Notices regarding the solicitation “Graduate Research Fellowship in 

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics”

February 25, 2019: The link to the DOJ Grants Financial Management Online Training under 

“Financial Management and System of Internal Controls” was updated.

February 15, 2019: Information regarding submission of information pertaining to disclosure and 

justification for DOJ High Risk Grantees was redacted.

The original solicitation document begins on the next page.
U.S. Department of Justice OMB No. 1121-0329 

Office of Justice Programs Approval Expires 11/30/2020

National Institute of Justice 

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

Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for funding innovative doctoral dissertation research in 

science, technology, engineering, or mathematics that is relevant to providing solutions to 

prevent and reduce crime, and promote the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in 

the United States. This program furthers the Department’s mission by sponsoring research to 

provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of 

crime and justice, particularly at the state and local levels. 

Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, 

Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

Applications Due: April 17, 2019 

Eligibility 

Eligible applicants are degree-granting academic institutions in the United States and its 

territories. To be eligible, the institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional 

institutional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Under this 

solicitation, the applicant institution must apply as the sponsoring institution for the doctoral 

candidate conducting dissertation research relevant to NIJ’s criminal justice mission.

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

management fee. 

An applicant may submit more than one application under this solicitation, but each application 

must propose sponsoring a different doctoral candidate’s dissertation research.

Deadline 

Applicants must register with Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html

prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on 

April 17, 2019. 

To be considered timely, an application must be submitted by the application deadline using 

Grants.gov, and the applicant must have received a validation message from Grants.gov that 

indicates successful and timely submission. 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. 

OJP encourages all applicants to read this Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov. 
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For additional information, see How to Apply in Section D. Application and Submission 

Information.

Contact Information

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer 

Support Hotline at 800-518-4726, 606-545-5035, at 

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html, or via email to support@grants.gov. The

Grants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays.

An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond its control that 

prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline may email the NIJ contact identified 

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

application. Additional information on reporting technical issues appears under Experiencing 

Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues in the How to Apply section.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the National Criminal 

Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Response Center: toll-free at 1-800-851-3420; via TTY at 

301-240-6310 (hearing impaired only); email grants@ncjrs.gov; fax to 301-240-5830; or web 

chat at https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp. The NCJRS Response Center hours of 

operation are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 

8:00 p.m. eastern time on the solicitation close date. General information on applying for NIJ 

awards can be found at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/welcome.aspx. Answers to frequently asked 

questions that may assist applicants are posted at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/faqs.aspx.

Grants.gov number assigned to this solicitation: NIJ-2019-15143

Release date: January 17, 2019
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NIJ-2019-15143

Contents

A. Program Description.............................................................................................................. 4

Overview ................................................................................................................................ 4

Program-Specific Information ................................................................................................. 4

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products ........................................ 7

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

Type of Award .......................................................................................................................11

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

Budget Information ................................................................................................................13

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement.................................................................................13

Pre-agreement Costs (also known as Pre-award Costs) .......................................................13

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs ...................13

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

C. Eligibility Information.............................................................................................................14

D. Application and Submission Information ...............................................................................14

What an Application Should Include ......................................................................................14

How to Apply .........................................................................................................................30

E. Application Review Information.............................................................................................34

Review Criteria ......................................................................................................................34

Review Process.....................................................................................................................35

F. Federal Award Administration Information ............................................................................37

Federal Award Notices ..........................................................................................................37

Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements ............................................37

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements..............................38

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) ...................................................................................38

H. Other Information..................................................................................................................39

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 552a) ....................39

Provide Feedback to OJP......................................................................................................39

Application Checklist .............................................................................................................40
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Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, 

Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

(CFDA no. 16.560) 

A. Program Description

Overview 

The Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics 

(GRF-STEM) program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate 

research leading to doctoral degrees in topic areas that are relevant to preventing and 

controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the 

United States. Applicant academic institutions sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply 

only if: 

1. The doctoral student’s degree program is in a science, technology, engineering, or

mathematics (STEM) discipline; and

2. The student’s proposed dissertation research has demonstrable implications for

addressing the challenges of preventing or controlling crime and/or the fair and impartial

administration of criminal justice in the United States.

Statutory Authority: Any awards under this solicitation would be made under statutory 

authority provided by a full-year appropriations act for FY 2019. As of the writing of this 

solicitation, the Department of Justice is operating under a short-term "Continuing Resolution"; 

no full-year appropriation for the Department has been enacted for FY 2019. 

Program-Specific Information 

Degree-granting academic institutions are encouraged to sponsor outstanding and promising 

doctoral students whose dissertation research has direct implications for preventing and 

controlling crime, and/or ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the 

United States. 

Academic institutions sponsoring doctoral students whose disciplines are in the social and 

behavioral sciences should consider submitting their applications under the forthcoming “NIJ 

Graduate Research Fellowship Program in the Social and Behavioral Sciences” (GRF-SBS) 

solicitation. Answers to frequently asked questions about the GRF-SBS program are posted at 

https://www.nij.gov/GRF-SBS. 

Awards are anticipated to be made to successful applicant institutions in the form of grants to 

cover fellowships for the sponsored doctoral students. Each fellowship provides up to three (3) 

years of support usable within a five-year period. For each year of support, NIJ provides the 

degree-granting institution a stipend of $35,000 usable towards the student’s salary and related 

costs, and up to $15,000 to cover the student’s tuition and fees, administrative expenses, 

research expenses, and related costs (see Section B. Federal Award Information). The award 

will be made for the entire cumulative fellowship amount (up to three years of funding). Although 

the award is made for the full amount, after the first year each annual funding increment is 
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withheld pending annual demonstration of continued enrollment and adequate progress toward 

the degree. This is a change from program policy in previous fiscal years; new fellows 

awarded in FY 2018 and 2019 will no longer be required to submit full application packages for 

annual supplemental funding.

Successful applicants must demonstrate clearly how the proposed dissertation research will 

advance criminal justice practice and/or policy in the United States. Proposals addressing one 

or more of the following six areas are particularly encouraged:

 Reducing and preventing violent crime.

 Combating the opioid epidemic.

 Promoting law enforcement officer safety, health, and wellness.

 Rescuing and restoring crime victims.

 Securing our Nation’s borders.

 Enhancing law enforcement investigations and prosecutions.

Applicants contemplating research relevant to the forensic sciences may consider the problem 

areas highlighted by NIJ’s Forensic Science Technology Working Group (TWG), which identifies 

current technology challenges encountered in operational forensic science laboratories. 

Additional research needs of the forensic science community can be found at the Organization 

of Scientific Area Committees (OSAC) website.

Applicants may also consider NIJ’s Science and Technology Objectives for the application of 

technology across law enforcement, courts, corrections, and forensic science communities. 

Under an NIJ cooperative agreement, the RAND Corporation publishes assessments of current 

and future high-priority criminal justice technology needs across a range of topic areas, which 

may be consulted for further guidance.

While the above priorities are provided as possible focus areas for proposed research, they 

should not be considered as limiting the range of eligible research. All eligible applicants 

proposing research in STEM fields of study with demonstrated relevance to criminal justice 

practice and/or policy in the United States are invited to apply.

Applicant Information

The applicant under this solicitation will be a degree-granting academic institution in the United 

States or its territories. To be eligible, the academic institution of record must be fully accredited 

by one of the regional institutional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of 

Education. An applicant institution sponsoring a doctoral student is eligible to apply only if the 

doctoral student satisfies the Doctoral Student Eligibility Requirements. Applications from 

students who apply as individuals will be removed from consideration.

The academic institution’s institution-wide research office (e.g., Office of Sponsored Research) 

must complete and submit an application electronically using Grants.gov (see What an 
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Application Should Include). If allowed by the applicant institution, the sponsored doctoral 

student should be identified as the project’s principal investigator.

The applicant must demonstrate that the sponsored graduate student is enrolled in a qualifying 

doctoral degree program at the time of application. This should take the form of a document 

from the Office of the Registrar, or an equivalent university- or college-wide office with the 

authority to verify status. A transcript may be accepted if it clearly indicates the student’s current 

full-time enrollment in the qualifying doctoral degree program.

Doctoral Student Eligibility Requirements

The graduate student must:

1. Be enrolled full-time in a doctoral degree program in a STEM discipline at the eligible 

academic institution; and

2. Propose a dissertation research topic that is relevant to addressing the challenges of 

crime, and/or the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States 

(see What an Application Should Include).

The doctoral student need not have a dissertation committee at the time the application is 

submitted, nor is it necessary for the student’s dissertation topic to have been accepted by the 

committee. However, if the application is selected for award, grant funds will be withheld until 

the applicant academic institution submits proof that the student’s dissertation topic has been 

accepted by the committee and that it is substantively the same as that proposed in the 

application.

If the doctoral student has an approved topic at the time of application, then it should be noted 

in a statement of support from the doctoral student’s dissertation committee chair (see 

Dissertation Committee Chair Requirements).

If the doctoral student does not yet have a dissertation committee, or the dissertation topic has 

not yet been approved at the time of application, then the expected dates by which the doctoral 

student will meet these requirements should be indicated in the project timeline (see “Proposed 

project timeline and expected milestones” under Appendices). In addition, the doctoral student’s 

faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies, or an individual 

with similar responsibilities must submit a statement of support at the time of application. That 

statement of support should generally follow the outline provided below for the statement of 

support from the dissertation committee chair, including all relevant elements.

Even though an award may be made, access to award funds will be withheld until the required 

documentation is received and approved by the NIJ Program Office. NIJ anticipates that award 

notifications will be made on, or before, September 30, 2019. The applicant academic institution 

and the doctoral student are cautioned not to anticipate the availability of fellowship funds for 

meeting any necessary or required expenses until the requirements stipulated above have been 

met in full. Awarded applicants may receive fellowship funding only while the student is actively 

enrolled in the doctoral degree program and carrying out research for the dissertation identified 

in the applicant’s funding application.

