FY 2023 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories | O BJS 2023 171668

FAQs: FY 2023 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL) Cooperative Agreement

What is the FY 2023 CPFFCL grant opportunity?

The FY 2023 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories (CPFFCL) opportunity is a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) cooperative agreement to fund the administration of a nationwide census of publicly funded forensic crime laboratories in the United States. The overall goal is to produce updated, comprehensive, and comparable national information about how these laboratories operate.

Who is offering and funding this opportunity?

This is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).

Is this a grant or a cooperative agreement?

It is a cooperative agreement rather than a standard grant. This typically indicates substantial federal involvement during the project, such as coordination on instrument design, methodological decisions, fielding strategy, and review of deliverables.

What is the main purpose of the award?

The purpose is to conduct and complete the 2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories and produce updated national statistical information on laboratory operations, workload, resources, and the policies and procedures that guide forensic work.

What are the expected outcomes or benefits of the census?

The census is intended to produce current, standardized data that can help policymakers and practitioners understand laboratory capacity constraints, backlogs, technology needs, and procedural consistency across jurisdictions. Because forensic laboratories are central to criminal investigations and court processes, comparable national information supports broader analysis and planning.

Which year is the census measuring (the reference year)?

The census will use 2024 as the reference year, meaning the data collected is intended to describe laboratory operations and conditions during 2024.

How long is the project period?

The project period is 36 months.

What is the core deliverable for the recipient?

The core deliverable is the successful execution of the 2024 Census of Publicly Funded Forensic Crime Laboratories, including collecting responses across the full eligible universe and producing interim and final datasets that are clean, accurate, and usable for analysis and publication.

What types of information is the census expected to collect from laboratories?

The census is expected to capture key operational and performance-related data, including laboratory workload and case processing demands, staffing and other resources, and the policies and procedures that shape forensic operations.

What does "nationwide census" mean in this context?

It means the data collection is intended to cover the full universe of eligible publicly funded forensic crime laboratories in the United States, not just a sample.

What is meant by a "multimode" data collection approach?

A multimode approach generally means using more than one method to collect information to reduce nonresponse and improve completeness. Examples mentioned include web-based instruments combined with follow-up by phone, email, or paper options.

Is the recipient responsible for creating or maintaining a list of eligible laboratories?

Yes. The recipient must update and maintain a national directory of all publicly funded forensic crime laboratories. This is described as foundational because census accuracy depends on having a complete and current set of entities to be surveyed, including laboratories that may have reorganized, merged, changed oversight, or been newly established.

How important are response rates and participation in this census?

Maximizing participation is a major operational expectation. The awardee is expected to make reasonable efforts to maximize participation because strong response rates are critical to producing credible national statistics and minimizing bias.

What data quality expectations apply to the datasets delivered under this award?

The opportunity indicates that interim and final datasets must be clean and accurate. This includes systematic review for completeness, internal consistency, valid ranges, duplicate records, and other common data issues, along with careful data management, documentation, and quality assurance.

Does the scope include documentation and quality assurance, or only collecting responses?

The scope goes beyond collecting responses. The deliverables imply careful data management, documentation, and quality assurance so the resulting datasets are usable for analysis and publication by BJS and the justice statistics community.

What funding activity category does this opportunity fall under?

The opportunity is categorized under the "Information and Statistics" funding activity. It is associated with CFDA 16.734, reflecting that the primary output is statistical infrastructure and national data products rather than direct service delivery.

How does this project align with Office of Justice Programs (OJP) priorities?

The project is framed within OJP priorities that include advancing civil rights and racial equity, improving access to justice, supporting crime victims and justice-impacted individuals, strengthening community safety, protecting the public from emerging threats, and building trust between law enforcement and communities.

Who is eligible to apply for this opportunity?

Eligibility includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they are not institutions of higher education in the relevant category), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses.

How many awards did BJS anticipate making?

BJS anticipated making a single award.

What is the maximum funding amount available (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling is $600,000.

What is the funding opportunity number?

The funding opportunity number is O-BJS-2023-171668.

When was the opportunity created and when did it close?

The opportunity was created on March 22, 2023. The original closing date was May 24, 2023.

What does "publicly funded forensic crime laboratories" refer to in the census?

Based on the opportunity description, the census is focused on the universe of forensic crime laboratories in the United States that are publicly funded and therefore eligible for inclusion in the nationwide census.

Why is maintaining a current directory of laboratories specifically called out?

The description highlights that laboratory landscapes can change (reorganizations, mergers, oversight changes, newly established labs). A current directory helps ensure the census reaches the correct entities and supports accurate coverage of the full eligible universe.

What are examples of operational challenges the resulting data may help address?

The opportunity indicates the data can help stakeholders understand capacity constraints, backlogs, technology needs, and procedural consistency across jurisdictions.