Notices regarding the solicitation “Research and Evaluation of

Trafficking in Persons, Fiscal Year 2021” 

April 5, 2021: NIJ has extended the Applications JustGrants deadline to April 8, 

2021, 11:59 pm ET.

March 3, 2021: A separate project management plan is not required. However, the 

discussion of capabilities and competencies in the main body of the proposal 

narrative should outline the management plan and organization that connects the 

goals and objectives of the project.

February 1, 2021: NIJ has extended both deadlines for this solicitation to:

Grants.gov Deadline: March 22, 2021 11:59 PM

Application JustGrants Deadline: April 5, 2021 11:59 PM

January 15, 2021: On pages 2 and 11, the “Dollar Amount for Award,” “Demand Reduction

Research” has been changed from $600,000 to $500,000 to align with the anticipated funding 

amount for Priority Area 1 in the Additional Information section. 

On page 11, the bold text below has been added under “Additional Information:” 

The recent median NIJ grant award amount is approximately $600,000. Applicants are 

encouraged to propose budgets that match the research activities proposed, which may be 

more or less than the anticipated maximum dollar amount of awards. Total Federal 

Awards: Priority Area 2: Human Trafficking Research, Evaluation and Development 

NIJ anticipates that it will make 1 to 3 awards.

The original solicitation document begins on the next page. 
OMB No. 1121-0329 

Approval Expires  12/31/2023 

U.S. Department of Justice 

Office of Justice Programs 

National Institute of Justice 

Research and Evaluation of Trafficking in Persons, Fiscal Year 2021 

Assistance Listing Number # 

Grants.gov Opportunity Number: 

Solicitation Release Date: 

Version: 

Grants.gov Deadline: 

Application JustGrants Deadline: 

16.560 

O-NIJ-2021-45007

December 22, 2020 2:30 PM 

4

March 22, 2021 11:59 PM 

April 08, 2021 11:59 PM 

Overview 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of 

Justice (NIJ), is seeking applications for funding for research and evaluation efforts to better 

understand, prevent, and respond to trafficking in persons in the United States. This project 

furthers the Department’s mission by supporting the development of new knowledge and 

tools to address the challenges of crime and justice in the United States. 

This solicitation incorporates the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide by reference. The 

OJP Grant Application Resource Guide provides guidance to applicants for the preparation 

and submission to OJP of applications for funding. If this solicitation expressly modifies 

any provision in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide, the applicant is to follow 

the guidelines in this solicitation as to that provision. 

Solicitation Categories 

Page 1 of 29 

O-NIJ-2021-45007
Competition 

ID 

Category * Number of 

Awards 

Dollar Amount 

for Award 

Performance 

Start Date 

Performance 

Duration 

(Months) 

CNIJ-2021-000 

01-PROD

Demand Reduction 

Research 

1 $500,000.00 1/1/22 12:00 

AM 

60 

CNIJ-2021-000 

02-PROD

Human Trafficking 

Research, Evaluation 

and Development 

3 $600,000.00 1/1/22 12:00 

AM 

60 

CNIJ-2021-000 

03-PROD

Sex Trafficking of 

American Indian and 

Alaska Native Girls 

and Women Research 

1 $600,000.00 1/1/22 12:00 

AM 

60 

Eligible Applicants: 

City or township governments, County governments, For profit organizations other than 

small businesses, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments 

(Federally recognized), 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, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Public housing 

authorities/Indian housing authorities, Small businesses, Special district governments, 

State governments, Other 

Other 

For purposes of this solicitation, the term “State” means any State of the United States, 

the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, 

American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign colleges and universities are 

not eligible to apply. Federal agencies are eligible to apply. (Any award made to a 

federal agency will be made as an inter-agency reimbursable agreement.) 

To advance Executive Order 13929 Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Attorney General 

determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified 

by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process to be 

eligible for FY 2021 DOJ discretionary grant funding. To become certified, the law enforcement 

agency must meet two mandatory conditions: (1) the agency’s use of force policies adhere to all 

applicable federal, state, and local laws; and (2) the agency’s use of force policies prohibit 

chokeholds except in situations where use of deadly force is allowed by law. The certification 

requirement also applies to law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ discretionary grant funding 

through a subaward.  For detailed information on this new certification requirement, please visit https 

://cops.usdoj.gov/SafePolicingEO to access the Standards for Certification on Safe Policing for Safe 

Communities, Implementation Fact Sheet, and List of Designated Independent Credentialing Bodies. 

All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or 

management fee. 

Page 2 of 29 

O-NIJ-2021-45007
NIJ will consider applications under which two or more entities would carry out the federal 

award; however, only one entity may be the applicant. Any others must be proposed as 

subrecipients (subgrantees). For additional information on subawards, see the OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide. 

NIJ may elect to fund applications submitted under this FY 2021 solicitation in future fiscal 

years, dependent on, among other considerations, the merit of the applications and on the 

availability of appropriations. 

Contact Information 

For technical assistance with submitting the SF-424 and SF- LLL in Grants.gov, contact the 

Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726, 606-545-5035, at Grants.gov customer 

support webpage, or email at support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 

hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays. 

For technical assistance with submitting the full application in DOJ’s Justice Grants System 

(JustGrants), contact the JustGrants Service Desk at JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov or at 

833-872-5175. The JustGrants Service Desk operates 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. EST Monday - Friday and 9

a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sunday, and federal holidays.

An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov or JustGrants technical issues beyond 

its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the Nation 

al Criminal Justice Reference Service Response Center (Response Center) at grants@ncjrs.g 

ov within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its 

application after the deadline. 

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the Response Center 

by telephone at 800–851–3420 or TTY: 301–240–6310 (hearing impaired only) or by email at 

grants@ncjrs.gov. Response Center hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday 

through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET on the solicitation close date. 

Submission Information 

In FY 2021, applications will be submitted to DOJ in a NEW two-step process. 

Step 1: Applicants will submit an SF-424 and an SF-LLL in Grants.gov at https://www.grants. 

gov/web/grants/register.html. To register in Grants.gov, applicants will need to obtain a Data 

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and System for Award Management (SAM) registration 

or renewal. 

Step 2: Applicants will submit the full application including attachments in JustGrants at Jus 

tGrants.usdoj.gov. 

To be considered timely, the full application must be submitted in JustGrants by the 

JustGrants application deadline. 

OJP encourages applicants to review, the “How to Apply" section in the OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide. 