Human subjects protection paperwork including Institutional Review Board (IRB) documentation 

and a completed privacy certificate are not required at the time of application. If awarded, 
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and if applicable, funds will be withheld until submission and NIJ approval of any required 

Human Subjects Protection paperwork and/or a completed Privacy Certificate. The Privacy 

Certificate must be signed by the academic institution’s IRB chair. For information on NIJ’s 

Human Subjects and Privacy Protection requirements, see 

www.nij.gov/nij/funding/humansubjects/welcome.htm.

Dissertation Committee Chair Requirements

Although a fellowship may be awarded based on consideration of a letter of support from the 

faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies, or individual with 

similar responsibilities, the NIJ Program Office must receive a signed statement of support from 

the sponsored doctoral student’s dissertation committee chair prior to authorizing the 

disbursement of award funds (applicants can expect to see conditions to that effect attached to 

any such award). If the dissertation committee has accepted the student’s topic at the time of 

application, that statement of support must be submitted as part of the application. If the topic 

has not been accepted by the time of application, it must be submitted as soon as is reasonable 

after the topic has been approved. The approved dissertation topic must remain substantively 

similar to that initially proposed.

The statement of support should:

 Evaluate the doctoral student’s proposed project.

 Describe the current status of the proposed work.

 Outline any pending work, academic or otherwise, toward completion of the degree.

 Comment on the student’s potential to complete the dissertation.

 Indicate whether the student has his/her full support.

 Present evidence of both the department’s and the dissertation committee chair’s 

abilities to mentor doctoral candidates through to completion of their degrees.

 Describe the committee chair’s role in monitoring the project and verify that the 

committee chair will review and approve all progress reports prior to submission to NIJ.

An application that does not include the statement of support from (1) the dissertation 

committee chair; or (2) the doctoral student’s faculty advisor, department chair, 

departmental director of graduate studies, or individual with similar responsibilities will 

be removed from consideration.

For information on application elements designated as critical by NIJ under this solicitation, see

What an Application Should Include.

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

The ultimate goal of this solicitation is to increase the pool of researchers who are engaged in 

providing STEM-based solutions to problems relevant to criminal justice policy and practice in 

the United States. Through the GRF-STEM program, NIJ supports research by promising 
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doctoral students as they train to become the creators of future innovation. This is consistent 

with the following national research and development (R&D) priorities 

(https://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/whitehouse.gov/files/ostp/fy2019-administration-researchdevelopment-budget-priorities.pdf):

 Supporting Innovative Early-Stage Research

The groundwork for the development and eventual commercialization of new 

technologies is laid by basic and early-stage applied research. These are the stages of 

inquiry typically undertaken in STEM doctoral dissertation research, which is the specific 

focus of the GRF-STEM program. Support of graduate student research is a particularly 

cost-effective way to promote the generation of potentially transformative knowledge and 

technology.

 Developing a Future-Focused Workforce

The training of the American workforce through STEM education, a critical component of 

maintaining American competitiveness, is a national priority. This program supports the 

training of young scientists capable of meeting future science and technology workforce 

demands. NIJ’s GRF-STEM seeks to engage these emerging researchers to help meet 

the needs of America’s criminal justice practitioners, while simultaneously developing 

their skills to contribute broadly to America’s R&D enterprise.

Deliverables

Recipients of awards made under this solicitation will be required to deliver annual and final 

progress reports and quarterly financial reports to NIJ by specified deadlines (see Section F. 

Federal Award Administration Information). The final deliverables for awards under this 

solicitation are:

 An official signed copy of the doctoral student’s defended dissertation.

 A list of scholarly products, as well as products developed for broad dissemination to 

informal audiences, resulting from the dissertation research.

Such scholarly products may take the form of published, peer-reviewed journal articles or 

indexed conference abstracts, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press, technological 

prototypes, software, patented inventions, or similar scientific products. Products developed for 

broad dissemination to informal audiences may take the form of websites, webinars, podcasts, 

informational documents, online tools, or other similar products.

Upon submission, the dissertation may be archived at the National Criminal Justice Reference 

Service (NCJRS). Doctoral students who participate in the GRF-STEM program are encouraged 

but are not required to archive their dissertation data in venues appropriate to their scientific 

communities.

The Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products are directly related to the 

performance measures that demonstrate the results of the work completed.
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Performance Measures 

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

the results of the work carried out under the award (see “General Information about PostFederal Award Reporting Requirements” in Section F. Federal Award Administration 

Information). 

Applicants should visit OJP’s performance measurement page at www.ojp.gov/performance for 

an overview of performance measurement activities at OJP. 

The application should demonstrate the applicant’s understanding of the performance data 

reporting requirements for this grant program and detail how the applicant will gather the 

required data should it receive funding. 

Please note that applicants are not required to submit performance data with the application. 

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. 

Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Recipient Provides

Conduct 

dissertation 

research in 

science, 

technology, 

engineering, 

and/or 

mathematics 

having clear 

implications 

for criminal 

justice policy 

and practice in 

the United 

States.

1.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, peerreviewed, 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.

2.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.List of citation(s) to all scholarly 

products that resulted in whole or in 

part from work funded under the NIJ 

award.

2.Quarterly financial reports, annual, 

and final progress reports

If applicable, an annual audit report.

3.An official signed copy of the doctoral 

student’s successfully defended and 

accepted final dissertation.

4.If applicable, each data set that 

resulted in whole or in part from work 

funded under the NIJ award.

Evaluation Research 

If an application includes an evaluation research component (or consists entirely of evaluation 

research), the application is expected to propose the most rigorous evaluation design 

appropriate for the research questions to be addressed. If the primary purpose of the evaluation 

is to determine the effectiveness or impact of an intervention (e.g., program, practice, or policy), 

the most rigorous evaluation designs may include random selection and assignment of 

participants (or other appropriate units of analysis) to experimental and control conditions. In 

cases where randomization is not feasible, applicants should propose a strong quasiexperimental design that can address the risk of selection bias. 

Applications that include evaluation research should consider the feasibility of including 

cost/benefit analysis. In cases where evaluations find that interventions have produced the 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

intended benefit, cost/benefit analysis provides valuable and practical information for 

practitioners and policymakers that aids decision-making. 

Evaluation research projects may also address a wide range of research questions beyond 

those focused on the effectiveness or impact of an intervention. Different research designs may 

be more appropriate for different research questions and at different stages of program 

development. The intervention strategies, setting, other contextual factors, and resources 

should be taken into account when selecting an evaluation design. In all cases, applications are 

expected to propose the most rigorous evaluation design appropriate for the research questions 

to be addressed. 

Applicants are encouraged to review evidence rating criteria at

https://www.crimesolutions.gov/about_starttofinish.aspx for further information on high-quality 

evaluation design elements. 

B. Federal Award Information 

NIJ expects to make up to 14 awards of up to $150,000 each, with an estimated total amount 

awarded of up to $2,000,000. Awards will be made for periods of performance of up to five (5) 

years, while providing up to three years of funding within that timespan. 

Each fellowship award made under this solicitation will be for the entire fellowship term, as 

requested — up to a 60-month (five-year) project period. The amount requested may not 

exceed three years of funding ($150,000 maximum). Although the full amount is awarded 

upfront, after the first year each annual funding increment is withheld pending receipt and 

approval by NIJ of: 

1. Continued active enrollment in the doctoral degree program. 

2. Verification (in the form of a signed letter from the dissertation committee chair) that the 

doctoral student is actively carrying out research and making satisfactory progress 

toward the dissertation topic originally proposed (or substantively similar to that originally 

proposed). 

Current GRF-STEM fellows should not apply to this funding opportunity. Annual funding 

supplements for current fellows awarded in previous fiscal years will continue to be processed 

as described in the solicitations under which they were originally awarded. 

Each year of support includes a $35,000 allowance usable toward a salary/stipend for the 

student and related costs, and up to $15,000 to cover the student’s tuition and fees, 

administrative expenses, research expenses, and related costs. The $35,000 allowance for 

salary/stipend and related costs may include fringe benefits (if applicable) and health insurance, 

at the applicant institution’s discretion. Under this solicitation, research expenses and related 

costs may include any combination of the doctoral student’s tuition, student fees, university 

administrative or indirect costs, project costs, professional society membership fees, or 

conference travel, among other allowed expenses during the award period of performance (see 

complete Budget Information, including “What will not be funded”).

The total period of performance of an award will not exceed five (5) years. The applicant’s 

budget narrative and budget detail worksheet should reflect the entire proposed project timeline 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

of up to three (3) years of funding, in discrete 12-month increments. The Application for Federal 

Assistance (SF-424) should reflect the cumulative funding request. 

Award funding may be received only while the fellow is actively enrolled in the initially identified 

doctoral degree program and actively carrying out research toward his/her dissertation. Should 

certain unforeseen and/or temporary circumstances arise that preclude the fellow from actively 

pursuing the dissertation research, the fellow is expected to notify NIJ via his/her academic 

institution representative. The fellow’s award funding may be temporarily suspended at the 

discretion of NIJ. 

Fellowship funds may be used to support only the student who was the subject of the initially 

reviewed and awarded application, and are not transferable to any other student. 

Students do not directly receive awards. The academic institution, as the grant recipient, will be 

responsible for, among other things, the administration of grant funds and for distributing 

payments to the fellowship recipient. When an award has been activated, it is expected that the 

academic institution will draw down funds based on immediate disbursement/reimbursement 

requirements. Funds should not be paid to the doctoral student in a lump sum but rather should 

be disbursed over time as project costs are incurred or anticipated. Recipients should time their 

drawdown requests to ensure that federal cash-on-hand is the minimum needed for 

disbursements/reimbursements to be made immediately or within 10 days.

To allow time for (among other things) any necessary post-award review and financial clearance 

by OJP of the proposed budget and for any associated responses or other action(s) that may be 

required of the recipient, applicants should propose an award start date of January 1, 2020. 

Although NIJ anticipates that funds awarded under this GRF-STEM solicitation will be made 

available on January 1, 2020, the applicant academic institution and doctoral student are 

cautioned not to anticipate the availability of funds for meeting any necessary or required 

expenses for the 2020 Winter Quarter or Spring Semester until the requirements stipulated 

under Doctoral Student Eligibility have been met in full. 

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

additional requirements that may be imposed by law. 

