The Purpose

The U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) administers the NCHIP grant program to improve the Nation’s safety and security by enhancing the quality, completeness, and accessibility of criminal history record information and by insuring the nationwide implementation of criminal justice and noncriminal justice background check systems. Achieving this goal is contingent upon accomplishing four objectives:
providing direct financial and technical assistance to States to improve their criminal records systems and other related systems in an effort to support background checks;

Ensuring the infrastructure is developed to connect each State's records systems to FBI records systems and, in turn, to connect each State's background check databases to one another;

Providing the training and technical assistance needed to insure that records systems are developed and managed to conform to FBI standards, as well as the most appropriate technologies and that States adhere to the highest standards of practice with respect to privacy and confidentiality; and,

Assessing and measuring through systematic evaluation and standardized performance measurement and statistics, progress made implementing improvements in State and national records holdings and background check systems.

Availability of Funding

Each year, BJS issues a competitive solicitation for NCHIP funding, inviting applications from States that (1) have clearly demonstrated a need for and the ability to expend NCHIP funds in a timely fashion; (2) propose projects that specifically and directly address one or more of the priority areas identified below; and, (3) to the maximum extent possible, propose to match and/or leverage the NCHIP award with other resources. BJS only funds projects that meet at least one of their priority areas for grant funding:
Updating and automating case outcomes from courts and prosecutors in State records and the FBI’s Criminal History file.


Automating access to information concerning persons prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm, including persons who: have been adjudicated as a mental defective or have been committed to a mental institution; are unlawful users of or addicted to any controlled substance; are the subject of protection or restraining orders; and/or have been convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.


Transmitting relevant State records to: (1) files in the NICS Index particularly including the Denied Persons file; (2) the NCIC’s Protection Order file; and/or (3) the NCIC’s National Convicted Sexual Offender Registry file.


Full participation in the Interstate Identification Index (III).

Match Requirements
Recipients of a subgrant award must provide a 20% in-kind match for the total project amount. All efforts designed to meet program goals are allowable as match.


Funding Process
The USDOJ makes an annual grant award to the single state agency designated by the Governor to administer NCHIP funds. In Florida, NCHIP funds are administered by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), Office of Criminal Justice Grants (OCJG). When BJS releases the annual NCHIP solicitation, the OCJG schedules a meeting of the Federal Funding Workgroup (FFWG) of the Florida Criminal and Juvenile Justice Information System Council. FFWG members may submit concept papers for their own agencies or on behalf of local units of government. The FFWG reviews the concept papers and agrees on which projects to include in Florida’s application to BJS. If BJS agrees to fund the application in whole or in part, subgrants will be made to the approved state agencies or units of local government.


Applications Information
NCHIP applications must be submitted in the Subgrant Information Management On-Line (SIMON) system. Applicants approved by the FFWG and BJS will be contacted with specific information about the application process.


Funding Period
Subgrants are awarded for a period of one year, usually from October – September.


Distribution of Funds
OCJG awards subgrants on a cost reimbursement basis. The subgrantee may file claims against the award amount on a monthly or quarterly basis.


Reporting Requirements/Forms
Successful applicants will be required to provide programmatic and financial reports throughout the life of the project. All reporting is done in the SIMON system.


Additional Information
For additional information, you may access the BJS web-site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/nchip.htm.


Contact Information

Telephone: (850) 617-1250
Fax: (850) 921-0434

Program Administrator Mailing/Shipping Address:
Office of Criminal Justice Grants
Florida Department of Law Enforcement
2331 Phillips Road
Tallahassee, Florida 32308