How Funding Is Allocated

NIJ expects to award a total of up to $ 65 million under the FY 2010 Forensic DNA Backlog Reduction Program. In general, the aggregate amount of FY 2010 funds allocated to eligible applicants from a particular State (including both the State and its units of local government) will be based on:

1. The number of UCR, Part 1 Violent Crimes reported to the FBI for 2008 (the most current year for which such data are available). See UCR Violent Crime Statistics on the FBI Web site.
2. The minimum aggregate amount available to eligible applicants from each State. For FY 2010, if the aggregate amount, based on the number of UCR, Part 1 iolent Crimes reported to the FBI, would have been less than $150,000, that ggregate amount has been increased to $150,000.[1]
3. The number of qualifying State and local applicants also may affect award amounts.

See "Appendix: Estimated Allocation of Funds—FY 2010" for a chart of estimated aggregate amounts available for awards, by State.

A unit of local government that meets the eligibility requirements of this solicitation must specify in its application the proportion of their State's total UCR Part 1 Violent Crimes for 2008. If 2008 data are not available, the most recent data may be submitted. In general, funds are expected to be allocated among the eligible applicants within a particular State on the basis of UCR, Part 1 Violent Crimes. However, NIJ encourages States with multiple eligible applicants to coordinate among themselves to ensure that, if practicable, all eligible applicants receive a minimum of $100,000, regardless of whether their proportion (based on 2008 statistics for UCR Part 1 Violent Crimes) rises to that level or not.

Also, to avoid delay in the processing of applications and release of award funds, all eligible applicants within each State that seek FY 2010 Forensic DNA Backlog Reduction Program funds are encouraged to coordinate to ensure that the total funds sought does not exceed the total aggregate amount available to each State as shown in the chart in the appendix.
 
All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.

Notes

1 This minimum aggregate amount is intended, among other things, to provide funds for purchase of items such as expert systems, laboratory information management systems, or robotic workstations (should eligible applicants have needs for such items). Back to text.