Type of Award 

NIJ expects to make any award under this solicitation in the form of a grant. See Administrative, 

National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements, under Section F. Federal Award Administration 

Information, for a brief discussion of important statutes, regulations, and award conditions that 

apply to many (or in some cases, all) OJP grants. 

Please note: Any recipient of an award under this solicitation will be required to comply with 

DOJ regulations on confidentiality and protection of human subjects. See “Requirements related 

to Research” under “Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP Grants and 

Cooperative Agreements – FY 2018 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center at 

https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm. 
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Financial Management and System of Internal Controls 

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

entities1

) must, as described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements2 as set out at 2 C.F.R. 

200.303.

(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that

provides reasonable assurance that [the recipient (and any subrecipient)] is

managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations,

and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls

should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the

Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and

the “Internal Control Integrated Framework”, issued by the Committee of

Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

(b) Comply with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the

Federal awards.

(c) Evaluate and monitor [the recipient’s (and any subrecipient’s)] compliance with

statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of Federal awards.

(d) Take prompt action when instances of noncompliance are identified including

noncompliance identified in audit findings.

(e) Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable

information and other information the Federal awarding agency or pass-through

entity designates as sensitive or [the recipient (or any subrecipient)] considers

sensitive consistent with applicable Federal, state, local, and tribal laws regarding

privacy and obligations of confidentiality.

To help ensure that applicants understand applicable administrative requirements and cost 

principles, OJP encourages prospective applicants to enroll, at no charge, in the DOJ Grants 

Financial Management Online Training, available at https://onlinegfmt.training.ojp.gov/. (This 

training is required for all OJP recipients.) 

Also, applicants should be aware that OJP collects information from applicants on their 

financial management and systems of internal controls (among other information) which is 

used to make award decisions. Under Section D. Application and Submission Information,

applicants may access and review the OJP Financial Management and System of Internal 

Controls Questionnaire (https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/FinancialCapability.pdf) that 

OJP requires all applicants (other than an individual applying in his/her personal capacity) to 

download, complete, and submit as part of the application. 

1

 For purposes of this solicitation, the phrase “pass-through entity” includes any recipient or subrecipient that provides 

a subaward (“subgrant”) to carry out part of the funded award or program.

2 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. 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

Budget Information 

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 for dissertation research by doctoral students who are not pursuing 

research related to crime, and/or the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice 

in the United States. 

 Applications that are not responsive to this specific solicitation. 

 Conference, meeting or training activity hosted by the applicant. (Conference, meeting or 

training attendance by the fellow, if included in the fellowship application and budget, 

may be allowable.) 

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 

See “Cofunding” paragraph under item 4 (“Budget and Associated Documentation”) under What 

an Application Should Include in Section D. Application and Submission Information. 

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

Pre-agreement costs are costs incurred by the applicant prior to the start date of the period of 

performance of the federal award. Requests for approval of pre-agreement costs will not be 

considered under this solicitation. 

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

OJP strongly encourages every applicant that proposes to use award funds for any conference-, 

meeting-, or training-related activity (or similar event) to review carefully—before submitting an 

application—the OJP policy and guidance on approval, planning, and reporting of such events, 

available at www.ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm. OJP 

policy and guidance (1) encourage minimization of conference, meeting, and training costs; (2) 

require prior written approval (which may affect project timelines) of most conference, meeting, 

and training costs for cooperative agreement recipients and of some conference, meeting, and 

training costs for grant recipients; and (3) set cost limits, which include a general prohibition of 

all food and beverage costs. 

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable) 

If an applicant proposes a program or activity that would deliver services or benefits to 

individuals, the costs of taking reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to those services 

or benefits for individuals with limited English proficiency may be allowable. Reasonable steps 

to provide meaningful access to services or benefits may include interpretation or translation 

services, where appropriate. 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

For additional information, see the "Civil Rights Compliance" section under “Overview of Legal 

Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP Grants and Cooperative Agreements – FY 2018 

Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center at https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm. 

C. Eligibility Information 

For eligibility information, see the title page. 

For information on cost sharing or match requirements, see “What an Application Should 

Include” in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

D. Application and Submission Information 

What an Application Should Include 

This section describes in detail what an application should include. An applicant should 

anticipate that if it fails to submit an application that contains all of the specified elements, it may 

negatively affect the review of its application; and, should a decision be made to make an 

award, it may result in the inclusion of award conditions that preclude the recipient from 

accessing or using award funds until the recipient satisfies the conditions and OJP makes the 

funds available. 

Moreover, an applicant should anticipate that an application that OJP determines is

nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, or that OJP determines does not include the 

application elements that NIJ has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review 

nor receive further consideration. For this solicitation, NIJ has designated the following 

application elements as critical: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, Budget Narrative, 

verification of enrollment in a qualifying degree program, undergraduate and graduate 

transcripts (official or unofficial), and statement of support from the dissertation committee chair 

(or, if the student does not yet have a committee, the student’s faculty advisor, department 

chair, departmental director of graduate studies, or an individual with similar responsibilities). 

NOTE: OJP has combined the Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative in a single 

document collectively referred to as the Budget Detail Worksheet. See “Budget Information and 

Associated Documentation” below for more information about the Budget Detail Worksheet and 

where it can be accessed. 

OJP strongly recommends that applicants use appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., 

“Program Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet,” “Timelines,” “Memoranda of Understanding,” 

“Resumes”) for all attachments. Also, OJP recommends that applicants include resumes in a 

single file. 

Please review the “Note on File Names and File Types” under How to Apply to be sure 

applications are submitted in permitted formats. 

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

The SF-424 is a required standard form used as a cover sheet for submission of preapplications, applications, and related information. Grants.gov and OJP’s Grants 

Management System (GMS) take information from the applicant’s profile to populate the 
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fields on this form. When selecting "type of applicant," if the applicant is a for-profit entity, 

select "For-Profit Organization" or "Small Business" (as applicable). 

To avoid processing delays, an applicant must include an accurate legal name on its SF424. On the SF-424, current OJP award recipients, when completing the field for “Legal 

Name” (box 8a), should use the same legal name that appears on the prior year award 

document (which is also the legal name stored in OJP’s financial system.) Also, current 

recipients should enter the Employer Identification Number (EIN) in box 8b exactly as it 

appears on the prior year award document. An applicant with a current, active award(s) 

must ensure that its GMS profile is current. If the profile is not current, the applicant should 

submit a Grant Adjustment Notice updating the information on its GMS profile prior to 

applying under this solicitation. 

A new applicant entity should enter its official legal name in box 8a, its address in box 8d, its 

EIN in box 8b, and its Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in box 8c of the 

SF-424. A new applicant entity should attach official legal documents to the application (e.g., 

articles of incorporation, 501(c)(3) status documentation, organizational letterhead) to 

confirm the legal name, address, and EIN entered into the SF-424. OJP will use the System 

for Award Management (SAM) to confirm the legal name and DUNS number entered in the 

SF-424; therefore, an applicant should ensure that the information entered in the SF-424 

matches its current registration in SAM. See the How to Apply section for more information 

on SAM and DUNS numbers. 

Intergovernmental Review: This solicitation ("funding opportunity") is not subject to 

Executive 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.”)

2. Project Abstract

The project abstract is a very important part of the application, and serves as an introduction 

to the proposed project. NIJ uses the project abstract for a number of purposes, including 

assignment of the application to an appropriate review panel. If the application is funded, the 

project abstract typically will become public information and be used to describe the project. 

Applications should include a high-quality project abstract that summarizes the proposed 

project in 250-400 words. Project abstracts not submitted in the template below should be—

 Written for a general public audience. 

 Submitted as a separate attachment with “Project Abstract” as part of its file name. 

As a separate attachment, the project abstract will not count against the page limit for the 

program narrative. 

All project abstracts should follow this detailed template available at 

ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf. Formatting cannot be altered 

in this template; therefore, the above formatting requirements do not apply. 
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3. Program Narrative 

The program narrative section of the application should not exceed 12-double-spaced pages 

in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. If included in the main body of the program narrative, 

tables, charts, figures, and other illustrations count toward the 12-page limit for the narrative 

section. The project abstract, table of contents, appendices, and government forms do not 

count toward the 12-page limit. 

If the program narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, NIJ may 

consider such noncompliance in peer review and in final award decisions. 

The program narrative is expected to be the intellectual product of the student. While the 

involvement of graduate advisors and others is encouraged in the development of research 

ideas and in the revision of manuscripts, the student should be the primary author of the 

research proposal. 

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative. 

Program Narrative Guidelines: 

a. Title Page (not counted against the 12-page program narrative limit) 

The title page should include: 

 The title of the project. 

 Submission date. 

 Funding opportunity number. 

 Name and complete contact information (address, telephone number, and e-mail 

address) for both the applicant academic institution and the principal investigator 

(i.e., the sponsored doctoral student, if allowed by the academic institution). 

 Name of the enrolled doctoral program (degree field). 

 Keywords for the fields of study. 

b. Resubmit Response (if applicable) (not counted against the 12-page program 

narrative limit) 

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

funded, the applicant should clearly 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, including responses to previous feedback received from NIJ. 

c. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the 12-page program narrative 

limit) 
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d. Main Body

The main body of the program narrative should describe the proposed project in 

depth. The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative: 

 Statement of the Problem and Research Questions. This section should address 

the need for research in the area of study. Applicants should discuss current 

gaps in data, research, and knowledge. As part of this discussion, applicants 

should present a review of the literature and discuss previous research relevant 

to these problems. 

This section should also identify the proposed research questions and discuss 

the purpose, goals, and objectives of the proposed project. The relevance of the 

proposed research to criminal justice in the United States should be clearly 

articulated, as well as the potential significance of the proposed research to the 

particular field of study. 

 Project Design and Implementation. Applicants should provide a detailed 

description of the methods to be used to address the research questions. 

Applicants should describe the data acquisition methodology in detail and 

demonstrate the validity and relevance of the data to be collected. Applicants 

should justify the methods of data analysis planned, address the feasibility of the 

project overall, speculate on potential challenges that may arise, and discuss 

plans to mitigate difficulties that may be encountered. 

