National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.554
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 994 $779,335,743 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- (NCHIP)
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 15-0401-0-1-754
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics (CFDA 16.554) funds statewide computerized criminal history record systems and related data infrastructure to improve record quality, completeness, and accessibility for background checks and firearm eligibility determinations, with the most recent grant awards issued October 1, 2026.
This program is actively funded and worth pursuing. The portfolio contains 994 awards spanning three decades, with 46 awards issued in 2026 year-to-date and recent fiscal years averaging 35–69 awards annually. Combined federal obligations total $779.3 million, with recipient cost-sharing bringing total obligations to $855.3 million. The program operates almost exclusively as Cooperative Agreements (993 of 994 awards), positioning it as a sustained partnership vehicle rather than a pass-through mechanism.
Funded activities center on criminal history record modernization: states develop and deploy livescan fingerprint capture systems; digitize legacy paper records; build automated data interfaces linking courts, jails, and state repositories; migrate systems to FBI-compliant National Information Exchange Model (NIEM) XML messaging standards; improve arrest-to-disposition matching; and expand reporting to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), Interstate Identification Index (III), and National Crime Information Center (NCIC). Representative recent awards include Indiana's $2.33 million effort to modernize a statewide jail management system and enhance NICS reporting; Maine's $1.01 million project replacing livescan devices and implementing a CJIS audit tool statewide; and California's $5.87 million initiative modernizing regional computer-aided dispatch systems and improving court electronic disposition reporting.
Funding concentration is sharp: the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics controls approximately 80 percent of federal dollars ($626.2 million across 469 awards), with the Office of Justice Programs proper distributing $151.4 million across 521 awards. Award magnitudes range from under $100 thousand to approximately $5.9 million, with typical cooperative agreements in the $800 thousand to $2.5 million range.
Two open solicitations post-date the most recent grant awards. BJS posted FY 2026 Consolidated NCHIP (O-BJS-2026-172688) on August 18, 2026, with application deadline October 2, 2026, offering up to $123 million across three sub-programs: mainline NCHIP ($59 million), NCHIP supplemental funding under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act ($40 million), and the NICS Act Record Improvement Program ($24 million). BJS also posted FY 2026 NCHIP Training and Technical Assistance (O-BJS-2026-172689) the same date, due September 28, 2026, open to nonprofits, higher education institutions, and for-profit organizations. Eligible direct-grant applicants are limited to state governments, federally recognized tribal governments, and designated state administrative agencies. Prior opportunities closed in early 2026; FY 2025 consolidated NCHIP closed February 24, 2026.
Objective and description
- Objective
GOAL(S): Ensuring the quality and completeness of the nation's criminal history record systems by providing financial and technical assistance to states and tribes for the establishment or improvement of computerized criminal history record systems a
- Description
This program helps to improve the quality and completeness of the nation's criminal history record systems by providing financial and technical assistance to establish or improve computerized criminal history record systems and related systems capturing data on certain mental health, protection and restraining order, domestic violence conviction, and other criminal history record information which may disqualify individuals from purchasing or possessing firearms.
Eligibility
- Beneficiary eligibility
Funds awarded to the state or tribe may be allocated for use in state or local/tribal agencies or the courts, but should have an impact on national record systems. Private organizations may receive funds under contract arrangements with a state/tribal agency or its subgrantees to which NCHIP funds are allocated by the state/tribe.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Project duration period will be for up to 24 months. There are three methods for requesting payment of grant funds: the Letter of Credit Electronic Certification System (LOCES), the Phone Activated Paperless Request System (PAPRS) and the Automated Standard Application for Payment (ASAP).
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her state for more information on the process the state requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the state has selected the program for review. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her state for more information on the process the state requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the state has selected the program for review.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria for selecting proposals is determined as part of the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
- Award procedure
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.
- Time to approval or disapproval
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.
- Renewals
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
- Appeals
Applicable rights to appeal are provided in the notice of denial of funding.
Grant opportunities
Show all 20
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 994 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Office Of Policy & Management | $33,940,445 | 4% |
| 2 | State Patrol Nebraska | $29,752,959 | 4% |
| 3 | Virginia State Police | $26,637,837 | 3% |
| 4 | Oklahoma District Attorneys Council | $26,463,299 | 3% |
| 5 | Florida Department Of Law Enforcement | $24,977,117 | 3% |
| 6 | Department Of Justice California | $23,837,497 | 3% |
| 7 | Crime & Delinquency Pa Commission On | $23,392,535 | 3% |
| 8 | New York State Division Of Criminal Justice Services | $22,552,108 | 3% |
| 9 | Department Of State Police Michigan | $21,680,585 | 3% |
| 10 | Minnesota Department Of Public Safety | $21,606,943 | 3% |
10 of 92 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $87,295,943 |
| FY2025 | -$5,497,904 |
| FY2024 | $83,344,560 |
| FY2023 | $138,633,144 |
| FY2022 | $95,725,720 |
| FY2021 | $48,566,904 |
| FY2020 | -$3,465,464 |
| FY2019 | $40,944,660 |
| FY2018 | $64,128,611 |
| FY2017 | $29,432,244 |
| FY2016 | $16,466,448 |
| FY2015 | $43,522,552 |
| FY2014 | $23,420,063 |
| FY2013 | $9,022,066 |
| FY2012 | $6,623,915 |
| FY2011 | $12,187,713 |
| FY2010 | $12,451,041 |
| FY2009 | $10,501,203 |
| FY2008 | $11,237,746 |
| FY2007 | $9,383,869 |
| FY2006 | $10,571,742 |
| FY2005 | $7,601,172 |
| FY2004 | $25,454,532 |
| FY2003 | $79,109 |
| FY2002 | -$1,908,854 |
| FY2001 | $3,753,518 |
Show all 26
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.554?
Assistance Listing 16.554 is National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP), a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP)?
Its CFDA number is 16.554: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.554 awarded?
994 grant awards under 16.554 have obligated $779,335,743 in federal funds to 92 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.554?
The recipients obligated the most under National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) are Office Of Policy & Management ($33,940,445), State Patrol Nebraska ($29,752,959) and Virginia State Police ($26,637,837).
How much did 16.554 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.554 obligated -$5,497,904 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.554?
No opportunity listed under 16.554 is open now. The latest, BJS FY 2026 National Criminal History Improvement Program (NCHIP) Training and Technical Assistance, was posted on August 18, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
- Every grant award and opportunity under it
- Funding by recipient, agency and assistance type
- Alerts for new opportunities
- Ask GovTribe AI about this program