BJA FY 22 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA | O BJA 2022 171337

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2022 171337

The BJA FY 22 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number O-BJA-2022-171337) is a discretionary Department of Justice grant administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under OJP. Its central purpose is to help jurisdictions move forward on violent crime cold cases that have stalled over time, specifically in situations where DNA tied to a suspect has already been identified. The suspect connected to that DNA can be either known or still unknown, but the presence of identified suspect-attributed DNA is the key condition that makes a case a fit for this program. The larger policy framing emphasizes OJP priorities such as advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, protecting the public from evolving threats, and improving trust between law enforcement and communities.

Funding is designed to directly support prosecution-focused work on eligible cold cases, while also allowing for the investigative and scientific steps needed to get those cases into a posture where charges can be filed and successfully litigated. In practical terms, the program is aimed at helping prosecutors and their partners take cases from "we have a DNA lead" to "we can prove this in court," which often requires coordinated follow-up beyond simply having a lab result on file. The solicitation makes clear that supported activities can include investigative efforts as well as crime and forensic analyses, as long as they are geared toward advancing prosecution of violent cold cases with suspect DNA already identified. This can cover the kinds of tasks that typically arise when revisiting older cases, such as additional investigative work to locate witnesses, re-interview involved parties, address evidentiary gaps, validate chain-of-custody and documentation issues, and complete additional forensic work that strengthens the case theory and evidentiary foundation for trial.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals a more hands-on partnership or substantial involvement from the federal agency compared with a standard grant, often involving closer coordination, monitoring, or technical guidance during the project period. The program’s CFDA listing is 16.036, and the funding activity category is labeled as Humanities (with a note referencing Cultural Affairs in CFDA), reflecting how the opportunity is classified in the source system even though the substance of the work is criminal justice and prosecution support.

The opportunity anticipated making up to 14 awards, with an award ceiling of $500,000 per award. The opportunity was created on May 12, 2022, and the original application closing date was June 22, 2022. Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with the expectation that applicants would need to consult the solicitation’s additional eligibility details to confirm which entities could apply (for example, certain units of government, prosecutorial offices, law enforcement agencies, or other justice-system partners, depending on the specific language in the full announcement).

Overall, this grant opportunity is narrowly targeted toward actionable cold cases where DNA has already produced a suspect link, and it funds the mix of prosecutorial preparation, investigation, and forensic follow-through needed to convert that DNA lead into a prosecutable and provable case, while aligning the work with DOJ and OJP priorities around justice, equity, victim support, community safety, and public trust.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 22 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.036.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 12, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 14 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O BJA 2022 171337

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