U.S. Department of Justice OMB No. 1121-0329

Approval Expires 07/31/2016

Office of Justice Programs

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 of innovative dissertation research under the NIJ Graduate 

Research Fellowship (GRF) Program, which provides awards for research on crime, violence, and 

other criminal justice-related topics to accredited academic institutions that offer research-based 

doctoral degrees in social and behavioral academic disciplines relevant to NIJ’s mission. 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.

NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship Program in the 

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are limited to degree-granting educational institutions in the United States. 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 who will be conducting 

criminal justice-related research in a discipline relevant to NIJ’s mission.

NIJ may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years, 

dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.

Deadline

Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. (See “How to Apply,”

page 19.) All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on December 24, 2014. (See 

“Deadlines: Registration and Application,” page 3.)

All applicants are encouraged to read this Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov.

Contact Information

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

Hotline at 800–518–4726 or 606–545–5035, or via e-mail to support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov

Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays. 

Applicants that experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that prevent 

them from submitting their application by the deadline must e-mail the NIJ contact identified below 

within 24 hours after the application deadline and request approval to submit their application.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact GRF@usdoj.gov. General 

information on applying for NIJ awards can be found at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/welcome.aspx. 

Answers to frequently asked questions about the GRF program can be found 

at http://www.nij.gov/nij/funding/fellowships/graduate-research-fellowship/faqs.htm. 

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: NIJ–2015–3975

Release date: September 2, 2014

SL001127
NIJ–2015–3975 2

Contents

Overview ...................................................................................................................................3

Deadlines: Registration and Application ...................................................................................3

Eligibility ....................................................................................................................................3

Program-Specific Information....................................................................................................3

Performance Measures.............................................................................................................8

What an Application Should Include .........................................................................................8

Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF–424) ..........................9

Project Abstract.....................................................................................................................9

Program Narrative.................................................................................................................9

Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative .................................................................12

Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable)........................................................................13

Applicant Disclosure of High Risk Status ............................................................................13

Additional Attachments .......................................................................................................14

Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable) ........................16

Selection Criteria.....................................................................................................................16

Review Process ......................................................................................................................17

Additional Requirements.........................................................................................................17

How to Apply...........................................................................................................................19

Provide Feedback to OJP .......................................................................................................22

Application Checklist...............................................................................................................23
NIJ–2015–3975 3

NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship Program in 

the Social and Behavioral Sciences

(CFDA No. 16.562)

Overview

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) program in social and behavioral sciences 

provides awards for research on crime, violence, and other criminal justice-related topics to 

accredited universities that offer research-based doctoral degrees. NIJ invests in doctoral 

education by supporting universities that sponsor students who demonstrate the potential to 

successfully complete doctoral degree programs in disciplines relevant to the mission of NIJ and 

who are in the final stages of graduate study. Applicants sponsoring doctoral students are 

eligible to apply only if the doctoral research dissertation has direct implications for criminal 

justice policy and practice in the United States. Doctoral students from social and behavioral 

science academic disciplines are encouraged to apply. 

Doctoral students from academic disciplines outside the social and behavioral sciences will not

be considered under this solicitation. Applicants sponsoring doctoral students whose research is 

in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics should submit proposals to 

the “NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship Program in Science, Technology, Engineering, and 

Mathematics” solicitation. 

Awards are anticipated to be made to successful applicants in the form of a grant to cover a 

doctoral student fellowship. The GRF award is $32,000. Final award decisions will be made by 

the Director of the National Institute of Justice. 

Authorizing Legislation: Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

(sections 201 and 202).

Deadlines: Registration and Application

Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. OJP encourages

applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline. In addition, 

OJP urges applicants to submit applications 72 hours prior to the application due date. The 

deadline to apply for funding under this announcement is 11:59 p.m. eastern time on December 

24, 2014. See “How to Apply” on page 19 for details.

Eligibility

Refer to the title page for eligibility under this program.

