Notices regarding the solicitation “NIJ National Center on Forensics, 

Fiscal Year 2020”

April 24, 2020: On April 21, 2020, NIJ hosted a webinar that provided an overview and 

discussion of the program. The slides and transcript from this webinar have been added to the 

end of this document.

April 20, 2020: “Certain qualified individuals” were removed from the types of eligible applicants.

April 20, 2020: A typographical error on page 19 was addressed.

The original solicitation document begins on the next page.
U.S. Department of Justice OMB No. 1121-0329 

Office of Justice Programs Approval Expires 11/30/2020 

National Institute of Justice 

NIJ National Center on Forensics, Fiscal Year 2020

FY 2020 Competitive Grant Solicitation

CFDA No. 16.560

Grants.gov Solicitation Number: NIJ-2020-18372

Solicitation Release Date: April 6, 2020

Application Deadline: 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 5, 2020

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of 

Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for funding for competitive funding under the FY 2020 NIJ 

National Center on Forensics. This program furthers the Department’s mission by providing 

resources to support development, education, and training opportunities in the forensic science, 

medico-legal, law enforcement, and legal communities.

This solicitation incorporates the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide by reference. The OJP 

Grant Application Resource Guide provides guidance to applicants on how to prepare and 

submit applications for funding to OJP. If this solicitation expressly modifies any provision 

in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide, the applicant is to follow the guidelines in 

this solicitation as to that provision.

Eligibility (Who may apply):

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

agreements with eligible entities as listed below:

 States (including territories);

 Units of local government;

 Federally recognized Indian tribal governments (as determined by the Secretary of the 

Interior) that perform law enforcement functions;

 Nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and for-profit 

organizations); and

 Institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education).
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NIJ-2020-18372

Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign colleges and universities are not 

eligible to apply.

For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee. Foreign 

governments, foreign organizations, and foreign institutions of higher education are not eligible 

to apply.

NIJ may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal 

years, dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.

All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or 

management fee.

NIJ will consider applications under which two or more entities would carry out the federal 

award; however, only one entity may be the applicant. Any others must be proposed as 

subrecipients (subgrantees). The applicant must be the entity that would have primary 

responsibility for carrying out the award, including administering the funding and managing the 

entire project. For additional information on subawards, see the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide.

Contact Information

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer 

Support Hotline at 1-800-518-4726 or 1-606-545-5035 (international), 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.

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 NIJ 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.

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 operates 

from 10:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, and from 10:00 a.m. until 

8:00 p.m. Eastern Time on the solicitation close date. General information on applying for NIJ 

awards can be found at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/welcome.aspx. Answers to frequently asked 

questions that may assist applicants are posted at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/faqs.aspx; some 

are included in the appendices of this solicitation.

Deadline Details

Applicants must register with Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html

prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on 

June 5, 2020.
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NIJ-2020-18372

To be considered timely, an application must be submitted by the application deadline using 

Grants.gov, and the applicant must have received a validation message from Grants.gov that 

indicates successful and timely submission. OJP urges applicants to submit applications at least 

72 hours prior to the application due date to allow time for the applicant to receive validation 

messages or rejection notifications from Grants.gov and to correct in a timely fashion any 

problems that may have caused a rejection notification.

An applicant must use the Add Attachment button to attach a file to its application. Do not click 

the paperclip icon to attach files. This action will not attach the files to the application. After 

adding an attachment, select the View Attachment button to confirm you attached the correct 

file. To remove the file, select the Delete Attachment button.

OJP encourages all applicants to read this Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov.

For additional information, see the “How to Apply (Grants.gov)” section in the OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide.
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NIJ-2020-18372

Contents

A. Program Description 5

Overview 5

Program-Specific Information 5

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables 6

B. Federal Award Information 10

Type of Award 11

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls 11

Budget Information 12

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 12

Pre-agreement Costs (also known as Pre-award Costs) 12

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver 12

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs 12

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable) 12

C. Eligibility Information 12

D. Application and Submission Information 12

What an Application Should Include 12

How to Apply (Grants.gov) 20

E. Application Review Information 20

Review Criteria 20

Review Process 22

F. Federal Award Administration Information 24

Federal Award Notices 24

Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements 24

Information Technology (IT) Security Clauses 24

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements 24

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 25

H. Other Information 25

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 552a) 25

Provide Feedback to OJP 25

Application Checklist 26
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NIJ-2020-18372

NIJ National Center on Forensics, Fiscal Year 

2020

CFDA No. 16.560

A. Program Description

Overview

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals from qualified applicants to establish and operate the 

NIJ National Center on Forensics to:

1. Facilitate a partnership amongst:

a. A full-service State department of forensic science with a medical examiner function;

b. An accredited university of higher education with affiliate medical and law schools; 

and

c. A statewide district attorneys association.

2. For the purpose of:

a. Providing medico-legal learning opportunities for medical students to train as deputy 

medical examiners/coroners in underserved rural areas; 

b. Providing forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges, and law 

enforcement; and

c. Developing opportunities, as appropriate, amongst the designated partners to benefit 

current and future practitioners in the field.

Statutory Authority: Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

(sections 201 and 202), the Homeland Security Act of 2002 (sections 231-233, 235), 28 U.S.C. 

530C, and the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2020 (Public Law 116-93).

Program-Specific Information

NIJ is the federal government’s lead agency for forensic science research and development and 

the administration of programs that improve laboratory efficiency. The mission of NIJ's Office of 

Investigative and Forensic Sciences (OIFS) is to improve the quality and practice of forensic 

science through innovative solutions that support research and development, testing and 

evaluation, technology, information exchange, and the development of resources for the 

criminal justice community.

Forensic science is a multidisciplinary field involving the application of sciences such as 

physics, chemistry, biology, pathology, computer science, and engineering to matters of law. It,

moreover, involves the methods and tools for collecting, preserving, examining, and interpreting 
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NIJ-2020-18372

evidence and the related educational/training programs that improve the science and the use of 

science within criminal justice agencies.

The NIJ National Center on Forensics, under the guidance of NIJ, will be charged with 

establishing collaborations and/or partnerships with agencies including, but not limited to, 

institutions of higher learning with affiliate medical and law schools, publicly funded forensic 

science laboratories, and statewide district attorneys’ associations to provide medico-legal 

learning opportunities for medical students to train as deputy medical examiners/coroners in 

underserved rural areas; provide forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges, 

law enforcement, and others with an appropriate background; and develop opportunities as 

appropriate, amongst the designated partners to benefit current and future practitioners in the 

field, such as forensic pathologists/medical examiners, forensic scientists, district attorneys, and 

law enforcement, or others as approved by NIJ.

Note: For the purposes of this solicitation, higher education institutions are defined as colleges, 

universities, and community colleges that are accredited by an appropriate higher education 

accreditation organization. Proposals will be strengthened by collaborations with institutions that 

have additionally obtained accreditation from organizations such as the Forensic Science 

Education Programs Accreditation Commission (FEPAC), Accreditation Council for Graduate 

Medical Education (ACGME), or other appropriate accreditation programs related to the forensic 

sciences. 

As part of the program proposal, the NIJ National Center on Forensics should designate a 

director who has the knowledge, skills, abilities, and vision to lead their team; and should have 

an internal management structure (and demonstrated partnerships with any proposed 

subrecipients) capable of supporting the education, training, and service missions of the NIJ 

National Center on Forensics.

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables

The goal of establishing a NIJ National Center on Forensics is to support development, 

education, and training opportunities in the forensic science, medico-legal, law enforcement, 

and legal communities.

The NIJ National Center on Forensics and its partners will use their capabilities and expertise to 

develop, analyze, advance, and provide educational/training opportunities through, but not 

limited to, the following objectives and activities:

 Providing scientific and technical learning opportunities for the medico-legal 

community specifically targeted for medical students, and focused on 

underserved rural areas. The NIJ National Center on Forensics will serve as a 

centralized innovative center to encourage engagement of medical students to train 

as deputy medical examiners/coroners in underserved rural areas. As outlined in the 

NIJ Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner 

Offices Report to Congress in December 2019 (pg. 72), “The overwhelming need 

identified by the medico-legal death investigator (MDI) community is the extreme 

national shortage of practicing board-certified forensic pathologists (BCFPs) who are 
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NIJ-2020-18372

trained and qualified to perform forensic autopsies”.

1 Given the importance of this 

field and the difficulty of recruiting and retaining qualified individuals, the NIJ National 

Center on Forensics is expected to develop methods by which to provide effective 

learning opportunities with a focus on increasing the number of medical students 

pursuing a career in the forensic pathology field. The NIJ National Center on 

Forensics is also expected to analyze these learning methods, to the extent 

practicable, to identify best practices. Furthermore, various scientific and technical 

trainings will be developed to include topics relevant to underserved rural areas 

(including tribal lands), covering topics which may include preparing, applying, 

achieving, and maintaining appropriate accreditation and/or specialty certifications 

(ABMDI, ABC, etc.); opioid/NPS response, and/or mass fatality disaster 

management.

