Data / Federal grants / O-BJA-2026-172680
BJA FY26 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR)—Competitive Grants Program
Bureau of Justice Assistance (Department of Justice) is accepting applications until November 3, 2026. It lists awards of up to $4.9 million.
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Key facts
- Opportunity number
- O-BJA-2026-172680
- Status
- Posted, open
- Posted
- September 23, 2026
- Closes
- November 3, 2026
- Award ceiling
- $4,900,000
- Cost sharing
- Not required
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
- Law, Justice and Legal Services
- Assistance listing
- 16.036 Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program
- Contact
- Bureau of Justice Assistance · [email protected] · 202-514-9354
Who can apply
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- City or township governments
- County governments
- Special district governments
- State governments
Other units of local government: For the purposes of this notice of funding opportunity, other units of local government include towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state.
What the agency says
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) — Competitive Grants Program. This opportunity will increase capacity of states and units of local government with existing crime laboratories to process DNA samples for entry into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The purpose of the CEBR Competitive Program is to maximize the effective utilization of DNA technology to strengthen evidence-based criminal justice responses. The priorities of the CEBR Competitive Program are (1) to use DNA technology to increase the capacity and/or efficiency of publicly funded forensic DNA laboratories to conduct analysis of DNA samples for entry into CODIS and (2) implementing Rapid DNA in the booking station(s) in eligible jurisdictions. The program is designed to fairly and efficiently prioritize jurisdictions facing operational challenges by considering key performance measures reported by publicly funded forensic DNA laboratories.
This program is for Competitive funding only. The BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) — Formula Grants Program for formula funding will post at a later date. Eligible agencies may apply for both Competitive and Formula CEBR Funding.
Other open grants from the Department of Justice
| Opportunity | Status | Closes | Award ceiling | Total funding | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OJP FY 2026 Special Attorneys Program Round 10 O-BJA-2026-172792 | Open | Oct 28 | $3,000,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Capital Case Litigation Initiative: Improving the Quality of Legal Representation in State Capital Cases O-BJA-2026-172715 | Open | Oct 29 | $450,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR)—Formula Grants Program O-BJA-2026-172718 | Open | Oct 29 | $3,500,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program O-BJA-2026-172711 | Open | Oct 29 | $500,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA O-BJA-2026-172708 | Open | Oct 29 | $750,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Program O-BJA-2026-172714 | Open | Oct 29 | $2,500,000 | grants.gov |
All grants open to City or township governments · All grants open to County governments · All grants open to Special district governments · Everything closing in November 2026
Read from the Grants.gov API, last updated 2026-10-24. The agency's notice on Grants.gov is the official record; check it before you apply.