Program-Specific Information

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

doctoral students whose dissertation research has direct implications for criminal justice policy 

and practice in the United States.
NIJ–2015–3975 4

Successful applicants must clearly demonstrate how the proposed dissertation research will 

advance criminal justice knowledge, practice and/or policy for criminal justice agencies in the 

United States. Quantitative, qualitative, primary, and secondary data analysis and mixedmethod approach research studies are encouraged. Special consideration will be given to 

applicants who use the most rigorous research methods applicable to the proposed research 

topic to maximize the validity and reliability of their findings. 

Official Applicant

The official applicant under this solicitation is a degree-granting educational institution in the 

United States. To be eligible, the institution of record must be fully accredited by one of the 

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

Applicants sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply only if the doctoral student’s 

proposed research dissertation is expected to have direct implications for criminal justice policy 

and practice in the United States and is in an NIJ-supported discipline in the social and 

behavioral sciences. Applications from applicants that apply as individuals will be removed from 

consideration. 

The academic institution’s office of sponsored research or the institutionwide research office 

must complete an application and submit it electronically using Grants.gov (see “What an 

Application Should Include,” on page 8). 

The academic institution applicant is encouraged to submit an official statement regarding the 

student's progress in his or her current program of study. The statement of progress is not a 

requirement of the solicitation. Applicants are encouraged to submit copies of the doctoral 

student’s academic transcript. The transcript should document current matriculation toward a 

doctoral degree. 

Doctoral Student Eligibility Requirements

Degree-granting educational institutions are encouraged to sponsor doctoral students who have 

nearly completed all Ph.D. requirements. 

There are three requirements for the NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship Program that must be 

completed before an award can be made: 

• The doctoral student must have completed all required course work. 

• The doctoral student must have passed qualifying comprehensive exams. 

• The doctoral student must be advanced to candidacy by the university. 

Successful applicant institutions will be required to provide documentation of their doctoral 

student’s completion of these requirements. Access to all award funds will be withheld until the 

documentation is received and approved by the program office. Fiscal Year 2015 awards are 

anticipated to be made no later than September 2015.

Applicant institutions whose doctoral students have completed the three requirements are 

encouraged to provide documentation of such completion in the application. It is not necessary 

for the student to have completed the three requirements listed above at the time of the 
NIJ–2015–3975 5

application due date. Applicants whose doctoral students have not completed these 

requirements by the solicitation application deadline are encouraged to apply but should 

indicate, in the project timeline, the dates the sponsored doctoral student is expected to 

complete the three requirements under this section. The timeline should also provide details of 

other project milestones, including but not limited to the expected timing of the dissertation 

prospectus defense, the writing of the dissertation, and an expected dissertation defense date. 

The project timeline also should allow for time needed to complete edits to and submit the final 

dissertation to NIJ. 

Successful applicant institutions’ doctoral students may receive award funds only while enrolled 

in a full-time program leading to the doctoral degree. Human subjects protection paperwork,

including Institutional Review Board (IRB) documentation and forms and a completed privacy 

certificate, are not required at the time of application. If awarded, successful applicants will be 

required to submit Human Subjects Protection paperwork and a completed Privacy Certificate. 

The Privacy Certificate must be signed by the chair of the university’s IRB. For information on 

NIJ’s Human Subjects and Privacy Protection requirements, 

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

Dissertation Chair Requirements 

The application must include a signed statement of support from the sponsored doctoral 

student’s dissertation chair. The statement of support should: 

• Evaluate the student’s proposed project.

• Describe the current status of the proposed work.

• Outline any other outstanding work toward completion of the degree.

• State (demonstrate) the student’s potential to complete the dissertation successfully.

• Describe the chair’s role in monitoring the project, and present evidence of both the 

department’s and the chair’s ability to mentor doctoral candidates through the 

completion of their degrees.