 Providing forensic science and legal training, information, and support to law 

enforcement, district judges, and other appropriate criminal justice agencies. The 

NIJ National Center on Forensics is expected to provide specialized training relevant to 

the intersection of forensic science and law. These efforts may include providing 

workshops on emerging techniques used in forensic science, webinars, or peerreviewed articles addressing forensic science in recent or relevant legal rulings and 

foundational information regarding legal considerations for the use of forensic science in 

the courtroom. The NIJ National Center on Forensics will provide national expertise for 

the criminal justice community’s ongoing efforts to continuously improve the 

understanding and application of forensic science for law enforcement and the legal 

community. Under NIJ guidance, the NIJ National Center on Forensics may interface 

with the DOJ National Advocacy Center (NAC) to coordinate forensic science 

information for the legal community.

 Developing, consolidating, and providing access to resources and opportunities 

for education, training, and best practices in the forensic science community,

structured to benefit current and future practitioners in the field. NIJ National 

Center on Forensics efforts should include methods by which to understand the needs of 

forensic pathologists/medical examiners, forensic scientists, district attorneys, and law 

enforcement practitioners, and from this, develop comprehensive opportunities that will 

benefit both current and future practitioners. Resources and opportunities will be 

referenced and developed in consideration of the variety of challenges facing forensic 

science in various communities, from small, rural, and/or tribal entities, to city, county, 

and state agencies. Training topics will include evidence-based research addressing 

topics in forensic science, including, but not limited to, advances in research, relevant 

implementation efforts, applicable court rulings, and standardization or best practices. 

Topics will be developed in coordination with partners within the NIJ National Center on 

Forensics and initiated with NIJ approval.

The NIJ National Center on Forensics should expect that the majority of its work will be on 

projects specifically defined and/or approved by NIJ, in support of the above listed objectives, as 

well as those identified in the NIJ Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical 

Examiner/Coroner Offices Report to Congress.

2 For this reason and others (such as changes in 

 

1 National Institute of Justice, (2019). Report to Congress: Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical 

Examiner/Coroner Offices, Report prepared for U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from 

https://www.justice.gov/olp/page/file/1228306/download.

2

Ibid.
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NIJ-2020-18372

the availability of funds; changes to the legal landscape; promulgation of new forensic 

technologies, or the desire to capitalize on technology opportunities), applicants should expect 

that the level of effort may vary significantly during the project period (or from year-to-year, 

should supplemental funding be made available). The successful applicant therefore must 

demonstrate the ability to add or reduce capacity in relevant areas without adversely affecting 

the ability to provide services or incurring unacceptable additional costs. In this connection, NIJ 

is very interested in entertaining applications that propose to leverage existing programs, 

facilities, and personnel.

Briefing. An NIJ briefing to be delivered in Washington, D.C. is required approximately thirty (30) 

days prior to the grant end date. Presentation materials including a handout and PowerPoint 

slides that summarize activities and accomplishments of the NIJ National Center on Forensics 

are due in draft form no later than ten (10) business days in advance of the briefing, for NIJ to 

review.

Final Research Report. Any recipient of an award under this solicitation will be expected to 

submit a final research report. Additional information on the final research report requirement for 

the solicitation is posted on the Research, Development, and Evaluation Grant Award 

Requirements section on NIJ’s website.

All protocols, standard operating procedures, methods, training materials, and reports produced 

as a result of an award under this solicitation will be made publicly available by NIJ. NIJ expects 

that there will be an equal effort to make applicable products resulting from this program 

accessible to practitioner and policymaker audiences through articles in trade publications, the 

development of training manuals, policy briefs, conferences, webinars, and articles for 

newspapers or magazines.

The Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables are directly related to the performance measures that 

demonstrate the results of the work completed, as discussed under What an Application Should 

Include.

Performance Measures

OJP will require each successful applicant to submit regular performance data that demonstrate 

the results of the work carried out under the award (see “General Information about PostFederal Award Reporting Requirements” in Section F. Federal Award Administration 

Information).

Applicants should visit OJP’s performance measurement page at www.ojp.gov/performance for 

an overview of performance measurement activities at OJP.

The application should demonstrate the applicant’s understanding of the performance data 

reporting requirements for this grant program and detail how the applicant will gather the 

required data should it receive funding.

Please note that applicants are not required to submit performance data with the application. 

Performance measures information is included as an alert that successful applicants will be 

required to submit performance data as part of the reporting requirements under an award.
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NIJ-2020-18372

Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Recipient Provides

Develop and 

disseminate medicolegal training 

opportunities for 

medical students to 

train as deputy medical 

examiners/coroners in 

underserved rural areas

Number of curricula developed Number of training curricula:

• Developed

• Pilot tested

• Revised after

Number of trainings conducted Number of trainings (by type):

• In-person

• Web-based/remote

• CD/DVD

• Peer-to-peer

• Workshop

• Other

Number of participants who 

attended the trainings

Number of individuals who:

• Attended the training (in-person) or 

started the training (web-based)

• Completed the training 

• Completed an evaluation at the 

conclusion of the training 

• Completed an evaluation and rated 

the training as satisfactory or better

Percentage of participants who 

successfully completed the training

Percentage of participants who 

rated the training as satisfactory or 

better

Provide forensic 

science and/or legal 

training to district 

attorneys, judges, and 

law enforcement

Number of curricula developed Number of training curricula:

• Developed

• Pilot tested

• Revised after

Number of trainings conducted Number of trainings (by type):

• In-person

• Web-based/remote

• CD/DVD

• Peer-to-peer

• Workshop

• Other

Number of participants who 

attended the trainings

Number of individuals who: 

• Attended the training (in-person) or 

started the training (web-based)

• Completed the training

• Completed an evaluation at the 

conclusion of the training

• Completed an evaluation and rated 

the training as satisfactory or better

Percentage of participants who 

successfully completed the training

Percentage of participants who 

rated the training as satisfactory or 

better

Develop opportunities,

as appropriate,

amongst the designated 

partners to benefit 

current and future 

practitioners in the field

Number and type of 

training/opportunities developed

Number of each type of curricula 

developed:

• Educational

• Career enhancement

• Entry level
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NIJ-2020-18372

Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Recipient Provides

Number of trainings/opportunities 

produced

Number of trainings/opportunities (by 

type):

• In-person

• Web-based/remote

• CD/DVD

• Peer-to-peer

• Workshop

• Other

Number of participants who 

attended the trainings

Number of individuals who:

• Attended the training (in-person) or 

started the training (web-based)

• Completed the training

• Completed an evaluation at the 

conclusion of the training

• Completed an evaluation and rated 

the training as satisfactory or better

Percentage of participants who 

successfully completed the training

Percentage of participants who 

rated the training as satisfactory or 

better

B. Federal Award Information

Maximum number of awards NIJ expects to make: 1

Estimated maximum dollar amount for each award: $2,000,000.00

Total amount anticipated to be awarded under solicitation: $2,000,000.00

Period of performance start date: 01/01/2020

Period of performance duration: 36 months

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

of funds, the quality of the applications, and other pertinent factors. Applicants should propose 

costs using calculations based on the specific activities proposed in the narratives. Costs 

estimates should be focused on maximizing the potential for success of the proposed program.

An applicant should base its federal funding request and period of performance on the actual 

requirements of the program, and not necessarily on the anticipated amount of funding available 

in FY 2020 under this solicitation. However, to expedite the budget approval process, applicants 

are encouraged to break out their budgets by project year or by phases in the event that NIJ 

choses to fund the project partially or incrementally.

To allow time for (among other things) any necessary post-award review and financial clearance 

by OJP of the proposed budget and for any associated responses or other action(s) that may be 

required of the recipient, applicants should propose an award start date of January 1, 2021.

If the applicant is proposing a project that reasonably could be conducted in discrete phases, 

with each phase resulting in completion of one or more significant, defined milestones, then NIJ 

strongly recommends that the applicant structure the application — specifically including the 

narrative, expected scholarly products, timelines/milestones, and budget detail worksheet and 
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NIJ-2020-18372

budget narrative — to clearly define each phase. (This is particularly the case if the applicant 

proposes a project that will exceed — in cost or the length of the period of performance — the 

amount or length of time anticipated for an individual award under this solicitation.)

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit realistic proposals, including a reasonable project 

timeline and end date, as project extensions may not be granted.

Applications proposing programs involving partnerships with other agencies or organizations, 

such as publicly funded forensic laboratories or institutions of higher learning, must include a 

strong letter of cooperation/support or administrative agreement, signed by an appropriate 

decision-making authority from each proposed, partnering agency. If selected for award, 

grantees will be expected to have a formal agreement in place with partnering agencies by 

January 1, 2021.

NIJ may, in certain cases, provide additional funding in future years to awards made under this 

solicitation, through continuation awards. OJP will consider, among other factors, OJP’s 

strategic priorities, a recipient’s overall management of the award, and progress of awardfunded work, when making continuation award decisions.

Under this solicitation, only one application by any particular applicant entity will be considered. 

An entity may, however, be proposed as a subrecipient (subgrantee) in more than one 

application.

NIJ may elect to fund applications submitted under this FY 2020 solicitation in future fiscal 

years, dependent on, among other considerations, the merit of the applications and on the 

availability of appropriations.

All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any modifications or 

additional requirements that may be imposed by law.

Type of Award

NIJ expects to make awards under this solicitation as cooperative agreements, which provide 

for OJP to have substantial involvement in carrying out award activities. See the “Administrative, 

National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements” section of the OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide for additional information.