Page 3 of 29 

O-NIJ-2021-45007
Contents 

Contact Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 

Program Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Statutory Authority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Specific Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

OJP Policy Priority Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Federal Award Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 

Awards, Amounts and Durations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Continuation Funding Intent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Availability of Funds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 

Types of Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Budget Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Pre-agreement Costs (also known as Pre-award Costs) . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12 

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation: Waiver .13 

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training 

Costs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable) . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Period of Performance Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Eligibility Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Application and Submission Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 

Standard Applicant Information (JustGrants 424 and General Agency 

Financial Management Questionnaire (including applicant disclosure of 

Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) .13 

Information) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Proposal Abstract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Proposal Narrative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Budget and Associated Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 

Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative (Web-based Form) . . . . . . . . . .16 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

high-risk status) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Additional Application Components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Curriculum Vitae or Resumes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Tribal Authorizing Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Timeline Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Letters of Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 

Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity Statement . . . . . . .18 

Page 4 of 29 

O-NIJ-2021-45007
Bibliography/reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/chart/graphs, or maps . . . .18 

Documentation of High-Poverty Areas or Persistent-Poverty Counties (if 

Documentation of Enhanced Public Safety in Qualified Opportunity Zones 

DOJ Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and 

Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High Risk Grantees (if 

List of Individuals in the Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Human Subjects Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Privacy Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Request to Use Incentives or Stipends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

Documentation of Rural Challenges (if applicable) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 

applicable) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

(if applicable) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Project Management Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Consortium/Contractual Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 

Data Archiving Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Disclosures and Assurances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

DOJ Certified Standard Assurances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Applicant Disclosure of Duplication in Cost Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 

Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements . .20 

applicable) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

How to Apply . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

Submission Dates and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

Application Review Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

Review Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 

Review Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 

Federal Award Administration Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 

Federal Award Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23 

Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements . . . . . . . .23 

Information Technology (IT) Security Clauses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements .24 

Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 

552a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Provide Feedback to OJP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Performance Measures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 

Application Checklist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 

Endnotes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007
Program Description 

Overview 

With this solicitation, NIJ continues to build upon its research and evaluation efforts to better 

understand, prevent, and respond to trafficking in persons in the United States. Applicants 

should propose research projects that — first and foremost — have clear implications for 

criminal justice policy and practice in the United States. With this solicitation, NIJ seeks 

proposals for research projects addressing the following priority areas: 

1. Demand reduction research.

2. Human trafficking research, evaluation and development.

3. Sex trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native girls and women research.

NIJ will not consider proposals for research outside of these priority areas. 

Applications proposing research involving partnerships with criminal justice or other agencies, 

should include a strong letter of support, signed by an appropriate decision-making authority 

from each proposed, partnering agency. A letter of support should include the partnering 

agency’s acknowledgement that de-identified data derived from, provided to, or obtained 

through this project will be archived by the grant recipient with the National Archive of Criminal 

Justice Data (NACJD) at the conclusion of the award. Applicants and their potential partners 

are encouraged to review the NACJD’s policies and protections at ( NACJD). If selected for 

award, grantees will be expected to have a formal agreement in place with partnering 

agencies by January 1, 2022. That formal agreement must include a provision to meet the 

data archiving requirements of the award. 

Statutory Authority 

Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (sections 201 and 

202); Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, 22 U.S.C. 7105(b) (2); and 

Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005. 

Specific Information 

This solicitation seeks applications for funding research and evaluation projects that will 

address the knowledge gaps related to trafficking in persons that have clear implications for 

criminal justice policy and practice in the United States. NIJ has funded research on trafficking 

in persons for over a decade, and is particularly interested in proposals that build upon and 

complement its earlier research investments. Applicants should familiarize themselves with 

this prior NIJ-funded research, and include relevant research in their literature review. For a 

summary of NIJ-funded research projects on the subject of human trafficking, see http://www. 

nij.gov/nij/topics/crime/human-trafficking/welcome.htm. Additionally, applicants are strongly 

encouraged to familiarize themselves with research projects on this issue that are funded by 

other federal agencies[1], as the US has adopted a whole-of-government approach to

respond to human trafficking issues. 

Definitions and Scope: For the purposes of this solicitation, “trafficking in persons” (and/or 

“human trafficking,” “trafficking”) is defined as the recruitment, harboring, transportation, 

provision, or obtaining of a person for the purpose of: (1) subjection to a commercial sex act 

that is induced by force, fraud, or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act 

has not attained 18 years of age; or (2) labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or 

coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or 

slavery.[2]

Fostering partnerships between researchers and trafficking survivors: NIJ seeks to 

promote researcher-survivor partnerships in response to this solicitation, and will consider this 

when making award selections. For the purposes of this solicitation, such a partnership would 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007
include a research team with survivor(s) and/or survivor-led organizations to conduct criminal 

justice research and/or evaluation that relates to the needs of the victim service community, 

but also has implications for local, state, tribal, and national practice or policy. The partnership 

may include working with a researcher or service provider with lived experience, or include a 

plan for mentoring or training survivor consultants to engage in future research on human 

trafficking and service provision. Applications proposing such partnerships should include a 

signed, written letter of support between the researcher and survivor or survivor-led 

organization as a separate appendix. The written letter of support should, at a minimum, 

outline the roles of the researcher(s) and survivor(s), provide a statement of work, detail 

partnership activities, discuss data sharing and archiving at NACJD (if applicable), and 

discuss mentoring opportunities (if applicable). Applications proposed with partnerships, 

but fail to include a signed written letter of support, must include a strong justification 

for not including such an agreement. 

Research Issues and Questions: NIJ seeks proposals for research projects addressing the 

three priority areas described below. Proposals should support the missions of U.S. criminal 

justice agencies (whether federal, state, local, and/or tribal) and victim services providers to 

prevent, address, and respond to human trafficking in their jurisdictions. Proposals should 

develop and analyze information and data that have clear implications for criminal justice 

policy and practice in the United States. NIJ will not consider proposals for research outside of 

these priority areas. Applications must specify which priority area is being addressed in the 

title of the proposal. 

Priority Area 1: Demand Reduction Research 

Competition ID: C-NIJ-2021-00001-PROD 

NIJ seeks proposals for evaluations of programs and practices that seek to reduce the 

demand for sex trafficking. Much of the extant demand reduction research focuses on 

reducing the demand for commercial sex generally rather than sex trafficking. Research on 

the efficacy of demand reduction programming and its link to combating human trafficking 

remains inconclusive. Applicants’ proposals must clearly demonstrate that the program(s) 

they propose to evaluate are explicitly intended to reduce sex trafficking rather than the 

demand for commercial sex. Proposals under this priority area may include an outcome 

evaluation, a formative evaluation, or an evaluability assessment of demand reduction 

programs. Proposals should provide a brief history and documentation of the program being 

evaluated, articulate specific program characteristics such as the direct link to human 

trafficking, the demand reduction intervention’s theory of change, the program case flow, the 

anticipated program outcomes, and the sustainability of the demand reduction program. 

NIJ is also interested in supporting other research projects that build knowledge that may 

inform practice in reducing the demand for sex trafficking. This may include, for example, 

studies on the buyers of trafficked sex to understand the motivations and characteristics that 

distinguish them from buyers of commercial sex, and any indicators that these buyers are 

explicitly seeking out the services of trafficked victims. 

