Missing and Unidentified Human Remains (MUHR) Program

Program goal(s) name: Improve public safety. Program goal(s) description: The goals of the program are: (1) implement collaborative partnerships to guide the enhanced response to both MP and UHR cases; and (2) establish or expand programs to improve

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) seeks applicants for funding to enable eligible entities to improve the reporting, transportation, forensic testing, and identification of missing persons and unidentified human remains in the United States, including migrants. This program provides funding directly to jurisdictions to help them become more self-reliant and self-sufficient in reducing their backlog of missing persons (MP) and unidentified human remains (UHR) cases. This program furthers the Department of Justice's (DOJ) mission of increasing public safety by providing resources to locate and identify MPs and UHRs in the United States.

Award duration is 36 months. For specifics pertaining to this program, please see the current fiscal year's program solicitation available at the Office of Justice Programs web site (http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/CurrentFundingOpportunities.htm). For additional information, see the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide section on "Period of Availability of Funds" at http://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.2a.htm.

Laboratory Supplies: Funds may be used to acquire laboratory supplies for forensic analysis of unidentified remains. The proposal must clearly demonstrate that the types and quantity of supplies requested are appropriate for the proposed level of effort. Award recipients whose proposals involve the purchase or use of chemicals may encounter delays in the release of award funds pending satisfactory completion of the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA) review process. Eligibility for All Purpose Areas: All entities and relevant sub-recipients must submit a certification statement as part of the application that states: "Any suspected biological family DNA reference samples received from citizens of the United States or foreign nationals and uploaded into the Combined DNA Index System (commonly referred to as 'CODIS') by an accredited, publicly funded CODIS forensic laboratory awarded a grant under this section may be used only for identifying missing persons and unidentified remains. Any biological family DNA reference samples from citizens of the United States or foreign nationals entered into CODIS for purposes of identifying missing persons and unidentified remains may not be disclosed to a Federal or State law enforcement agency for law enforcement purposes." Processing and Identification: For the collection and processing of family reference samples for upload to CODIS (to match and identify missing and unidentified person(s)), the applicant must submit a letter of support with a relevant law enforcement agency and medical examiner/coroner. Following the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) guidance and requirements, the relative of a missing person must voluntarily submit their DNA sample per a consent form. Law enforcement must oversee and confirm that the relative is who they say they are via a form of identification. The reference sample can only be used for identification purposes. Once and if a match is made, the law enforcement agency overseeing the case must be notified as well as the supporting medical examiner/coroner. All cases must be submitted to NCIC and NamUs and, where applicable, ViCAP, by the end of the grant period. Letter of Commitment (All Purpose Areas): Applicants under all-purpose areas must submit signed letters of commitment from the agency or agencies that possess unidentified missing persons and/or unidentified human remains, the crime laboratory that provides DNA services to the applicant agency (even if outsourcing to a private lab), law enforcement agency (if collecting family reference samples), and the medical examiner/coroner as applicable, or other agency whose participation will be required to successfully implement the project under this program, stating their commitment to the project as presented in the application. The letters must be included in the application to be considered for funding. Applicants must ensure that the signed letter of commitment, memorandum of understanding, or other mutually signed documents that clearly state the involvement and commitment between their agency and state/local laboratory include basic annual deliverables from the lab under the MUHR Program grant. These might include but are not limited to the following: number of technical reviews and CODIS uploads per year of outsourced cases/DNA samples, and number of missing persons/family reference samples to be tested per year. Attach this as a separate PDF file titled "Letters of Commitment."

Criteria for selecting proposals is determined as part of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).

All final award decisions will be made by the Assistant Attorney General, unless a statute explicitly authorizes award decisions by another official or there is written delegation of authority to another official. For successful applicants, JustGrants will send a system-generated email to the Application Submitter, Authorized Representative, and Entity Administrator with information on accessing their official award package in JustGrants. The award package will include key information (such as funding amount and period of performance) as well as award conditions that must be followed. The Authorized Representative for the entity should accept or decline the award within 45 days of the notification.

The review procedure for applications is specified in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) and generally includes eligibility and responsiveness, merit, programmatic, budget, and risk reviews.

In some cases, award periods may be extended if specific criteria are met. For details, please review the discussion of no-cost extensions in the Criteria for Award Extension section of the Department of Justice Grants Financial Guide available at https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguidedoj/overview