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Award recipients and subrecipients (including recipients or subrecipients that are pass-through 

entities) must, as described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements3 as set out at 2 C.F.R. 

200.303, comply with standards for financial and program management. See OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide for additional information.

 

3 The “Part 200 Uniform Requirements” means the DOJ regulation at 2 C.F.R. Part 2800, which adopts (with certain 

modifications) the provisions of 2 C.F.R. Part 200.
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NIJ-2020-18372

Budget Information

What will not be funded:

1. Proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies. The budget may include 

these items if they are necessary for the success of the proposed program. Proposals that 

include equipment purchases should include a discussion of how federally funded 

equipment is proposed to be used after the funded work has been completed and/or the 

project period has ended. Note that OJP may issue specific equipment disposition 

instructions in appropriate circumstances.

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

3. Proposals that are not responsive to this specific solicitation.

4. Applications that do not demonstrate the capability to perform the work proposed.

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

This solicitation does not require a match. 

Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

 Pre-agreement Costs (also known as Pre-award Costs)

 Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver

 Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs

 Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable)

C. Eligibility Information

For eligibility information, see title page.

For information on cost sharing or match requirements, see “What an Application Should 

Include” in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

D. Application and Submission Information

This solicitation expressly modifies the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide by not 

incorporating the “Disclosure of Process Related to Executive Compensation” provisions in the 

“Application Attachments” section of the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide.

What an Application Should Include

The following application elements MUST be included in the application submission for an 

application to meet the basic minimum requirements (BMR) to advance to peer review and 

receive consideration for funding: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet (including 

Budget Narrative), and résumés/curriculum vitae of key personnel.
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NIJ-2020-18372

See the “Application Elements and Formatting Instructions” section of the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide for information on what happens to an application that does not contain all the 

specified elements or that is nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation.

1. Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form (SF)-424)

The SF-424 is a required standard form used as a cover sheet for submission of preapplications, applications, and related information. See the OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide for additional information on completing the SF-424.

Intergovernmental Review: This solicitation (“funding opportunity”) is not subject to 

Executive Order 12372. (In completing the SF-424, an applicant is to answer question 19 by 

selecting the response that the “Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”)

2. Project Abstract

The project abstract is a very important part of the application, and serves as an introduction 

to the proposed project. If the application is funded, the project abstract typically will become 

public information and be used to describe the project.

Applications should include a high-quality project abstract (no more than 400 words) that 

summarizes the proposed project including primary activities, products and deliverables, the 

service area, and who will benefit. Project abstracts should be:

• Written for a general public audience.

• Submitted as a separate attachment with “Project Abstract” as part of its file name.

• A single-spaced Word document, using a standard 12-point Times New Roman font with 

1-inch margins.

As a separate attachment, the project abstract will not count against the page limit for the 

program narrative.

3. Program Narrative

The program narrative section of the application should not exceed 14 double-spaced pages 

in 12-point font with 1-inch margins, of which a minimum of 7 pages should be dedicated to 

the description of the project/program design and implementation. If included in the main 

body of the program narrative, tables, charts, figures, and other illustrations count toward 

the 14-page limit for the narrative section. The project abstract, table of contents, 

appendices, and government forms do not count toward the 14-page limit.

The program narrative should be attached as a separate file with an appropriately 

descriptive file name.

If the program narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, NIJ may 

negatively consider such noncompliance in peer review and in final award decisions.
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NIJ-2020-18372

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative.4

Program Narrative Guidelines:

a. Title Page (not counted against the 14-page program narrative limit)

The title page should include:

 Project title.

 Submission date.

 Funding opportunity number.

 Principal Investigator (and any co-principal investigators).

 Unique author identifier (e.g., ORCID, ResearcherID, Scopus Author ID), if 

available.

 Key words, including forensic science focus areas.

 Contact information (that is, name, address, telephone number, and e-mail 

address) for both the applicant and the principal investigator.

b. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the 14-page program narrative 

limit)

c. Main Body

The main body of the program narrative should describe the proposed project in depth. 

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative:

 Statement of the Problem and Research Questions. The statement of the problem 

should address the purpose, goals, and objectives of the proposed project. 

Applicants should discuss current gaps in data, research, and knowledge, including 

those for particular justice sectors, for certain populations, and to answer questions 

relevant to current policy and practice needs and public interests. As part of this 

discussion, applicants should present a review of previous literature and discuss 

previous efforts related to these problems. The statement of the problem should:

o Explain the importance of the problem or critical barrier to progress in the field 

proposed.

 

4 As noted earlier, if the proposed program or project reasonably could be conducted in discrete phases, with each 

phase resulting in completion of one or more significant, defined milestones, then NIJ strongly recommends that the 

applicant structure the application – specifically including the narrative, expected products, timelines/milestones, and 

budget detail worksheet and budget narrative – to set out each phase clearly. (In appropriate cases, the expected 

scholarly product(s) from a particular phase may vary from those described above.) See generally “Goals, Objectives, 

Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products” under “Program-Specific Information,” above.
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NIJ-2020-18372

o Explain how the proposed program may improve forensic practice through 

scientific knowledge and/or technical capability. Describe how concepts, 

methods, technologies, or services that drive the forensic science field will be 

changed if the proposed aims are achieved.

This section should also identify and discuss the purpose, goals, and objectives of 

the proposed NIJ National Center on Forensics.

 Project Design and Implementation. This section should account for a minimum of 

seven (7) pages of the main body of the narrative. Applicants should provide a 

detailed description of the strategies to implement the NIJ National Center on 

Forensics. Design elements should follow directly from the project’s goals and 

objectives, and address the program-specific information noted on page 5. 

Applicants should describe the concept in detail and demonstrate the validity and 

usefulness of the data they will collect. Applicants should consider the rigor and 

soundness of the concept and technical approaches for the proposed program, and 

address the feasibility of the proposed program and potential challenges or problems 

in carrying out the activities. This section should:

o State concisely the goals of the proposed NIJ National Center on Forensics.

o Describe the overall strategy, methodology, and/or analyses to be used to 

accomplish the specific aims of the program. Include how training products 

and/or educational opportunities will be developed, presented, disseminated, and 

any resource-sharing plans as appropriate.

 Potential Impact. Applicants should describe the potential impact of the NIJ National 

Institute on Forensics, and how it may inform or improve criminal justice-related 

policy, practice, or theory in the United States. Applicants should:

o Summarize the expected outcome(s), including the impact that the results of the 

proposed NIJ Center on Forensics will exert on the discipline(s) involved.

o Explain the criminal justice significance of the proposed NIJ National Center on 

Forensics.

o Explain how the application challenges, and seeks to shift, current forensic 

practice paradigms.

o Describe in detail plans for presentations, publications, and other media use for 

dissemination of information related to the proposed NIJ National Center on 

Forensics and its work products.

 Capabilities/Competencies. This section should describe the experience and 

capability of the applicant organization, key staff, and any proposed subgrantees 

(including consultants) that the applicant will use to implement and manage this effort 

and the federal funds under this award, highlighting any previous experience 

implementing projects of similar scope, design, and magnitude. Applicants should 

outline the management plan and organization that connects to the goals and 

objectives of the project. Applicants should address:
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NIJ-2020-18372

o Facilities and other resources: Describe how the environment in which the 

program will be implemented contributes to the probability of success (e.g., 

institutional support, physical resources, and intellectual rapport). In describing 

the environment in which the NIJ National Center on Forensics will be based, 

discuss ways in which the proposed training opportunities, etc. will benefit from 

unique features of the environment or subject populations or will employ useful 

collaborative arrangements. If there are multiple performance sites, describe the 

resources available at each site.

o Equipment: List major items of equipment/resources/infrastructure already 

available for this project and, if appropriate, identify location and pertinent 

capabilities.

o Senior/key personnel profile: Describe each senior/key personnel member’s role 

in the project, and why the individual is well-suited for that role. The relevant 

factors may include: aspects of past training; previous experimental work on this 

specific topic or related topics; technical expertise; collaborators or scientific 

environment; and/or past performance in this or related fields. Senior/key 

personnel are defined as all individuals who contribute in a substantive, 

meaningful way to the scientific development or execution of the project, whether 

or not salaries are requested. Consultants should be included if they meet this 

definition.

 Principal investigator (PI) profile should be listed first.

 Any remaining senior/key personnel profiles should be listed in alphabetical 

order. While alphabetical order is preferred, it is not required. However, be 

aware that these profiles will appear in the application in the order provided 

by the applicant. Therefore, peer reviewers will see them in the order 

presented. Those with a postdoctoral/postgraduate role should be included.

 Other significant contributors (OSCs): OSCs are those individuals who 

commit to contribute to the scientific development or execution of the project, 

but do not commit any specified measurable effort (i.e., person months) to the 

project. These individuals are typically presented at effort of “zero person 

months” or "as needed." Individuals with measurable effort may not be listed 

as OSCs. Consultants should be included if they meet the OSC definition. 

OSCs should be listed after all senior/key persons.

o Experience, expertise, and capability to develop, advance, analyze, and provide 

educational/training opportunities in support of the National Center on Forensics.

o Experience producing and disseminating meaningful deliverables.

d. Appendices (not counted against the 14-page program narrative limit) include:

 Bibliography/references.

 Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps pertaining to 

the proposed project that are supplemental to such items included in the main body 

of the narrative.
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NIJ-2020-18372

 Curriculum vitae or resume of the principal investigator and any and all co-principal 

investigators. In addition, curriculum vitae, resume, or biographical sketches of all 

other individuals (regardless of “investigator” status) who will be significantly involved 

in substantive aspects of the proposed project (including, for example, individuals 

such as statisticians used to conduct proposed data analysis).

 To assist OJP in assessing actual or apparent conflicts of interest (including such 

conflicts on the part of prospective reviewers of the application, a complete list of the 

individuals named or otherwise identified anywhere in the application (including in 

the budget or in any other attachment) who will or may work (or advise or consult) on 

the proposed project. This applies to all such individuals, including, for example, 

individuals who are or would be employees of the applicant or employees of any 

proposed subrecipient entity, any individuals who themselves may be a subrecipient, 

and individuals who may (or will) work without compensation (such as advisory board 

members). This appendix to the program narrative is to include, for each listed 

individual: name, title, employer, any other potentially-pertinent organizational 

affiliation(s), and the individual's proposed roles and responsibilities in carrying out 

the proposed project. If the application identifies any specific entities or organizations 

(other than the applicant) that will or may work (or advise or consult) on the proposed 

project, without also naming any associated individuals, the name of each such 

organization also should be included on this list.

Applicants should use the “Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles” form 

available on the NIJ webpage to prepare this list.

If the application (including the budget) identifies any proposed non-competitive 

agreements that are or may be considered procurement "contracts" (rather than 

subawards) for purposes of federal grants administrative requirements the applicant 

also must list the entities with which the applicant proposes to contract. Applicants 

should provide this list as a separate sheet entitled "Proposed non-competitive 

procurement contracts."

For information on distinctions — for purposes of federal grants administrative 

requirements — between subawards and procurement contracts under awards, see 

“Budget Information and Associated Documentation,” below.

 Proposed project timeline and expected milestones.

 Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to 

Institutional Review Board [IRB] review). See https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/humansubjects-and-privacy-protection. Note: Final IRB approval is not required at the time 

an application is submitted.

 Privacy Certificate (for further guidance go to 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/confidentiality-and-privacy-protections and 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/model-privacy-certificate).

 List of any previous and current NIJ awards to the applicant and investigator(s), 

including the NIJ-assigned award numbers and a brief description of any scholarly 
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products that resulted in whole or in part from work funded under the NIJ award(s). 

(See “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products” under 

“Program-Specific Information,” above, for definition of “scholarly products.”)

 List of other agencies, organizations, or funding sources to which this application has 

been submitted (if applicable).

 Applicants proposing to use incentives or stipends payments as part of their project 

design must submit an incentive or stipend approval request, as a separate 

document, according to the requirements set forth at 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/participant-support-costs-and-incentives-social-scienceresearch.

 Data archiving plan. Applicants should anticipate that NIJ will require (through 

special award conditions, that data sets resulting in whole or in part from projects 

funded under this solicitation be submitted for archiving with the NACJD. See 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/data-archiving-plans-nij-funding-applicants.

Applications should include as an appendix a brief plan — labeled “Data Archiving 

Plan” — to comply with data archiving requirements. The plan should provide brief 

details about proposed data management and archiving, including submission to NIJ 

(through NACJD) of all files and documentation necessary to allow for future 

efforts by others to reproduce the project’s findings and/or to extend the scientific 

value of the data set through secondary analysis. Pertinent files and documentation 

include, among other things, qualitative and quantitative data produced, 

instrumentation and data collection forms, codebook(s), any specialized 

programming code necessary to reproduce all constructed measures and the original 

data analysis, description of necessary de-identification procedures, and (when 

required) a copy of the privacy certificate and informed consent protocols.

The plan should be one or two pages in length and include the level of effort 

associated with meeting archiving requirements.

Note that recipients are strongly encouraged to submit required data sets at least 90 

days before the end of the period of performance.

 Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from organizations 

collaborating in the project, such as universities, publicly funded forensic 

laboratories, law enforcement, district attorney’s associations, medical examiner or 

coroner offices, and correctional agencies (if applicable).

 List of any previous and current NIJ awards to applicant organization, including the 

NIJ- assigned award numbers and a brief description of any products that resulted in 

whole or in part from work funded under the NIJ award(s). 

Note on Project Evaluations

An applicant that proposes to use award funds through this solicitation to conduct project 

evaluations should follow the guidance under “Note on Project Evaluations” in the OJP 

Grant Application Resource Guide.
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Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

4. Budget Information and Associated Documentation in the “Budget Preparation and 

Submission Information” section.

Budget document(s) should be attached as a separate file with an appropriately 

descriptive file name.

The following paragraph (on “Cofunding”) expressly modifies the “Cost Sharing or Matching 

Requirement” provisions in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. The applicant is to 

follow the guidance in the following paragraph instead of the guidance stated under the 

“Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement” heading in the OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide.

Cofunding: An award made by NIJ under this solicitation may account for up to 100 percent 

of the total cost of the project. The application should indicate whether it is feasible for the 

applicant to contribute cash, facilities, or services as non-federal support for the project. The 

application should identify generally any such contributions that the applicant expects to 

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

supported with non-federal contributions.

5. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

6. Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire (including 

applicant disclosure of high-risk status)

7. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

8. Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications

9. Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High-Risk Grantees5(if applicable)

10. Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity

11. Additional Attachments

a. Potential Environmental Impact Coversheet and Checklist – National

Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

Each applicant is to submit an NIJ Programmatic Coversheet and Checklist with its 

application to assist NIJ in assessing the potential environmental impacts of the activities 

proposed for funding by the applicant. Specifically, the applicant is expected to:

• Carefully read the Programmatic Environmental Assessment;

• Complete the Cover Sheet and the attached the Programmatic Checklist; and

 

5 A “DOJ High-Risk Grantee” is a recipient that has received a DOJ High-Risk designation based on a documented 

history of unsatisfactory performance, financial instability, management system or other internal control deficiencies, 

or noncompliance with award terms and conditions on prior awards, or that is otherwise not responsible.
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• Attach the completed documents to the grant application.

The applicant should also submit a Cover Sheet and NIJ Programmatic Checklist for 

any organization identified in the Budget Detail Worksheet that will receive grant funds 

through a sub-award or procurement contract to perform any of the following activities: 

new construction or renovations that change the basic prior use of a facility or 

significantly change the size; research and/or technology development that could be 

expected to have an effect on the environment; or implementation of programs 

involving the use of chemicals. For more information about NEPA and NIJ’s NEPA 

Process, please go to https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/national-environmental-policy-actnepa.

How to Apply (Grants.gov)

Applicants must register in and submit applications through Grants.gov, a primary source to find 

federal funding opportunities and apply for funding. Find information on how to apply in 

response to this solicitation under “How to Apply (Grants.gov)” in the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide.

Registration and Submission Steps

Applicants will need the following identifying information when searching for the funding 

opportunity on Grants.gov.

 CFDA 16.560, National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development 

Project Grants.

 Funding Opportunity Number NIJ-2020-18372.

For information on each registration and submission step, see the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide.

E. Application Review Information

Review Criteria

Applications that meet basic minimum requirements will be evaluated by peer reviewers using 

the following review criteria:

1. Statement of the Problem/Description of the Issue (Understanding of the problem 

and its importance) – 20%

a. Demonstrated understanding of the problem.

b. Demonstrated awareness of relevant tools, protocols, practices, and/or policies.

c. Rationale for proposed project and jurisdiction(s) proposed based on trends and 

other background information.

d. Potential relevance of findings to small, rural, tribal, and/or border jurisdictions.
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e. Potential research to result in knowledge and tools that have value to other 

jurisdictions for a national impact.

2. Project Design and Implementation (Quality and technical merit) – 30%

a. Awareness of training and educational needs of current and future practitioners in 

the field, such as forensic pathologists/medical examiners, forensic scientists, district 

attorneys, and law enforcement or others approved by NIJ. Soundness of methods 

and approach to addressing the stated objectives of the proposed project. The 

overall strategy should be well reasoned and appropriate to accomplish the goals of 

the project. 

b. Feasibility of proposed project. 

c. Awareness of pitfalls of the proposed project design and actions to minimize and/or 

mitigate them. 

d. Innovation and creativity (when appropriate).

e. Cultural competence in addressing regional, racial/ethnic, language, and other 

diversity issues in proposed research protocol, as relevant.

3. Potential Impact – 10%

a. Description of the expected outcome(s) of the project. Anticipated educational and/or 

training opportunities to be initiated and/or assisted through the program. 

b. Potential for significantly improved understanding of the stated problem. If the goals 

of the project are achieved, how will scientific knowledge, technical capability, and/or 

forensic/MDI practice in the criminal justice system be improved? 

c. What is the likelihood that the project will exert a sustained, powerful influence on the 

criminal justice community as related to forensic pathologists/medical examiners, 

forensic scientists, district attorneys, and law enforcement?

d. Potential for innovative solution to address (all or a significant part of) the stated 

criminal/justice problem. How will a successful project address the identified problem 

and associated critical barriers to progress?