Priority Area 2: Human Trafficking Research, Evaluation and Development 

Competition ID: C-NIJ-2021-00002-PROD 

Under this priority area NIJ seeks applications for funding research and evaluation projects 

examining four topics: 

Estimating Prevalence 

NIJ seeks proposals for research that produces estimates of the prevalence of human 

trafficking in the United States, improves upon current methodologies for estimating the 

prevalence of human trafficking (for sex and labor), and monitors the impact of anti-trafficking 

efforts on those prevalence estimates. Proposals should focus on generating a statistically 

sound estimate of prevalence in one or more jurisdictions, including in specific sectors or 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007 
regions. Applicants should familiarize themselves with other efforts to arrive at prevalence 

estimates, such as the US State Departments Prevalence Reduction Innovation Forum and 

propose research that is complimentary to these efforts. 

Labor Trafficking Research 

NIJ seeks proposals for research focused on the following labor sectors: restaurants, food 

processing, construction, landscaping, health care, and beauty services. Projects should 

examine the unique strategies for recruiting and controlling labor trafficking victims in these 

sectors, and for concealing the crime. NIJ is also interested in the unique needs of victims of 

labor trafficking and how they may differ from the needs of sex trafficking victims. Priority will 

be given to research proposals that expand on research previously funded by NIJ, such as Un 

derstanding the Organization, Operation, and Victimization Process of Labor Trafficking in the 

United States. 

Victim Services Outcomes Research 

NIJ previously funded the development of the Outcomes for Human Trafficking Survivors 

(OHTS) Instrument through a grant to RTI International. The instrument aims to assess the 

impacts of victim services on survivors of human trafficking in key outcomes related to safety, 

well-being, social connectedness, and self-sufficiency (see here for more information on the 

tool). Under this priority area, NIJ seeks proposals to fund an independent evaluation of the 

implementation of this tool with clients served by victim services providers. NIJ seeks 

applicants who will partner with service providers funded by the Office of Victims of Crime to 

evaluate their services for human trafficking victims, assess the reliability of the instrument, 

understand the use of the instrument in real world victim service delivery organizations, and 

begin to develop an evidence base that informs the field with strategies to improve outcomes 

for victims of human trafficking. 

Rapid Screening Tools for Labor and Sex Trafficking 

Human trafficking remains a hidden crime (among other concerns this makes it difficult to 

determine the prevalence of human trafficking in the US), one that makes it particularly 

difficult for authorities to clearly recognize when a person they encounter is a survivor of 

human trafficking. NIJ seeks proposal to fund the development and validation of rapid/brief 

screening tools for use law enforcement officers, emergency medical services, public health 

officials, etc., to identify whether an individual they come into contact with may be a trafficking 

victim. These tools should be focused on early identification of and early intervention or 

referral of potential trafficking victims. The goal of the tool is to determine whether a potential 

victim should be referred to further assessment and/or referred to services for victims of 

trafficking. The tool should be appropriate for the use of front line law enforcement officers or 

agency staff to identify indicators for sex and labor trafficking among youth and adults and in 

the various contexts they may come into contact with potential human trafficking victims. 

(Among other benefits this, such a tool would help develop data contributing to a better 

understanding of the prevalence of human trafficking in the United States.) 

Applicant’s should familiarize themselves with similar screening tools developed for other 

fields to screen for human trafficking such as the Trafficking Victim Identification Tool (TVIT) d 

esigned for victim service agency staff and other social service providers, the Human 

Trafficking Screening Tool (HTST) designed for child welfare and runaway and homeless 

youth serving agencies, and the Quick Youth Indicators for Trafficking (QYIT) designed for 

homeless young adult serving agencies. 

Priority Area 3: Sex Trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native Girls and Women 

Research 

Competition ID: C-NIJ-2021-00003-PROD 

NIJ seeks proposals for research to examine sex trafficking of American Indian (AI) and 

Alaska Native (AN) girls and women both on and off tribal lands (i.e., urban, suburban, small 

town, and reservation settings). Such research, might include in-depth, multi-disciplinary 

reviews and analyses of suspected sex trafficking cases to examine the indicators and 

evidence of human trafficking, the methods by which AI and AN women are recruited and 

coerced, and ways in which these victims are identified by law enforcement and victim 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007
services. Strong proposals would seek to conduct research beyond anecdotal reporting and 

would employ scientifically rigorous techniques. 

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Timeline 

Goals 

The goal of this solicitation is to contribute to the building of a comprehensive and extensive 

understanding of human trafficking as it occurs in the United States and to provide federal, 

state, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies with evidence-based knowledge and tools to 

address the crime as it occurs in their communities. 

Objectives 

This solicitation has six objectives: 

1. Developing knowledge to inform practice to reduce the demand for sex trafficking.

2. Developing improved estimates of the prevalence of human trafficking in the

United States.

3. Developing a better understanding of labor trafficking and the needs of its victims.

4. Evaluating the effectiveness of an instrument that was developed to assess the

impacts of victim services on survivors of human trafficking.

5. Developing and validating rapid/brief screening tools to identify whether an

individual may be a trafficking victim.

6. Developing knowledge to inform practice to reduce the sex trafficking of AI and AN

girls and women.

Deliverables 

Final Research Report. Any recipient of an award under this solicitation will be expected to 

submit a final research report. Additional information on the final research report requirement 

for the solicitation is posted on NIJ’s webpage. 

Required Data Sets and Associated Files and Documentation. Any recipient of an award 

under this solicitation will be expected to submit to the National Archive of Criminal Justice 

Data (NACJD) all data sets that result in whole or in part from the work funded by the award, 

along with associated files and any documentation necessary for future efforts by others to 

reproduce the project’s findings and/or to extend the scientific value of the data set through 

secondary analysis. 

In addition to these deliverables (and the required reports and data on performance 

measures), NIJ expects scholarly products to result from each award under this solicitation, 

taking the form of one or more published, peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles, and/or (if 

appropriate) law review journal articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press, 

technological prototypes, patented inventions, or similar scientific products. NIJ expects that 

there will be an equal effort to make the research findings accessible to practitioner and 

policymaker audiences. 

The Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables are directly related to the performance measures that 

demonstrate the results of the work completed, as discussed under Application and 

Submission Information. 

OJP Policy Priority Areas 

In FY 2021 and in addition to executing any program-specific prioritization that may be applicable, 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007
OJP will give priority consideration to applications as follows: 

Applications that address specific challenges that rural communities face. 

Applications that demonstrate that the individuals who are intended to benefit from the 

requested grant reside in high-poverty areas or persistent-poverty counties. 

Applications that offer enhancements to public safety in economically distressed communities 

(Qualified Opportunity Zones). 

To receive priority consideration under the rural priority, applicants must describe what makes the 

geographic service area rural (using U.S. Census or other appropriate government data; for 

assistance, applicants may wish to refer to https://www.census.gov/programssurveys/geography/guidance/geo-areas/urban-rural.html), how isolated the area is from needed 

services, and how they will address specific challenges in rural communities. 

