NIJ’s National Center for Enhancing Research 

Capacity at Minority Serving Institutions

October 18, 2023 | 3:30 PM ET

The webinar will begin shortly
NIJ’s FY23 Center for Enhancing Research Capacity 

(CERC) at Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs)

Solicitation: O-NIJ-2023-171879

Solicitation Post Date: September 18, 2023 | Solicitation Close Date: December 18, 2023

Grants.gov Deadline: December 4, 2023

Webinar Presenters:

Angela Moore, Ph.D. (Senior Science Advisor)

Office of the Director

Christine “Tina” Crossland, M.A. (Senior Social Science Analyst)

Office of Violence and Victimization Prevention

Office of Research, Evaluation, Forensics & Technology
Today’s Webinar

• Introduction (NIJ Director La Vigne)

• Overview of NIJ

• Solicitation Purpose and Goals

• The Application Process

• NIJ Review Process

• Support and Resources

• Q & A
National Institute of Justice

Who are we: 

• NIJ is the research, development and evaluation 

agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Our mission: 

• Improve knowledge and understanding of crime and 

justice issues through science. 
Agency Structure

• Office of the Director

• Office of Communications

• Office of Operations

• Office of Grants Management

• Five Science Offices:

 Crime Prevention and Youth Justice

 Criminal Justice Systems

 Investigative and Forensic Sciences

 Technology and Standards

 Violence and Victimization Prevention
Solicitation Purpose

• Build and enhance research infrastructure 

• Encourage interdisciplinary collaborations

• Enable and support research and development

• Strengthen sustainability and continuity
Solicitation Goals

• Enhance competitiveness of MSI research institutions and 

organizations 

• Increase long-term growth of research funding to 

investigators at MSIs

• Grow pool of MSI researchers using science to address 

challenges relevant to criminal and juvenile justice policy 

and practice in the US
Expected Deliverables

• Meetings 

• Outreach Plan

• Needs Assessments of MSIs

• Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Capacity Building 

Strategy

• TTA Delivery and Performance Measures

• Standard Grant Reporting Requirements and Deliverables
Application Submission

Critical Application Elements:

• Proposal Narrative

• Budget Web-Based Form (budget details and narrative)

• Curriculum Vitae/Resumes for Key Personnel

Required Forms:

• SF-424

• SF-LLL
Two-Step Application Submission Process 

1. Grants.gov

Submit SF-424 and SF-LLL forms ONLY

Deadline: December 4, 2023, 11:59 PM ET

Register at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html

2. JustGrants

Submit the FULL application, including all attachments

Deadline: December 18, 2023, 8:59 PM ET

Register at https://justicegrants.usdoj.gov/getting-started

Submit: https://justicegrants.usdoj.gov
Application Review Process

• Basic Minimum Requirement Determination

• Federal Staff Expert Review

 Independent scores and comments

• Internal Review

 NIJ science staff, NIJ leadership and other federal subject matter 

experts

• All funding decisions made at discretion of NIJ Director
Possible Critiques of Proposals

• Statement of the Problem

 Fails to succinctly discuss the issue(s) prompting the need for the Center

 Does not describe how the Center will address these issues

• Project Design and Implementation

 Proposed activities not linked to the Statement of the Problem

 All required deliverables not included

 Lacks awareness of potential pitfalls and proposed actions to mitigate them

 Insufficient space allocated to this criteria
Possible Critiques of Proposals (cont.)

• Capabilities and Competencies

 Relationship between qualifications, expertise, and experience of proposed staff and the 

scope and strategies of the Center not discussed

• Potential Impact

 Does not demonstrate how Center will: (1) enhance research infrastructure of MSIs, (2) 

expand and diversify STEM and SBS workforce, (3) translate Center activities into 

actionable information to promote change in criminal and juvenile justice fields.

• Budget

 Too low, too high, unallowable costs
Tips

• Proposal should be

 Well-written

 Complete 

 Feasible

 Impactful

 Submitted on time

• Letters of Support and Commitment

• Eligible and able to apply
What Will NOT be Funded

Unresponsive applications

Applications to purchase equipment/materials/supplies, 

etc., not relevant to Center

Training/direct services unrelated to Center
FAQs

• Number of awards

• Award amount + period of performance

• Timing of award and non-award notifications

• Foreign entities / subrecipients / co-investigators

• Filling and submitting forms / IRB / HSP
Support

• OJP Response Center 

 Phone: +1 (800) 851-3420 

• Email: grants@ncjrs.gov

• Grants.gov

 Phone: +1 (800) 518-4726

 Email: support@grants.gov

• JustGrants:

 Phone: +1 (833) 872-5175

 Email: JustGrants.Support@usdoj.gov
Recommended Resources

OJP Funding Resource Center: 

https://www.ojp.gov/funding 

DOJ Grants Financial Guide: 

https://www.ojp.gov/funding/financialguideojp/overview

NIJ Funding FAQs: https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/faqs
Questions?

Please enter your questions into the Q&A box

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