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 Solving Cold Cases with DNA Program. 

This program furthers the Department’s mission by offering assistance to States and 

units of local government to identify, review, and investigate Uniform Crime Report 

(UCR) Part 1 Violent Crime “cold cases” that have the potential to be solved through 

DNA analysis and to locate and analyze biological evidence associated with these 

cases. 

Solicitation: 

Solving Cold Cases With DNA 

Eligibility 

 (See “Eligibility,” page 4) 

Deadline 

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

(See “Registration,” page 3) 

All applications are due January 23, 2009, 11:59 p.m. eastern time.

Contact Information 

For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact Charles Heurich, 

Program Manager, at 202–616–9264 or Charles.Heurich@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–2009–1941 

SL# 000857 
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CONTENTS 

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

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

Deadline: Application ........................................................................................................ 4 

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

American Indian Tribes and Alaska Native Tribes and/or Tribal Organizations.... 4 

Specific Information ........................................................................................................... 4 

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

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

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

Selection Criteria ............................................................................................................. 13 

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

Additional Requirements ................................................................................................. 14 
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Solving Cold Cases With DNA 

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. 

NIJ seeks applications from States and units of local government for funding to identify, 

review, and investigate “violent crime cold cases” that have the potential to be solved 

using DNA analysis and to locate and analyze biological evidence associated with these 

cases. Experience has shown that cold case programs can solve a substantial number 

of violent crime cold cases, including homicides and sexual assaults. Advances in DNA 

technologies have substantially increased the successful DNA analysis of aged, 

degraded, limited, or otherwise compromised biological evidence. As a result, crime 

scene samples once thought to be unsuitable for testing may now yield DNA profiles. 

Additionally, samples that previously generated inconclusive DNA results may now be 

successfully analyzed using newer methods. 

For the purposes of this announcement: “violent crime cold case” refers to any 

unsolved UCR Part 1 Violent Crime case for which all significant investigative 

leads have been exhausted. 

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.
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Deadline: Application 

The due date for applying for funding under this announcement is January 23, 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 

States (including territories) and units of local government (including federally 

recognized Indian tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions) are 

eligible to apply for funding under this solicitation. 

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—Solving Cold Cases With DNA

A. Background 

Both the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and NIJ have addressed issues 

surrounding the investigation of cold cases. The publication “Cold Case Squads: Leaving 

No Stone Unturned” (Bureau of Justice Assistance, NCJ 199781, July 2003) states that 

cold cases are among the most difficult and frustrating cases detectives face. To tackle 

this problem, numerous U.S. agencies have established cold case squads. Although the 
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specific duties of cold case squads may vary among law enforcement agencies, the 

most critical component of an effective cold case squad is the right mix of talented 

investigative and supervisory personnel. Cold case squads can be especially useful in 

locating and working with past and potential witnesses and reviewing physical evidence 

to identify suspects. Cold case squads also perform an outreach and networking role 

and can assist other jurisdictions with cold case investigations as appropriate. 

 

A special report entitled “Using DNA to Solve Cold Cases” (National Institute of Justice, 

NCJ 194197, July 2002) discusses the role that advances in DNA technology can play in 

investigating and solving cold cases. Although DNA is not the only forensic tool of value 

to unsolved case investigations, advances in DNA technology and the success of DNA 

database systems have inspired law enforcement agencies throughout the country to 

reevaluate cold cases for DNA evidence. The remarkable success of cold case 

programs is due in large part to the existence of searchable Federal, State, and local 

criminal DNA databases that can link DNA profiles from crime scenes to convicted 

offenders, arrestees, and to other crime scenes. Additionally, investigations may be 

aided by searching missing persons databases containing DNA profiles of unidentified 

remains and those of the relatives of the missing. 

Both the BJA publication and the NIJ special report highlight the fact that even with 

technological advances, the proper team approach is essential for successfully 

identifying, investigating, and prioritizing cold cases, and for locating and analyzing 

biological evidence associated with these cases. Investigators serving as the hub of the 

cold case team must be patient, creative, and persistent in leading the investigation. 

Prosecutors can provide valuable insight into legal issues. Victim advocates may be able 

to help locate, educate, and encourage witnesses. Consultation with representatives 

from the crime laboratory is also critical. 

(Both publications discussed above are available at http://www.ncjrs.gov. A report 

published by the State of California entitled A Process Evaluation of the California 

DNA Cold Hit Program (July 2003) may also be useful and is available at 

http://www.oes.ca.gov/Operational/OESHome.nsf/CJPD_Documents?OpenForm.) 

B. Award Purposes 

The goal of this solicitation is to make funding available to States and units of local 

government for: 

 

1. The identification, review, and prioritization of violent crime cold cases that have 

the potential to be solved using DNA analysis (by appropriate persons such as 

prosecutors, public defenders, law enforcement personnel, forensic scientists, 

and medical examiners) in order to determine whether biological evidence may 

exist that might through DNA analysis assist in solving the cold case. 

2. The identification, collection, retrieval, and evaluation of biological evidence from 

such cases that may reasonably be expected to contain DNA.