To receive priority consideration under the poverty priority, the applicant must provide information to 

demonstrate that the individuals who are intended to benefit from the requested grant reside in highpoverty areas or persistent poverty counties.  For purposes of this priority consideration, the term 

‘‘high-poverty area’’ means any census tract with a poverty rate of at least 20 percent as 

measured by the 2013–2017 5-year data series available from the American Community Survey of 

the Census Bureau (applicants may search by census tract at https://www.census.gov/acs/www/data 

/data-tables-and-tools/narrative-profiles/2017/) and the term ‘‘persistent poverty counties’’ means 

any county that has had 20 percent or more of its population living in poverty over the past 30 years, 

as measured by the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses and the most recent Small Area Income and 

Poverty Estimates (applicants may search by county at https://www.census.gov/data/tables/timeseries/dec/census-poverty.html and at https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/saipe.html). 

To receive priority consideration under the Qualified Opportunity Zones priority, applicants must 

include information that specifies how the project will enhance public safety in the specified QOZs. 

For resources on QOZs, and for a current list of designated QOZs, see the U.S. Department of the 

Treasury’s resource webpage, accessible at https://www.cdfifund.gov/pages/opportunity-zones.aspx 

OJP policy priority consideration will consist of receiving additional points in the application scoring 

process. Receipt of priority consideration does not guarantee that an application will be funded; nor 

will the failure to receive priority consideration necessarily mean that an application will not be 

funded. 

Federal Award Information 

Solicitation Category 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007 
Competitio 

n ID 

Enter to 

sort 

Category * Number of 

Awards 

Dollar 

Amount for 

Award 

Performance 

Start Date 

Performance 

Duration 

(Months) 

CNIJ-2021-0 

0001-

PROD 

Demand Reduction 

Research 

1 $500,000.00 1/1/22 12:00 AM 60 

CNIJ-2021-0 

0002-

PROD 

Human Trafficking 

Research, 

Evaluation and 

Development 

3 $600,000.00 1/1/22 12:00 AM 60 

CNIJ-2021-0 

0003-

PROD 

Sex Trafficking of 

American Indian 

and Alaska Native 

Girls and Women 

Research 

1 $600,000.00 1/1/22 12:00 AM 60 

Awards, Amounts and Durations 

Period of Performance Start Date 

1/1/22 12:00 AM 

Period of Performance Duration (Months) 

60 

Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation 

$3,000,000.00 

Additional Information 

Maximum dollar amount for each award: Priority Area 1: Demand Reduction Research: 

NIJ anticipates that up to $500,000 will be available. Priority Area 2: Human Trafficking 

Research, Evaluation and Development: NIJ anticipates that up to $1.5 million will be 

available. Priority Area 3: Sex Trafficking of American Indian and Alaska Native Girls 

and Women Research: NIJ anticipates that up to $1,000,000 will be available. The 

recent median NIJ grant award amount is approximately $600,000. Applicants are 

encouraged to propose budgets that match the research activities proposed, which 

may be more or less than the anticipated maximum dollar amount of awards. Total 

Federal Awards: Priority Area 2: Human Trafficking Research, Evaluation and 

Development NIJ anticipates that it will make 1 to 3 awards. 

Continuation Funding Intent 

NIJ may, in certain cases, provide additional funding in future years to awards made under 

this solicitation, through continuation awards. NIJ will consider, among other factors, NIJ’s 

strategic priorities, a recipient’s overall management of the award, and progress of awardfunded work, when making continuation-award decisions. 

Availability of Funds 

All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any modifications or 

additional requirements that may be imposed by law. 

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Types of Awards 

NIJ expects to make awards under this solicitation as grants. See the “Administrative, National 

Policy, and Other Legal Requirements” section of the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for a 

brief discussion of important statutes, regulations, and award conditions that apply to many (or in 

some cases, all) OJP grants (and cooperative agreements). 

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls 

Award recipients and subrecipients (including recipients or subrecipients that are pass-through 

entities) must, as described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements as set out at 2 C.F.R. 200.303, 

comply with standards for financial and program management. The “Part 200 Uniform 

Requirements” means the DOJ regulation at 2 C.F.R. Part 2800, which adopts (with certain 

modifications) the provisions of 2 C.F.R. Part 200. See OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for 

additional information. 

Budget Information 

If the applicant is proposing a project that reasonably could be conducted in discrete 

phases, with each phase resulting in completion of one or more significant, defined 

milestones, then NIJ strongly recommends that the applicant structure the application — 

specifically including the narrative, expected scholarly products, timelines/milestones, 

and budget detail worksheet and budget narrative — to clearly define each phase. (This 

is particularly the case if the applicant proposes a project that will exceed — in cost or 

the length of the period of performance — the amount or length of time anticipated for 

an individual award (or awards) under this solicitation.) Given limitations on the 

availability to NIJ of funds for awards for research, development, and evaluation, this 

information will assist NIJ in considering whether partial funding of applications would be 

productive. (If, in FY 2021, NIJ elects to fund only certain phases of a proposed project, 

the expected scholarly products from the partial-funding award may, in some cases, 

vary from those described above.) 

NIJ may elect to fund applications submitted under this FY 2021 solicitation in future 

fiscal years, dependent on, among other considerations, the merit of the applications 

and on the availability of appropriations. 

What will not be funded: 

Applications primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies. (A budget 

may include these items if they are necessary to conduct research, development, 

demonstration, evaluation, or analysis.) 

Applications that are not responsive to the purposes of this specific solicitation. 

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 

See “Cofunding” paragraph under item 5 (“Budget and Associated Documentation”) under 

“Content of Application Submission” in Application and Submission Information. 

Pre-agreement Costs (also known as Pre-award Costs) 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide information on Pre-agreement Costs (also known as 

Pre-award Costs). 

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Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation: 

Waiver 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide information on Limitation on Use of Award Funds for 

Employee Compensation; Waiver. 

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of 

Conference/Meeting/Training Costs 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on Prior Approval, Planning, and 

Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs. 

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable) 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on Costs Associated with Language 

Assistance. 

Period of Performance Duration 

To be determined by the period of performance of awarded applications. Successful 

applicants will be expected to complete the work proposed within a five-year period of 

performance. 

Eligibility Information 

For eligibility information, see the title page. 

For information on cost sharing or match requirements, see “Content of Application 

Submission” in Application and Submission Information. 

Application and Submission Information 

The following application elements MUST be included in the application submission for an 

application to meet the basic minimum requirements (BMR) to advance to peer review and receive 

consideration for funding: 

Proposal Narrative, 

Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative (web-based form), 

Curriculum Vitae/Resumes for Key Personnel. (Curriculum Vitae for key 

personnel (For purposes of this solicitation, “key personnel” means the 

principal investigator, and any and all co-principal investigators.) 