4. Capabilities and Competencies – 30%

a. Qualifications and experience of proposed project staff (that is, the principal 

investigator, any and all co-principal investigators, and all other individuals (and 

organizations) identified in the application (regardless of “investigator” status) who 

will be significantly involved in substantive aspects of the proposed project).

b. Demonstrated ability of the applicant organization to implement the proposed 

strategies and manage the effort.
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c. Relationship between the capabilities/competencies of the proposed project staff 

(including the applicant organization) and the scope and strategies of the proposed 

project.

d. Necessary information, staff, and other resource access documented by a letter of 

commitment for each partnering agency.

e. Potential to increase the awareness of best practices for the ME/C, forensic, and 

criminal justice community, writ large.

5. Budget – 10% — complete, cost effective, and allowable (e.g., reasonable, allocable, 

and necessary for project activities). Budget narratives should demonstrate generally 

how applicants will maximize cost effectiveness of grant expenditures. Budget narratives 

should demonstrate cost effectiveness in relation to potential alternatives and the goals 

of the project.

6

a. Does the Applicant propose cost-matching?

b. Total cost of the project relative to the perceived benefit (cost effectiveness).

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

d. Use of existing resources to conserve costs. 

e. Proposed budget alignment with proposed project activities. 

6. Plan for Collecting the Data Required for this Solicitation’s Performance Measures

7. Plan for Dissemination to Broader Audiences

Peer reviewers may comment — in the context of scientific and technical merit — on 

strength and feasibility the proposed plan (if any) to produce or to make available to 

broader interested audiences, such as criminal/juvenile justice practitioners or 

policymakers, summary information from the planned scholarly products of the project.

Review Process

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

understandable, measurable, achievable, and consistent with the solicitation.

Peer reviewers will review the applications submitted under this solicitation that meet basic 

minimum requirements. For purposes of assessing whether an application meets basic 

minimum requirements and should proceed to further consideration, OJP screens applications 

for compliance with those requirements. Although specific requirements may vary, the following 

are common requirements applicable to all solicitations for funding under OJP programs:

 

6 Generally speaking, a reasonable cost is a cost that, in its nature or amount, does not exceed that which would be 

incurred by a prudent person under the circumstances prevailing at the time the decision was made to incur the 

costs.
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 The application must be submitted by an eligible type of applicant.

 The application must request funding within programmatic funding constraints (if 

applicable).

 The application must be responsive to the scope of the solicitation.

 The application must include all items necessary to meet the basic minimum 

requirements.

 The application, if submitted by an applicant that is a DOJ High-Risk Grantee,

7 or is

designated “high-risk” by a federal grant-making agency outside of DOJ, must not have 

been determined by the Director to pose a substantial risk of program implementation 

failure, based on 1) the applicant’s lack of sufficient progress in addressing required 

corrective actions necessary for removal of the DOJ High-Risk Grantee (or non-DOJ 

high-risk) designation, 2) the nature and severity of the issues leading to or 

accompanying the DOJ High-Risk Grantee (or non-DOJ high-risk) designation, and/or 3) 

the applicant’s expected ability to manage grant funds and achieve grant goals and 

objectives.

For a list of the application elements that MUST be included in the application submission in 

order for an application to meet the basic minimum requirements, see “What an Application 

Should Include” under Section D. Application and Submission Information.

Peer review panels will evaluate, score, and rate applications that meet basic minimum 

requirements. NIJ may use internal peer reviewers, external peer reviewers, or a combination, 

to assess applications on technical merit using the solicitation’s review criteria. An internal 

reviewer is a current DOJ employee who is well-versed or has expertise in the subject matter of 

this solicitation. An external peer reviewer is an expert in the subject matter of a given 

solicitation who is not a current DOJ employee. Peer reviewers’ ratings and any resulting 

recommendations are advisory only, but are considered carefully.

Other important considerations for NIJ include geographic diversity, strategic priorities available 

funding, and the extent to which the Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative accurately 

explain project costs that are reasonable, necessary, and otherwise allowable under federal law 

and applicable federal cost principles.

Pursuant to the Part 200 Uniform Requirements, before award decisions are made, OJP also 

reviews information related to the degree of risk posed by the applicant. Among other things to 

help assess whether an applicant that has one or more prior federal awards has a satisfactory 

record with respect to performance, integrity, and business ethics, OJP checks whether the 

applicant is listed in SAM as excluded from receiving a federal award.

In addition, if OJP anticipates that an award will exceed $250,000 in federal funds, OJP also 

must review and consider any information about the applicant that appears in the non-public 

segment of the integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently, the 

Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System, FAPIIS).

 

7 See “Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High-Risk Grantees” under “What an Application Should Include,” 

above, for a definition of “DOJ High-Risk Grantee.”
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Important note on FAPIIS: An applicant, at its option, may review and comment on any 

information about itself that currently appears in FAPIIS and was entered by a federal awarding 

agency. OJP will consider any such comments by the applicant, in addition to the other 

information in FAPIIS, in its assessment of the risk posed by the applicant.

The Director of the National Institute of Justice will make all final award decisions and may take 

into account not only peer review ratings and NIJ recommendations, but also other factors as 

indicated in this section.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

 Federal Award Notices

 Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements

OJP strongly encourages prospective applicants to review information on post-award 

legal requirements and common OJP award conditions prior to submitting an 

application.

If selected for funding, in addition to implementing the funded project consistent with the 

OJP-approved application, the recipient must comply with all award conditions, and all 

applicable requirements of federal statutes and regulations (including applicable 

requirements referred to in the assurances and certifications executed in connection with 

award acceptance). 

For additional information on these legal requirements, see the “Administrative, National 

Policy, and Other Legal Requirements” section in the OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide.

 Information Technology (IT) Security Clauses

 General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements

In addition to the deliverables described in Section A. Program Description, any recipient 

of an award under this solicitation will be required to submit certain reports and data.

Required reports. Recipients typically must submit quarterly financial reports, semiannual progress reports, final financial and progress reports, and, if applicable, an 

annual audit report in accordance with the Part 200 Uniform Requirements or specific 

award conditions. Applicants should anticipate that progress reports will be required to 

follow the non-budgetary components of the Research Performance Progress Report 

(RPPR) template/format. General information on RPPRs may be found at 

www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/rppr/. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld 

if reports are delinquent. (In appropriate cases, OJP may require additional reports.)

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information on specific postaward reporting requirements, including performance measures data.
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NIJ-2020-18372

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

For OJP contact(s), see page 2.

For contact information for Grants.gov, see page 2.

H. Other Information

Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

 Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 552a)

 Provide Feedback to OJP
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NIJ-2020-18372

Application Checklist

NIJ National Center on Forensics, FY 2020

This application checklist has been created as an aid in developing an application.

What an Applicant Should Do:

Prior to Registering in Grants.gov:

 Acquire a DUNS Number (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Acquire or renew registration with SAM (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

To Register with Grants.gov:

 Acquire AOR and Grants.gov username/password

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Acquire AOR confirmation from the E-Biz POC (see OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide)

To Find Funding Opportunity:

 Search for the Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov (see page 20)

 Access Funding Opportunity and Application Package

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Sign up for Grants.gov email notifications (optional)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Read Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov

 Read OJP policy and guidance on conference approval, planning, and reporting available at

ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

After Application Submission, Receive Grants.gov Email Notifications That:

 (1) application has been received,

 (2) application has either been successfully validated or rejected with errors

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

If No Grants.gov Receipt, and Validation or Error Notifications are Received:

 Contact NIJ regarding technical difficulties (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

Overview of Post-Award Legal Requirements:

 Review the “Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP Grants and 

Cooperative Agreements - FY 2020 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center.

Scope Requirement:

 The federal amount requested is within the allowable limit(s) of $2,000,000.
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NIJ-2020-18372

What an Application Should Include:

The following items are critical application elements required to pass basic minimum requirements 

review. An application that OJP determines does not include the application elements that must 

be included in the application submission in order for the application to meet the basic minimum 

requirements, will neither proceed to peer review, nor receive further consideration.

 Program Narrative (see page 13)

 Budget Detail Worksheet (including Budget Narrative)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel (see page 17)

 Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) (see OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide)

 Project Abstract (see page 13)

 Appendices (if applicable) (see page 16)

_____ Bibliography/references

_____ Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps pertaining 

to the proposed study that supplement those in the narrative

_____ Proposed project timeline and expected milestones

_____ Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to 

Institutional Review Board [IRB] review)

_____ Privacy Certificate

_____ Multiple PI leadership plan

_____ Consortium/contractual arrangements

_____ Letters of support

_____ Data archiving plan

_____ List of proposed project staff, affiliation, and roles

_____ List of any previous and current NIJ awards to applicant organization and 

investigator(s) (if applicable)

_____ List of other agencies, organizations, or funding sources to which this proposal 

has been submitted (if applicable)

_____ Incentive or stipend approval request (if applicable)

 Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High-Risk Grantees (if applicable)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

Additional Attachments

 Request and Justification for Employee Compensation; Waiver (if applicable)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Potential Environmental Impact Coversheet and Checklist (NEPA) (see page 19)
NIJ’s National Center on 

Forensics Program – FY2020

Luther Schaeffer

Physical Scientist/Program Manager

Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences

National Institute of Justice

April 21, 2020
NIJ’s National Center on 

Forensics Program – FY2020

Posted: April 6, 2020

Closes: June 5, 2020, 11:59 PM, EST
DOJ Forensic Science Priorities

1. Facilitating coordination and collaboration on forensic 

science within the Department, across the federal 

government, and with state, local, and tribal entities.

