Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2021 94003
The BJA FY 21 National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) is a discretionary grant program run by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), designed to help jurisdictions make real progress on unsubmitted sexual assault kits and related cold-case evidence. The overall intent is to strengthen public safety and trust while advancing civil rights and access to justice, with a clear focus on supporting victims and improving the ability of law enforcement and prosecutors to resolve sexual assault cases. In practice, the program is meant to move evidence that has been sitting in custody into the testing and investigative pipeline, and then ensure communities have the staffing, policies, and coordination needed to act on what the testing reveals.
SAKI primarily funds efforts to identify and address sexual assault kits that are in a jurisdiction's custody but have not been submitted to a forensic laboratory for CODIS-eligible DNA testing. The initiative also supports work that happens after testing, including improving investigations and prosecutions connected to the evidence and cases that come out of the testing process. A third major purpose is helping sites collect and submit DNA samples from qualifying individuals who, under applicable state law (based on the offense type and timing), should already have a DNA sample in CODIS but do not because a sample was never collected or never sent for testing. The emphasis is on closing gaps that prevent CODIS from being as complete and useful as it is supposed to be.
Beyond fully unsubmitted kits, SAKI also covers partially tested sexual assault kits (as defined in the program materials) and untested evidence tied to sexually motivated homicides. That broader scope reflects the reality that unresolved sexual violence cases can involve multiple evidence types and may overlap with homicide investigations, and that incomplete testing can leave probative DNA results undiscovered. At the same time, the program draws a firm boundary around what it is not meant to fund: it is not aimed at kits that have already been submitted to a lab for CODIS-eligible DNA testing but are simply delayed more than 30 days due to a laboratory backlog. DOJ notes that a separate program exists to address lab backlogs and capacity constraints, so SAKI is focused more on getting evidence into the system and supporting case follow-through rather than increasing lab throughput for already-submitted items.
Administratively, this opportunity was listed under Funding Opportunity Number O-BJA-2021-94003 and CFDA number 16.833. The program is offered as a grant with an award ceiling of up to $2,500,000 per award, and BJA projected about 28 awards for this cycle. The opportunity was posted on May 03, 2021, with an original closing date of Jun 22, 2021. Eligibility is indicated as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which signals that applicants may include a range of entities depending on the specific eligibility language in the full solicitation (often including state, local, tribal, and potentially other designated partners involved in the criminal justice and victim services response).
For additional context and resources connected to untested kits and DNA evidence issues, the notice points applicants to DOJ/National Institute of Justice materials at http://nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/dna/pages/welcome.aspx.Apply for O BJA 2021 94003
- The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the affordable care act sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 21 National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.833.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 22, 2021. (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 $2,500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 28 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): BJA FY 21 National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI)
1. What is the BJA FY 21 National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI)?
SAKI is a discretionary grant program administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It is designed to help jurisdictions make measurable progress on sexual assault kits (SAKs) that have not been submitted for CODIS-eligible DNA testing, along with related cold-case evidence and follow-on investigative and prosecutorial work.
2. What is the main goal of SAKI?
The main goal is to move evidence that has been sitting in custody into the DNA testing and investigative pipeline, and to ensure jurisdictions have the staffing, policies, and coordination needed to act on the results. The program emphasizes strengthening public safety and trust, advancing civil rights and access to justice, and supporting victims while improving law enforcement and prosecution capacity to resolve sexual assault cases.
3. What kinds of activities does SAKI primarily fund?
SAKI primarily funds efforts to identify and address sexual assault kits that are in a jurisdiction's custody but have not been submitted to a forensic laboratory for CODIS-eligible DNA testing. It also supports work that happens after testing, including improving investigations and prosecutions connected to evidence and cases that arise from the testing process.
4. Does SAKI support work after DNA testing is completed?
Yes. In addition to getting unsubmitted evidence into testing, SAKI supports improvements to investigations and prosecutions tied to the evidence and cases that come out of the testing process, recognizing that testing results require coordinated follow-through to be meaningful.
5. Does SAKI address missing DNA samples from qualifying individuals for CODIS?
Yes. A major purpose of SAKI is to help jurisdictions collect and submit DNA samples from qualifying individuals who, under applicable state law (based on offense type and timing), should already have a DNA sample in CODIS but do not because a sample was never collected or never sent for testing.
6. What does SAKI mean by closing gaps in CODIS?
Based on the program description, the emphasis is on closing procedural and operational gaps that prevent CODIS from being as complete and useful as intended, such as situations where required DNA samples were never collected or never submitted, and where eligible sexual assault kit evidence has remained outside the testing pipeline.
7. Does SAKI only cover fully unsubmitted sexual assault kits?
No. The scope also includes partially tested sexual assault kits (as defined in the program materials) and untested evidence tied to sexually motivated homicides, reflecting that unresolved sexual violence cases can involve multiple evidence types and may overlap with homicide investigations.
8. What are "partially tested" sexual assault kits in this program?
The opportunity notes that SAKI covers partially tested sexual assault kits "as defined in the program materials." The specific definition is not provided in the summary text, so applicants would need to rely on the program materials in the full solicitation for the precise meaning.
9. Does SAKI fund testing for evidence in sexually motivated homicide cases?
Yes. The program description states that SAKI covers untested evidence tied to sexually motivated homicides, acknowledging that incomplete testing can leave probative DNA results undiscovered.
10. What does SAKI specifically not aim to fund?
SAKI draws a clear boundary: it is not aimed at sexual assault kits that have already been submitted to a lab for CODIS-eligible DNA testing but are simply delayed more than 30 days due to a laboratory backlog. The description indicates DOJ has a separate program intended to address lab backlogs and capacity constraints.
11. If our kits are already submitted but delayed due to lab backlog, is SAKI the right program?
Based on the notice, no. SAKI is focused on getting evidence into the system and supporting case follow-through, not increasing lab throughput for items that have already been submitted but delayed due to backlog beyond 30 days.
12. What agency runs this opportunity?
This opportunity is run by the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
13. Is this a discretionary grant?
Yes. The opportunity is described as a discretionary grant program.
14. What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this SAKI solicitation?
The Funding Opportunity Number listed is O-BJA-2021-94003.
15. What is the CFDA number for this program?
The CFDA number listed is 16.833.
16. What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is up to $2,500,000 per award.
17. How many awards were expected for this cycle?
BJA projected about 28 awards for this cycle.
18. When was this opportunity posted?
The opportunity was posted on May 03, 2021.
19. What was the original closing date?
The original closing date listed was Jun 22, 2021.
20. Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is indicated as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)." This suggests that applicants may include a range of entities depending on the specific eligibility language in the full solicitation. The summary notes that eligibility often includes state, local, tribal, and potentially other designated partners involved in the criminal justice and victim services response, but the controlling details would be in the full solicitation.
21. What types of organizations might be included under "Others" for eligibility?
The summary text suggests that "Others" can signal a range of entities, often including state, local, tribal, and potentially other designated partners involved in criminal justice and victim services. The exact eligible applicant types are not spelled out in the provided description and would be clarified in the full solicitation.
22. What kinds of outcomes is SAKI intended to support?
Based on the description, SAKI is intended to help jurisdictions strengthen public safety and trust, advance civil rights and access to justice, and improve the ability of law enforcement and prosecutors to resolve sexual assault cases, while maintaining a clear focus on supporting victims.
23. Does SAKI focus only on testing, or also on policies and coordination?
It focuses on more than testing. The description emphasizes that communities need staffing, policies, and coordination to act on what testing reveals, and that SAKI supports the case follow-through needed once evidence enters the system.
24. Where can applicants find related federal resources on untested kits and DNA evidence?
The notice points to DOJ/National Institute of Justice resources at: http://nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/dna/pages/welcome.aspx
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| BJA FY 21 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR) Program Apply for O BJA 2021 04004 Funding Number: O BJA 2021 04004 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Affordable Care Act Funding Amount: $4,250,000 |
| BJA FY 21 Strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner System Program Apply for O BJA 2021 09001 Funding Number: O BJA 2021 09001 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Affordable Care Act Funding Amount: $150,000 |
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| BJA FY 21 Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Program Apply for O BJA 2021 11003 Funding Number: O BJA 2021 11003 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Affordable Care Act Funding Amount: $300,000 |
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