FY 2022 National Criminal History Improvement Program | O BJS 2022 171203

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJS 2022 171203

The FY 2022 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) is a discretionary federal grant offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), under the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). The program is designed to help states and federally recognized tribal governments strengthen the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history record information that is used across the justice system. In line with OJP priorities, the opportunity is framed around broader goals such as advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting victims and justice-involved individuals, improving community safety, addressing evolving public safety threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

For FY 2022, BJS highlights two primary funding priorities. The first is improving the reporting of dispositions, meaning the final outcomes of criminal cases (such as convictions, acquittals, dismissals, or sentencing decisions). Disposition data is often the missing link in criminal history records, and incomplete dispositions can lead to inaccurate records, inefficiencies, and fairness concerns. Funding under this priority is meant to support efforts that increase the consistency and timeliness of disposition reporting so that criminal history repositories and related systems reflect accurate case outcomes rather than just arrests or charges.

The second priority focuses on improving reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), specifically regarding individuals who are prohibited from possessing firearms for mental health-related reasons. This priority is aimed at strengthening the completeness and accuracy of records that determine firearm purchase eligibility during background checks. In practice, this can include improving the capture, standardization, and transmission of relevant prohibiting records from state or tribal sources into NICS so the system can more reliably identify disqualifying conditions when a background check is performed.

This opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the awarding agency expects to have substantial involvement during the period of performance (for example, through coordination, oversight, and collaboration on goals, deliverables, or technical approaches). The funding activity category is listed as Information and Statistics, consistent with BJSs role in improving justice data infrastructure and data quality. The CFDA number associated with the program is 16.554.

Eligible applicants are limited to state governments and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The notice was created on March 23, 2022, with an original application deadline of May 16, 2022. BJS anticipated making about 42 awards, with an overall program ceiling of $70,000,000, indicating a large national investment spread across multiple jurisdictions to upgrade systems, processes, and reporting pipelines that feed criminal history repositories and national background check mechanisms.

In short, FY 2022 NCHIP funding is positioned as a targeted effort to improve the reliability of criminal history records, with special attention on closing disposition gaps and strengthening NICS reporting for mental health-related firearm prohibitions, while also aligning these data improvements with OJPs broader emphasis on equity, justice access, and public trust.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2022 National Criminal History Improvement Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.554.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 23, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 16, 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 $70,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 42 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).

Apply for O BJS 2022 171203

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