This section should include a discussion of the deliverables, including planned 

scholarly products and a plan for dissemination to appropriate audiences. 

Applicants should also identify plans, if appropriate, to make the results available 

to interested criminal justice practitioners and the broader public in a form that is 

readily accessible and useful to them. 

 Capabilities/Competencies. This section should describe the experience and 

capability of the doctoral student, the research advisor or committee chair (if 

applicable), and the academic institution, highlighting previous experience 

implementing similar research. Applicants should address: 

o The preparation and qualifications of the doctoral student. 

o The academic environment and supporting resources. 

o Experience producing and disseminating research deliverables (publications 

and presentations). 

Applicants should also outline the management plan and organization. This 

should identify the people involved in the execution of the project, their specific 

roles, and any framework to be used for ensuring that their tasks are fulfilled. 

Include, if applicable, a description contextualizing the proposed doctoral work 

relative to, or within, any other work being conducted under an existing NIJ 

award, which must be specifically identified. 
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e. Appendices (not counted against the 12-page program narrative limit) may include: 

 Bibliography/references. Attach this as a separate PDF file titled “Bibliography 

and References Cited.”

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

to the proposed project that are supplemental to, but not essential to a basic 

understanding of, the main body of the narrative. (Tables, charts, graphs, or 

other relevant illustrations that are essential for comprehension of the 

project/program design should be included in the main body of the narrative.) 

 Curriculum vitae, resumes, or biosketches of the doctoral student and the 

dissertation committee chair. Attach this as a separate PDF file titled “Curriculum 

Vitae or Resumes.”

 Personal statement from the student discussing his or her academic background, 

research experience, career goals, and the anticipated role of the fellowship in 

his or her professional trajectory, not to exceed two (2) double-spaced pages in 

12-point font with 1-inch margins. Attach this as a separate PDF file titled 

“Personal Statement.”

 List of the student’s dissertation committee (if known) and their contact 

information to include: names, telephone numbers, and email addresses. The 

dissertation chair should be clearly identified. Applicants should use the 

“Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles” form available at 

www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-staff-template.xlsx. 

 Proposed project timeline and expected milestones. The timeline should include 

details about student progress milestones including, but not limited to: the date 

by which the student is expected to advance to candidacy (if applicable), any 

major dates in the dissemination plan, the writing of the dissertation, and an 

expected dissertation defense date. Any steps that are specifically required by 

the sponsoring institution for successful completion of the doctoral degree should 

be clearly noted. The project timeline should also allow for time to complete edits 

to the dissertation manuscript and for submission of the final dissertation to NIJ. 

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

conflicts on the part of prospective reviewers of the application), 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. 

This applies to all such individuals, including, for example, individuals who are or 

would be employees of the applicant or employees of any proposed subrecipient 

entity, any individuals who themselves may be a subrecipient, and individuals 

who may (or will) work without compensation (such as advisory board members). 

This appendix to the program narrative is to include, for each listed individual: 

name, title, employer, any other potentially-pertinent organizational affiliation(s), 

and the individual's proposed roles and responsibilities in carrying out the 

proposed project. If the application identifies any specific entities or organizations 

(other than the applicant) that will or may work (or advise or consult) on the 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

proposed project, without also naming any associated individuals, the name of 

each such organization also should be included on this list. Applicants should 

use the “Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles” form available at

https://www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-staff-template.xlsx to provide 

this list. 

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. Applicants should provide this list as a separate sheet entitled 

"Proposed non-competitive procurement contracts." 

For information on distinctions -- for purposes of federal grants administrative 

requirements -- between subawards and procurement contracts under awards, 

see “Budget and Associated Documentation,” below. 

 Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to 

Institutional Review Board (IRB) review). (See

nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/Pages/welcome.aspx) Note: Final IRB approval is 

not required at the time an application is submitted. 

 Privacy Certificate (for further guidance go to 

nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/pages/confidentiality.aspx). 

 List of any previous and current NIJ awards to the applicant and investigator(s), 

including the NIJ-assigned award numbers and a brief description of any 

scholarly products that resulted in whole or in part from work funded under the 

NIJ award(s). (See “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly 

Products” under “Program-Specific Information,” above, for definition of “scholarly 

products.”)

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

has been submitted including, but not limited to, other fellowships which the 

doctoral student has received and the dates during which those fellowships will 

be active (if applicable). 

 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://www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/research-participant-costs-and-incentives.aspx. 

 Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from organizations 

collaborating on the project (if applicable). 

4. Budget and Associated Documentation

The Budget Detail Worksheet and the Budget Narrative are now combined in a single 

document collectively referred to as the Budget Detail Worksheet. The Budget Detail 

Worksheet is a user-friendly, fillable, Microsoft Excel-based document designed to calculate 
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totals. Additionally, the Excel workbook contains worksheets for multiple budget years that 

can be completed as necessary. All applicants should use the Excel version when 

completing the proposed budget in an application, except in cases where the 

applicant does not have access to Microsoft Excel or experiences technical 

difficulties. If an applicant does not have access to Microsoft Excel or experiences 

technical difficulties with the Excel version, then the applicant should use the 508-compliant 

accessible Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) version. 

Both versions of the Budget Detail Worksheet can be accessed at 

https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Forms/BudgetDetailWorksheet.htm. 

a. Budget Detail Worksheet

The Budget Detail Worksheet should provide the detailed computation for each budget 

line item, listing the total cost of each and showing how it was calculated by the 

applicant. For example, costs for personnel should show the annual salary rate and the 

percentage of time devoted to the project for each employee paid with grant funds. The 

Budget Detail Worksheet should present a complete itemization of all proposed costs. 

For questions pertaining to budget and examples of allowable and unallowable costs, 

see the DOJ Grants Financial Guide at https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm. 

b. Budget Narrative 

The Budget Narrative and Budget Detail Worksheet should reflect the entire proposed 

project timeline of up to five years, in discrete 12-month increments. The SF-424 should 

reflect the total cumulative funding request. The budget narrative should thoroughly and 

clearly describe every category of expense listed in the Budget Detail Worksheet. OJP 

expects proposed budgets to be complete, cost effective, and allowable (e.g., 

reasonable, allocable, and necessary for project activities).

An applicant should demonstrate in its budget narrative how it will maximize cost 

effectiveness of award expenditures. Budget narratives should generally describe cost 

effectiveness in relation to potential alternatives and the goals of the project. For 

example, a budget narrative should detail why planned in-person meetings are 

necessary, or how technology and collaboration with outside organizations could be 

used to reduce costs, without compromising quality. 

The budget narrative should be mathematically sound and correspond clearly with the 

information and figures provided in the Budget Detail Worksheet. The narrative should 

explain how the applicant estimated and calculated all costs, and how those costs are 

necessary to the completion of the proposed project. The narrative may include tables 

for clarification purposes, but need not be in a spreadsheet format. As with the Budget 

Detail Worksheet, the budget narrative should describe costs by year. 

The following are sample budget narrative descriptions of relevant cost items that might 

be used by an applicant: 
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Salaries and Wages — Personnel

Each year of support includes a $35,000 allowance usable toward the student’s 

salary/stipend and related costs, such as fringe benefits or medical insurance. 

Where possible in accordance with institutional policy, academic institutions 

should account for the full amount of $35,000 when justifying the personnel 

expenses of the doctoral student.

The Principal Investigator (i.e., the doctoral student), Mr./Ms. xxx, will devote xxx 

summer months and xxx academic months per year toward the project. One summer 

month effort is equivalent to xxx hours. One academic month effort is equivalent to 

xxx hours. Therefore, the salary paid to Mr./Ms. xxx in each academic month will be 

xxx, and in each summer month will be xxx. (Note that if a stipend will be allocated in 

equal disbursements each month, please provide such a description with the 

corresponding monthly breakdown.) 

The fringe benefit rate during the academic year for the graduate student is ___%. 

The summer fringe benefit rate is ___%. The benefits included in the rate cover 

__________.

Travel (Non-federal) 

Attendance at the xxx Annual Meeting will provide an opportunity to disseminate the 

results of my work within the relevant academic community. The meeting will be held 

in xxx. The expected lodging rate is $xxx, based on xxx source, for a total of xxx 

nights ($xxx total). The meal allowance is $xxx per day, based on xxx source. (Note 

that whether the appropriate source is the federal per diem rate or a lower rate 

stipulated by the academic institution is at the institution’s discretion.) The expected 

transportation cost is $xxx, based on xxx source. Other anticipated costs include an 

anticipated baggage fee of $xx. The total requested funding for this travel event is 

$xxx. 

c. 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 Section B. 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.
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d. Information on Proposed Subawards (if any), as well as on Proposed Procurement 

Contracts (if any) 

Applicants for OJP awards typically may propose to make subawards. Applicants also 

may propose to enter into procurement contracts under the award. 

Whether an action — for federal grants administrative purposes — is a subaward or 

procurement contract is a critical distinction as significantly different rules apply to 

subawards and procurement contracts. If a recipient enters into an agreement that is a 

subaward of an OJP award, specific rules apply – many of which are set by federal 

statutes and DOJ regulations; others by award conditions. These rules place particular 

responsibilities on an OJP recipient for any subawards the OJP recipient may make. The 

rules determine much of what the written subaward agreement itself must require or 

provide. The rules also determine much of what an OJP recipient must do both before 

and after it makes a subaward. If a recipient enters into an agreement that is a 

procurement contract under an OJP award, a substantially different set of federal rules 

applies. 

OJP has developed the following guidance documents to help clarify the differences 

between subawards and procurement contracts under an OJP award and outline the 

compliance and reporting requirements for each. This information can be accessed 

online at https://ojp.gov/training/training.htm. 

 Subawards under OJP Awards and Procurement Contracts under Awards: A 

Toolkit for OJP Recipients. 

 Checklist to Determine Subrecipient or Contractor Classification. 

 Sole Source Justification Fact Sheet and Sole Source Review Checklist. 

