NIJ FY24 Evaluation on Desistance

Public, private, and state-controlled institutions of higher education; nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education; nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education; small businesses; for-profit organizations other than small businesses. Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments); Native American tribal governments (federally recognized). Local, state, and special district governments. Independent school districts. Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities.

NIJ seeks proposals for rigorous evaluations of desistance-focused interventions to advance understanding of strategies that might aid in the desistance process and identify innovative approaches to measure the desistance process.

 Up to $2,000,000

NIJ is interested in supporting researchers who are early in their careers and new to NIJ’s research grant portfolios, as defined in the solicitation. If you are seeking to be considered for the New Investigator/Early Career Opportunity, you (the applicant) should identify that you are submitting a New Investigator/Early Career proposal on the title page of the application.

NIJ will also give special consideration in award decisions to proposals for which a Minority Serving Institution (MSI) is the lead applicant. Receiving priority consideration for one or more priority areas does not guarantee an award.

• Rigorous impact or outcome evaluations of desistance-focused interventions that conceptualize desistance as a process that occurs over time and may entail continued criminal behavior. Proposals for formative or process/implementation evaluations alone will not be considered for funding.
• Applicants must establish that the intervention to be evaluated is desistance-focused by demonstrating that it affects one or more of the key causal mechanisms of desistance. 
• Evaluations must measure both criminal and noncriminal desistance outcomes.
• Applicants must specify their definition of desistance, the alignment with proposed measures, and the feasibility of obtaining and working with proposed data sources corresponding to these measures. 

The following application elements must be included in the application to meet the basic minimum requirements to advance to peer review and receive consideration for funding:

1. A proposal narrative.
2. A budget web-based form (this form includes the budget details and the budget narrative describing and justifying costs).
3. Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire, including applicant disclosure of high-risk status.
4. Curriculum Vitae/Resumes for key personnel. For purposes of this solicitation, “key personnel” means the principal investigator, and any and all co-principal investigators.

Start early! To apply, you must first register with the System for Award Management (SAM). Registration and renewal can take up to 10 business days to complete. Register with SAM.gov.

After registering with SAM, you must submit two forms the SF-424 and SF-LLL in Grants.gov by the Grants.gov deadline 11:59pm eastern time on April 30, 2024. Submit the SF-424 and SF-LLL as early as possible, but no later than 48 hours before the Grants.gov deadline.

Finally, after submitting both forms, you must then submit the full application, including attachments, in JustGrants by the JustGrants deadline 8:59pm eastern time on May 7, 2024.

Where applicable, NIJ seeks proposals that:

• Propose an inclusive research design.
• Address issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and other potential disparities in data sources, research methods, and outcomes.
• Propose a multi-disciplinary research team.
• Ensure rigorous measurement of implementation fidelity.
• Allocate ample resources for translation and dissemination of research findings. 

A successful proposal must do the following:

• Center the need for the proposed research within the existing body of knowledge.
• Present a rigorous and feasible project design that is appropriate to address the question(s) of interest.
• Demonstrate that the proposed team has the capabilities and competencies to carry out the project.
• Describe how the research will address one or more U.S. safety and justice challenges, including a discussion of how relevant stakeholders can make the resulting knowledge products actionable.
• Present a budget that demonstrably supports the work proposed in the application.

See examples of successful applications and other useful information.