Expired Funding Opportunities

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks applications for funding for multidisciplinary research projects addressing four topics: impact of fatigue and stress on officer performance; impact of occupational prestige and job satisfaction on officer stress resilience; enhancing strategies for officer interaction with mentally ill individuals; and reducing traffic-related officer fatalities and injuries through technology enhancement and policy.

With this solicitation, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) seeks proposal for research and/or evaluation projects to examine the impact of police crime-reduction practices and strategies on four variables. Those are: (1) crime, (2) officer safety, (3) criminal investigations, and (4) criminal prosecutions. NIJ will accept proposals for research examining person- or place-based practices and strategies. NIJ is particularly interested in examining the practice of proactive policing and its related strategies, especially focused deterrence.

NIJ seeks applications for funding investigator-initiated, interdisciplinary research and evaluation projects related to the administration of justice in three priority areas: (1) eyewitness evidence; (2) front-end intervention strategies (diversion and deflection, pretrial notification protocols and court appearance compliance, and justice system-led strategies aimed at young-adult offenders); and (3) enhancing investigation and prosecution (body worn cameras, and jury nullification). Strong applications that address the administration of justice in the U.S.

This program seeks to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, including services provided by laboratories operated by States and units of local government. 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. The Coverdell Act requires that 15 percent of program funds be awarded competitively.

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for research and evaluation projects that will: 1. Identify and inform the forensic community of best practices through the evaluation of existing laboratory protocols; and 2. Have a direct and immediate impact on laboratory efficiency and assist in making laboratory policy decisions.

The goal of NIJ's 2017 Project Based DNA Capacity Enhancement, Unit Efficiency, and Backlog Reduction program is to support and enable long term solutions for more efficient processing, recording, screening, and analysis of forensic DNA and/or DNA database samples and to increase the capacity of public forensic DNA and DNA database laboratories to process more DNA samples, thereby helping to reduce the number of forensic DNA and DNA database samples awaiting analysis.

NIJ seeks proposals for research and evaluation projects to identify the combination of attributes specific to the individual law enforcement officer that causes them to make the decisions governing their actions during encounters with the public. Specifically, NIJ is interested in identifying those combinations of attributes tending to lead to successful encounter outcomes; as well as those tending to lead to unsuccessful outcomes.

NIJ is seeking applications for rigorous program evaluation of specific services for victims of crime including housing, legal assistance, and technology-based services. This solicitation is for a planning phase not to exceed a 24 month period of performance.

NIJ is seeking research and evaluation related to hate crime perpetration and victimization. The purpose of this solicitation is to support research and evaluation to: 1) understand the motivations and pathways to hate crime offending; 2) determine whether programs targeted at hate crime offenders are effective at reducing reoffending; 3) determine whether programs that work with victims of hate crimes and their communities are effective at reducing the harms caused by hate crimes; and 4) provide information that will improve investigative and prosecutorial outcomes.

This program seeks to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, including services provided by laboratories operated by States and units of local government. 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. The Coverdell Act requires that 85 percent of the total program funds be awarded to states through State Administering Agencies (SAAs).

NIJ is seeking applications for research to apply advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to support law enforcement in preventing, responding to, and investigating gang violence, human and drug trafficking, migrant smuggling, and/or child pornography.

NIJ seeks investigator-initiated proposals in two funding categories under the W.E.B. Du Bois Program of Research on Crime: (1) Scholars who are advanced in their careers; and (2) Fellows who are early in their careers. The program supports research that places particular emphasis on the intersections of race, crime, violence and the administration of justice within the United States. It furthers the Department's mission by advancing knowledge regarding issues deemed critical by the U.S. Department of Justice.

NIJ seeks proposals for funding to assist in defraying the costs associated with postconviction DNA testing in cases of violent felony offenses (as defined by State law) in which actual innocence might be demonstrated. Funds may be used to identify and review such postconviction cases and to locate and analyze associated biological evidence. This supports the DOJ mission to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans.

NIJ's drugs and crime portfolio supports research on law enforcement efforts to deter, investigate, prosecute, and address illegal drug trafficking, markets, and use. This FY2018 solicitation seeks investigator-initiated proposals to conduct applied research on evidence-based tools, protocols, and policies for State, local and tribal jurisdictions. The two drug priorities are: 1) opioid-related criminal investigation, prosecution, drug intelligence, and community surveillance; and 2) illegal marijuana markets and drug-related violent crime.

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for basic or applied research and development projects. An NIJ forensic science research and development grant supports a discrete, specified, circumscribed project that will: (1) increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice, or (2) lead to the production of useful material(s), device(s), system(s), or method(s) that have the potential for forensic application.

NIJ is seeking applications for research and program evaluation projects that inform efforts to reduce street gang activity and violence in the United States. Gangs and gang members are responsible for a large amount of crime and violence in many localities, and are responsible for a disproportionate share in those communities most afflicted by crime and violence. NIJ will support scientifically rigorous research and evaluation projects designed to produce findings with high practical utility for gang prevention, intervention, enforcement, or reentry strategies.

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for communications technologies research and evaluation projects (1) to develop practical knowledge to inform the deployment of mobile broadband communications technologies by law enforcement agencies in the United States; or (2) to identify feasible, lawful technology solutions to combatting the use of contraband wireless devices in correctional facilities.

NIJ is seeking rigorous research, to evaluate promising practices and strategies that aim to promote effective management and supervision of offenders in both institutions and in the community. Specifically, NIJ is interested in receiving proposals for research and evaluation focused on reducing violence and misconduct, and provision of medical and mental health services.

NIJ wants to encourage new, exploratory, and developmental research projects by providing support for the early stages of study development. To help facilitate this process and ensure these projects result in tangible and mutually beneficial studies, NIJ will provide small grants to scientists or technologists who wish to facilitate a new tribal-researcher investigator partnership.

NIJ is interested in supporting research on the criminal justice system's responses to intimate partner violence, teen dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking, generally, and related to violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women.

There is an extreme shortage of board-certified forensic pathologists in the United States, as underscored in the 2009 report by the National Academies of Sciences on Strengthening Forensic Science in the United States. This program will address strengthening the Medical Examiner-Coroner system in two project areas:
1.) By increasing the number and quality of board-certified forensic pathologists who choose the forensic pathology sub-specialty, following the completion of an accredited pathology medical residency program.

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) Program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is open to doctoral students in all social and behavioral science disciplines. This program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the effective administration of criminal justice in the United States. Of particular interest is research on issues deemed critical by the U.S.

The Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (GRF-STEM) provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in topic areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States.

Funding from this award will support the first year of a sub-study involving 5 of the 21 ABCD sites to include measures of delinquency and victimization in their investigations. The sub-study will address key questions on the interactions between substance use, brain development, delinquency, and victimization. The ABCD Study is the largest longitudinal study of brain development and child health in the US, following approximately 10,000 children (ages 9-10) across 21 sites into their early adulthood years.

Awards made under this funding opportunity are Continuation awards. These are grants or cooperative agreements that provide supplemental funds to awards made in a prior fiscal year. Typically, these awards were made initially in response to competitive solicitations. NIJ often uses continuations to fund multi-year research and development projects.