2. Increasing the capacity of forensic service providers so that 

evidence can be processed quickly and investigations can be 

concluded without delay.

3. Improving the reliability of forensic analysis to enable examiners 

to report results with increased specificity and certainty.

https://www.justice.gov/olp/forensic-science
National Institute of Justice

• Led by David Muhlhausen, Ph.D.

• NIJ — the research, development and evaluation agency of 

the U.S. Department of Justice — is dedicated to improving 

knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through 

science. NIJ provides objective and independent knowledge and 

tools to inform the decision-making of the criminal justice 

community to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the 

state and local levels.

Strengthen science. Advance justice.
Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and 

Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices – 12/2019

• Mandated by Justice for All Reauthorization Act 

of 2016 (JFARA) to examine the workload, 

backlog, personnel, and equipment needs for 

both public crime laboratories and medical 

examiner and coroner (ME/C) offices.

• One year of listening sessions with stakeholders 

and SME.

• Resulted in a comprehensive report that 

identified promising practices and innovative 

solutions.

https://www.justice.gov/olp/page/file/1228306/download
DOJ Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and 

Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices – December 2019

• Resources and partnerships to strengthen the consistent provision of 

medicolegal death investigation (MDI) services and the application of MDI 

standards and best practices for over 2,000 medical examiner and coroner 

(ME/C) offices across the United States.

• Resources and strategies to address the national shortage of trained, boardcertified forensic pathologists that threatens the quality and consistency of 

MDI services underscored by deaths attributed to the opioid crisis.

• Increased training, certification, and staffing resources to strengthen the MDI 

workforce and personnel who provide ancillary services that support the MDI 

and forensic pathology workload (e.g., autopsy technicians, pathology 

assistants, forensic radiologists, and forensic photographers). 
Background

• New solicitation for FY2020

• Appropriation calls for NIJ’s National Center on Forensics —The Committee 

provides $2,000,000 for the NIJ to facilitate a partnership amongst a full 

service State department of forensic science with a medical examiner 

function; an accredited university of higher education with affiliate medical and 

law schools; and a statewide district attorneys association for the purpose of 

providing medico-legal learning opportunities for medical students to 

train as deputy medical examiners/coroners in underserved rural areas; 

provide forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges, 

and law enforcement; and develop opportunities as appropriate amongst 

the designated partners to benefit current and future practitioners in the 

field.
Program Purpose:

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals from qualified applicants to establish and operate the 

NIJ National Center on Forensics to:

Facilitate a partnership amongst:

a. A full-service State department of forensic science with a medical examiner function;

b. An accredited university of higher education with affiliate medical and law schools; 

c. AND a statewide district attorneys association.

For the purpose of:

a. Providing medico-legal learning opportunities for medical students to train as deputy 

medical examiners/coroners in underserved rural areas;

b. Providing forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, judges, and law 

enforcement; and

c. Developing opportunities, as appropriate, amongst the designated partners to benefit 

current and future practitioners in the field.
Eligibility

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

cooperative agreements with eligible entities as listed below:

• States (including territories);

• Units of local government;

• Federally recognized Indian tribal governments (as determined by the 

Secretary of the Interior) that perform law enforcement functions;

• Nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and forprofit organizations); and

• Institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher 

education)
What an Application Should Include

• SF-424

• Project abstract (not to exceed 400 words)

• Program narrative

• Budget detail worksheet and narrative

• Additional Items

– Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

– Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire (including applicant 

disclosure of high-risk status)

– Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

– Applicant disclosure of pending applications

– Applicant disclosure of high-risk status

– Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity

– Potential Environmental Impact Coversheet and Checklist - National Environmental Policy Act
Application Requirements: BMR 

• Basic Minimum Requirements

– For this solicitation, NIJ has designated the following application elements 

as critical:

• Program Narrative 

• Budget Detail Worksheet/Budget Narrative

• Résumés/Curriculum Vitae of Key Personnel 

• If any ONE or more of these are missing, your application will not 

be reviewed or approved. NO exceptions or excuses!
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– Statement of the Problem/Description of the Issue – 20%

– Project Design and Implementation – 30%

– Potential Impact – 10%

– Capabilities and Competencies – 30%

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i

Funding Webinar Transcript

On April 21, 2020, NIJ hosted a webinar that provided an overview of this solicitation.

Following are the transcript and slide presentation from that webinar.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: Good afternoon, everybody, and welcome to today’s webinar “NIJ’s 

National Center on Forensics Program – FY2020,” hosted by the National Institute of Justice. At 

this time, I am going to pass off to the presenter.

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: I’d like to say hello to everybody on the phone. Thank you very much 

for joining us. My name is Luther Schaeffer. I’m a Staff Scientist and a Program Manager here 

at the National Institute of Justice, in the Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences. Today, I 

will be introducing NIJ’s National Center on Forensics solicitation. So over the course of the 

presentation, I’m going to provide a brief introduction of the NIJ, followed by program details 

such as eligibility, purpose, required documents, review process, and a couple of reminders 

when putting together your application. Questions, as Mary Jo has stated, will be taken 

immediately concluding the presentation. The slides and transcripts for today’s presentation will 

be made available for those of you who must sign off before the conclusion of the webinar, or 

for those that were unable to listen in to the live webcast. The slides and transcripts will be 

appended to the solicitation document found on NIJ.gov, just as Mary Jo stated. 

The solicitation is currently open. It was posted on April 6th and will remain open for 60 days, 

which takes us to June 5th, when it will close at 11:59 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. So be sure 

to mark your calendar. Get your applications in and early. For those of you who are not familiar 

with National Institute of Justice, we are an agency within the United States Department of 

Justice, and we operate under the Department’s authority. . Our priorities are to foster 

collaboration and coordination in forensic science among federal, state, local, and tribal entities 

and organizations, to increase the capacity of forensic science labs in the United States and, 

lastly, to improve the reliability of forensic analyses. 

That brings us to the NIJ. We are currently led by Dr. David Muhlhausen. We are the research 

and development and evaluation agency of the Department of Justice. We are a researchfunding organization. NIJ follows the “Listen, Learn, Inform” model. We listen to the needs of the 

field. We learn ways to meet those needs by funding research, development and evaluation 

projects. And then we inform the field of what was learned. For example, late last year, NIJ 

released a report to Congress entitled “The Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and 

Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices.” If you have not read it, it is available for download on our 

website listed below, or look for our booth at various conferences to receive a free hard copy. 

Over the course of a year, scores of listening sessions with stakeholders and subject matter 

experts from across the forensics community were held. The result is a comprehensive 

document that identifies promising practices and innovative solutions for challenges 

experienced in the nation’s forensic labs and medical examiner/coroner offices.

The text seen here is found in Chapter 7, and it’s appropriate for this particular program. It 

captures the needs of medical examiners and coroners as expressed through these listening 
ii

sessions. The needs identified are for resources to address the board-certified forensic 

pathologist shortage, use of standardized and best practices in MDI services — Medicolegal 

Death Investigation—as well as for increased training, certification, and staffing resources for 

MDI. All of which are appropriate to highlight before going into the particulars of this new 

solicitation for 2020. NIJ’s National Center on Forensics — I’m just going to call it the “Center” 

from now on. It’s new for 2020 and was born out of appropriation guidance passed through 

Congress. 

NIJ was provided $2 million to establish this Center. It will facilitate a partnership between a 

state Department of Forensic Science with a medical examiner function, an accredited 

university with both medical and law school affiliations and--I wanted to highlight this here—

there is an “and,” so all three things must be there for eligibility— and a statewide district 

attorneys’ association. 

And that takes us to the Program Purpose. The purpose of this solicitation is as follows. It is to 

provide medicolegal learning opportunities for medical students to train as deputy medical 

examiners and coroners in underserved rural areas. The Center will serve as a centralized, 

innovative center to encourage engagement of medical students to train as deputy medical 

examiners or coroners in underserved rural areas. The “Needs Assessment of Forensic 

Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices” was a report to Congress that highlighted 

the extreme national shortage of practicing, board-certified forensic pathologists who are trained 

and qualified to perform forensic autopsies. Given the importance of this field and the difficulty

recruiting and retaining qualified individuals, the Center is expected to develop methods by 

which to provide effective learning opportunities with a focus on increasing the number of 

medical students pursuing a career in forensic pathology. The Center is expected to analyze 

these learning methods to identify best practices. Scientific and technical trainings will be 

developed to include topics relevant to underserved rural areas, including tribal lands, covering 

topics which may include preparing and applying, achieving, and maintaining, appropriate 

accreditation or specialty certifications for individuals, opioid or NPS response and/or mass 

fatality disaster management. 

The second purpose is to provide forensic science and legal training to district attorneys, 

judges, and law enforcement. The NIJ Center on Forensics is expected to provide specialized 

training relevant to the intersection of forensic science and law. These efforts may include 

providing workshops on emerging techniques used in forensic science, webinars, or peerreviewed articles addressing forensic science in relevant or relevant, legal doings and 

foundational information regarding legal considerations for the use of forensic science in the 

courtroom. The Center will provide national expertise for the criminal justice community’s

ongoing efforts, and continuously improve the understanding and application of forensic science 

for law enforcement and the legal community. 