See the “Application Elements and Formatting Instructions” section of the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide for information on what happens to an application that does not contain all the 

specified elements or that is nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation. 

Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance 

(SF-424) 

The SF-424 will be submitted in Grants.gov. The SF-424 is a required standard form used as 

a cover sheet for submission of pre-applications, applications, and related information. See 

the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information on completing the 

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SF-424. 

Intergovernmental Review: This solicitation (“funding opportunity”) is not subject to Executi 

ve Order 12372. (In completing the SF-424, an applicant is to answer question 19 by selecting 

the response that the “Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”) 

Standard Applicant Information (JustGrants 424 and General Agency 

Information) 

The Standard Applicant Information section of the JustGrants application is pre-populated with 

the SF-424 data submitted in Grants.gov. Applicants will need to review the Standard 

Applicant Information in JustGrants and make edits as needed. Within this section, applicants 

will need to: add zip codes for areas affected by the project, confirm their Authorized 

Representative, and verify the organizations legal name and address. 

Proposal Abstract 

A proposal abstract (no more than 400 words) summarizing the proposed project including 

primary activities, products and deliverables, the service area, and who will benefit from the 

proposed project, will be completed in the JustGrants Web-based form. 

Proposal Narrative 

The proposal narrative should be submitted as an attachment in JustGrants. The attached 

document should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point Times New Roman font; have 

no less than 1-inch margins; and should not exceed 30 pages. Pages should be numbered 

and submitted as an attachment. If the proposal narrative fails to comply with these lengthrelated restrictions, NIJ may negatively consider such noncompliance in peer review and in 

final award decisions. 

The following sections must be included as part of the proposal narrative[3]: 

a. Title Page (not counted against the proposal narrative page limit) 

The title page should include: 

Project title. 

Submission date. 

Funding opportunity number. 

Principal Investigator (and any co-principal investigators). 

Unique author identifier (e.g., ORCID, ResearcherID, Scopus Author ID), if 

available. 

Requests for consideration under “new investigator” and/or “priority areas of 

research” areas. 

Key words, including science focus areas. 

Contact information (that is, name, address, telephone number, and e-mail 

address) for both the applicant and the principal investigator. 

b. Resubmit Response (if applicable) (not counted against the proposal narrative page 

limit.) 

If an applicant is resubmitting an application presented previously to NIJ, but not funded, 

the applicant should indicate this. A statement should be provided, no more than two 

pages, addressing: (1) the title, submission date, and NIJ-assigned application number 

of the previous application, and (2) a brief summary of revisions to the application, 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007 
including responses to previous feedback received from NIJ. 

c. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the proposal narrative page limit) 

d. Main Body 

1. Statement of the Problem. 

The statement of the problem should address the need for research in this area. 

Applicants should discuss current gaps in data, research, and knowledge, 

including those for particular justice sectors, for certain populations, and to answer 

questions relevant to current policy and practice needs and public interests. It is 

not uncommon for multiple problems to exist simultaneously (for example, there 

may be a criminal justice problem affecting public safety, a current technical 

challenge/need identified by forensic practitioners, as well as a 

scientific/technology gap between the current state of the art and a desired 

solution) and applicants should discuss each of these clearly and justify the 

importance of the separate issues. As part of this discussion, applicants should 

present a review of previous literature and discuss previous research related to 

these problems. 

2. Project Design and Implementation. 

Applicants should provide a detailed description of the strategies to implement this 

research project and address the research questions. Design elements should 

follow directly from the research project’s goals and objectives and address the 

program-specific information noted in the solicitation. Applicants should describe 

the research methodology and analysis plan in detail and demonstrate the validity 

and usefulness of the data they will collect. Applicants should consider the rigor 

and soundness of the methodology and analytical and technical approaches for 

the proposed research and address the feasibility of the proposed project and 

potential challenges or problems in carrying out the activities. 

3. Potential Impact. 

Applicants should describe the potential impact of the research and how it may 

inform or improve criminal or juvenile justice-related policy, practice, or theory in 

the United States. Applicants should also discuss the proposed dissemination plan 

to produce scholarly products as well as make summary information available to 

broader interested audiences, such as criminal justice practitioners or 

policymakers. 

4. Capabilities and Competencies. 

This section should describe the experience and capability of the applicant 

organization, key staff, and any proposed subgrantees (including consultants) that 

the applicant will use to implement and manage this effort and the federal funds 

under this award, highlighting any previous experience implementing projects of 

similar scope, design, and magnitude. Applicants should address: 

Experience and capacity to work with the proposed data sources in the 

conduct of similar research efforts. 

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Experience and capacity to design and implement rigorous research and 

data analysis projects. 

Experience producing and disseminating meaningful deliverables. 

Applicants should also outline the management plan and organization that 

connects to the goals and objectives of the project. 

5. Appendices (not counted against the proposal narrative page limit) include: 

If the application (including the budget) identifies any proposed non-competitive 

agreements that are or may be considered procurement "contracts" (rather than 

subawards), for purposes of federal grants administrative requirements, the 

applicant also must list the entities with which the applicant proposes to contract. 

List of other agencies, organizations, or funding sources to which this application 

has been submitted (if applicable). 

Note: applicants are not required to submit performance data with the application. Rather, 

performance measures information is included as an alert that successful applicants will be required 

to submit performance data as part of the reporting requirements under an award. 

OJP will require each successful applicant to submit regular performance data that demonstrate the 

results of the work carried out under the award. The performance data directly relate to the goals, 

objectives, and deliverables identified under “Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables” on page 9. 

A list of performance measure questions for this program can be found on page 24. 

Applicants can also visit OJP’s performance measurement page at www.ojp.gov/performance for an 

overview of performance measurement activities at OJP. 

Award recipients will be required to submit performance measure data in quarterly financial reports, 

semi-annual progress reports, and the Final Research Report. Further guidance on the post-award 

submission process will be provided, if selected for award. 

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Timeline 

Applicants will submit the project's goals, objectives, deliverables, and timelines in the JustGrants 

Web-based form. See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information. 

Budget and Associated Documentation 

Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative (Web-based Form) 

Applicants will complete the JustGrants web-based budget form. See the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide for additional information. 

The following paragraph (on “Cofunding”) expressly modifies the “Cost Sharing or Matching 

Requirement” provisions in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. The applicant is to follow 

the guidance in the following paragraph instead of the guidance stated under the “Cost Sharing or 

Matching Requirement” heading in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. 

Cofunding: An award made by NIJ under this solicitation may account for up to 100 percent of the 

total cost of the project. The application should indicate whether it is feasible for the applicant to 

contribute cash, facilities, or services as non-federal support for the project. The application should 

identify generally any such contributions that the applicant expects to make and the proposed budget 

should indicate in detail which items, if any, will be supported with non-federal contributions. 

For additional match information, see the “Cost Sharing or Match Requirement” section under 

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Federal Award Information. 