In general, the central question is the relationship between what the third-party will do 

under its agreement with the recipient and what the recipient has committed (to OJP) to 

do under its award to further a public purpose (e.g., services the recipient will provide, 

products it will develop or modify, research or evaluation it will conduct). If a third party 

will provide some of the services the recipient has committed (to OJP) to provide, will 

develop or modify all or part of a product the recipient has committed (to OJP) to 

develop or modify, or will conduct part of the research or evaluation the recipient has 

committed (to OJP) to conduct, OJP will consider the agreement with the third party a 

subaward for purposes of federal grants administrative requirements. 

This will be true even if the recipient, for internal or other non-federal purposes, labels or 

treats its agreement as a procurement, a contract, or a procurement contract. Neither 

the title nor the structure of an agreement determines whether the agreement -- for 

purposes of federal grants administrative requirements -- is a subaward or is instead a 

procurement contract under an award. The substance of the relationship should be given 

greater consideration than the form of agreement between the recipient and the outside 

entity. 
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1. Information on proposed subawards 

A recipient of an OJP award may not make subawards ("subgrants") unless the 

recipient has specific federal authorization to do so. Unless an applicable statute or 

DOJ regulation specifically authorizes (or requires) subawards, a recipient must have 

authorization from OJP before it may make a subaward. 

A particular subaward may be authorized by OJP because the recipient included a 

sufficiently-detailed description and justification of the proposed subaward in the 

Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, and Budget Narrative as approved by 

OJP. If, however, a particular subaward is not authorized by federal statute or 

regulation, and is not approved by OJP, the recipient will be required, post-award, to 

request and obtain written authorization from OJP before it may make the subaward. 

If an applicant proposes to make one or more subawards to carry out the federal 

award and program, the applicant should-- (1) identify (if known) the proposed 

subrecipient(s), (2) describe in detail what each subrecipient will do to carry out the 

federal award and federal program, and (3) provide a justification for the 

subaward(s), with details on pertinent matters such as special qualifications and 

areas of expertise. Pertinent information on subawards should appear not only in the 

Program Narrative, but also in the Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative. 

2. Information on proposed procurement contracts (with specific justification for 

proposed noncompetitive contracts over $250,000) 

Unlike a recipient contemplating a subaward, a recipient of an OJP award generally 

does not need specific prior federal authorization to enter into an agreement that --

for purposes of federal grants administrative requirements -- is considered a 

procurement contract, provided that (1) the recipient uses its own documented 

procurement procedures and (2) those procedures conform to applicable federal law, 

including the Procurement Standards of the (DOJ) Part 200 Uniform Requirements 

(as set out at 2 C.F.R. 200.317 - 200.326). The Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget 

Narrative should identify proposed procurement contracts. (As discussed above, 

subawards must be identified and described separately from procurement contracts.) 

The Procurement Standards in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements, however, reflect 

a general expectation that agreements that (for purposes of federal grants 

administrative requirements) constitute procurement “contracts” under awards will be 

entered into on the basis of full and open competition. All noncompetitive (sole 

source) procurement contracts must meet the OJP requirements outlined at 

https://ojp.gov/training/subawards-procurement.htm. If a proposed procurement 

contract would exceed the simplified acquisition threshold — currently, $250,000 —

a recipient of an OJP award may not proceed without competition unless and until 

the recipient receives specific advance authorization from OJP to use a noncompetitive approach for the procurement. An applicant that (at the time of its 

application) intends – without competition – to enter into a procurement contract that 

would exceed $250,000 should include a detailed justification that explains to OJP 

why, in the particular circumstances, it is appropriate to proceed without competition. 

If the applicant receives an award, sole source procurements that do not exceed the 

Simplified Acquisition Threshold (currently $250,000) must have written justification 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

for the noncompetitive procurement action maintained in the procurement file. If a 

procurement file does not have the documentation that meets the criteria outlined in 

2 C.F.R. 200, the procurement expenditures may not be allowable. Sole source 

procurement over the $250,000 Simplified Acquisition Threshold must have prior 

approval from OJP using a Sole Source Grant Adjustment Notice (GAN). Written 

documentation justifying the noncompetitive procurement must be submitted with the 

GAN and maintained in the procurement file. 

e. Pre-Agreement Costs

For information on preagreement costs, see Section B. Federal Award Information. 

5. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) 

Indirect costs may be charged to an award only if: 

(a) The recipient has a current (unexpired), federally approved indirect cost rate; 

or

(b) The recipient is eligible to use, and elects to use, the “de minimis” indirect cost rate

described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements, as set out at 2 C.F.R. 200.414(f). 

An applicant with a current (unexpired) federally-approved indirect cost rate is to attach a 

copy of the indirect cost rate agreement to the application. An applicant that does not have a 

current federally-approved rate may request one through its cognizant federal agency, which 

will review all documentation and approve a rate for the applicant entity, or, if the applicant’s 

accounting system permits, applicants may propose to allocate costs in the direct cost 

categories. 

For assistance with identifying the appropriate cognizant federal agency for indirect costs, 

please contact the Office of the Chief Financial Officer Customer Service Center at 1-800-

458-0786 or at ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov. If DOJ is the cognizant federal agency, an applicant 

may obtain information needed to submit an indirect cost rate proposal at 

https://www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/IndirectCosts.pdf. 

Certain OJP recipients have the option of electing to use the “de minimis” indirect cost rate. 

An applicant that is eligible to use the “de minimis” rate that wishes to use the "de minimis" 

rate should attach written documentation to the application that advises OJP of both-- (1) the 

applicant’s eligibility to use the “de minimis” rate, and (2) its election to do so. If an eligible 

applicant elects the “de minimis” rate, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect 

or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. The "de 

minimis" rate may no longer be used once an approved federally-negotiated indirect cost 

rate is in place. (No entity that ever has had a federally-approved negotiated indirect cost 

rate is eligible to use the "de minimis" rate.) For the “de minimis” rate requirements 

(including information on eligibility to elect to use the rate), see the Part 200 Uniform 

Requirements, at 2 C.F.R. 200.414(f). 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

6. Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire (including 

applicant disclosure of high-risk status) 

Every OJP applicant (other than an individual applying in his or her personal capacity) is 

required to download, complete, and submit the OJP Financial Management and System of 

Internal Controls Questionnaire (Questionnaire) at 

https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/FinancialCapability.pdf as part of its application. 

The Questionnaire helps OJP assess the financial management and internal control 

systems, and the associated potential risks of an applicant as part of the pre-award risk 

assessment process. 

The Questionnaire should only be completed by financial staff most familiar with the 

applicant's systems, policies, and procedures in order to ensure that the correct responses 

are recorded and submitted to OJP. The responses on the Questionnaire directly impact the 

pre-award risk assessment and should accurately reflect the applicant’s financial 

management and internal control system at the time of the application. The pre-award risk 

assessment is only one of multiple factors and criteria used in determining funding. 

However, a pre-award risk assessment that indicates that an applicant poses a higher risk to 

OJP may affect the funding decision and/or result in additional reporting requirements, 

monitoring, special conditions, withholding of award funds, or other additional award 

requirements. 

Among other things, the form requires each applicant to disclose whether it currently is 

designated “high risk” by a federal grant-making agency outside of DOJ. For purposes of 

this disclosure, high risk includes any status under which a federal awarding agency 

provides additional oversight due to the applicant’s past performance, or other programmatic 

or financial concerns with the applicant. If an applicant is designated high risk by another 

federal awarding agency, the applicant must provide the following information: 

 The federal awarding agency that currently designates the applicant high risk. 

 The date the applicant was designated high risk. 

 The high-risk point of contact at that federal awarding agency (name, phone number, 

and email address). 

 The reasons for the high-risk status, as set out by the federal awarding agency. 

OJP seeks this information to help ensure appropriate federal oversight of OJP awards. An 

applicant that is considered “high-risk” by another federal awarding agency is not 

automatically disqualified from receiving an OJP award. OJP may, however, consider the 

information in award decisions, and may impose additional OJP oversight of any award 

under this solicitation (including through the conditions that accompany the award 

document). 

7. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

Each applicant must complete and submit this information. An applicant that expends any 

funds for lobbying activities is to provide all of the information requested on the form 

Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) posted at 
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https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/Disclosure.pdf. An applicant that does not expend 

any funds for lobbying activities is to enter “N/A” in the text boxes for item 10 (“a. Name and 

Address of Lobbying Registrant” and “b. Individuals Performing Services”).

8. Additional Attachments 

a. Certification of full-time enrollment in a STEM doctoral program at the time of 

application (CRITICAL ELEMENT). Attach this as a separate PDF file titled 

“Certification of Enrollment.”

b. Statement of support from the dissertation committee chair or the doctoral 

student’s faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate 

studies, or individual with similar responsibilities, as applicable (CRITICAL 

ELEMENT). Attach this as a separate PDF file titled “Statement of Support.”

c. Undergraduate and graduate transcripts, either official or unofficial (CRITICAL 

ELEMENT). Attach this as a separate PDF file titled “Undergraduate and Graduate 

Transcripts.”

d. Potential Environmental Impact Coversheet and Checklist 

Each applicant is to submit an NIJ Programmatic Coversheet and Checklist with its 

application to assist NIJ in assessing the potential environmental impacts of the activities 

proposed for funding by the applicant. Specifically, the applicant is expected to:

• Carefully read the Programmatic Environmental Assessment; 

• Complete the Cover Sheet and the attached the Programmatic Checklist; and

• Attach the completed documents to the grant application. 

The applicant should also submit a Cover Sheet and NIJ Programmatic Checklist for 

any organization identified in the Budget Detail Worksheet that will receive grant funds 

through a sub-award or procurement contract to perform any of the following activities: 

new construction or renovations that change the basic prior use of a facility or 

significantly change the size; research and/or technology development that could be 

expected to have an effect on the environment; or implementation of programs 

involving the use of chemicals. 

e. Applicant disclosure of pending applications3

Each applicant is to disclose whether it has (or is proposed as a subrecipient under) any 

pending applications for federally-funded grants or cooperative agreements that (1) 

include requests for funding to support the same project being proposed in the 

application under this solicitation, and (2) would cover the identical cost items outlined in 

the budget submitted to OJP under this solicitation. The applicant is to disclose both 

applications made directly to federal awarding agencies, and also applications for 

 

3

 Typically, the applicant is not the principal investigator. Rather, the applicant, most frequently, is the institution, 

organization, or company in which the principal investigator is employed. 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

subawards of federal funds (e.g., applications to State agencies that will subaward 

(“subgrant”) federal funds). 

