National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS)

Because solicitations are competitive, NIJ staff cannot have individual conversations concerning the solicitation with prospective applicants.

For assistance with a specific solicitation, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Response Cent​er: toll-free at 1-800-851-3420; via TTY at 301-240-6310 (hearing impaired only); email [email protected]; fax to 301-240-5830; or web chat.

All proposed projects must be submitted through an applicable and posted solicitation. The proposal must respond to the objectives and requirements in the solicitation. We encourage you to review the current and forthcoming funding pages for solicitations under which your idea might fit.

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 solicitation document.
• Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFDRC). If the solicitation 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 solicitations have special eligibility criteria, which are defined in the solicitation.

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, exceptions follow:

• You may budget for such items if they are necessary to conduct applied research, development, demonstration, evaluation, or analysis.
• Funds from various laboratory enhancement funding programs, e.g., funds from the National Forensic Science Improvement Act, can be used to purchase equipment and supplies for eligible crime laboratories. Visit NIJ's Forensic Laboratory Enhancement Web pages for more information.

Typically, NIJ funds may not be used for training. However, funds from various laboratory enhancement funding programs, e.g., the National Forensic Science Improvement Act, can be used by eligible crime laboratories for training. Visit NIJ's Forensic Laboratory Enhancement Web pages for more information.

If your needs for training do not fall under these exceptions, the following resources may be of help:

• Bureau of Justice Assistance
• FEMA's Emergency Management Institute 

You may apply to each of the several solicitations that carry the same OMB number, but each solicitation is separate and independent and requires a separate application. OMB numbers are administrative or inventory number that applies to multiple solicitations.

Yes. If you are resubmitting a proposal that was submitted under a different solicitation, you can indicate that under Type of Application as you fill out your online application. In the abstract, that your proposal is a revision of a proposal that was submitted before. Also, you should prepare a one-page response to the earlier panel review that includes (1) the title, submission date, and NIJ-assigned application number of the previous proposal; and (2) a brief summary of responses to the review and/or revisions to the proposal. Insert the response after the abstract. The one-page response does not count toward your page limitation.

NIJ follows standard practice with regard to intellectual property. In general, this means that an awardee may retain the entire right, title, and interest throughout the world to each invention developed under an award with Federal funding, subject to the provisions of 35 U.S.C. 203. With respect to any such invention in which the awardee retains title, the Federal government shall have a nonexclusive, nontransferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice or have practiced for or on behalf of the United States the subject invention throughout the world.

The respective rights of the Federal government and the prospective awardee regarding intellectual property will be detailed in one or more award special conditions. If those conditions are not acceptable to the prospective awardee, it has the option of not accepting the award.