants that do not have a federally negotiated indirect cost rate and wish to establish 

one can submit a proposal to their ―cognizant‖ Federal agency. Generally, the cognizant 

Federal agency is the agency that provides the preponderance of direct Federal funding. 

This can be determined by reviewing an organization’s schedule of Federal financial 

assistance. If DOJ is your cognizant Federal agency, obtain information needed to 

submit an indirect cost rate proposal at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/part3/part3chap17.htm.

Other Program Attachments

These include several forms, available on OJP’s funding page at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/forms.htm.

Page limit: The program narrative section must not exceed 20 double-spaced pages in 

12-point font with 1-inch margins. Abstract, table of contents, charts, figures, 

appendixes, and government forms do not count toward the 20-page limit for the 

narrative section.

Cofunding: A grant made by NIJ under this solicitation may account for up to 100 

percent of the total cost of the project. You must indicate whether you believe it is 

feasible for you to contribute cash, facilities, or services as non-Federal support for the 

project. Your application should identify generally any such contributions that you expect 

to make and your proposed budget should indicate in detail which items, if any, will be 

supported with non-Federal contributions.

Selection Criteria

Successful applicants must demonstrate the following:

Statement of the Problem/Program Narrative (Understanding of the problem and its 

importance)—15%

Applications should include appropriate citations and other information to 

demonstrate an understanding of the problem and the expected impact of the 

funding.

Project/ Program Design and Implementation (Quality and technical merit)—30%

1. Awareness of the state of current DNA technology and its application to analysis 

of biological samples typically encountered in missing persons investigations.

2. Soundness of methodology and analytic and technical approach.

3. Feasibility of proposed project and awareness of pitfalls.

4. Innovation and creativity (when appropriate).

Capabilities/Competencies (Capabilities, demonstrated productivity, and experience of 

applicants)—20%

1. Qualifications and experience of proposed staff.

2. Demonstrated ability of proposed staff and organization to manage the effort.

3. Adequacy of the plan to manage the project, including how various tasks are 

subdivided and resources are used.

4. Successful past performance on NIJ grants and contracts (when applicable).
Budget—15%

1. Total cost of the project relative to the perceived benefit.

2. Appropriateness of the budget relative to the level of effort.

3. Use of existing resources to conserve costs.

Impact/Outcomes and Evaluation/Plan for Collecting Data for Performance 

Measures (Relevance to policy and practice)—20% 

1. Potential for resolving State or local government missing persons investigations.

2. Affordability and cost-effectiveness of proposed approach.

Review Process

OJP is committed to ensuring a standardized process for awarding grants. NIJ reviews 

the application to make sure that the information presented is reasonable, 

understandable, measurable, achievable, and consistent with program or legislative 

requirements as stated in the solicitation. 

Peer reviewers will be reviewing the applications submitted under this solicitation as 

well. NIJ may use either internal peer reviewers, external peer reviewers, or a 

combination of both to review the applications under this solicitation. An external peer 

reviewer is an expert in the field of the subject matter of a given solicitation who is NOT 

a current U.S. Department of Justice employee. An internal reviewer is an expert in the 

field of the subject matter of a given solicitation who is a current U.S. Department of 

Justice employee. Applications will be screened initially to determine whether the 

applicant meets all eligibility requirements. Only applications submitted by eligible 

applicants that meet all other requirements (such as timeliness, proper format, and 

responsiveness to the scope of the solicitation) will be evaluated, scored, and rated by a 

peer review panel. Peer reviewers’ ratings and any resulting recommendations are 

advisory only. In addition to peer review ratings, considerations may include, but are not 

limited to, underserved populations, strategic priorities, past performance, and available 

funding. 

After the peer review is finalized, the Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), in 

consultation with NIJ, conducts a financial review of all potential discretionary awards 

and cooperative agreements to evaluate the fiscal integrity and financial capability of 

applicants; examines proposed costs to determine if the budget and budget narrative 

accurately explain project costs; and determines whether costs are reasonable, 

necessary, and allowable under applicable Federal cost principles and agency 

regulations. OCFO also reviews the award document and verifies the OJP Vendor 

Number.

When awards will be made: All applicants, whether they are accepted or rejected, will 

be notified. The review and approval process takes about 6 months. You should not 

propose to begin work until at least 6 months after the application deadline on the cover 

of this solicitation. Also, you should not expect to receive notification of a decision for at 

least 6 months after that date. Lists of awards are updated regularly on NIJ’s Web site at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/funding/welcome.htm.
Absent explicit statutory authorization or written delegation of authority to the contrary, 

all final grant award decisions will be made by the Assistant Attorney General (AAG), 

who may also give consideration to factors including, but not limited to, underserved 

populations, strategic priorities, past performance, and available funding when making 

awards.

Additional Requirements

Successful applicants selected for an award must agree to comply with additional 

applicable requirements prior to receiving grant funding. We strongly encourage you to 

review the list below pertaining to these additional requirements prior to submitting your 

application. Additional information for each can be found at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm. 

Civil Rights Compliance

Funding to Faith-Based Organizations

Confidentiality and Human Subjects Protection

Anti-Lobbying Act

Financial and Government Audit Requirements

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) 

DOJ Information Technology Standards

Single Point of Contact Review

Nonsupplanting of State and Local Funds

Criminal Penalty for False Statements

Compliance with Office of Justice Programs Financial Guide

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/

Suspension or Termination of Funding

Nonprofit Organizations

For-Profit Organizations

Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)

Rights in Intellectual Property

Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA)
If your proposal is funded, you will be required to submit several reports and other 

materials, including:

Interim reports: Grantees must submit quarterly financial reports, semi-annual progress 

reports, and, if applicable, an annual audit report in accordance with Office of 

Management and Budget Circular A–133. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be 

withheld if reports are delinquent.

Final Report: The final report must include a summary and assessment of the program 

carried out with the award, including:

The number of unidentified human remains and/or reference samples analyzed 

by DNA testing.

The number of unidentified human remains and/or reference samples that 

yielded a DNA profile.

The number of DNA profiles from State or local government missing persons 

investigations that were entered into the FBI’s National DNA Index System using 

CODIS version 6.0.

The number of CODIS matches resulting from DNA analysis of unidentified 

human remains and/or reference samples from State or local government 

missing persons investigations.