BJA FY 2026 Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration Initiative

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance administers the Local Law Enforcement Crime Gun Intelligence Center Integration Initiative in collaboration with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The initiative supports law enforcement agencies seeking to establish or expand Crime Gun Intelligence Centers, or CGICs, to address firearm-related crime. CGICs use interagency collaboration, intelligence, and technology to support the timely collection, management, and analysis of crime gun evidence. The program emphasizes the use of the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or NIBIN, and the Electronic Tracing System, or eTrace, to identify crime guns and their sources and support the investigation and prosecution of perpetrators. The funding opportunity contains two categories. Category 1, Expansion of an Existing CGIC, supports local law enforcement agencies with established CGICs that seek to improve operational effectiveness and can demonstrate a track record of using ballistic evidence to address violent crime. Category 2, Implementation of a New CGIC, supports law enforcement agencies establishing a CGIC for the first time and requires a clear strategy for partnering with ATF to create a system for collecting, analyzing, and acting on ballistic evidence and firearms intelligence. Applicants in either category may propose a regional approach involving surrounding jurisdictions as subrecipients or by providing them NIBIN access. Applicants must identify one category and may not apply under both. The program expects approximately 3000000 dollars in total funding. BJA anticipates three Category 1 awards of up to 300000 dollars each and three Category 2 awards of up to 700000 dollars each. Category 1 awards are expected to have a 24-month period beginning October 1, 2026, while Category 2 awards are expected to have a 36-month period beginning October 1, 2026. No cost sharing or matching contribution is required. Costs must be reasonable, allocable, necessary to implement the project, and allowable under the applicable funding statute and agency requirements. Activities that violate applicable federal immigration, civil rights, or nondiscrimination laws are outside the program scope, and specified legal services for removable aliens or aliens otherwise unlawfully present in the United States are unallowable except for the exceptions identified in the notice. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, federally recognized Native American Tribal governments, Native American Tribal governments other than federally recognized governments, other units of local government, and state, local, and Tribal law enforcement agencies, including prosecutors' offices. An applicant may submit only one application and may apply to only one funding category. Project partners must participate as subrecipients rather than co-applicants when a project will be carried out by multiple entities. Applicants in either category must obtain a letter of support from their local ATF Field Division. State or local government applicants must also submit the required Certification by the Chief Executive Officer or senior official of the Applicant Government. Failure to provide that certification when required results in denial. Submission uses a two-step process. Applicants must complete the SF-424 and submit it through Grants.gov by September 24, 2026, at 11:59 PM Eastern Time. The complete application must then be submitted through JustGrants by October 1, 2026, at 8:59 PM Eastern Time. Required application elements include the SF-424, Standard Applicant Information, Proposal Narrative, Budget, the required ATF Field Division letter of support, and the required government certification when applicable. Other application materials include the proposal abstract, Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire, Agency Funding Priorities Inventory, applicable financial attachments, memoranda of understanding, resumes, applicable Tribal authorizing documentation, additional letters of support, and disclosures and assurances. The Proposal Narrative may not exceed 20 pages and must address Description of the Need, Project Goals and Objectives, Project Design and Implementation, and Capabilities and Competencies. Peer review assigns 5 percent of the application score to Description of the Need, 15 percent to Project Goals and Objectives, 35 percent to Project Design and Implementation, 30 percent to Capabilities and Competencies, and 15 percent to the Budget. Applicants must demonstrate how the proposed project directly addresses a precipitous or extraordinary increase in violent firearm-related crime and should provide relevant crime, shooting, homicide, resource, and community need information. Recipients will be expected to submit performance reports, a final report documenting processes, outcomes, evaluation findings, and lessons learned, and a completed application for ATF CGIC Certification. OJP may also give priority consideration to qualifying projects that advance stated agency priorities, although priority consideration does not guarantee an award. The NOFO was released August 17, 2026. Applicants are advised to begin SAM.gov registration or renewal by August 25, 2026, and no later than September 10, 2026, although registration is not a separate application gate. The Grants.gov submission deadline is September 24, 2026, and the JustGrants final application deadline is October 1, 2026. The expected award periods begin October 1, 2026. The source does not state that this opportunity recurs annually or on another regular schedule. Program questions may be directed to the OJP Response Center at OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov or 800-851-3420. Grants.gov assistance is available at support@grants.gov or 800-518-4726, and JustGrants assistance is available at JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov or 833-872-5175.

Demonstrate a precipitous or extraordinary increase in violent firearm-related crime using jurisdiction-specific violent crime, nonfatal shooting, and firearm homicide data. Clearly connect project goals, measurable objectives, activities, staffing, partners, and deliverables to the CGIC business model. Explain timely use of NIBIN and eTrace and how forensic intelligence will drive investigations and prosecutions. Give particular attention to Project Design and Implementation and Capabilities and Competencies because they represent 35 percent and 30 percent of the application score. Ensure the requested award does not exceed the applicable category ceiling and submit all required components, especially the ATF Field Division letter and applicable government certification.