The Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has released the FY25 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grants (JAG) for the State Formula Program and the Local Formula Program.
While Byrne JAG is typically a funding program for law enforcement agencies, funding is available for forensic science service providers and forensic science medical providers (MECs). The funding is generally provided to the State or Local Administering Agency, so forensic science providers should consult with local and state agencies to determine the best way to apply directly to BJA or through the local or state administering agency that is the passthrough organization for the funding. Funding is allocated based on a statutory formula that considers population and violent crime statistics, and jurisdictions have broad flexibility in how funds are used across the justice system (including for forensics).
One specific purpose area is DNA Testing of Evidentiary Materials and Uploading DNA Profiles to a Database: If JAG Program funds are to be used for DNA testing of evidentiary materials, any resulting eligible DNA profiles must be uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), the national DNA database operated by the FBI, by a government DNA lab with access to CODIS. JAG funds may not be used for Rapid DNA testing of evidentiary material (e.g., crime scene samples, sexual assault kits) because the FBI has not authorized results of this testing for upload to CODIS. No DNA profiles generated with JAG funding may be entered into any other nongovernmental DNA database without prior written approval from BJA. Additionally, award recipients utilizing JAG funds for forensic genealogy testing must adhere to the DOJ Interim Policy Forensic Genealogical DNA Analysis and Searching available at: https://www.justice.gov/olp/page/file/1204386/download. For more information about DNA testing as it pertains to JAG, please refer to the JAG FAQs.