Opportunity Information: Apply for BJS 2020 17635
The FY 2020 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) is a U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics grant opportunity designed to help states and other eligible applicants improve the quality, completeness, and accessibility of records that determine whether a person is prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. The program is rooted in the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA), passed after the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting, where the shooter was able to buy firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee because disqualifying mental health information was not available to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS). In practical terms, NARIP exists to close information gaps in NICS by supporting efforts to identify, update, and transmit disqualifying records so that background checks can work as intended.
The core public-safety purpose of NARIP is to strengthen NICS decision-making by ensuring that prohibiting records, including certain mental health adjudications and commitments and other disqualifying factors, are accurately captured and made available for background checks. When these records are missing, incomplete, delayed, or not properly automated, individuals who are legally prohibited from having firearms may pass a check simply because the relevant record is not findable in time. By supporting improvements to record systems and data reporting, the program aims to reduce those failures and improve the reliability of background check outcomes.
A second major goal highlighted in the opportunity is improving efficiency and timeliness. Modernizing and automating records does not only help with denials when someone is prohibited; it can also reduce delays for lawful purchasers. When records are digitized, standardized, and easier to access across agencies, background checks can be completed more quickly and with fewer manual steps, lowering the chance of extended review periods caused by fragmented or paper-based recordkeeping.
Administratively, this opportunity is a discretionary grant offered as a cooperative agreement through the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) within DOJ. The funding activity category is listed as Information and Statistics, reflecting the program focus on data quality, record automation, and information-sharing infrastructure rather than direct law enforcement operations. The program is associated with CFDA number 16.813. The funding opportunity number is BJS 2020 17635, and the opportunity was created on February 12, 2020, with an original closing date of April 23, 2020.
In terms of scale, the listed award ceiling is $23,000,000, with an expectation of 28 awards. Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which signals that the eligible applicant pool is defined more precisely in the full solicitation, typically covering governmental entities and potentially certain agencies or organizations involved in maintaining criminal history, court, or mental health-related records relevant to NICS reporting.
Overall, the FY 2020 NARIP opportunity is best understood as a targeted records-improvement investment: it supports work that helps ensure disqualifying records are properly captured and shared for NICS checks, strengthening firearm-prohibition enforcement while also streamlining the process for individuals who are legally eligible to purchase firearms.Apply for BJS 2020 17635
- The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2020 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.813.
- This funding opportunity was created on Feb 12, 2020.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 23, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $23,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 28 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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FY 2020 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) - FAQs
What is the FY 2020 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP)?
The FY 2020 NICS Act Record Improvement Program (NARIP) is a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) grant opportunity that supports efforts to improve the quality, completeness, and accessibility of records used to determine whether someone is prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. Practically, it is focused on closing information gaps that can affect National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) results.
Which federal agency administers this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is administered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) through the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).
Is NARIP a formula grant or a discretionary grant?
This opportunity is a discretionary grant offered as a cooperative agreement through BJS.
What does it mean that the award is a "cooperative agreement"?
Based on the listing, the funding is offered as a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates a more collaborative relationship between the funder (BJS) and the recipient compared to some other grant types. The opportunity summary identifies it specifically as a cooperative agreement.
What is the main public-safety purpose of NARIP?
The core public-safety purpose is to strengthen NICS decision-making by ensuring that prohibiting records are accurately captured and made available for background checks. This includes improving how disqualifying records are identified, updated, and transmitted so they can be used during NICS checks.
What kinds of records does NARIP focus on improving?
NARIP focuses on records that determine whether a person is prohibited from purchasing or possessing firearms. The opportunity highlights prohibiting records, including certain mental health adjudications and commitments, as well as other disqualifying factors relevant to NICS background checks.
Why was the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA) mentioned in the opportunity?
The program is rooted in the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 (NIAA), which was passed after the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting. The opportunity notes that the shooter was able to buy firearms from a Federal Firearms Licensee because disqualifying mental health information was not available to NICS, illustrating the kind of record-availability gap NARIP is meant to address.
How does missing or incomplete data affect NICS background checks?
When prohibiting records are missing, incomplete, delayed, or not properly automated, individuals who are legally prohibited from having firearms may pass a background check because the relevant record is not findable in time. NARIP supports improvements intended to reduce these failures.
Does NARIP only aim to increase denials for prohibited persons?
No. In addition to supporting accurate identification of prohibited persons, the opportunity emphasizes improving efficiency and timeliness. Modernizing and automating records can also reduce delays for lawful purchasers by enabling faster access to standardized, digitized information across agencies.
How can records modernization improve timeliness of background checks?
The opportunity describes that when records are digitized, standardized, and easier to access across agencies, background checks can be completed more quickly and with fewer manual steps, which can reduce extended review periods tied to fragmented or paper-based recordkeeping.
What is the funding activity category for this opportunity?
The funding activity category is listed as Information and Statistics, reflecting a focus on data quality, record automation, and information-sharing infrastructure rather than direct law enforcement operations.
What is the CFDA number associated with this program?
The program is associated with CFDA number 16.813.
What is the funding opportunity number?
The funding opportunity number is BJS 2020 17635.
When was the opportunity created?
The opportunity was created on February 12, 2020.
What was the original closing date for applications?
The original closing date listed for this opportunity was April 23, 2020.
What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount listed?
The listed award ceiling is $23,000,000.
How many awards were expected under this opportunity?
The opportunity indicates an expectation of 28 awards.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is summarized as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)." The description also indicates that eligibility is defined more precisely in the full solicitation, typically covering governmental entities and potentially certain agencies or organizations involved in maintaining criminal history, court, or mental health-related records relevant to NICS reporting.
Is this grant focused on direct law enforcement operations?
No. The opportunity is described as focusing on information and statistics activities, including data quality, record automation, and information-sharing infrastructure.
What types of improvements does NARIP generally support?
The opportunity frames NARIP as a records-improvement investment supporting efforts to identify, update, and transmit disqualifying records, as well as efforts to modernize, digitize, standardize, and automate records so that prohibiting information is accessible for NICS background checks.
What overall problem is NARIP intended to solve?
NARIP is intended to close information gaps in NICS by improving record systems and data reporting so disqualifying records are properly captured and shared. The goal is to make background check outcomes more reliable by reducing cases where prohibiting information is not available or not discoverable in time.
How should someone interpret the overall purpose of the FY 2020 NARIP opportunity?
Overall, the opportunity is best understood as a targeted investment in records improvement that helps ensure disqualifying records are captured and shared for NICS checks, strengthening firearm-prohibition enforcement while also streamlining the process for individuals who are legally eligible to purchase firearms.
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