Notice of Funding Opportunity

FFY2019 PAUL COVERDELL FORENSIC SCIENCE IMPROVEMENT ACT/NATIONAL FORENSIC SCIENCE IMPROVEMENT ACT (NFSIA)

The Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority (ICJIA) is requesting proposals to help improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner/coroner services throughout Illinois. Grants will be made with NFSIA FFY19 funds. A total of $663,555in funding is available through this solicitation from a targeted period of February 1, 2020 – December 31, 2020. Additional funding of up to 24 months may be awarded after the initial funding period, contingent upon a satisfactory performance and availability of funds. Total funding for the grant program will not exceed 36 months.

Application deadline: November 29, 2019.

Program Requirements

At least fifty-seven percent of funding must be used to reduce the opioid crisis in your area.
Applicant must certify that they use of generally accepted laboratory practices.
Each forensic science laboratory must certify that it is accredited or use a portion of the grant to prepare and apply for such accreditation.
Each forensic science lab must have a process in place to conduct independent external investigations into allegations of serious negligence or misconduct.
Budget- each line item and narrative must clearly identify which items are opioid or non-opioid related.

Eligibility Information

An entity may not apply for a grant until the entity has registered and pre-qualified through the Grant Accountability and Transparency Act (GATA) Grantee Portal, www.grants.illinois.gov/portal. Registration and pre-qualification are required each state fiscal year.

Applicants are also required to submit a financial and administrative risk assessment utilizing an Internal Controls Questionnaire (ICQ) for state fiscal year 2020 Delay in obtaining SF2020 ICQ approval will result in a delay in grant execution.

1. Eligible Applicants

Please note: “Police identification units” (units operating outside of the crime laboratory function), or entities that engage exclusively in evidence collection and documentation, are not forensic science laboratories for these purposes

Deadline

Completed application materials must be emailed to CJA.NFSIAFFY19@Illinois.gov by 11:59 p.m., November 29, 2019, to be considered for funding. Proposals will not be accepted by mail, fax, or in-person. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Late submissions will not be reviewed.

Available Funds

A total of $663,555 in funding is available through this solicitation. ICJIA will award a minimum of $75,000 and a maximum of $150,000 to eligible labs. One application per agency and up to three labs per agency may be funded.

Remaining funds may be made available to successful applicants on a prorated basis.

Agreements that result from this funding opportunity are contingent upon and subject to the availability of funds of sufficient funds. ICJIA, may terminate or suspend this agreement, in whole or in part, without penalty or further payment being required, if (i) sufficient funds for the agreement have not been appropriated or otherwise made available to the grantor by the state or the federal funding source, (ii) the governor or grantor reserves funds, or (iii) the governor or ICJIA determines that funds will not or may not be available for payment. ICJIA will provide notice, in writing, to the grantee of any such funding failure and its election to terminate or suspend the agreement as soon as practicable. Any suspension or termination pursuant to this Section will be effective upon the date of the written notice unless otherwise indicated.

Applications must include an Implementation Schedule that describes how the program activities will be carried out. The Implementation Schedule must include information that will allow ICJIA to assess grant activity relative to planned project performance.

Period of Performance

Funding will be made available for a program period of February 1, 2020, to December 31, 2020. Based on program performance and fund availability, the ICJIA may recommend allocation of funding to support an additional 24 months

Technical Assistance Session

Technical assistance recordings providing additional information regarding this funding opportunity will be available for viewing beginning at 1:30 p.m. on October 29, 2019.

View the required Technical Assistance Webinars below:

• NFSIA FFY19 NOFO Budget Instructions

• NFSIA FFY19 General Requirements

• NFSIA FFY19 NOFO Program Information

Information provided during this webinar recording will be unofficial and not binding on the state.

Timeline

Task	Date
NOFO Posted	October 29, 2019
NOFO question submission deadline	November 22, 2019
Applications Due	11:59 p.m., November 29, 2019
Anticipated Budget Committee review/approval of recommended designations	January 2020
Projected program start date	After February 1, 2020

Reporting

Recipients must submit periodic financial reports, periodic performance reports, final financial and performance reports, and, a calendar year end financial report in accordance with the CFR Part 200 Uniform Requirements. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if reports are delinquent.

In addition, funded programs will be required to submit quarterly data report in accordance with the objectives and performance measures provided by the U.S Department of Justice/Office of Justice Programs/National Institute of Justice.

Required Documents

The following documents must be emailed to CJA.NFSIAFFY19@Illinois.gov by the 11:59 p.m., November 29, 2019, deadline for application review. Click the links below to download copies.