3. The performance of DNA analyses on such biological evidence including the 

handling and screening of this evidence.
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Funds may be used for certain investigative purposes provided they fall within the scope 

of the solicitation. Specifically, all investigative activities must be directly related to the 

funding purposes (1, 2, and/or 3) above. Activities such as interviewing victims, 

witnesses, suspects, etc., are permissible in violent crime cold case investigations that 

have the potential to be solved through DNA analysis until either all samples with 

potential DNA evidence have been recovered and analyzed (including probative 

evidentiary samples, cold hit confirmatory samples, reference samples from victims and 

consensual partners, etc.) or the review of the case demonstrates that no biological 

material was present for further analysis. 

Please Note: Costs for general cold case investigations—those that do not involve 

UCR, Part 1 violent crimes, or do not have the potential to be solved through DNA 

analysis—are not allowable. Funds also are not to be used for the purpose of general 

laboratory capacity enhancement or general casework backlog reduction. 

All DNA analyses conducted using funding from this program must be performed by a 

laboratory (government-owned or fee-for-service) that is accredited and 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. All eligible DNA profiles obtained with funding under this program must be 

entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and, where applicable, 

uploaded to the National DNA Index System (NDIS). 

Each DNA analysis conducted under this program must be maintained pursuant to all 

applicable Federal privacy requirements, including those described in 42 U.S.C § 

14132(b)(3). 

Applicants should be aware that NIJ may choose to conduct an evaluation of one or 

more of any projects funded under this solicitation. Any such evaluation may focus on 

the impact of the project and its implementation, and may result in publication of a 

report. An example of an NIJ-funded report (on Boston’s Operation Ceasefire) may be 

found at http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/188741.pdf. 

C. 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. 

 

D. Expected Results and Outcomes 

 

The result of receiving Solving Cold Cases With DNA program funds should be the 

review and investigation of violent crime cold cases that have the potential to be solved 

through DNA analysis, including: 

1. Location of biological evidence associated with such cold cases. 

2. DNA analysis of appropriate biological evidence associated with such cold cases. 

 

Accordingly, grantees must submit measurable data in their progress reports detailing 

the number and types of violent crime cold cases reviewed, the number of cases in 

which biological evidence still exists, the number of cases subjected to DNA analysis, 
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the number of cases yielding DNA profiles, the number of profiles entered into CODIS, 

and the number of hits returned with a brief synopsis of the case and the sample yielding 

the results. 

E. Permissible Uses of Funds 

 

All expenditures under this program must relate directly to violent crime cold cases that 

have the potential to be solved through DNA analysis and to one or more of the three 

award purposes listed above. The following types of expenditures may be permitted: 

1. Salary and benefits of additional employees. Funds may be used for salaries 

and benefits of additional full-time or part-time employees to the extent such 

employees are directly engaged in case review, location of evidence, or DNA 

analysis of biological evidence. Applicants must provide documentation that 

additional new full-time/part-time employee(s) will be directly engaged in these 

activities. 

2. Overtime. Funds may be used for overtime for people directly engaged in case 

review, location of evidence, DNA analysis of biological evidence, and post-hit 

case investigation necessary for retrieval of confirmatory DNA samples. All 

overtime payments must be made in accordance with the applicable provisions of 

the OJP Financial Guide, available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/. 

3. Travel. Funds may be used for travel for investigative purposes within the scope 

of the program (excluding witness travel). 

4. Laboratory equipment. Funds may be used to upgrade, replace, lease, or 

purchase laboratory equipment when the primary use of this equipment can be 

documented as directly related to investigation of violent crime cold cases that 

have the potential to be solved through DNA analysis. 

5. Computer equipment. Funds may be used to upgrade, replace, lease, or 

purchase computer hardware or software that will be used exclusively for case 

review, location of evidence, or DNA analysis of biological evidence. 

6. Laboratory supplies. Funds may be used to acquire laboratory supplies for 

DNA analysis of biological evidence. 

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

temporary contract staff, or both, to conduct case reviews, locate evidence, or 

conduct DNA analysis of biological evidence. Funds may also be used for 

contracts with accredited fee-for-service vendors to conduct DNA analysis of 

biological evidence. 

8. Training. Funds may be used for training directly related to case review, location 

of evidence, and DNA analysis of biological evidence. 

F. Expenses That Are Not Permitted 

Federal funds awarded under the Solving Cold Cases With DNA Program may not be 

used for purposes or types of expenditures other than those described above. For 

example, funds may not be used for: 
8

1. Salaries and benefits for existing staff. Funds may not be used to pay salaries 

or benefits, or both, for existing staff, other than overtime as discussed above. 

2. Travel for witnesses. 

3. Portable investigative equipment such as cameras and tape recorders. 

4. Cell phones and cell phone plans. 

5. Vehicles. 

6. Construction. 

7. Renovation. 

8. Rental costs for space. 

G. Cost of Proposed Work 

Total funding for this solicitation and the number of awards made will depend on the 

availability of funds, the number and quality of the applications, and other pertinent 

factors. All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any 

modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law. Individual 

awards typically will not exceed $500,000. NIJ cannot guarantee that subsequent 

phases, stages, or tasks beyond the first 18 months will be funded. Such additional 

funding depends on, among other things, NIJ’s resources, strategic priorities, and your 

satisfactory completion of each phase, stage, or task. Applicants should be aware that 

the total period for an award, including one that receives additional funding, ordinarily will 

not exceed 3 years. 

