Grants / Department of Justice / Bureau of Justice Assistance

O-BJA-2022-171340: BJA FY 22 Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence

Closed Closed June 22, 2022 Opportunity O-BJA-2022-171340 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: BJA FY 2026 Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence (O-BJA-2026-172771). Status: Closes December 8, 2026 (31 days left). It is in our archive of Bureau of Justice Assistance notices from 2022.

• Award ceiling$500,000
• Total funding$10.6 million
• Expected awards25
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to colleges and universities and state and local governments.

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

For purposes of this solicitation, "state" means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. To advance Executive Order 13929 Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Attorney General determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process to be eligible for FY 2022 DOJ discretionary grant funding. To become certified, the law enforcement agency must meet two mandatory conditions: (1) the agency’s use-of-force policies adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and (2) the agency’s use-of-force policies prohibit chokeholds except in situations where use of deadly force is allowed by law. The certification requirement also applies to law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ discretionary grant funding through a subaward. For detailed information on this certification requirement, please visit https://cops.usdoj.gov/SafePolicingEO to access the Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Implementation Fact Sheet, and the List of Designated Independent Credentialing Bodies. All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or management fee.

More grants for colleges and universities, state and local governments.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence awards averaged $834,984; this notice allows up to $500,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (67% over five years) went to state and local governments.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety and protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. The Postconviction Testing of DNA Evidence Program provides funds to assist in defraying the costs associated with postconviction case review, evidence location, and DNA testing in violent felony cases (as defined by state law) where the results of such testing might demonstrate actual innocence. BJA seeks proposals for funding to assist in defraying the costs associated with postconviction DNA testing in cases of violent felony offenses (as defined by state law) in which actual innocence might be demonstrated. This program furthers the Department’s mission by ensuring the availability of fair and impartial administration of justice to individuals who may have been unjustly convicted.

Category: Humanities.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, O-BJA-2026-172771, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.