OJP seeks this information to help avoid inappropriate duplication of funding. Leveraging 

multiple funding sources in a complementary manner to implement comprehensive 

programs or projects is encouraged and is not seen as inappropriate duplication. 

Each applicant that has one or more pending applications as described above is to 

provide the following information about pending applications submitted within the last 12 

months: 

 The federal or State funding agency. 

 The solicitation name/project name. 

 The point of contact information at the applicable federal or State funding 

agency. 

SAMPLE

Federal or State 

Funding Agency 

Solicitation 

Name/Project 

Name

Name/Phone/E-mail for Point of Contact 

at Federal or State Funding Agency

DOJ/Office of 

Community Oriented 

Policing Services 

(COPS Office)

COPS Hiring 

Program

Jane Doe, 202/000-0000;

jane.doe@usdoj.gov

Health and Human 

Services/ Substance 

Abuse and Mental 

Health Services 

Administration

Drug-Free 

Communities 

Mentoring 

Program/North 

County Youth 

Mentoring 

Program

John Doe, 202/000-0000; john.doe@hhs.gov

Each applicant should include the table as a separate attachment to its application. The 

file should be named “Disclosure of Pending Applications.” The applicant’s Legal Name 

on the application must match the entity named on the disclosure of pending 

applications statement. 

Any applicant that does not have any pending applications as described above is to

submit, as a separate attachment, a statement to this effect: “[Applicant Name on SF424] does not have (and is not proposed as a subrecipient under) any pending 

applications submitted within the last 12 months for federally-funded grants or 

cooperative agreements or for subawards under federal grants or cooperative 

agreements) that request funding to support the same project being proposed in this 

application to OJP and that would cover the identical cost items outlined in the budget 

submitted as part of this application.”
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NIJ-2019-15143 

f. Applicant Disclosure and Justification - DOJ High Risk Grantees4 (if applicable) 

An applicant that is designated as a DOJ High Risk Grantee is to submit , as a 

separate attachment to its application, information that OJP will use, among other 

pertinent information, to determine whether it will consider or select the application for an 

award under this solicitation. The file should be named “DOJ High Risk Grantee 

Applicant Disclosure and Justification.” (See, also, “Review Process,” below, under 

Section E. Application Review Information, for a brief discussion of how such information 

may considered in the application review process.)

OJP constantly seeks to optimize its investments in criminal- and juvenile justicefocused programs and activities, increase program effectiveness, and maximize the 

return – and program impact – from limited programmatic resources. Therefore, OJP 

may remove from consideration or not select for award a “DOJ High Risk Grantee” 

applicant that is determined to pose a substantial risk of program implementation failure. 

In making such determinations, OJP will consider one or more of the following factors: 

the applicant’s lack of sufficient progress in addressing required corrective actions 

necessary for removal of the DOJ High Risk Grantee designation; the nature and 

severity of the issues leading to or accompanying the applicant’s DOJ High Risk Grantee 

designation; or the applicant’s expected ability to manage grant funds and achieve grant 

goals and objectives. 

In this attachment, the applicant is to provide any additional information or justification –

especially with regard to corrective actions yet to be implemented (as of the application 

date) – that may help demonstrate how the applicant has addressed or otherwise 

mitigated such uncorrected matters, such that any negative impact on the proposed 

program and its implementation would be immaterial or would be significantly reduced or 

eliminated. (To the extent that the applicant believes that any of the information provided 

pursuant to this disclosure may be confidential in nature, the applicant should specifically 

identify it.) 

g. Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity 

When 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. The 

applicant must demonstrate independence and integrity regarding both this proposed 

research and/or evaluation, and any current or prior related projects. 

Each application should include an attachment that addresses both i. and ii. below. 

i. For purposes of this solicitation, each applicant is to document research and 

evaluation independence and integrity by including one of the following two items: 

a. A specific assurance that the applicant has reviewed its application to identify 

any actual or potential apparent conflicts of interest (including through review of 

pertinent information on the principal investigator, any co-principal investigators, 

 

4 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. 
29

NIJ-2019-15143 

and any subrecipients), and that the applicant has identified no such conflicts of 

interest – whether personal or financial or organizational (including on the part of 

the applicant entity or on the part of staff, investigators, or subrecipients) – that 

could affect the independence or integrity of the research, including the design, 

conduct, and reporting of the research. 

OR

b. A specific description of actual or potential apparent conflicts of interest that the 

applicant has identified – including through review of pertinent information on the 

principal investigator, any co-principal investigators, and any subrecipients – that 

could affect the independence or integrity of the research, including the design, 

conduct, or reporting of the research. These conflicts may be personal (e.g., on 

the part of investigators or other staff), financial, or organizational (related to the 

applicant or any subrecipient entity). Some examples of potential investigator (or 

other personal) conflict situations are those in which an investigator would be in a 

position to evaluate a spouse’s work product (actual conflict), or an investigator 

would be in a position to evaluate the work of a former or current colleague 

(potential apparent conflict). With regard to potential organizational conflicts of 

interest, as one example, generally an organization would not be given an award 

to evaluate a project, if that organization had itself provided substantial prior 

technical assistance to that specific project or a location implementing the project 

(whether funded by OJP or other sources), because the organization in such an 

instance might appear to be evaluating the effectiveness of its own prior work. 

The key is whether a reasonable person understanding all of the facts would be 

able to have confidence that the results of any research or evaluation project are 

objective and reliable. Any outside personal or financial interest that casts doubt 

on that objectivity and reliability of an evaluation or research product is a problem 

and must be disclosed. 

ii. In addition, for purposes of this solicitation, each applicant is to address possible 

mitigation of research integrity concerns by including, at a minimum, one of the 

following two items: 

a. If an applicant reasonably believes that no actual or potential apparent conflicts 

of interest (personal, financial, or organizational) exist, then the applicant should 

provide a brief narrative explanation of how and why it reached that conclusion. 

The applicant also is to include an explanation of the specific processes and 

procedures that the applicant has in place, or will put in place, to identify and 

prevent (or, at the very least, mitigate) any such conflicts of interest pertinent to 

the funded project during the period of performance. Documentation that may be 

helpful in this regard may include organizational codes of ethics/conduct and 

policies regarding organizational, personal, and financial conflicts of interest. 

There is no guarantee that the plan, if any, will be accepted as proposed. 

OR

b. If the applicant has identified actual or potential apparent conflicts of interest 

(personal, financial, or organizational) that could affect the independence and 

integrity of the research, including the design, conduct, or reporting of the 

research, the applicant is to provide a specific and robust mitigation plan to 
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NIJ-2019-15143

address each of those conflicts. At a minimum, the applicant is expected to 

explain the specific processes and procedures that the applicant has in place, or 

will put in place, to identify and eliminate (or, at the very least, mitigate) any such

conflicts of interest pertinent to the funded project during the period of 

performance. Documentation that may be helpful in this regard may include 

organizational codes of ethics/conduct and policies regarding organizational, 

personal, and financial conflicts of interest. There is no guarantee that the plan, if 

any, will be accepted as proposed.

OJP will assess research and evaluation independence and integrity based on 

considerations such as the adequacy of the applicant’s efforts to identify factors that 

could affect the objectivity or integrity of the proposed staff and/or the applicant entity 

(and any subrecipients) in carrying out the research, development, or evaluation activity; 

and the adequacy of the applicant’s existing or proposed remedies to control any such 

factors.

How to Apply

Applicants must register in and submit applications through Grants.gov, a primary source to find 

federal funding opportunities and apply for funding. Find complete instructions on how to 

register and submit an application at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html.

Applicants that experience technical difficulties during this process should call the Grants.gov 

Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606–545–5035, which operates 24 hours a day, 7

days a week, except on federal holidays.

Important Grants.gov update. Grants.gov has updated its application tool. The legacy PDF 

application package was retired on December 31, 2017. Grants.gov Workspace is now the 

standard application method for applying for grants. OJP applicants should familiarize 

themselves with the Workspace option now. For complete information and instructions on using 

Workspace (and other changes), go to the Workspace Overview page at 

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/workspace-overview.html.

Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, processing delays may occur,

and it can take several weeks for first-time registrants to receive confirmation of registration 

and a user password. OJP encourages applicants to register several weeks before the 

application submission deadline. In addition, OJP urges applicants to submit applications at 

least 72 hours prior to the application due date, in order 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.

OJP strongly encourages all prospective applicants to sign up for Grants.gov email notifications

regarding this solicitation at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html. If 

this solicitation is cancelled or modified, individuals who sign up with Grants.gov for updates will 

be automatically notified.

Browser Information: Grants.gov was built to be compatible with Internet Explorer. For 

technical assistance with Google Chrome, or another browser, contact Grants.gov Customer 

Support.

Note on Attachments. Grants.gov has two categories of files for attachments: “mandatory” and

“optional.” OJP receives all files attached in both categories. Attachments are also labeled to 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

describe the file being attached (e.g., Project Narrative, Budget Narrative, Other). Please ensure 

that all required documents are attached in the correct Grants.gov category and are labeled 

correctly. Do not embed “mandatory” attachments within another file.

Note on File Names and File Types: Grants.gov only permits the use of certain specific 

characters in file names of attachments. Valid file names may include only the characters shown 

in the table below. Grants.gov rejects any application that includes an attachment(s) with a file 

name that contains any characters not shown in the table below. Grants.gov forwards 

successfully-submitted applications to the OJP Grants Management System (GMS). 

Characters

Upper case (A – Z)

Lower case (a – z)

Underscore (__)

Hyphen ( - )

Space

Period (.)

Special Characters Special Characters Special Characters

Parenthesis ( ) Curly braces { } Square brackets [ ]

Ampersand (&)* Tilde (~) Exclamation point (!)

Comma ( , ) Semicolon ( ; ) Apostrophe ( ‘ )

At sign (@) Number sign (#) Dollar sign ($)

Percent sign (%) Plus sign (+) Equal sign (=)

*When using the ampersand (&) in XML, applicants must use the “&” format.

