NICS Act Record Improvement Program
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.813
- Agency
-
Office of Justice Programs
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 266 $251,566,107 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- NARIP
- Assistance type
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- 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 is funding cooperative agreements under the NICS Act Record Improvement Program (CFDA 16.813) to assist states and tribes in improving the completeness, automation, and transmittal of criminal history records to the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), with the most recent award issued on January 1, 2027.
This program funds state and tribal efforts to identify and submit records of individuals prohibited from firearm purchase or possession, with particular emphasis on mental health adjudications, domestic violence convictions, protection orders, and related criminal history records. Recent awards support a mix of activities: system modernization and upgrades (criminal history repositories, automated fingerprint systems, case management platforms), staffing for record research and data entry to clear disposition backlogs, development of electronic reporting portals for protection orders and warrants, and conversion of paper records to digital formats. Representative projects include Delaware's effort to improve mental health record accuracy in its NICS G4 database ($98 thousand), West Virginia's initiative to synchronize criminal history records across 55 counties and enhance court disposition reporting ($1.85 million), and the Quinault Indian Nation's reconstruction of records following a 2024 courthouse fire and establishment of ongoing compliance procedures ($1 million).
The program is entirely Cooperative Agreements; all 266 awards since 2009 have used this instrument. The Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics dominates funding, awarding 189 of 266 awards totaling $177.8 million federal dollars obligated, with smaller shares from other DOJ divisions. Combined federal dollars obligated across all funders total $251.6 million. Award cadence has declined from 22 per year in 2023 to 9 in 2026, though a recent January 2027 award confirms ongoing activity.
Two open opportunities are currently pending. BJS FY 2026 Consolidated National Criminal History Improvement Program (solicitation O-BJS-2026-172688) combines NCHIP ($59 million), NCHIP SF BSCA ($40 million), and NARIP ($24 million) with a due date of October 2, 2026; eligible applicants include state governments, federally recognized tribal governments, and other entities such as state court systems. BJS FY 2025 Consolidated National Criminal History Improvement Program (O-BJS-2025-172527), posted January 15, 2026 with a February 24, 2026 due date, allocated $70 million to NCHIP, $40 million to NCHIP SF BSCA, and $25 million to NARIP with the same eligibility classes.
Objective and description
- Objective
Program goal(s) name: Improve FBI's NICS Program goal(s) description: Improve the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) by assisting states and tribes to improve the completeness, automation, and transmittal of records used
- 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 improve computerized criminal history record systems.
Eligibility
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Project duration period will be between 12 to 24 months. See the following information on how assistance is awarded/release: Office of Justice Programs' Financial Guide (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/index/htm) and Post Award Instructions (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/pdfs/post_award_instructions.pdf). Please contact the program office for furhter information.
How to apply
- Preapplication coordination
A potential grantee should contact the Headquarters Office, Devon B. Adams, NARIP Program Administrator, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of Justice, Washington, DC 20531; Telephone: (202) 307-0765, or E- mail: askbjs@usdoj.gov, to obtain a copy of the current program announcement. The Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
- 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
Awards may be for up to 24 months.
- Appeals
Applicable rights to appeal are provided in the notice of denial of funding.
Grant opportunities
Show all 12
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 266 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | New York State Division Of Criminal Justice Services | $34,982,311 | 14% |
| 2 | State Of West Virginia Supreme Court Of Appeals | $20,570,680 | 8% |
| 3 | Arizona Criminal Justice Commission | $16,577,934 | 7% |
| 4 | Florida Department Of Law Enforcement | $15,388,796 | 6% |
| 5 | Virginia State Police | $13,830,511 | 5% |
| 6 | Department Of Public Safety Missouri | $11,791,472 | 5% |
| 7 | Oklahoma District Attorneys Council | $11,098,016 | 4% |
| 8 | State Police Oregon Department | $10,507,802 | 4% |
| 9 | Judiciary Courts Of The State Of Indiana | $10,402,720 | 4% |
| 10 | Nevada Department Of Public Safety | $9,837,230 | 4% |
10 of 40 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $12,814,140 |
| FY2025 | -$2,635,183 |
| FY2024 | $17,908,913 |
| FY2023 | $23,658,953 |
| FY2022 | $24,201,708 |
| FY2021 | $28,790,773 |
| FY2020 | -$3,522,096 |
| FY2019 | $9,561,247 |
| FY2018 | $22,900,532 |
| FY2017 | $10,340,888 |
| FY2016 | $14,113,648 |
| FY2015 | $25,117,617 |
| FY2014 | $10,450,081 |
| FY2013 | $7,205,436 |
| FY2012 | $11,123,112 |
| FY2011 | $20,123,472 |
| FY2010 | $17,305,905 |
| FY2009 | $2,906,425 |
Show all 18
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.813?
Assistance Listing 16.813 is NICS Act Record Improvement Program, a federal grant program run by Office of Justice Programs (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for NICS Act Record Improvement Program?
Its CFDA number is 16.813: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.813 awarded?
266 grant awards under 16.813 have obligated $251,566,107 in federal funds to 40 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.813?
The recipients obligated the most under NICS Act Record Improvement Program are New York State Division Of Criminal Justice Services ($34,982,311), State Of West Virginia Supreme Court Of Appeals ($20,570,680) and Arizona Criminal Justice Commission ($16,577,934).
How much did 16.813 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.813 obligated -$2,635,183 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.813?
No opportunity listed under 16.813 is open now. The latest, BJS FY 2026 Consolidated National Criminal History Improvement Program, was posted on August 18, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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