Expired Funding Opportunities

In an effort to expand its research and evaluation efforts in the area of trafficking in persons, NIJ is seeking proposals to provide information and research on evidence-based practices in human trafficking for State, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies.

NIJ is seeking proposals for multiple criminal justice research projects involving researcher-practitioner partnerships as well as capturing detailed descriptions of these collaborations. While other NIJ solicitations often encourage researcher-practitioner partnerships, this solicitation directly focuses on supporting criminal justice research and evaluation activities that include a researcher-practitioner partnership component. Within the context of the proposed research or evaluation project, the partnerships can be new or ongoing.

NIJ seeks proposals for research that will help State, local and tribal criminal justice agencies and their attendant communities to implement programs that prevent or counter all forms of radicalization to violent extremism in the United States. Responses can include explanatory models and hypothesis testing, empirical designs with control groups, thick description, case studies and other scientific contributions to our understanding of domestic radicalization to violent extremism as it occurs in the United States.

The Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2014, provides funds for the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) to undertake a research-focused initiative, the Comprehensive School Safety Initiative, to increase the safety of schools nationwide. Under this Initiative, NIJ is seeking high-quality proposals from the nation’s best minds to research the root causes of school violence, develop technologies and strategies for increasing school safety, and provide pilot grants to test innovative approaches to enhance school safety across the nation.

NIJ seeks applications from States and units of local government for funding under the Solving Cold Cases With DNA program to identify, review, and investigate Uniform Crime Report (UCR) Part 1 Violent Crime “cold cases” that have the potential to be solved using DNA analysis, and to locate and analyze the biological evidence associated with these cases.

NIJ is interested in stimulating research in a new area of study in criminal justice research – an exploration of the use of sentinel event reviews to improve the justice system overall. Sentinel event review processes have been used in other fields, notably aviation and medicine, and NIJ would like to explore whether similar reviews would be feasible in the criminal justice field. With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for research that can add to our understanding of how the concept of sentinel events can be used to improve the functioning of the criminal justice system.

​NIJ is seeking proposals for funds to help defray the costs associated with postconviction DNA testing in cases of violent felony offenses where actual innocence might be demonstrated. Specifically, funding may be used to review postconviction cases of violent felony offenses (as defined by State law), and to locate and analyze biological evidence samples associated with these cases. Where a strong justification is provided, a small percentage of federal award funds (not to exceed 15 percent) may be allowed for permissible case identification activities.

NIJ is seeking proposals for the W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship for Research on Race, Gender, Culture, and Crime FY 2014. The Fellowship program seeks to advance knowledge regarding the confluence of crime, justice, and culture in various societal contexts. The Fellowship places particular emphasis on crime, violence, and the administration of justice in diverse cultural contexts within the United States.

NIJ is seeking proposals for research that links theory of any discipline (e.g., criminological, behavioral, economic, sociological) to geospatial predictive policing strategies. In particular, NIJ is interested in proposals that focus on linking theories to current policing strategies, discerning potential disconnects in the levels of analysis between theory and practice, explicating what effects this may have on findings, and, finally, addressing means of adapting theory and practice based on the results.

The study of adult offender decision-making and desistance to commit crime typically has been approached from a rational choice perspective and a life-course perspective, respectively. With this solicitation, NIJ seeks to expand the existing research by examining the process of adult offender decision-making. NIJ requests proposals that either expand the rational choice

​NIJ is seeking proposals for research and development projects that will: (1) increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice or (2) result in the production of useful materials, devices, systems, or methods that have the potential for forensic application.

NIJ is seeking applications for research and technology development leading to the introduction into practice of new, innovative means to: (1) speed forensic processing of large capacity digital media, and (2) reduce digital evidence storage requirements.​

NIJ is seeking proposals for social and behavioral science research on, and evaluations related to, justice systems topics that bear directly and substantially upon state-, local-, tribal- or federal criminal and juvenile justice policy and practice.​

NIJ is seeking proposals for postdoctoral fellows to analyze existing data or collect new data on dating abuse among adolescents and young adults.

NIJ seeks proposals for research and evaluation of violence against women in the following specific areas: (1) teen dating violence, (2) sexual violence, (3) intimate partner violence, (4) child custody, and (5) environmental scan of Family Justice Centers in the United States. However, other topics that offer important insights into the violence against women may receive equal attention as those topics specifically identified.​

NIJ is seeking proposals for research and evaluation related to the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of elderly individuals. Research that includes residents of residential care facilities also will be considered. Research proposed may be focused at the state, local, tribal, federal, juvenile justice policy and/or practice level.​

NIJ is seeking proposals for criminal justice research projects involving research and/or evaluations of programs to improve our understanding and/or reduce gang membership and violence within the United States. Results from these projects should lead to better criminal justice policy, practice, and research, particularly at the local or state level, on issues surrounding gangs.​

NIJ is seeking multidisciplinary research and evaluation proposals related to childhood exposure to violence. In particular, NIJ seeks proposals that address polyvictimization, resilience, or justice system responses to children identified as being exposed to violence.

In collaboration with the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), NIJ seeks creative and innovative proposals for research that examines how information sharing, a key function of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), may have evolved since its implementation.

NIJ is seeking proposals for the Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program (the Coverdell program), which awards grants to States and units of local government to help improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services. Among other things, funds may be used to eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic evidence and to train and employ forensic laboratory personnel, as needed, to eliminate such a backlog. State Administering Agencies (SAAs) may apply for both "base" (formula) and competitive funds.

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks applications for an evaluation of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Service, Support & Justice: A Strategy to Enhance Law Enforcement Response to Victims (ELERV) Demonstration Project. ELERV is a strategy developed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in conjunction with OVC to help law enforcement agencies implement agencywide changes in how law enforcement interacts with and addresses the needs of victims of crime. OVC has sought NIJ's assistance to evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy. ​