Recognizing a potential higher priority based on population, applicants representing 

cities with a population of 250,000 or greater may apply for funding in excess of 

$500,000 if they rank in the top 25 nationwide based on the number of murders and 

nonnegligent manslaughters for the year 2007. These data are based on Federal Bureau 

of Investigation Uniform Crime Reports statistics available as of September 2008. The 

data are available on the FBI 2007 statistics site 

(http://www.fbi.gov/ucr/cius2007/index.html). Justification for the increased funding must 

be detailed within the body of the application.

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." 

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. 

What will not be funded:

1. Provision of training or direct service. 

2. Work that will be funded under another specific solicitation. 

3. Consult section “F,” above. 

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 
9

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 identify, review, and 

investigate “violent crime cold 

cases” that have the potential to 

be solved through DNA analysis, 

and to locate and analyze 

biological evidence associated 

with these cases. 

Increase in the number of the total 

identified UCR Part 1 Violent 

Crimes cold cases where the files 

or evidence, or both, have been 

reviewed for the presence of 

biological evidence. 

Increase in the number of UCR 

Part 1 Violent Crimes cold case 

DNA profiles generated that have 

been entered into CODIS. 

Increase in the number of CODIS 

hits resulting from cold case 

analyses. 

. 

The number of violent crime cold 

cases reviewed. 

The number of violent crime cold 

cases reviewed in which 

biological evidence still existed. 

The number of violent crime cold 

cases subjected to DNA analysis. 

The number of violent crime cold 

cases which yielded DNA profiles. 

The number of DNA profiles 

entered into CODIS. 

The number of CODIS hits. 

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. 
10

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–

2009–1941. 

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. 
11

What an Application Must Include 

Applications must include the following: 

Standard Form 424 

Program Narrative 

Proposals must clearly define the strategy and criteria that will be used to identify, 

prioritize, and select violent crime cold cases that have the potential to be solved through 

DNA analysis. These may be demonstrated through the inclusion of checklists, 

flowcharts, diagrams, or narratives, and should be developed through collaboration with 

appropriate members of the criminal justice community (such as crime laboratory 

personnel, prosecutors, defense counsel, medical examiners, law enforcement 

investigators, etc.). The proposal must include a description of the followup activities that 

will be performed to advance a case toward adjudication should a DNA match be 

obtained. For proposals where the crime laboratory is not the submitting agency but 

where DNA analysis will be performed, there must be a demonstration of the crime 

laboratory’s commitment to analyze the biological evidence, interpret the DNA results, 

and upload the DNA profiles into DNA databases. 

The program narrative must address the specific project objectives, expected results, 

and implementation approach. It should demonstrate, specifically and comprehensively, 

how requested funds will be used for the review and investigation of violent crime cold 

cases that have the potential to be solved through DNA analysis and for the location and 

analysis of biological evidence associated with these cases. 

The Program Narrative includes: 

1. Abstract (not to exceed 600 words). 

2. Table of contents. 

3. Main body, which includes: 

a. Purpose, goals, and objectives. 

b. Review of relevant literature. 

c. Implementation plan. 

d. Management plan and organization. 

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

a. Bibliography/References (if applicable). 

b. List of key personnel (required). 

c. Résumés of key personnel (required). 

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

e. Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from 

organizations collaborating in the project (recommended, if applicable). 

f. Chart for timeline or milestones (required). 

g. Other materials required by the solicitation. 
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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.

The budget must be broken down on a year-by-year basis over the length of the project. 

That is, if the proposed project period is 3 years, then there should be separate budgets 

for year one, year two, and year three. 

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. 

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. 

As with the Budget Detail Worksheet, the Budget Narrative must be broken down on a 

year-by-year basis. 

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. 

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 of invited full proposals must not exceed 30 

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 30-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 
13

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%

Applicants should include appropriate citations and other information to demonstrate an 

understanding of the problem and the expected impact of the funding in solving cold 

cases with DNA. 

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

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

cold cases. 

2. Soundness of methodology and technical approach, including a demonstrated 

team approach to solving cold cases. 

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—20%

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)—15% 

 1. Potential for resolving violent crime cold cases. 

 2. Affordability and cost-effectiveness. 

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. 
14

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 10 months. You should not 

propose to begin work until at least 10 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 10 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. 
15

• 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 quarterly financial reports, semi-annual progress reports, a final 

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

Management and Budget Circular A–133. The final report must include a summary and 

assessment of the program carried out with the award, including data pertinent to the 

performance measures. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if reports 

are delinquent. If a cold DNA hit occurs during a reporting period, a brief description of 

the case should be included detailing the type of hit (offender or forensic) and the 

evidence the hit was obtained from.