FY 2022 Census of State Courts | O BJS 2022 171320

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJS 2022 171320

The FY 2022 Census of State Courts (CSC) grant opportunity is a discretionary funding announcement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs (OJP), through the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS). It is designed to support a new, nationwide statistical collection that will produce a complete census of state and local courts operating in the United States. The broader policy context emphasized in the announcement is OJP's commitment to civil rights and racial equity, increased access to justice, support for crime victims and people impacted by the justice system, improved community safety, protection from evolving threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the community. Within that context, the CSC is positioned as a foundational data effort that helps the field better understand how courts are structured and resourced, and what kinds of cases they handle.

At its core, the CSC aims to compile comprehensive information about court staffing and the types of cases heard across state municipal, trial, and appellate courts. The intended users include judges and court administrators who need benchmarking and operational context, as well as federal and state policymakers who rely on accurate systemwide information to guide funding and policy decisions. Researchers and journalists are also explicit audiences, since a standardized national census can help answer questions about how court systems vary across jurisdictions, how they allocate personnel, and how court responsibilities differ by court type and location.

Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement, meaning the selected recipient is expected to work closely and collaboratively with BJS rather than operating fully independently. The project scope is structured around four main deliverables. First, the recipient must develop and test a data collection instrument, which typically involves designing survey questions or data templates, ensuring definitions are clear and consistent across jurisdictions, and conducting pilot testing to confirm that courts can provide the requested information in a reliable way. Second, the recipient must update the existing frame of courts, which is essentially the master list and classification system of all courts that should be included; this includes the specific task of identifying municipal courts, which can be challenging because naming conventions and organizational structures vary widely across states and localities. Third, the recipient must field the CSC, meaning they will conduct the actual data collection effort nationwide, manage outreach and follow-up with court points of contact, track response rates, and resolve reporting issues. Fourth, the recipient must handle data cleaning, analysis, and delivery, producing both raw datasets and finalized datasets suitable for public release or official statistical use, with appropriate documentation and quality checks.

The opportunity is listed under the funding activity category of Information and Statistics and carries CFDA number 16.734. The funding opportunity number is O-BJS-2022-171320. BJS anticipates making a single award (ExpectedAwards: 1), with an award ceiling of $750,000. The original posting date was May 5, 2022, and the original closing date was June 29, 2022.

Eligibility is broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized tribal governments, other tribal organizations, nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status, for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. In practice, applicants would need to demonstrate strong capacity to run a complex national data collection, including experience with survey design and testing, building and maintaining comprehensive sampling frames or censuses, managing large-scale respondent communications, applying rigorous data validation and cleaning procedures, and producing well-documented datasets that meet federal statistical expectations.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2022 Census of State Courts" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.734.
• This funding opportunity was created on May 05, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 29, 2022. (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 $750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

Apply for O BJS 2022 171320

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