FY 2019 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) | BJS 2019 15724

Opportunity Information: Apply for BJS 2019 15724

The FY 2019 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) is a federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), designed to strengthen public safety by improving the quality and usability of criminal history record information nationwide. The program focuses on making criminal records more complete, accurate, and accessible so they can be reliably used for both criminal justice purposes and noncriminal justice background checks. A key part of the program is supporting the broader national background check framework, including checks conducted through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), by helping jurisdictions ensure the underlying records are timely, well maintained, and consistently available where they are needed.

The program is built around four core objectives that collectively aim to modernize and standardize how criminal history information is collected, managed, and shared. First, NCHIP provides direct financial and technical assistance to states, state courts, and tribes to improve criminal records systems and other related systems that support background checks. This can include efforts that help jurisdictions capture missing dispositions, reduce backlogs, improve the linkage between arrests and court outcomes, and strengthen the overall integrity of records that are queried during eligibility determinations. Second, the program emphasizes building and improving infrastructure so that criminal history record systems connect properly to state record repositories or appropriate federal record systems, and so that records can be accessed through FBI record systems. In practical terms, this objective supports interoperability and the ability to transmit and retrieve records in a way that makes them usable beyond local or state boundaries.

Third, NCHIP prioritizes training and technical assistance to ensure records systems are developed and operated in alignment with FBI standards and appropriate technologies. This includes encouraging consistent adherence to technical standards for record formats, submission processes, data quality controls, and system security. It also explicitly underscores the importance of privacy and confidentiality, reflecting the reality that background check systems depend on public trust and must be managed with strong safeguards to prevent misuse, unauthorized access, or improper disclosure of sensitive information. Fourth, the program calls for systematic evaluation and standardized performance measurement so progress can be assessed in a consistent way. That means recipients are expected to use common metrics and statistics to demonstrate improvements in national records holdings and in the effectiveness and reliability of background check systems over time, rather than relying only on anecdotal outcomes.

Administratively, this opportunity was offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning applicants compete for funding and should expect an ongoing relationship with the federal agency that may include substantial involvement, guidance, or collaboration during the project period. The funding activity category is listed as Information and Statistics, which aligns with BJS's role in improving the data infrastructure that underpins criminal justice operations and policy decisions. The program is associated with CFDA number 16.554. The posted award ceiling was $5,000,000, with an anticipated 40 awards, indicating that awards could vary widely depending on the scope and needs of each jurisdiction and the specific projects proposed.

The opportunity was created on April 23, 2019, with an original closing date of June 3, 2019. Eligibility is broadly indicated as "Others," with additional clarification referenced in the full solicitation under an eligibility section, which typically specifies which governmental entities, courts, tribal governments, or related agencies and organizations may apply and under what conditions. Overall, NCHIP is best understood as an investment in the data backbone of the justice system: improving the records themselves, the systems that store and transmit them, the standards and training that keep them consistent and secure, and the measurement practices that show whether the national record landscape is actually getting better year over year.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2019 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)" 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 Apr 23, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 03, 2019. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 40 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for BJS 2019 15724

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