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How special considerations factor into proposal review may vary by funding opportunity. It is generally one of the factors considered during programmatic review.
Application proposals are expected to stand on their own merits, within the guidance provided by the notice of funding opportunity. Applications containing hyperlinks will be advanced to peer review. However, as is the case with applications where the proposal narrative fails to comply with the format requirements specified in the notice of funding opportunity, NIJ may consider that in peer review and in final award decisions.
Because notices of funding opportunity are competitive, NIJ staff cannot have individual conversations concerning the notice of funding opportunity with prospective applicants.
For technical assistance with submitting the SF-424 in Grants.gov, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726, 606-545-5035, at Grants.gov customer support webpage, or email at [email protected].TheGrants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays.
For technical assistance with submitting the full application in DOJ’s Justice Grants System (JustGrants), contact the JustGrants Service Desk at 833-872-5175 or [email protected].The JustGrants Service Desk operates Monday–Friday 7 a.m. – 9.p.m. ET and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sunday, and Federal holidays.
For substantive questions about your proposal, contact the OJP Response Center. Hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. Closed federal holidays.
No, NIJ does not (with extremely rare exceptions). NIJ’s fiscal year (FY) program implementation process begins in the third quarter, guided by the President’s budget and informed by Congressional deliberations during the appropriations process. Consequently, NIJ’s budget is effectively allocated to defined funding opportunities and related activities before the fiscal year begins. There is no funding available for proposals that do not respond to the objectives and requirements in NIJ’s posted funding opportunities.
In general, NIJ funds evaluations of programs, not program delivery or development. But funding may be used to support the collection of data by program staff, for example. At the same time, NIJ encourages researcher/practitioner partnerships for the purpose of developing evidence-based practices and policies. A general rule is that the higher the percentage of funds that appears to support the program itself, the less likely it is that reviewers will consider the application to merit research and evaluation funding from limited resources.
Generally, NIJ provides funding to:
Educational institutions.
Public agencies.
Nonprofit organizations.
Faith-based organizations.
Individuals.
Profitmaking organizations willing to waive their fees.
Federal agencies, unless specifically stated otherwise in the notice of funding opportunity document.
Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFDRC). If the notice of funding opportunity does not indicate that applications from “federal agencies” will be accepted, the FFRDC has the option of applying as its private sector entity type, whatever that may be (for-profit, non-profit, etc.), and a grant or cooperative agreement could be awarded to the entity that administers the FFRDC.
Some notices of funding opportunity have special eligibility criteria, which are defined in the notice.
Non-U.S. entities are not eligible for awards. All grant awards are made to U.S. institutions. Where appropriate, however, a U.S. grantee may subcontract with a non-U.S. institution or individual for work necessary to complete project tasks. Such subcontracting is usually anticipated and included in the original grant proposal.
NIJ typically does not fund proposals that are primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies. However, you may budget for such items if they are necessary to conduct applied research, development, demonstration, evaluation, or analysis.
Typically, NIJ funds may not be used for training.
If your needs for training do not fall under these exceptions, the following resources may be of help:
