OpenOpportunity O-BJA-2026-172711

BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program

Bureau of Justice Assistance · Department of Justice

At a glance

BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program is an open federal grant opportunity from the Bureau of Justice Assistance (Department of Justice). Applications are due October 29, 2026. Individual awards are listed as up to $500K. Applicant types listed as eligible include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized tribal governments and 1 more. Cost sharing is not required. It is funded under Assistance Listing 16.742 (Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program).

Summary assembled from the official notice's fields. The official notice governs.

Key facts

Sep 21, 2026Posted
Oct 29, 2026Application deadlinenext date

Posted: Sep 21, 2026
Close date: Oct 29, 2026
Award floor: Not specified
Award ceiling: $500,000
Est. total funding: Not specified
Expected awards: Not specified
Cost sharing: Not required
Funding instrument: Grant
Opportunity category: Discretionary

Who can apply

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Federally recognized tribal governments
Native American tribal organizations

Can your organization apply?

A quick check against the listed applicant types — other requirements in the notice still apply.

Based on the published notice. Review the official notice for complete eligibility requirements.

What it funds

Official synopsis as published by the agency, formatted for readability.

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the BJA FY26 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement—Competitive Grants Program. This opportunity funds improvements to forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services, including services provided by laboratories operated by states and units of local government.

Additional information from the agency ↗

How to apply

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Read the full announcement (NOFO)Eligibility, evaluation criteria, page limits and required attachments are in the full notice on Grants.gov. Open ↗
Confirm eligibility and fitCheck your organization type above; no cost sharing is required.
Register (or renew) in SAM.gov and get a UEIFree. New registrations can take several weeks; registrations must be renewed every year. Open ↗
Set up Grants.gov accessCreate a Grants.gov account and make sure someone has the Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) role. Open ↗
Open the application packageUse opportunity number O-BJA-2026-172711 on Grants.gov (Grants.gov Workspace). Open ↗
Prepare narrative, budget and attachmentsFollow the notice's format exactly — page limits and required forms are common reasons applications are rejected.
Ask the agency contact any questions earlyBureau of Justice Assistance · OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov Open ↗
Submit before October 29, 2026Submit a few days early and keep your Grants.gov confirmation and validation emails.

Assistance Listing

What is an ALN?

16.742Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant ProgramProgram →

Reported obligations under ALN 16.742

Historical data · not a prediction

FY24

$29.5M

FY25

—

FY26

— est.

Source: SAM.gov Assistance Listing 16.742. Program-wide totals, not awards from this specific opportunity.

Agency contact (as published)

Bureau of Justice Assistance
OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov
202-514-9354

Quick answers

When is the deadline for “BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program”?

According to the official notice, applications are due October 29, 2026. Confirm the deadline and submission time on Grants.gov before applying.

Who is eligible to apply for “BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program”?

The official notice names these applicant types as eligible: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Federally recognized tribal governments and Native American tribal organizations. Additional restrictions may apply; review the full notice.

How much funding is available through “BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program”?

Per the notice, individual awards are listed as up to $500k.

How do I apply for “BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program”?

Applications are submitted through the official source, not through GrantsJunction. Open the official notice on Grants.gov (opportunity O-BJA-2026-172711), and review the full announcement and application package. Organizations applying through Grants.gov generally need an active SAM.gov registration and a Grants.gov account, which can take several weeks to set up.

Matched on shared Assistance Listings, agency, categories and eligible applicant types.

OpenALN 16.742