BJA FY 21 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA | O BJA 2021 94004

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2021 94004

The BJA FY 21 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA grant opportunity is a discretionary funding program from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), designed to help jurisdictions move long-unsolved violent crime cases toward prosecution when DNA evidence has already identified a suspect profile. The program sits within DOJ priorities that emphasize civil rights, greater access to justice, support for crime victims, public safety, and strengthening trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve. In practical terms, the grant is meant to help prosecutors and their partners convert DNA-enabled investigative leads into filed cases and completed adjudications, while also reducing the backlog of violent cold cases that are awaiting or pending prosecution.

At the center of the solicitation is a specific definition of what qualifies as a "violent crime cold case." BJA describes these as cases that have remained unsolved for at least three years and involve serious offenses such as UCR Part I violent crimes, missing persons investigations, or unidentified persons cases. To qualify as a cold case for this program, the matter must also have a realistic pathway to resolution through forensic techniques or technologies, or through newly developed information or advanced methods for analyzing evidence. In other words, these are not simply old files being reopened; they are cases where there is a credible reason to believe that modern forensic work, enhanced analysis, or new investigative information can support a prosecutable outcome.

A key eligibility feature of the program is that DNA attributed to a suspect must already have been identified, and that suspect may be known or unknown. This is important because it signals that BJA is focusing resources on cases that have already crossed a major evidentiary threshold: the presence of a DNA profile associated with the perpetrator. With that foundation in place, grant funds can support the remaining work needed to transform that DNA link into a prosecutable case, which often requires coordinated efforts between prosecutors, investigators, crime analysts, and forensic laboratories.

The solicitation takes a broad view of what it means to "prosecute" a violent crime cold case. Rather than limiting support to courtroom activity alone, BJA explicitly includes the full range of activities necessary to adjudicate these cases. That can include structured case review to reassess evidence and prior investigative steps, targeted investigation to locate witnesses or develop corroboration, crime analysis to connect incidents or identify patterns, and forensic testing or re-testing and other evidence analyses. The intent is to fund the practical, hands-on work that prosecutors typically need to do before charges can be filed and sustained, especially in older cases where witnesses may be harder to locate, documentation may be incomplete, or scientific methods have advanced beyond what was available when the crime occurred.

From a funding standpoint, the opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number O-BJA-2021-94004) was posted on May 3, 2021, with an original closing date of June 22, 2021. BJA anticipated making about 10 awards, with an award ceiling of $470,000 per award. The listed CFDA number is 16.036. The notice identifies the funding instrument as a grant and categorizes the opportunity as discretionary. Eligibility is described broadly as "Others," with the expectation that applicants would consult the solicitation's additional eligibility guidance to confirm which entities and partnership structures qualify.

Overall, this grant opportunity is aimed at accelerating justice in serious, long-standing violent cases by paying for the specialized prosecutorial and investigative effort that DNA-enabled cold case work requires. By supporting both prosecution-focused tasks and the forensic or analytical work that helps make cases trial-ready, BJA is trying to reduce the number of violent cold cases stuck in limbo and increase the number that are actually brought to court and resolved, with the broader goals of accountability, victim support, and public confidence in the justice system.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the affordable care act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 21 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 03, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2021. (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 $470,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O BJA 2021 94004

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