GMS does not accept executable file types as application attachments. These disallowed 

file types include, but are not limited to, the following extensions: “.com,” “.bat,” “.exe,” “.vbs,”

“.cfg,” “.dat,” “.db,” “.dbf,” “.dll,” “.ini,” “.log,” “.ora,” “.sys,” and “.zip.” GMS may reject applications 

with files that use these extensions. It is important to allow time to change the type of file(s) if 

the application is rejected. 

All applicants are required to complete the following steps: 

Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS Number) and System for Award Management (SAM)

Every applicant entity must comply with all applicable System for Award Management (SAM) 

and unique entity identifier (currently, a Data Universal Numbering System [DUNS] number) 

requirements. SAM is the repository for certain standard information about federal financial 

assistance applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit 

identification number provided by the commercial company Dun and Bradstreet. More detailed 

information about SAM and the DUNS number is in the numbered sections below. 

If an applicant entity has not fully complied with the applicable SAM and unique identifier 

requirements by the time OJP makes award decisions, OJP may determine that the applicant is 

not qualified to receive an award and may use that determination as a basis for making the 

award to a different applicant. 

Registration and Submission Steps 

1. Acquire a unique entity identifier (currently, a DUNS number). In general, the Office of 

Management and Budget requires every applicant for a federal award (other than an 

individual) to include a "unique entity identifier" in each application, including an application 

for a supplemental award. Currently, a DUNS number is the required unique entity identifier. 

This unique entity identifier is used for tracking purposes, and to validate address and point 

of contact information for applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. It will be used throughout 

the life cycle of an OJP award. Obtaining a DUNS number is a free, one-time activity. Call 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

Dun and Bradstreet at 866–705–5711 to obtain a DUNS number or apply online at 

www.dnb.com. A DUNS number is usually received within two (2) business days. 

2. Acquire or maintain registration with SAM. Any applicant for an OJP award creating a 

new entity registration (or updating or renewing a registration) in SAM.gov must submit an 

original, signed notarized letter appointing the authorized Entity Administrator within thirty 

(30) days of the registration activation. Notarized letters must be submitted via U.S. 

Postal Service Mail. Read the Alert at www.sam.gov to learn more about what is required 

in the notarized letter, and read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) at 

www.gsa.gov/samupdate to learn more about this process change. All applicants for OJP 

awards (other than individuals) must maintain current registrations in the SAM database. 

Applicants will need the authorizing official of the organization and an Employer 

Identification Number (EIN). Information about SAM registration procedures can be 

accessed at www.sam.gov. 

An application cannot be successfully submitted in Grants.gov until Grants.gov receives the 

SAM registration information. Once the SAM registration/renewal is complete, the 

information transfer from SAM to Grants.gov can take as long as 48 hours. OJP 

recommends that the applicant register or renew registration with SAM as early as possible. 

3. Acquire an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and a Grants.gov 

username and password. Complete the AOR profile on Grants.gov and create a username 

and password. An applicant entity’s "unique entity identifier" (DUNS number) must be used 

to complete this step. For more information about the registration process for organizations 

and other entities, go to https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organizationregistration.html.

4. Acquire confirmation for the AOR from the E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC). 

The E-Biz POC at the applicant organization must log into Grants.gov to “confirm” the 

applicant organization’s AOR. The E-Biz POC will need the Marketing Partner Identification 

Number (MPIN) password obtained when registering with SAM to complete this step. Note 

that an organization can have more than one AOR.

5. Search for the funding opportunity on Grants.gov. Use the following identifying 

information when searching for the funding opportunity on Grants.gov. The Catalog of 

Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this solicitation is 16.560 and the funding 

opportunity number is NIJ-2019-15143.

6. Access Funding Opportunity and Application Package from Grants.gov. Select “Apply 

for Grants” under the “Applicants” column. Enter your email address to be notified of any 

changes to the opportunity package before the closing date. Click the Workspace icon to 

use Grants.gov Workspace.

7. Submit a valid application consistent with this solicitation by following the directions 

in Grants.gov. Within 24-48 hours after submitting the electronic application, the applicant 

should receive two notifications from Grants.gov. The first will confirm the receipt of the 

application. The second will state whether the application has been validated and 

successfully submitted, or whether it has been rejected due to errors, with an explanation. It 

is possible to first receive a message indicating that the application is received, and then 

receive a rejection notice a few minutes or hours later. Submitting an application well ahead 

of the deadline provides time to correct the problem(s) that caused the rejection. 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

Important: OJP urges each applicant to submit its application at least 72 hours prior to the 

application due date, to allow time 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. Applications must be successfully submitted through Grants.gov by 

11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 17, 2019.

Click https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html for further 

details on DUNS numbers, SAM, and Grants.gov registration steps and timeframes. 

Note: Application Versions 

If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, OJP will review only the most 

recent system-validated version submitted. 

Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues 

An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond its control that 

prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must contact the Grants.gov Customer 

Support Hotline at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html or the SAM Help Desk

(Federal Service Desk) at https://www.fsd.gov/fsd-gov/home.do to report the technical issue and 

receive a tracking number. The applicant must e-mail the NIJ contact identified in the Contact 

Information section on the title page within 24 hours after the application deadline to request 

approval to submit its application after the deadline. The applicant’s e-mail must describe the 

technical difficulties, and must include a timeline of the applicant’s submission efforts, the 

complete grant application, the applicant’s DUNS number, and any Grants.gov Help Desk or 

SAM tracking number(s). 

Note: OJP does not automatically approve requests to submit a late application. After 

OJP reviews the applicant’s request, and contacts the Grants.gov or SAM Help Desks to verify 

the reported technical issues, OJP will inform the applicant whether the request to submit a late 

application has been approved or denied. If OJP determines that the untimely application 

submission was due to the applicant’s failure to follow all required procedures, OJP will deny the 

applicant’s request to submit its application. 

The following conditions generally are insufficient to justify late submissions: 

 Failure to register in SAM or Grants.gov in sufficient time (SAM registration and renewal 

can take as long as 10 business days to complete. The information transfer from SAM to 

Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours.) 

 Failure to follow Grants.gov instructions on how to register and apply as posted on its 

website. 

 Failure to follow each instruction in the OJP solicitation. 

 Technical issues with the applicant’s computer or information technology environment, 

such as issues with firewalls or browser incompatibility. 

Notifications regarding known technical problems with Grants.gov, if any, are posted at 

the top of the OJP Funding Resource Center at https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm. 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

E. Application Review Information 

Review Criteria 

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

the following review criteria. Each individual criterion is assigned a different weight based on the 

percentage value listed. For example, the first criterion, Statement of the Problem, is worth 30

percent of the score in the assessment of the application’s technical merit. 

Statement of the Problem and its Significance – 30% 

1. Clarity of the problem statement and research questions. 

2. Demonstrated awareness of the state of current research. 

3. Connection between the problem and the proposed research. 

4. Demonstrated relevance of the proposed research to criminal justice in the United 

States.

5. Potential significance of the proposed research to the field of study. 

Project Design and Implementation (Quality and technical merit) – 40% 

1. Detailed and complete discussion of proposed research methods. 

2. Soundness of the research methods and appropriateness to the proposed study. 

3. Awareness of potential pitfalls of the research plan and proposed practical solutions. 

 

4. Feasibility of the proposed project. 

Capabilities/Competencies (Capabilities, demonstrated productivity, and experience of the 

applicant organization and proposed project staff) – 30% 

1. Qualifications of the doctoral student, including: 

a. Undergraduate record. 

b. Graduate coursework completed. 

c. Relevant work and/or research experience. 

d. Leadership roles. 

e. Publication record. 

2. Academic environment and supporting resources of the applicant institution, degree 

program, and graduate advisor (if applicable). 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

Budget

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

the context of scientific and technical merit. 

1. Appropriateness of requested research expenses and related costs to the proposed 

dissertation research. 

2. Use of existing resources to conserve costs. 

Plan for Dissemination to Broader Audiences (if applicable to the proposed project) 

Peer reviewers may comment—in the context of scientific and technical merit—on the proposed 

plan (if any) to produce or to make available to broader interested audiences, such as 

criminal/juvenile justice practitioners or policymakers, summary information from the planned 

scholarly products of the project. 

Review Process 

OJP is committed to ensuring a fair and open process for making awards. NIJ reviews the 

application to make sure that the information presented is reasonable, understandable, 

measurable, and achievable, as well as consistent with the solicitation. 

Peer reviewers will review the applications submitted under this solicitation that meet basic 

minimum requirements. For purposes of assessing whether an application meets basic 

minimum requirements and should proceed to further consideration, OJP screens applications 

for compliance with those requirements. 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 designated as “critical elements.”

 The application, if submitted by an applicant that is a DOJ High Risk Grantee5, or is 

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

been determined by the Director/Administrator 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) 

 

5 See “Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High Risk Grantees” under “What an Application Should Include,” 

above, for a definition of “DOJ High Risk Grantee.”
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NIJ-2019-15143 

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

achieve grant goals and objectives. 

 The applicant must not be identified in SAM as excluded from receiving federal awards. 

For a list of the critical elements for this solicitation, see “What an Application Should Include” 

under Section D. Application and Submission Information. 

Peer review panels will evaluate, score, and rate applications that meet basic minimum 

requirements. NIJ may use external peer reviewers, internal peer reviewers, or a combination, 

to assess applications on technical merit using the solicitation’s review criteria. An external peer 

reviewer is an expert in the subject matter of a given solicitation who is not a current DOJ 

employee. An internal reviewer is a current DOJ employee who is well-versed or has expertise 

in the subject matter of this solicitation. Peer reviewers’ ratings and any resulting 

recommendations are advisory only, although reviewer views are considered carefully. Other 

important considerations for NIJ include geographic diversity, strategic priorities, and available 

funding, as well as the planned scholarly products and the extent to which the Budget Detail 

Worksheet and Budget Narrative accurately explain project costs that are reasonable, 

necessary, and otherwise allowable under federal law and applicable federal cost principles. 