If a successful application proposes a voluntary match amount, and OJP approves the budget, the 

total match amount incorporated into the approved budget becomes mandatory and subject to audit. 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) 

Applicants will submit their indirect cost rate agreement by uploading the agreement as an 

attachment in JustGrants. See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information. 

Financial Management Questionnaire (including applicant disclosure 

of high-risk status) 

Applicants will download the questionnaire in JustGrants and submit by uploading the completed 

questionnaire as an attachment in JustGrants. See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for 

additional information. 

Additional Application Components 

Applicants will attach the additional requested documentation in JustGrants. 

Curriculum Vitae or Resumes 

Curriculum vitae or resume of the principal investigator and any and all co-principal 

investigators. In addition, curriculum vitae, resume, or biographical sketches of all other 

individuals (regardless of “investigator” status) who will be significantly involved in 

substantive aspects of the proposed project (including, for example, individuals such as 

statisticians used to conduct proposed data analysis). 

Tribal Authorizing Resolution 

If applicable, applicants will submit the Tribal Authorizing Resolution by uploading the resolution as 

an attachment in JustGrants. An application in response to this solicitation may require inclusion of 

information related to a tribal authorizing resolution as an attachment. See the OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide for information on tribal authorizing resolutions. 

Timeline Form 

Proposed project timeline and expected milestones. 

Letters of Support 

Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from organizations collaborating 

in the project, such as law enforcement and correctional agencies (if applicable). 

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If an application proposes research (including research and development) and/or evaluation, the 

applicant must demonstrate research/evaluation independence and integrity, including appropriate 

safeguards, before it may receive award funds. Applicants will submit a description of their research 

and evaluation independence and integrity by uploading the document as an attachment in 

JustGrants. For additional information regarding demonstrating research/evaluation independence 

and integrity, including appropriate safeguards, see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. 

Bibliography/reference 

Bibliography/references. Provide a bibliography of any references cited in the Project 

Narrative. 

Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/chart/graphs, or maps 

Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps pertaining to the 

proposed project that are supplemental to such items included in the main body of the 

narrative. 

List of Individuals in the Application 

To assist OJP in assessing actual or apparent conflicts of interest (including such conflicts on 

the part of prospective reviewers of the application), provide a complete list of the individuals 

named or otherwise identified anywhere in the application (including in the budget or in any 

other attachment) who will or may work (or advise or consult) on the proposed research, 

development, or evaluation project. Applicants should use the “ Proposed Project Staff, 

Affiliation, and Roles” form available on the NIJ webpage to prepare this list. 

Human Subjects Protection 

Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to Institutional 

Review Board [IRB] review). See https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/human-subjects-and-privacyprotection. Note: Final IRB approval is not required at the time an application is submitted. 

Privacy Certificate 

Privacy Certificate (for further guidance go to https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/confidentiality-and- privacy-protections and https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/model-privacy-certificate). 

Request to Use Incentives or Stipends 

Applicants proposing to use incentives or stipends payments as part of their research project 

design, must submit an incentive or stipend approval request, as a separate document, 

according to the requirements set forth at https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/participant-support-costs- and-incentives-social-scienceresearch. 

Documentation of Rural Challenges (if applicable) 

As is mentioned above, OJP will give priority consideration in award decisions to 

applications that address specific challenges that rural communities face. Each 

applicant proposing to receive priority consideration under the rural priority must provide 

a sufficient narrative to include what makes the geographic service area rural (using 

U.S. Census or other appropriate government data), how isolated the area is from 

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O-NIJ-2021-45007 
needed services, and how it will address specific challenges in rural communities. 

Applicants will submit the narrative by uploading the document as an attachment in 

JustGrants. 

Documentation of High-Poverty Areas or Persistent-Poverty 

Counties (if applicable) 

As mentioned above, OJP will give priority consideration in award decisions to 

applications that demonstrate that the individuals who will benefit from the requested 

grant reside in high-poverty areas or persistent-poverty counties as defined above. Each 

applicant proposing to receive consideration under the High-Poverty Areas or Persistent 

Poverty Counties priority must provide a sufficient narrative explanation to identify each 

specific High-Poverty Area (by census tract number(s)) and/or each specific PersistentPoverty County where individuals are intended to benefit from the requested grant and 

how the requested grant will address specific challenges in each such identified area 

and/or county. Applicants will submit the narrative by uploading the document as an 

attachment in JustGrants. 

Documentation of Enhanced Public Safety in Qualified Opportunity 

Zones (if applicable) 

As is mentioned above, OJP will give priority consideration in award decisions to 

designated Qualified Opportunity Zones (QOZs). Each applicant proposing to receive 

priority consideration under the under the Qualified Opportunity Zones priority must 

provide a sufficient narrative explanation in order for OJP to identify clearly the public 

safety benefit the applicant anticipates that its project will have on a specified QOZ(s). 

The narrative and the list of affected QOZs (by census tract number) must be included 

as an attachment that is clearly labeled as addressing QOZs. The applicant may also 

include tables, charts, graphs, or other relevant illustrations that may be useful in 

comprehending the manner in which the proposed project is anticipated to benefit a 

QOZ(s). Applicants will submit the narrative by uploading the document as an 

attachment in JustGrants. 

Project Management Plan 

The project management plan. 

Consortium/Contractual Arrangements 

Explain the programmatic, fiscal, and administrative arrangements to be made between the 

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applicant organization and the consortium organization(s). 

Data Archiving Plan 

Applicants should anticipate that NIJ will require, through special award conditions, that data 

sets resulting in whole or in part from projects funded under this solicitation be submitted for 

archiving with the NACJD. See https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/data-archiving-plans-nij-funding- applicants. 

Applications should include as an appendix a brief plan — labeled “Data Archiving Plan” — 

to comply with data archiving requirements. The plan should provide brief details about 

proposed data management and archiving, including submission to NIJ (through NACJD) of al 

l files and documentation necessary to allow for future efforts by others to reproduce the 

project’s findings and/or to extend the scientific value of the data set through secondary 

analysis. Pertinent files and documentation include, among other things, qualitative and 

quantitative data produced, instrumentation and data collection forms, codebook(s), any 

specialized programming code necessary to reproduce all constructed measures and the 

original data analysis, description of necessary de-identification procedures, and (when 

required) a copy of the privacy certificate and informed consent protocols. 

The plan should be one or two pages in length and include the level of effort associated with 

meeting archiving requirements. 

Note that recipients are strongly encouraged to submit required data sets at least 90 days 

before the end of the period of performance. 

Disclosures and Assurances 

Applicants will complete the following disclosures and assurances. 

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities 

Applicants will complete and submit the SF-LLL in Grants.gov. See the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide for additional information. 

DOJ Certified Standard Assurances 

See the DOJ Certified Standard Assurances in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. 