Under NIJ guidance, the Center may interface with the DOJ National Advocacy Center to 

coordinate forensic science information for the legal community. Lastly, the Center may develop 

opportunities, as appropriate, among designated partners to benefit current and future 

practitioners in the field. NIJ’s National Center on Forensics should include methods by which to 
iii

understand the needs of forensic pathologists, medical examiners, forensic scientists, district 

attorneys, and law enforcement practitioners, and from this, develop comprehensive 

opportunities that will benefit both current and future practitioners. Resources and opportunities 

will be referenced and developed in consideration of the variety of challenges facing forensic 

science in various communities— from small, rural, and tribal, to city, county, and state 

agencies. 

Training topics will include advances in research, relevant implementation efforts of that 

research, applicable court rulings, and standardization or best practices. Topics will be 

developed in coordination with partners within the NIJ National Center on Forensics, and 

initiated with NIJ approval. And that takes us into eligibility. Eligible entities are states, units of 

local government, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, nonprofits, for-profit 

organizations, and institutions of higher learning, including tribal institutions of higher learning.

This award will be made in the form of cooperative agreements. For those of you who are 

familiar with grants, grants typically give the grantee a great deal of autonomy. Grantees are still 

required to submit regular progress reports, among other grant administrative requirements. The 

level of involvement of NIJ is fairly low. 

For cooperative agreements, substantial involvement of NIJ is expected. The grantee is 

required to work with the assigned grant manager, who is NIJ’s authorized rep responsible for 

ensuring the successful management of the award. Additionally, an NIJ scientist, such as 

myself, will be assigned to work collaboratively with the awardees’ investigators on substantive 

issues related to the award--providing assistance, guidance, coordination, and participation in 

project activities to ensure its success, where applicable. The NIJ scientist may also co-publish 

or co-present with the recipients’ investigators as a representative of NIJ. Substantial 

involvement means that after award, scientific or program staff will assist, guide, coordinate, or 

participate in project activities. Generally stated, under cooperative agreement awards, 

responsibility for the day-to-day conduct of the funded project rests with the recipient in 

implementing the funded and approved proposal and budget, as well as the terms and 

conditions of the award. Responsibility for the oversight or redirection of the project, if 

necessary, rests with NIJ. So that being said, substantial involvement is a relative term, rather 

than an absolute concept. How involved we will be in a cooperative agreement ultimately 

depends on the circumstances of the award. The National Center on Forensics should expect 

that the majority of its work will be on projects specifically defined and/or approved by NIJ, in 

support of the previously identified objectives, as well as those identified in the NIJ “Needs 

Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices” report to 

Congress. Applicants should expect that the level of effort may vary significantly during the 

project period for any number of reasons, including changes in availability of funds or 

supplemental funds, legal changes, availability of new forensic technologies, or even a desire to 

capitalize on technology opportunities. 

The successful applicant must be able to demonstrate the ability to add or reduce capacity in 

relevant areas, without adversely affecting the ability to provide services or incurring 

unacceptable additional costs. In this connection, NIJ is very interested in entertaining 

applications that propose to leverage existing programs, facilities, and personnel. Applications 
iv

proposing programs involving partnerships with other agencies or organizations, such as 

publicly funded forensic laboratories or institutions of higher learning, must include a strong 

letter of cooperation or support, or an administrative agreement signed by appropriate decisionmaking authorities from each proposed partner agency. If selected for an award, grantees will 

be expected to have a formal agreement in place with their partnering agencies by January 1, 

2021.

And now we’ll move into what an application should include. With all applications, the SF-424, 

the Application for Federal Assistance, is required; a Project Abstract, not to exceed 400 words; 

a Program Narrative, which should not exceed 14 double-spaced pages, standard font, 12.1” 

margins, but a minimum of seven pages should be dedicated to the description of the project 

and its design and implementation. Many more details are provided in the solicitation document 

of what should be included in the Program Narrative. As part of this proposal, the NIJ National 

Center on Forensics should designate a director, who has the knowledge, skills, abilities, and 

vision to lead their team, and should have an internal management structure and demonstrated 

partnerships with any proposed sub-recipients capable of supporting the education, training, 

and service missions of the Center. It should also include your Budget Detail Worksheet, which 

includes a narrative portion, as well as the additional items included below. More details are 

provided in the solicitation document. I won’t go into each and every one of those, but just be 

aware. There are quite a few documents that must be included for a complete application 

package. 

And right here, I want to highlight BMR—Basic Minimum Requirements. Many of our 

solicitations at NIJ incorporate BMR. For this solicitation, NIJ has designated the following 

elements as critical. You must include the Program Narrative; Budget Detail Worksheets, which 

includes a Budget Narrative as well, which is just a description of the purchases; as well as 

Resumes and CVs of Key Personnel. If any one or more of these are missing from your 

application, you will not be moved along to Peer Review. There are no exceptions or excuses 

made in BMR. BMR is made immediately following the closure of the solicitation. 

Here, I’m going to cover some pointers for applying. This is mostly for those not yet familiar with 

our process, or for those needing a quick refresher. Here you see the new-and-improved 

NIJ.gov. To locate our Funding Opportunities—it’s a little bit different than it was previously—

you place your pointer over the “Funding & Awards” on NIJ’s landing page, which will reveal 

dropdowns. Select “Current funding opportunities” from that dropdown list, and you can find the 

solicitation that you’re interested in. The National Center on Forensics in this case is at the very 

bottom, as it’s, I believe, the latest solicitation that we released from NIJ. For next year and 

other solicitations, register for e-mail updates through NIJ’s website. The link is found in the topright corner over the “Search” box. You click “Subscribe” and you enter your e-mail address and 

preferences. Once this solicitation is made available for applications, the users will receive an email notification. 

NIJ also announces the solicitation on its social media platforms as well. Awards are also listed 

on the NIJ website; however, there are no previous awards, since this is the first year we’re 

offering this one. And I want to hammer this home. This is what will eliminate a good deal of 
v

applications if you are not attentive. Make sure that the application attachments are uploaded. 

Simple errors such as uploading the wrong file can exclude an application from funding 

consideration. NIJ reviews the application to make sure that the information presented is 

reasonable, understandable, measurable, achievable, and consistent with the solicitation. When 

applying, please read the solicitation document carefully. Don’t procrastinate. Technical 

difficulties are not considered when appeals are made if an application package is not complete. 

Validation or rejection notifications you should be very aware of: Keep an eye out for them. 

Check your junk mailbox. Application registration can take several weeks. And apply to the 

correct solicitation. Applicants need to be registered in SAM, which may take up to 10 business 

days. And the information needs to be migrated to Grants.gov, and that can take an additional 

two days. 

Consider the registration processes, registration instructions, solicitation instructions, and 

possible IT issues. Applications are not accepted late for any of these reasons. If technical 

issues do occur with OJP’s IT system, notify OJP as instructed in the solicitation and obtain 

documentation of the issues. An application may be accepted late if there is proof of an OJPside system issue. 

This is the Award Process that we’re going to be going through for this particular solicitation. 

Applications will be first reviewed by NIJ to confirm that all the key components are included,

and that the application responds to the scope of the solicitation, and that the applicant is 

eligible to apply for funding. Each complete application is then reviewed by a panel of peer 

reviewers who comment and score each application according to the review criteria described in 

the solicitation. You can see the criteria:

• Statement of the Problem/Description of the Issue is 20% of the total score;

• Project Design and Implementation, Quality, and Technical Merit is 30%;

• Potential Impact is 10%;

• Capabilities and Competencies is 30%, and 

• Budget is 10%. 

Also included in discussions are the Plan for Collecting the Data Required for this Solicitation’s 

Performance Measures, as well as the Plan for Dissemination to Broader Audiences. Mary Jo, 

I’ll hand it back over to you.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: Hi, everybody. You can subscribe to receive e-mail notices from NIJ, 

as was described, or you can also text your information. And to do that, you would go to 

https://nij.ojp.gov/subscribe, insert your e-mail address, and send that to 468-311, and you can 

subscribe that way. Just please note that message and data rates may apply. As mentioned 

previously, too, you may follow NIJ on both Facebook and Twitter. 

Application Assistance after today’s webinar is available through the National Criminal Justice 

Reference Service. So if you have a question that we are unable to answer, or if we run out of 

time and cannot get to your question, you can submit it to the National Criminal Justice 

Reference Service at grants@ncjrs.gov. They are open 10-6pm, Eastern Time, and Monday 

through Friday until 8pm the date the solicitation closes. You may also contact them at 800-851-
vi

3420. And they do have a webchat feature. In addition, they do have two e-mail newsletters that

you can subscribe to: JUSTINFO, which comes out twice a month, and the Funding News From 

NCJRS that comes out weekly, on a Friday. The Funding newsletter will announce funding 

opportunities from all agencies within the Office of Justice Programs, as well as notify you when 

there are webinars such as this one, or when items from webinars have been posted to the 

appropriate agency website. 