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

reviews information related to the degree of risk posed by applicants. 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. 

The evaluation of risks goes beyond information in SAM, however. OJP itself has in place a 

framework for evaluating risks posed by applicants for competitive awards. OJP takes into 

account information pertinent to matters such as —

1. Applicant financial stability and fiscal integrity. 

2. Quality of the applicant’s management systems, and applicant’s ability to meet 

prescribed management standards, including those outlined in the DOJ Grants Financial 

Guide. 

3. Applicant’s history of performance under OJP and other DOJ awards (including scholarly 

products, and compliance with reporting requirements and award conditions), as well as 

awards from other federal agencies. 

4. Reports and findings from audits of the applicant, including audits under the Part 200 

Uniform Requirements. 

5. Applicant's ability to comply with statutory and regulatory requirements, and to effectively 

implement other award requirements. 

Note on applicants with a “high risk” designation: Risks associated with DOJ High Risk 

Grantees, or applicants designated as “high risk” by a federal grant-making agency outside of 

DOJ, are taken into account during the review process, and each applicant with such “high risk” 

designations will be considered for funding on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature 

and severity of the issues that led to the DOJ High Risk Grantee (or non-DOJ high risk) 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

designation, status of progress in addressing corrective actions, and expected ability to manage 

grant funds and achieve grant goals and objectives. A “high risk” designated applicant is to 

submit disclosure and justification documentation consistent with the requirements specified, 

above, under “What an Application Should Include” in Section C. Application and Submission 

Information. 

All final award decisions will be made by the 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. 

F. Federal Award Administration Information 

Federal Award Notices 

Award notifications will be made by September 30, 2019. OJP sends award notifications by 

email through GMS to the individuals listed in the application as the point of contact and the 

authorizing official (E-Biz POC and AOR). The email notification includes detailed instructions 

on how to access and view the award documents, and steps to take in GMS to start the award 

acceptance process. GMS automatically issues the notifications at 9:00 p.m. eastern time on 

the award date. 

For each successful applicant, an individual with the necessary authority to bind the applicant 

will be required to login; execute a set of legal certifications and a set of legal assurances; 

designate a financial point of contact; thoroughly review the award, including all award 

conditions; and sign and accept the award. The award acceptance process requires physical 

signature of the award document by the authorized representative and the scanning and 

submission of the fully-executed award document to OJP. 

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, as well as all 

applicable requirements of federal statutes and regulations (including applicable requirements 

referred to in the assurances and certifications executed in connection with award acceptance). 

OJP strongly encourages prospective applicants to review information on post-award legal 

requirements and common OJP award conditions prior to submitting an application. 

Applicants should consult the “Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP 

Grants and Cooperative Agreements – FY 2018 Awards”, available in the OJP Funding 

Resource Center at https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm. In addition, applicants should examine the 

following two legal documents, as each successful applicant must execute both documents 

before it may receive any award funds. (An applicant is not required to submit these documents 

as part of an application.) 

 Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other Responsibility 

Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements. 

 Certified Standard Assurances. 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

The webpages accessible through the “Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to 

OJP Grants and Cooperative Agreements – FY 2018 Awards” are intended to give applicants 

for OJP awards a general overview of important statutes, regulations, and award conditions that 

apply to many (or in some cases, all) OJP grants and cooperative agreements awarded in FY 

2019. Individual OJP awards typically also will include additional award conditions. Those 

additional conditions may relate to the particular statute, program, or solicitation under which the 

award is made; to the substance of the funded application; to the recipient's performance under 

other federal awards; to the recipient's legal status (e.g., as a for-profit entity); or to other 

pertinent considerations. 

Awards under this solicitation will include a condition (the specific terms of which will govern the 

award) related to verification of employment eligibility. The condition will, generally speaking, 

require the recipient (and any subrecipient) that accepts the award to verify the employment 

eligibility of any individual hired under the award, consonant with 8 U.S.C. § 1324a(1).

Awards under this solicitation will include a condition (the specific terms of which will govern the 

award) related to competition requirements set forth at 2 C.F.R. § 200.319. The condition will, 

generally speaking, prohibit recipients (and any subrecipients) from procuring goods and 

services with award funds by means of any competition that disadvantages or excludes vendors 

on the basis of their having (or their having had) a prior or existing contractual relationship with 

the federal government. 

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements 

In addition to the deliverables and expected scholarly products described in Section A. Program 

Description, any recipient of an award under this solicitation will be required to submit the 

following reports and data. 

Required reports. Recipients typically must submit quarterly financial reports, annual progress 

reports, final financial and progress reports, and, if applicable, an annual audit report in 

accordance with the Part 200 Uniform Requirements or specific award conditions. Applicants 

should anticipate that progress reports will be required to follow the non-budgetary components 

of the Research Performance Progress Report (RPPR) template/format. General information on 

RPPRs may be found at www.nsf.gov/bfa/dias/policy/rppr/. Future awards and fund drawdowns 

may be withheld if reports are delinquent. (In appropriate cases, OJP may require additional 

reports.) 

Data on performance measures. In addition to required reports, an award recipient under this 

solicitation also must provide data that measure the results of the work done under the award. 

To demonstrate program progress and success, as well as to assist DOJ with fulfilling its 

responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Public 

Law 103-62, and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Public Law 111–352, OJP will require 

any award recipient, post award, to provide performance data listed as part of regular progress 

reporting. Successful applicants will be required to access OJP’s performance measurement 

page at www.ojp.gov/performance for an overview of performance measurement activities at 

OJP. 

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 

For OJP contact(s), see the title page. 
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NIJ-2019-15143 

For contact information for Grants.gov, see the title page. 

H. Other Information 

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

All applications submitted to OJP (including all attachments to applications) are subject to the 

federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and to the Privacy Act. By law, DOJ may withhold 

information that is responsive to a request pursuant to FOIA if DOJ determines that the 

responsive information either is protected under the Privacy Act or falls within the scope of one 

of nine statutory exemptions under FOIA. DOJ cannot agree in advance of a request pursuant 

to FOIA not to release some or all portions of an application. 

In its review of records that are responsive to a FOIA request, OJP will withhold information in 

those records that plainly falls within the scope of the Privacy Act or one of the statutory 

exemptions under FOIA. (Some examples include certain types of information in budgets, and 

names and contact information for project staff other than certain key personnel.) In appropriate 

circumstances, OJP will request the views of the applicant/recipient that submitted a responsive 

document. 

For example, if OJP receives a request pursuant to FOIA for an application submitted by a 

nonprofit or for-profit organization or an institution of higher education, or for an application that 

involves research, OJP typically will contact the applicant/recipient that submitted the 

application and ask it to identify -- quite precisely -- any particular information in the application 

that the applicant/recipient believes falls under a FOIA exemption, the specific exemption it 

believes applies, and why. After considering the submission by the applicant/recipient, OJP 

makes an independent assessment regarding withholding information. OJP generally follows a 

similar process for requests pursuant to FOIA for applications that may contain law-enforcement 

sensitive information. 

Provide Feedback to OJP 

To assist OJP in improving its application and award processes, OJP encourages applicants to 

provide feedback on this solicitation, the application submission process, and/or the application 

review process. Provide feedback to OJPSolicitationFeedback@usdoj.gov. 

IMPORTANT: This e-mail is for feedback and suggestions only. OJP does not send replies from 

this mailbox to messages it receives in this mailbox. Any prospective applicant that has specific 

questions on any program or technical aspect of the solicitation must use the appropriate 

telephone number or e-mail listed on the front of this solicitation document to obtain information. 

These contacts are provided to help ensure that prospective applicants can directly reach an 

individual who can address specific questions in a timely manner. 

If you are interested in being a reviewer for other OJP grant applications, please e-mail your 

resume to ojpprsupport@usdoj.gov. (Do not send your resume to the OJP Solicitation Feedback 

email account.) Note: Neither you nor anyone else from your organization or entity can be a 

peer reviewer in a competition in which you or your organization/entity has submitted an 

application.
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NIJ-2019-15143 

Application Checklist 

Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, 

Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

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

What an Applicant Should Do: 

Prior to Registering in Grants.gov:

_____ Acquire a DUNS Number (see page 31) 

_____ Acquire or renew registration with SAM (see page 32) 

To Register with Grants.gov: 

_____ Acquire AOR and Grants.gov username/password (see page 32) 

_____ Acquire AOR confirmation from the E-Biz POC (see page 32) 

To Find Funding Opportunity:

_____ Search for the funding opportunity on Grants.gov (see page 32) 

_____ Access Funding Opportunity and Application Package (see page 32) 

_____ Sign up for Grants.gov email notifications (optional) (see page 30) 

_____ Read Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov

_____ Read OJP policy and guidance on conference approval, planning, and reporting 

available at ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm

(see page 13) 

After Application Submission, Receive Grants.gov Email Notifications That: 

_____ (1) application has been received 

_____ (2) application has either been successfully validated or rejected with errors 

(see page 32) 

If no Grants.gov receipt, and validation or error notifications are received: 

_____ Contact NIJ regarding experiencing technical difficulties (see page 2) 

Overview of Post-Award Legal Requirements: 

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

Cooperative Agreements – FY 2018 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center at 

https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm. 

Scope Requirement: 

_____ The federal amount requested is within the allowable limit of $150,000 maximum 

request. 

Eligibility Requirement: See cover page. 

What an Application Should Include: 

_____ Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) (see page 14) 

_____ Project Abstract (see page 15) 

_____ Program Narrative (critical element) (see page 16) 

_____ Budget Detail Worksheet (critical element) (see page 20) 

_____ Budget Narrative (critical element) (see page 20) 

_____ Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) (see page 24) 
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NIJ-2019-15143

_____ Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire (see page 25)

_____ Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) (see page 25)

_____ Additional Attachments 

_____ Verification of current enrollment (critical element) (see page 26)

_____ Statement of support (critical element) (see page 26)

_____ Undergraduate and graduate transcripts (critical element) (see page 26)

_____ Potential Environmental Impact Coversheet and Checklist (see page 26)

_____ Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications (see page 26)

_____ Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High Risk Grantees (if applicable)

(see page 28)

_____ Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity (see page 28)