Applicant Disclosure of Duplication in Cost Items 

Applicants will complete the JustGrants web-based Applicant Disclosure of Duplication in Cost Items 

form. See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information. 

DOJ Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and 

Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace 

Requirements 

Applicants will review and accept the DOJ Certified Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, 

Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements. See OJP 

Grant Application Resource Guide. 

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Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High Risk Grantees (if 

applicable) 

If applicable, applicants will submit as an attachment in JustGrants. See the OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide for additional information. A DOJ High Risk Grantee is a recipient 

that has received a DOJ High Risk designation based on a documented history of 

unsatisfactory performance, financial instability, management system or other internal control 

deficiencies, or noncompliance with award terms and conditions on prior awards, or that is 

otherwise not responsible. 

How to Apply 

Applicants will submit an SF-424 and an SF-LLL in Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants

/register.html. 

Applicants will submit the full application including attachments in JustGrants at JustGrants.usdoj.g 

ov. 

For additional information, see the “How to Apply” section in the OJP Grant Application Resource

Guide. 

Submission Dates and Time 

The SF-424 and the SF-LLL will be submitted in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on March

22, 2021. OJP urges applicants to submit applications at least 72 hours prior to the application due 

date to allow time for the applicant to receive validation messages or rejection notifications from 

Grants.gov and to correct in a timely fashion any problems that may have caused a rejection 

notification. 

The full application will be submitted in JustGrants on 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 8, 2021 .

To be considered timely, the full application must be submitted in JustGrants by the JustGrants 

application deadline. 

Application Review Information 

Review Criteria 

a. Scored Review Criteria

Applications that meet basic minimum requirements will be evaluated by peer reviewers. 

Applications will be evaluated on how the proposed project/program addresses the following criteria: 

1. Statement of the Problem (understanding of the problem, (10%)

Demonstrated understanding of the problem. 

Demonstrated importance of research questions, goals and objectives, including alignment 

with the aims of the solicitation. 

Demonstrated awareness of the state of current research. 

2. Project Design and Implementation (quality and technical merit) (50%).

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Feasibility of proposed project. 

Soundness of methods and analytic and technical approach to addressing the stated aim(s) of 

the proposed project. 

Awareness of potential pitfalls of proposed project design and feasibility of proposed actions to 

minimize and/or mitigate them. 

Feasibility of completing the deliverables noted in the solicitation. 

3. Capabilities and Competencies (capabilities, demonstrated productivity, and experience of the 

applicant organization and proposed project staff) (20%) 

Qualifications and experience of proposed project staff (that is, the principal 

investigator, any and all co-principal investigators, and all other individuals (and 

organizations) identified in the application (regardless of “investigator” status) 

who will be significantly involved in substantive aspects of the proposed project). 

Demonstrated ability of the applicant organization to implement the proposed strategies and 

manage the effort. 

Relationship between the capabilities/competencies of the proposed project staff (including 

the applicant organization) and the scope and strategies of the proposed project. 

4. Potential Impact (20%) 

Potential for a significant scientific or technical advance(s) that will improve 

criminal/juvenile justice in the United States. 

Potential for significantly improved understanding of the stated criminal/juvenile justice 

problem. 

Potential for innovative solution to address (all or a significant part of) the stated 

criminal/juvenile justice problem. 

Strength and feasibility of the proposed dissemination plan to produce scholarly products 

(such as published, peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the 

academic press, technological prototypes, patented inventions, databases, standards or 

similar scientific products) as well as make summary information available to broader 

interested audiences, such as criminal justice practitioners or policymakers. 

5. Budget (0%) 

In addition, peer reviewers will consider and may comment on the following additional items in the 

context of scientific and technical merit. 

Alignment of the proposed budget with proposed project activities. 

Total cost of the project relative to the perceived benefit (cost effectiveness). 

Appropriateness of the budget relative to the level of effort. 

Use of existing resources to conserve costs. 

b. Additional Review Criteria 

Other important considerations for NIJ include geographic diversity, strategic priorities (specifically 

including, but not limited to, those mentioned above relating to addressing specific challenges that 

rural communities face, high-poverty areas or persistent-poverty counties, demonstrable potential 

enhancement to public safety in one or more federally designated Qualified Opportunity Zones), 

available funding, past performance, and the extent to which the Budget Worksheet and Budget 

Narrative (web-based form) accurately explain project costs that are reasonable, necessary, and 

otherwise allowable under federal law and applicable federal cost principles. 

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Applications submitted under this solicitation that meet basic minimum requirements, will be 

evaluated for technical merit by a peer review panel(s) in accordance with OJP peer review policy 

and procedures using the stated review criteria above. 

OJP screens applications to ensure they meet the basic minimum requirements prior to conducting 

peer review. Although specific requirements may vary, the following are common requirements 

applicable to all solicitations for funding under OJP programs: 

The application must be submitted by an eligible type of applicant. 

The application must request funding within programmatic funding constraints (if 

applicable). 

The application must be responsive to the scope of the solicitation. 

The application must include all items necessary to meet the basic minimum 

requirements. 

The application, if submitted by an applicant that is a DOJ High Risk Grantee, or is 

designated “high risk” by a federal grant-making agency outside of DOJ, must not 

have been determined by the NIJ Director to pose a substantial risk of program 

implementation failure, based on 1) the applicant’s lack of sufficient progress in 

addressing required corrective actions necessary for removal of the DOJ High Risk 

Grantee (or non-DOJ high risk) designation, 2) the nature and severity of the issues 

leading to or accompanying the DOJ High Risk Grantee (or non-DOJ high risk) 

designation, and/or 3) the applicant’s expected ability to manage grant funds and 

achieve grant goals and objectives. 

Pursuant to the Part 200 Uniform Requirements, before award decisions are made, OJP also 

reviews information related to the degree of risk posed by the applicant. Among other things to help 

assess whether an applicant that has one or more prior federal awards has a satisfactory record with 

respect to performance, integrity, and business ethics, OJP checks whether the applicant is listed in 

SAM as excluded from receiving a federal award. 

In addition, if OJP anticipates that an award will exceed $250,000 in federal funds, OJP also must 

review and consider any information about the applicant that appears in the non-public segment of 

the integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently, the Federal Awardee 

Performance and Integrity Information System, FAPIIS). 

Important note on FAPIIS: An applicant, may review and comment on any information about itself 

that currently appears in FAPIIS and was entered by a federal awarding agency. OJP will consider 

any such comments by the applicant, in addition to the other information in FAPIIS, in its assessment 

of the risk posed by the applicant. 

All final award decisions will be made by Director of the National Institute of Justice, who may take 

into account not only peer review ratings and NIJ recommendations, but also other factors as 

indicated in this section. 

Federal Award Administration Information 

Federal Award Notices 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on award notifications and 

instructions. 

Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements 

If selected for funding, in addition to implementing the funded project consistent with the OJPapproved application, the recipient must comply with all award conditions, and all applicable 

requirements of federal statutes and regulations (including applicable requirements referred to in the 

assurances and certifications executed in connection with award acceptance). 

