FAQ Listing

Students enrolled in a research doctorate program who propose a dissertation topic relevant to criminal or juvenile justice are eligible. Humanities and visual and performing arts degree programs are not eligible. The applicant academic institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional institutional accreditation commissions recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

Failure to provide verification of current enrollment at the time of application will disqualify an applicant.

A student can apply for and be awarded a fellowship at any stage in their graduate program if they are currently enrolled. However, they will not begin to receive fellowship funding until:

• A dissertation committee has been formed, and
• The dissertation topic has been approved by the committee and is substantively similar to what was originally proposed in the fellowship application.

If the doctoral student has already passed these milestones at the time of application, then the dissertation committee chair should indicate this in the letter of support included with the application.

If the doctoral student has NOT accomplished these milestones at the time of application, then the student’s project timeline should indicate the dates by which these milestones are expected to be met. The statement of support from the student’s faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies or individual with similar responsibilities should also refer to the dates by which these requirements are expected to be met. Although an award may be made in such cases, access to award funds will be withheld until NIJ receives documentation that the student has met both milestones.

The earliest possible date that funds could become available is January 1 of the year following submission of an application. This is the official “start date” of the fellowship grant. But the practical availability of funds can in some cases be delayed until certain grant requirements are satisfied (e.g., human subjects approval from an Institutional Review Board; environmental protection checklist; dissertation topic approval). It is important that you work with your university Office of Sponsored Programs, or equivalent, to make sure all of these conditions are satisfied.

Successful institutional applicants must agree to comply with additional requirements prior to receiving grant funding. Learn more about these requirements (pdf, 23 pages).

No. The official applicant is the academic institution, not the student. Therefore, the student's citizenship does not affect eligibility. GRF awards are made only to degree-granting academic institutions in the U.S. and its territories. The sponsoring academic institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional institutional accreditation commissions recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education.

The GRF program funds dissertation research across a wide range of topics with relevance to criminal and juvenile justice. To apply, students must be enrolled in a doctoral program at an eligible institution. Successful applicants must demonstrate the relevance of their dissertation research to advancing criminal or juvenile justice knowledge, practice or policy in the United States.

The GRF program has integrated two previously separate notice of funding opportunity: the Graduate Research Fellowship in the Social and Behavioral Sciences (GRF-SBS), and the Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (GRF-STEM). Since 2020, all applicants are invited to apply to the same, single funding opportunity, regardless of their degree program.

Review the following FAQs.

If the total amount available is known, it will be noted in the notice of funding opportunity, but often the amount depends on future congressional appropriations.

NOTE 1: In general, funding for science and technology research development projects rarely exceeds $500,000 annually, though total funding for projects requiring several years to complete has exceeded $1 million or more. If feasible, NIJ recommends that applicants divide the proposed work into discrete phases, with each phase resulting in the delivery of a measurable deliverable. Applicants should try to structure the phases so that the funding required in any fiscal year will not exceed $500,000. This will enable NIJ to fund the proposed work incrementally, depending on: the quality of the deliverable at the end of each phase, emerging priorities, and the availability of funds. However, applicants should not divide their work if it is not feasible to do so without impairing the technical and programmatic soundness of their approach.

NOTE 2 : Deliverables (e.g., technical reports, proof-of-concept demonstrations, prototypes, etc.) will be required at the end of each phase to enable NIJ to assess the progress of the work and make reasoned determinations as to the suitability of funding the next phase of the work.

A grant made by NIJ under this notice of funding opportunity may account for up to 100 percent of the total cost of the project. You must indicate whether you believe it is feasible for you to contribute cash, facilities, or services as non-Federal support for the project. Your proposal should identify generally any such contributions that you expect to make and your proposed budget should indicate in detail which items, if any, will be supported with non-Federal contributions.

If your organization spends $750,000 or more of Federal funds during the fiscal year, you must submit an organization wide financial and compliance audit report as specified in DOJ Grants Financial Guide, 3.19 Audit Requirements. The audit must be performed in accordance with the U.S. Government Accountability Office Government Auditing Standards. Detailed information regarding the independent audit is available in 2 CFR part 200.

Your Budget Detail Worksheet should clearly present a breakdown of costs associated with each of nine budget categories. Itemize where necessary. For more detail on what is required, reference the specific notice of funding opportunity. Although it is not required, NIJ strongly recommends that you develop the Budget Detail Worksheet using the provided template. The template includes an example of a worksheet and descriptions of the details for each category.

Allowable costs are listed in the Financial Guide. Interpretations or clarifications on the Financial Guide can be addressed to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer's Customer Service Center at 1-800-458-0786.