Fiscal Year 2006 Report on the Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grants Program

• NCJ Number: 233976
• Date Published: August 2007
• Length: 3 pages
• Agencies: NIJ

Abstract

The Paul Coverdell Forensic Sciences Improvement Grants Program provides funding to crime laboratories and medical examiner offices through a two-part process consisting of "Base" and "Competitive" funding. In FY2006, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) made a total of 87 Coverdell awards. These consisted of 43 "Base" awards to State Administering Agencies (SAAs), 34 "Competitive" awards to units of local government, and 10 combination "Base" and "Competitive" awards to SAAs. According to the Coverdell Act, seventy-five percent (75%) of the total program amount must be awarded to states through State Administering Agencies based on individual state population. These "Base" awards are dispersed as formula grants to all eligible SAAs who apply for funding. SAAs from all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and five U.S. territories are eligible to apply for "Base" funding. Twenty-five percent (25%) of the total program amount must be dedicated to the program's "Competitive" component. These "Competitive" funds may be awarded to SAAs and they can be dispersed directly to units of local government.