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Grants / Justice and legal services

BJA FY26 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR)—Competitive Grants Program

Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice

Deadline
November 3, 2026in 14 days
Award size
Up to $4.9 million
Matching funds
Not required
Fit for small groups
Better for larger organizations

In plain language

This grant helps pay for DNA testing and related work to reduce backlogs in crime labs. It is meant for local and state governments that run crime labs.

The money can pay for

  • Paying for DNA testing equipment
  • Training for lab staff
  • Improving DNA processing efficiency
  • Implementing Rapid DNA technology

Who can apply

Local and state governments, including counties, cities, and special districts, can apply for this grant.

Is it a fit for a small group?

Better for larger organizations. This grant is for government agencies that run crime labs, not for small community nonprofits like food pantries or churches.

Before you apply

  • Application deadline is November 3, 2026
  • Only governments can apply
  • No matching funds required
  • Federal applicants need an active registration at SAM.gov and a Grants.gov account. Registration can take several weeks, so start early.

This summary was written by GrantGather with AI, based on the official listing. It can contain mistakes. Check the official listing on Grants.gov before you apply.

From the official listing

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…

Read the full description

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.

Opportunity number
O-BJA-2026-172680
Posted
September 23, 2026
Eligible applicants
Special district governments
County governments
City or township governments
Others (see eligibility details)
State governments
Eligibility details
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.
Assistance listing
16.036 Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program
Agency contact
Bureau of Justice Assistance
OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov
202-514-9354
Open the official listing on Grants.govAgency’s full announcement

Nonprofits are eligible here through the “Others” category. Read the eligibility details carefully.