Research and Evaluation on Policing, Fiscal Year 2021 | O NIJ 2021 40004

Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2021 40004

The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ) grant opportunity titled "Research and Evaluation on Policing, Fiscal Year 2021" (Funding Opportunity Number O-NIJ-2021-40004) is a discretionary grant program designed to fund rigorous, evidence-based research and evaluation studies on current, high-priority policing issues in the United States. The solicitation aligns with NIJ's Policing Strategic Research Plan, 2017-2022, and is focused on producing findings that can directly inform policy, operational decision-making, and practice in law enforcement agencies and the broader criminal justice system.

NIJ is seeking proposals in three main topic areas. First, the agency wants studies that examine how reallocating resources affects police operations and functions. This can include research on shifting funding, staffing, responsibilities, or service delivery models and what those changes mean for response times, crime prevention, investigative capacity, officer workload, public safety outcomes, and the broader set of functions police are expected to perform. Second, NIJ is prioritizing research on police use of force and the effectiveness of de-escalation tactics and strategies. Projects in this area would typically look at when and why force occurs, what interventions reduce unnecessary or harmful force, how training translates into real-world behavior, and what policies or supervision models are associated with better outcomes for both officers and community members. Third, NIJ is interested in tactics and strategies that strengthen police-community relationships, which can include evaluations of community engagement approaches, procedural justice initiatives, legitimacy-building strategies, problem-oriented policing, or other methods intended to improve trust, cooperation, and perceptions of fairness.

A notable emphasis within the solicitation is interest in research that addresses the unique challenges of policing in rural communities. NIJ signals that, among other topics, it values studies that explore how rural contexts shape policing needs and constraints, such as limited staffing, large geographic coverage areas, fewer social services, different patterns of crime and calls for service, and potentially different community-police dynamics than in urban settings. Applicants proposing rural-focused work would generally be expected to frame the rural policing problem clearly and explain why the proposed methods and partnerships are suited to that environment.

The opportunity strongly encourages research partnerships with criminal justice agencies and other relevant organizations, but it also places clear expectations on how those partnerships are documented and managed. Applications that involve partnerships should include strong letters of support from each partnering agency, signed by an appropriate decision-making authority. These letters are not meant to be generic endorsements; they are expected to confirm the partner's commitment to participate and, critically, to acknowledge that de-identified data created, shared, or obtained through the project will be archived with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) at the end of the award. NIJ explicitly encourages applicants and partners to review NACJD policies and protections in advance so data sharing and archiving expectations are understood early and incorporated into planning.

If an application is selected for funding, the recipient is expected to have a formal agreement in place with the partnering agencies by January 1, 2022. That agreement must include provisions that allow the project to meet the required data archiving obligations. In practical terms, this means applicants should plan ahead for data governance, permissions, privacy protections, de-identification processes, and any legal or policy barriers that could interfere with later archiving. NIJ is signaling that data stewardship and long-term accessibility of research outputs are core requirements, not optional add-ons.

The solicitation also clarifies the structure of multi-agency projects that involve federal funds. Even if multiple agencies are carrying out work, only one entity can apply as the primary applicant, consistent with standard federal grant rules. Any additional participating entities that will receive or spend award funds to help carry out the project must be included as subrecipients rather than co-applicants. This is important for budgeting, compliance, reporting responsibilities, and defining who is ultimately accountable to NIJ for performance and deliverables.

From an administrative standpoint, this is a grant (Funding Instrument Type: Grant) within the Law, Justice, and Legal Services activity category, under CFDA number 16.560. The opportunity was created on December 17, 2020, with an original application closing date of March 3, 2021. NIJ anticipated making around six awards, with an award ceiling of up to $3,000,000 per award, indicating that NIJ expected larger-scale, methodologically strong projects that can generate meaningful evidence, potentially including multi-site evaluations, robust quantitative designs, mixed-methods research, and well-supported implementation and dissemination plans.

Eligibility is broad, reflecting NIJ's intent to attract strong research teams and operational partners from across sectors. Eligible applicants include state, county, city or township governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and other entities as further clarified in the full solicitation. This broad eligibility allows universities, research organizations, governments, and practitioners to compete, including those capable of conducting complex evaluations in partnership with police agencies and community stakeholders.

Overall, the grant opportunity is aimed at generating credible, actionable knowledge on how policing can be structured, trained, and managed to improve safety outcomes, reduce harmful encounters, and strengthen legitimacy and trust. NIJ is effectively asking applicants to combine rigorous research design with practical engagement with agencies, to commit to high standards of data management and transparency through NACJD archiving, and to produce findings that can inform real-world policy and practice across diverse settings, including rural jurisdictions.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Evaluation on Policing, Fiscal Year 2021" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 17, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 03, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O NIJ 2021 40004

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