For additional information on these legal requirements, see the “Administrative, National Policy, and 

Other Legal Requirements” section in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. 

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An application in response to this solicitation may require inclusion of information related to 

information technology security. See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on 

information technology security. 

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting 

Requirements 

In addition to the deliverables described in Program Description, any recipient of an award under this 

solicitation will be required to submit certain reports and data 

Required reports. Recipients typically must submit quarterly financial reports, quarterly, semi-annual 

progress reports, final financial and progress reports, final research reports, and, if applicable, an 

annual audit report in accordance with the Part 200 Uniform Requirements or specific award 

conditions. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if reports are delinquent. (In 

appropriate cases, OJP may require additional reports.) 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information on specific post-award 

reporting requirements, including performance measures data. 

Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

For questions directed to the Federal Awarding Agency, see NCJRS contact information on 

page 3. 

For contact information for Grants.gov, see page 2. 

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 

552a) 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on Freedom of Information and 

Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 552a). 

Provide Feedback to OJP 

See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on how to provide feedback to OJP. 

Performance Measures 

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Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Recipient Provides 

Conduct research in social 

and behavioral sciences 

having clear implications 

for criminal justice policy 

and practice in the United 

States. 

1. Relevance to the needs of the field as 

measured by whether the project’s 

substantive scope did not deviate from the 

funded project or any subsequent agencyapproved modifications to the scope. 

2. Quality of the research as 

demonstrated by the scholarly products 

that result in whole or in part from work 

funded under the NIJ award, such as 

published, peer-reviewed, scientific 

journal articles, and/or (as appropriate for 

the funded project) law review journal 

articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the 

academic press, technological prototypes, 

patented inventions, or similar scientific 

products. 

3. Quality of management as measured 

by such factors as whether significant 

project milestones were achieved, 

reporting and other deadlines were met, 

and costs remained within approved 

limits. 

1. Quarterly financial reports, semiannual and final progress reports, 

and products of the work performed 

under the NIJ award (including, at 

minimum, a final research report). If 

applicable, an annual audit report. 

2. List of citation(s) to all scholarly 

products that resulted in whole or in 

part from work funded under the NIJ 

award. 

3. If applicable, each data set that 

resulted in whole or in part from work 

funded under the NIJ award. 

Application Checklist 

Research and Evaluation of Trafficking in Persons Fiscal Year 2021 

This application checklist has been created as an aid in developing an application. 

What an Applicant Must Do: 

Prior to Registering in Grants.gov: 

Acquire a DUNS Number (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide) 

Acquire or renew registration with SAM (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide) 

To Register with Grants.gov: 

Acquire AOR and Grants.gov username/password (see OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide) 

Acquire AOR confirmation from the E-Biz POC (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide) 

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To Find Funding Opportunity: 

Search for the Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov 

Select the correct Competition ID 

Access Funding Opportunity and Application Package (see OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide) 

Sign up for Grants.gov email notifications (optional) (see OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide) 

Read Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov 

Read OJP policy and guidance on conference approval, planning, reporting available at ojp.go 

v/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm (see OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide) 

Overview of Post-Award Legal Requirements: 

Review the “ Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP Grants and 

Cooperative Agreements - FY 2021 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center. 

Scope Requirement: 

The federal amount requested is within the allowable limit(s) of  $3 million. 

Eligibility Requirement: 

State governments 

Special district governments 

City or township governments 

Public and State controlled institutions of higher education 

County governments 

Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities 

Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments) 

Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized) 

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 

Independent school districts 

Small businesses 

For purposes of this solicitation, the term “State” means any State of the United States, the District 

of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and 

the Northern Mariana Islands. 

Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign colleges and universities are not eligible to 

apply. Federal agencies are eligible to apply. (Any award made to a federal agency will be made as 

an inter-agency reimbursable agreement.) 

Submit SF-424 and SF-LLL in Grants.gov 

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After SF-424 and SF-LLL Submission in Grants.gov, Receive Grants.gov Email Notifications That: 

Submission has been received in Grants.gov 

Submission has either been successfully validated or rejected with errors (see OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide) 

If No Grants.gov Receipt, and Validation or Error Notifications are Received: 

Contact the NCJRS Response Center regarding technical difficulties (see OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide) 

Receive email notification to complete application in JustGrants: 

Complete Application in JustGrants 

Content of Application Submission: 

The following items are critical application elements required to pass Basic Minimum Requirements 

review.  An application that OJP determines does not include the application elements hat must be 

included in the application submission in order for the application to meet the basic minimum 

requirements, will neither proceed to peer review, nor receive further consideration 

Proposal Narrative (see page 14) 

Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative (web-based form), (see page 16) 

Curriculum Vitae/Resumes for Key Personnel (see page 17) 

Content of Application Submission 

Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) in Grants.gov 

Standard Applicant Information (SF-424 info from Grants.gov) 

Proposal Abstract 

Proposal Narrative 

Budget and Associated Documentation 

Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative (Web-based form) 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide) 

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire (see OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide) 

Additional Application Components 

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Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable) [insert if applicable] (see OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide) 

Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity (see OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide) 

Documentation of rural challenges (if applicable) 

Documentation of high-poverty or persistent poverty counties (if applicable) 

Documentation of enhanced public safety in federally designated Qualified Opportunity Zones 

(if applicable) 

Disclosures and Assurances 

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide) 

Applicant Disclosure of Duplication in Cost Items (Pending Applications) (see OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide) 

DOJ Certified Standard Assurance (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide) 

DOJ Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility 

Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (see OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide) 

Applicant Disclosure and Justification - DOJ High Risk Grantees (if applicable) (see OJP 

Grant Application Resource Guide) 

Submit Application in JustGrants: 

Application has been successfully submitted in JustGrants 

If No JustGrants Application Submission, Validation, or Error Notifications are Received: 

Contact JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov or 833–872–5175 regarding technical difficulties 

Endnotes 

[1] Including, but not limited to, the Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against 

Women (OVW) and Office for Victims of Crime (OVC); the Department of Homeland 

Security’s Science and Technology Directorate; the State Department’s Office to Monitor 

and Combat Trafficking in Persons; and the Department of Health and Human Services. 

[2] See 22 USC § 7102 for additional information. 

[3] As noted earlier, if the proposed program or project reasonably could be conducted in 

discrete phases, with each phase resulting in completion of one or more significant, defined 

milestones, then NIJ strongly recommends that the applicant structure the application – 

specifically including the narrative, expected scholarly products, timelines/milestones, and 

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budget detail worksheet and budget narrative – to set out each phase clearly. (In appropriate 

cases, the expected scholarly product(s) from a particular phase may vary from those 

described above.) See generally, “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly 

Products” under “Program-Specific Information,” above. 

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