NICS Act Record Improvement Program (16.813)
NICS Act Record Improvement Program (Assistance Listing 16.813) is run by the Office of Justice Programs, part of the Department of Justice. It awarded $91.9 million in 93 grants from fiscal 2021 to 2025, about $988,443 per award on average. No funding opportunity is open on Grants.gov right now.
The typical award was $688,141. Half of the 93 awards fell between $404,353 and $1.4 million, and they ranged from $69,014 to $4.0 million.
- Awarded, FY 2021 to 2025$91.9 million
- Grant awards93
- Typical award$688,141
- Awarded in FY 2025-$2.6 million
- Size rank839 of 1,823
- Type of assistanceCooperative agreements
Key findings
- It is the 839th largest of 1,823 federal grant programs by five-year awards.
- The 20 largest recipients received 94% of the money.
- Awards went to recipients in 25 states and territories.
What the program funds
Program goal(s) name: Improve FBI’s NICS Program goal(s) description: Improve the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) by assisting states and tribes to improve the completeness, automation, and transmittal of records used by the NICS to state and federal systems. Program objective(s) name: Improve systems and infrastructure that support national record holdings and background check systems. Program objective(s) description: Ensure that the infrastructure is developed to connect state and tribal records systems to national records systems operated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), the Next Generation Identification (NGI) standards, criminal history information available through the Interstate Identification Index (III), and National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) Indices.
Open opportunities
No opportunity under this program is open or forecast on Grants.gov right now. Programs often post once a year, so the funding history below shows what to expect.
Rules from the program listing
Matching requirements
This program has no statutory formula. Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing. MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Award range and average, in the agency's words
See the current fiscal year’s solicitation guidelines posted on the Office of Justice Programs web site at https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/CurrentFundingOpportunities.htm.
Funding history and past recipients
From fiscal 2021 to 2025, NICS Act Record Improvement Program (16.813) awarded $91.9 million across 93 grant awards, an average of $988,443 per award.
Who usually wins
State and local governments received 97% of the money, tribes 3.0%.
| Recipient type | Awards | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| State and local governments | 88 | $89.2 million | 97% |
| Tribal governments and organizations | 5 | $2.7 million | 3.0% |
By state
22 states have a page for this program: those that received at least $1 million or 10 awards.
| State | Awards | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| New York | 4 | $9.2 million |
| West Virginia | 3 | $8.6 million |
| Virginia | 5 | $7.2 million |
| Oklahoma | 3 | $6.8 million |
| Indiana | 4 | $6.1 million |
| Nebraska | 5 | $5.5 million |
| Nevada | 3 | $5.1 million |
| Arizona | 5 | $5.1 million |
| Missouri | 5 | $4.2 million |
| Alaska | 5 | $4.2 million |
| Louisiana | 4 | $3.3 million |
| Florida | 3 | $2.8 million |
| Oregon | 4 | $2.8 million |
| Washington | 5 | $2.7 million |
| Tennessee | 2 | $2.7 million |
| Hawaii | 4 | $2.6 million |
| Alabama | 2 | $2.2 million |
| Pennsylvania | 4 | $2.2 million |
| South Carolina | 5 | $2.0 million |
| North Dakota | 2 | $1.8 million |
| Maryland | 3 | $1.7 million |
| Utah | 4 | $1.2 million |
| Iowa | 3 | $945,440 |
| Delaware | 5 | $585,334 |
| Idaho | 1 | $404,353 |