Bureau of Justice Assistance · Department of Justice
BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program
In short: Bureau of Justice Assistance gives grants of up to $500,000. Open to many kinds of groups. See who can apply.
Key facts
- Deadline
- Due Oct 29, 2026 · 19 days left
- Award size
- Up to $500K
- Match ?
- Not required · Work out your budget and match
- Who can apply
- Special district (utility, fire, etc.), City or town government, Tribal organization, County government, State government, Tribal government
- 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 19 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 Rhea County (nationwide program)
- No match required
- Past Tennessee awards on file: 17
Tell us who you are to see whether you're eligible.
About this grant
Official notice: https://simpler.grants.gov/opportunity/c6e1455d-bc8d-4a29-b2f5-358cfd74247b · Printed from grantme.click/grants/9242ce98-356a-4f40-9d85-38bd69dcce5a
View on Grants.gov Add deadline to my calendar
Your schedule, working back from the deadline
- Oct10
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 (already past: do it now)
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? Rhea 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
10 awards to Tennessee groups in 2 counties since 2020 · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|
| State of Tennessee | Nashville | $986K spent that year | 2025 |
| Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | Nashville, Davidson County | $452K | 2024 |
| Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | Nashville, Davidson County | $432K | 2025 |
| County of Rutherford | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | $428K | 2026 |
| Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | Nashville, Davidson County | $426K | 2023 |
| Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | Nashville, Davidson County | $347K | 2021 |
| The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee | Nashville, Davidson County | $250K spent that year | 2024 |
| Metropolitan Government of Nashville & Davidson County | Nashville, Davidson County | $250K | 2022 |
| County of Rutherford | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | $152K | 2021 |
| Rutherford County, Tennessee | Murfreesboro, Rutherford County | $893 spent that year | 2024 |
Source: Federal Audit Clearinghouse; USAspending.gov. Past awards show who this program funds. They don't guarantee future awards.
Tennessee groups that got this money through Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration
This federal money also reaches local groups as pass-through grants. In Tennessee, Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration passes it on: watch that agency for applications, not the federal agency. 7 pass-through grants on file · 0 in Rhea County. Largest shown:
| Past winner | Where | Through | Amount | Fiscal year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee Bureau of Investigation | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $325K | 2025 |
| Tennessee Bureau of Investigation | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $301K | 2023 |
| Tennessee Bureau of Investigation | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $199K | 2024 |
| Tennessee Department of Health | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $86K | 2023 |
| Tennessee Department of Health | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $84K | 2025 |
| Tennessee Bureau of Investigation | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $40K | 2024 |
| Tennessee Department of Health | Nashville, Davidson County | Tennessee Department of Finance and Administration | $30K | 2024 |
Source: USAspending.gov pass-through reports (the first recipient reports each one of $30,000 or more).
More from Bureau of Justice Assistance
- U.S. Department of Justice FY26 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Notice of Funding Opportunity · Due Oct 15, 2026 · 5 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Daniel Anderl Judicial Security and Privacy Program · Due Oct 15, 2026 · 5 days left
- DOJ FY 2026 Assisting Neighborhoods and Governments with Enforcement of Laws (ANGEL) Grant Program · Due Oct 20, 2026 · 10 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Tribal Justice Training and Technical Assistance Program · Due Oct 21, 2026 · 11 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Program · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 19 days left
- BJA FY 2026 Capital Case Litigation Initiative: Improving the Quality of Legal Representation in State Capital Cases · Due Oct 29, 2026 · 19 days left
About the federal program
Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grant Program, also called “Coverdell Program”
Program number 16.742 (the federal Assistance Listing number) · U.S. Department of Justice, OJP Bureau of Justice Assistance · Formula grant (amounts set by a formula), project grant
How applications are judged
In each year's official notice: read this year's.
Match
None required (federal program listing).