Please also note that I did mention that the NCJRS is open until 8pm on the date that the 

solicitation closes, but it is strongly recommended that you submit your application at least 72 

hours in advance. If you need assistance submitting your application, uploading documents, or 

anything of that nature, you do need to contact Grants.gov. They are available 7 days a week, 

24 hours a day, and they are closed on federal holidays. You may phone them at 800-518-4726 

or e-mail them at support@grants.gov. And with that, we will go into our questions. 

“With the extreme variation in the system of both the ME and the DA across the United States, 

what is the vision of NIJ in how the NCF would disseminate the lessons learned to the broader 

community?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: Thanks, Mary Jo. I believe this is going to be left up to the design of the 

applicant. NIJ is looking for innovative solutions exactly for this cause.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Are computer scientists eligible to apply to this program?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: As long as it fits within the solicitation for responsiveness, it certainly 

would not preclude you from being partnered, as long as you meet all the other eligibility 

requirements. Having that incorporated into the program certainly wouldn’t be completely 

prohibited.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Does the grantee have to be an associated with an accredited 

forensic pathology fellowship program?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: I believe accreditation will be a benefit to the applicant; however, I have 

to look back through the solicitation whether or not that’s absolutely required at this time. I know 

that we’re looking for accredited institutions of higher learning. I know that it would be taken into

consideration, and would benefit the applicant to be accredited; however, I will need to look into 

whether or not you have to be accredited in order to apply.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Will NIJ consider applications that include public defenders or the 

defense community?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: As long as the eligibility requirements are met, as required by the 

solicitation, I do not believe that that would be prohibited.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “For the resume and CVs, is there a page limit or guidance on 

format?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: What I can say to you is please review the solicitation document. Most 

of the details that you’re going to be looking for, all the specifics, will be provided in the 
vii

solicitation. There is a page limit for the Narrative portion; however, many of the different parts 

and components of that Narrative are not counted against your Program Narrative. If you have 

CVs, I believe they can be as long as necessary, as we would like to see whoever your key 

personnel would be.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: And Luther, I believe that these could be as attachments and not 

counted against the page count.

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: I believe that’s correct.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Could the funding be used to develop an accredited forensic 

pathology fellowship program?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: I think as long as it’s made in the Narrative of how that would benefit 

the community and the goals of that, and if it falls into the responsiveness and scope of the 

solicitation, it would certainly be deemed as helpful, as this is looking to increase the number of 

board-certified forensic pathologists entering into the discipline. So fellowships could certainly

be considered in that case, as long as it’s presented in the program or application set forth.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Can two jurisdictions from two different states collaborate on the 

solicitation, or does it have to be one state and partners within that state only?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: That’s a great question. I would need to consult with our general 

counsel to determine what the requirements are for that. I don’t think I have enough to give you 

an answer specifically. If you could, I would prefer you submit that question through NCJRS at 

grants@ncjrs.gov, so we can answer that and put it on the FAQ. Great question.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: The slide and the transcript will be available in about five business

days after today’s webinar. It will be added to the back of the existing solicitation, so it won’t be 

listed some place else. Just go to the solicitation, and you’ll be able to find it. And NIJ will also 

send you an e-mail letting you know exactly when that information has been posted.

“To clarify, only state medical examiner systems, coroners who are affiliated with a university 

that has law and medicine programs, and state-level district attorneys associated are eligible. In 

other words, county- and regional-level medical officers would not be considered?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: This is considering local, county, state, tribal. It’s not that you would be 

excluded. It’s that we’re looking for partnerships to try and combine as many resources as 

possible to create this inclusive center to help both forensic pathologists, practitioners, and 

district attorneys as best as we can, to train both current and future folks entering the field. So, 

no, it’s not eliminating or prohibiting local or county facilities or agencies.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Can you explain who reviews the proposals?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: We consider external peer reviewers. It’s an expert or subject matter 

expert for a given solicitation. So we would evaluate the peer reviewers that we have in our 

database, as well as potentially solicit individuals that have not applied, that don’t have conflicts,

in order to review these applications that are best suited.
viii

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Can your budget request include money for time spent doing 

research, or is the budget request for material only?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: Research is not included as an acceptable activity for this program. 

Evaluation of research or analysis of research can be conducted; however, this [funding] is not 

for a research program.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Can you describe what is meant by affiliated medical school?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: We’re looking for universities that have the resources available to them, 

such as a law school within a university, or a partnership with a law school. And what was the 

other part of that question? 

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “What is meant by an affiliated medical school?” 

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: It’s a partnership as long as there’s an MOU or a partnership 

[agreement] that’s signed. I believe that would be acceptable; however, if you would submit that 

for further clarification so I can consult with other agencies or other offices within our agency, I’d 

appreciate that. Please submit that to your NCJRS.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Do we need a letter of support from local or national federal law 

enforcement agencies?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: I believe that any partnership that you would like to put forth in the 

application should have a signed letter of partnership or a memorandum of understanding 

between the two showing that it is a valid partnership going forward with the application.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Are forensic science Ph.D. students performing their research at a 

local medical examiner’s office eligible to apply?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: As I stated before, this isn’t a research solicitation. There are researchfunding solicitations that are currently open at NIJ. I would recommend looking into those. And 

there’s also, through BJA, other programs, such as the Strengthening the Medical Examiner and 

Coroner System Program, which used to be in NIJ, and had moved to BJA. I believe it’s actually 

open now, too, but this [funding] is not to support research.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Any Indian forensic lab scientist is eligible for the fellowship or—

“and it cuts off.

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: That would be a question best left answered through NCJRS, but I will 

say that this is a National Center on Forensics, so the applicant must be United States-based. 

However, a fellow coming in as international, I don’t have an answer. However, that would also

be up to the jurisdiction. , But if you want to submit that through NCJRS, I can find a better 

answer for you.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Is the funding solely for forensic-based programs?”
ix

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: That is correct. It has to be forensically relevant, and if you read 

through the solicitation, I think that you’ll get a better gist of exactly what we’re looking for.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Are research funds to validate forensic tools and methods allowable 

under this solicitation?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: Once again, please review the solicitation document. This is not to 

conduct any type of research. There are programs that NIJ offers, including the public labs 

program and the R&D program, which would likely be better suited for such a project.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Can public defense or other defense entities be included in the 

forensics training that will be developed by the court and prosecutors and police?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: I’m going to need to verify the answer to that question. Submit that 

through NCJRS. But I do believe that that is not prohibited. I believe they can be included.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Can this be used to expand medical examiner services, [such as to] 

move a local office to regional?” 

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: I believe that this would have to be determined by the applicant 

proposal. If they can demonstrate how this would enhance the amount of forensic pathologists 

entering the field, as long as it answers the goals of the solicitation; however, that sounds very 

specific to their particular program. If you would like a more direct answer, or something more in 

depth, please once again submit that through NCJRS.MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “Following up 

on a previous question about medical school affiliations and your reply about MOUs or signed 

partnerships: To whom should additional questions be submitted?” 

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: That would go to NCJRS, the National Criminal Justice Reference 

Service. That slide is showing here. You can e-mail them at grants@ncjrs.gov. You may also 

phone them at 800-851-3420, and their website address is www.ncjrs.gov. And as previously 

answered, applications are only accepted from United States entities. Foreign entities are not 

eligible to apply. 

“Is there a requirement that the medical examiner’s office be located within the state crime lab, 

or is it acceptable for them both to be different branches of the state government?”

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: If you could please submit that to me, for a little bit of research, I would 

like to make sure I have a complete answer for you on that one. I believe that they’re not both 

required, but let me do some research into that question for you.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: “What’s the possibility of NIJ offering related funding in subsequent 

funding cycles? Because continuing a national-level forensic institute sounds like an expensive 

endeavor.” So they’re interested in knowing if it will be continued.

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: That we cannot say. That would depend on future funding levels in this 

program as well as funding availability, so I can’t really speculate on that. However, in the 

appropriation guidance as well as the solicitation, we do ask for flexibility in terms of whether or 

not there is additional funding that becomes available.
x

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: So among the eligible parties to apply, local as well as state are 

eligible. Under the facilitating the partnerships, we are looking for a partnership at the state level 

as well as in the forensic science system. That is correct.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: Again, the information for the National Criminal Justice Reference 

Service is located on the slide here. They are available at grants@ncjrs.gov. You can e-mail 

them. They will work with Luther to get an answer to you. And then if you need assistance with 

Grants.gov and technical assistance submitting your application or uploading files, you can go 

to Grants.gov, at support@grants.gov or call them at 800-518-4726. Grants.gov is available 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week. They are closed on federal holidays, and it is highly recommended 

that you submit your application at least 72 hours in advance in case there are any technical 

problems. Issues such as delays with your computer or system issues that you may have are 

not going to qualify as a reason for late submission. 

LUTHER SCHAEFFER: And so thank you very much, Mary Jo. I’m seeing a lot of confusion, 

and I believe I may have misspoken or misrepresented. I just want to clarify that for this 

partnership, we are looking for a full-service state department of forensic science with an ME 

function, and an accredited university, and a statewide district attorneys association. It’s not 

saying that those also couldn’t incorporate additional parties. I think I see where I didn’t explain 

that well; however, we are looking for that particular partnership. That is correct.

And I’d like to say thank you very much, everybody, for tuning in for this. I really appreciate it.

MARY JO GIOVACCHINI: All right. And that is our last question, so we thank you very much for 

attending. Have a great day.