Fiscal Year 2014 Report on the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program

This grants program, which is administered by the U.S. Justice Department's National Institute of Justice (NIJ), provides funding to States and units of local government for improving the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, in accordance with the Coverdell Act. NIJ conducts the Coverdell Grants Program through a grant solicitation that has both a formula and a competitive component. Only States are eligible to apply for the formula component. States and local governments that provide forensic science or medical-examiner services may apply for the competitive funding. In FY 2014, NIJ received 194 applications under the Coverdell grants program; 30 States applied for base funding, and 24 States applied for a combination of base and competitive funding. The remaining 139 applications were received from units of local government for competitive funding. Twenty-one applications were denied for various reasons. NIJ made 72 awards totaling $10,504,870; 50 States received base awards; 4 States received a combination of base and competitive awards; and 18 units of local government received competitive awards. Since its inception, the Coverdell Program has made 1,073 grants to States and units of local governments. Since 2002, NIJ has monitored each award to ensure compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and policies. This web page provides online access to the 2014 awards list and 45 pages of 2014 grant abstracts.