Bureau of Justice Assistance · Department of Justice
BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR)—Formula Grants Program
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Oct 29, 2026 · 21 days left
- Award size
- Up to $3.5M
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- City or town government, County government, State government, Special district (utility, fire, etc.), Public college or university, and others named in the official notice
- Where
- Anywhere in the U.S., including Tennessee
Before you apply: federal grants require an active SAM.gov registration (Unique Entity ID) and a Grants.gov account. The deadline is in 21 days. If your registration isn't already active, it may not be ready in time, so check it today. Get-ready checklist
How this fits you
- Available in Henry County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 5
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/3a0e40ab-7a19-40d8-a7cb-fa42f371afd3 · Printed from grantme.click/grants/58cb11b8-cac9-40cb-bb85-3630b7e983b6
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
More from Bureau of Justice Assistance
- OJP FY 2026 Special Attorneys Program Round 9 · Due today (Oct 8, 2026)
- BJA FY 2026 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program—Local Formula · Due Oct 9, 2026 · 1 day left
- U.S. Department of Justice FY26 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Notice of Funding Opportunity · Due Oct 15, 2026 · 7 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Program · Due Oct 15, 2026 · 7 days left
- DOJ FY 2026 Assisting Neighborhoods and Governments with Enforcement of Laws (ANGEL) Grant Program · Due Oct 20, 2026 · 12 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Tribal Justice Training and Technical Assistance Program · Due Oct 21, 2026 · 13 days left
About this grant
Who can apply, from the official notice
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct8
Check that your SAM.gov registration is active (or start it now)
Grants.gov: allow up to 10 business days for SAM registration, weeks or months if information isn't verified. It must be renewed every year. Grants.gov - Oct8
Ask partners for letters of support or commitment
Suggested: partners need about three weeks to write and sign letters. - Oct22
Finish a complete draft for a final review
Suggested: leave about a week for someone else to read the draft. - Oct27
Submit
Grants.gov: submit at least 24–48 hours before the deadline: uploads fail, systems slow down, errors need fixing. Grants.gov blog - Oct29
Deadline
From the funder.
Save this grant to put these dates in My grants and your private calendar.
Writing the need statement? Henry County facts with citations.
See how others wrote it
The agency posted this example. Read them for structure and level of detail. Don't copy their words: funders treat copied text as plagiarism, and requirements change from year to year, so follow the current notice.
- Any OJP grant (sample for a rural police department)
Sample budgets
A sample budget summary and budget narrative. Not a full application · Link checked Oct 7, 2026
Who in Tennessee has won this program
5 awards to Tennessee groups in 1 county since 2020 · 0 in Henry County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Bureau of Investigation | Nashville, Davidson County | $2M | 2025 |
| Tennessee Bureau of Investigation | Nashville, Davidson County | $470K | 2021 |
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $314K spent that year | 2025 |
| Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County | Nashville, Davidson County | $244K | 2025 |
| The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee | Nashville, Davidson County | $1,360 spent that year | 2025 |
Source: USAspending.gov; Federal Audit Clearinghouse. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
About the federal program
Comprehensive Forensic DNA Analysis Grant Program, also called “Cold Cases”
Program number 16.036 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Justice, OJP Bureau of Justice Assistance · Grant
How applications are judged
In each year's official notice: read this year's.
Match
None required (federal program listing).