The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) seeks applications for funding two providers to address the training and technical assistance (TTA) needs of the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) site-based grantees and to provide resources to current SAKI sites across the country working Jane and John Doe sexually motivated homicide cases. This program furthers the DOJ’s mission by improving (1) state and local jurisdictions’ capacities to respond to violent crime and (2) the functioning of the criminal justice system through the investigation and prosecution of cases resulting from sexual assault kits and crime scene evidence.
The overall goal of the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative TTA Program is to build state and local capacities to address violent crime associated with unsubmitted SAKs, sexually motivated homicides, and corresponding crime scene evidence by supporting the needs of SAKI sites and, as resources allow, other jurisdictions engaged in community-based sexual assault reform.
Given the complexity and diversity of the tasks, applicants are strongly encouraged to partner with other relevant providers in developing the application. The TTA services should include, but are not limited to:
Additionally, BJA seeks providers that will lend additional forensic support to the existing SAKI sites in their efforts to identify and resolve Jane and John Doe sexually motivated homicides.
Purpose Area 1—the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Training and Technical Assistance (SAKI TTA) program
The purpose of this solicitation purpose area is to continue providing excellent training and technical assistance to SAKI site-based grantees, thereby increasing both public safety by preventing future crimes and providing long-awaited answers for survivors and/or their families. The chosen TTA provider will also be asked to build on the previous expansion into other violent crime cold cases, in order to support the newly developed Purpose Area 6 for SAKI site-based grants.
Purpose Area 2—the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Forensic DNA Services Technical Assistance program
While the identification of Jane and John Doe victims is normally a service the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) contractually provides via the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Systems (NamUs), the waitlist for NamUs forensic DNA services is several years long. To address this critical gap, BJA solicits applications for a national TTA provider to deliver forensic DNA services to SAKI site-based grantees working with Jane and John Doe sexually motivated homicide victims, specifically to provide CODIS eligible DNA testing and uploads and for Forensic Genetic Genealogy (FGG) services for Jane and John Doe sexually motivated homicide victims. Note that the chosen TTA provider will be required to work with BJA and NIJ’s NamUs to create case acceptance procedures to promote transparency and to deconflict cases with NIJ so there is no overlap in the services offered to the community.
For information about goals, objectives, and deliverables, see: https://bja.ojp.gov/funding/O-BJA-2023-171749.pdf#page=11
Estimated Total Program Funding:
