BJA FY 22 Intellectual Property Enforcement Program: Protecting Public Health, Safety, and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product Piracy | O BJA 2022 171289

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJA 2022 171289

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), within the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP), offered the FY 2022 Intellectual Property Enforcement Program focused on protecting public health, public safety, and the U.S. economy from counterfeit goods and product piracy. The core idea behind the opportunity is to strengthen and expand law enforcement capacity to investigate and disrupt intellectual property (IP) crimes, especially those involving counterfeit products that can harm consumers, undermine legitimate businesses, and fund broader criminal activity. The program is positioned as part of OJP's broader priorities to promote civil rights and racial equity, increase access to justice, support victims and justice-involved individuals, strengthen community safety, address evolving threats, and build trust between law enforcement and the community.

Funding is provided as a discretionary grant under CFDA 16.752, categorized under business and commerce-related activity. The grant is aimed at supporting law enforcement agencies that already operate an IP enforcement task force or intend to create one. Rather than working in isolation, funded efforts are expected to use a task force model, which typically combines investigators, prosecutors, and regulatory partners to share intelligence, coordinate operations, and improve case outcomes. A key expectation is active collaboration across state, local, territorial, tribal, and federal partners, including coordination with the local U.S. Attorney's Office (USAO). That USAO connection matters because many IP cases involve federal statutes, interstate and international supply chains, and complex evidence that benefits from early prosecutorial involvement.

The opportunity anticipates making approximately six awards, with an award ceiling of $375,000. It was posted on April 21, 2022, under funding opportunity number O-BJA-2022-171289, with an original application closing date of June 1, 2022. While the summary information does not list a specific floor amount, the ceiling and small number of expected awards suggest a competitive process intended to fund a limited set of task forces that can demonstrate readiness, strong partnerships, and a clear plan for impact.

Eligible applicants include a wide range of public-sector entities and certain tribal and education institutions. Specifically, eligibility covers state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized tribal governments. The listing also includes "Others" with the note to consult the full eligibility clarification in the original announcement, which typically means there may be additional eligible entity types or specific restrictions not captured in the abbreviated dataset.

In practical terms, the program is designed to help jurisdictions develop or enhance investigative and operational capabilities to combat counterfeit goods and piracy, with emphasis on threats that reach beyond economic harm into real-world safety risks. Counterfeit pharmaceuticals, substandard personal protective equipment, fake auto parts, and unsafe consumer electronics are common examples of counterfeit goods that can cause injuries or deaths, erode confidence in markets, and create substantial costs for consumers and businesses. By funding task forces that coordinate across agencies and levels of government, BJA is aiming to improve detection, enforcement, and prevention in a space where criminals often exploit online marketplaces, cross-border shipping, and complex distribution networks.

Overall, this grant opportunity supports the creation or strengthening of IP enforcement task forces that can jointly investigate counterfeit and pirated goods cases, align enforcement strategies with community safety and equity priorities, and work closely with federal partners, especially USAOs, to pursue effective prosecutions and broader disruption of illicit supply chains.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the business and commerce sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 22 Intellectual Property Enforcement Program: Protecting Public Health, Safety, and the Economy from Counterfeit Goods and Product Piracy" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.752.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 21, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 01, 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 $375,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O BJA 2022 171289

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