• Verify that the dissertation research is ready to begin by the start of the project period.

• Indicate that the student has the full support of the dissertation committee.

• Verify that the chair will review and approve all progress reports before their submission 

to NIJ. 

An application that does not include the statement of support will be removed from 

consideration.

For information on application elements designated as required by NIJ under the GRF program 

solicitation in social and behavioral sciences, see page 11. 
NIJ–2015–3975 6

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

The ultimate goal of this solicitation is to increase the pool of researchers in the social and 

behavioral sciences that are involved in research relevant to the prevention and control of crime 

and help ensure the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States.

The final deliverable for awards under this solicitation is an official signed copy of the doctoral 

student’s defended dissertation. Upon submission, the dissertation may be archived at 

the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Students who receive funds under 

the GRF program are encouraged but are not required to archive their dissertation data. 

Amount and Length of Awards

The expected amount of an award under this solicitation is $32,000. The period of performance 

for an award under this fellowship program is typically from 12 to 18 months. Applicants should 

be aware that the total period for an award ordinarily will not exceed 3 years.

Students do not receive awards directly. 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. The grant recipient’s academic institution should draw 

down funds based upon immediate disbursement/reimbursement requirements. Funds should 

not be paid in a lump sum but, rather, 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.

The official grant end date must be calculated to reflect the expected successful completion and 

submission of the student’s dissertation to NIJ. In addition, it is important to note the fellowship 

recipient may receive award funding only while enrolled in a full-time program leading to the 

doctoral degree.

In general, applicants should propose an award start date that is no earlier than October 1, 

2015. The start date should be based upon the proposed project timeline. 

Applicants should be aware that the total period of an award, including one that receives a 

funding supplement or a no-cost extension, ordinarily will not exceed three years.

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 anticipates that any award under this solicitation will be made in the form of a grant.

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

Department of Justice regulations on confidentiality and human subjects’ protection. See 

“Evidence, Research, and Evaluation Guidance and Requirements” under “Solicitation 

Requirements” in the OJP Funding Resource Center.
NIJ–2015–3975 7

Budget Information

What will not be funded:

• Proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials, supplies, training, and programs 

or services. (A budget may include these items if they are necessary to conduct 

research, development, demonstration, evaluation, or analysis.)

• Proposals that are not responsive to this specific solicitation.

• Direct or indirect administrative expenses of the applicant educational institution.

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver

With respect to any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation, recipients may 

not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any 

employee of the award recipient at a rate that exceeds 110% of the maximum annual salary 

payable to a member of the federal government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency 

with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year.1 The 2014 salary table for 

SES employees is available at www.opm.gov/salary-tables. Note: A recipient may compensate 

an employee at a greater rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is 

paid with non-federal funds. (Any such additional compensation will not be considered matching 

funds where match requirements apply.)

The Director of the National Institute of Justice may exercise discretion to waive, on an 

individual basis, the limitation on compensation rates allowable under an award. An applicant 

requesting a waiver should include a detailed justification in the budget narrative of the 

application. Unless the applicant submits a waiver request and justification with the application, 

the applicant should anticipate that OJP will request the applicant to adjust and resubmit the 

budget.

The justification should include the particular qualifications and expertise of the individual, the 

uniqueness of the service the individual will provide, the individual’s specific knowledge of the 

program or project being undertaken with award funds, and a statement explaining that the 

individual’s salary is commensurate with the regular and customary rate for an individual with 

his/her qualifications and expertise, and for the work to be done.

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

OJP strongly encourages applicants that propose to use award funds for any conference-, 

meeting-, or training-related activity to review carefully – before submitting an application – the 

OJP policy and guidance on “conference” approval, planning, and reporting available 

at www.ojp.gov/funding/confcost.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 such costs for cooperative agreement recipients and of some such 

costs for grant recipients; and (3) set cost limits, including a general prohibition of all food and 

beverage costs.

 1 This limitation on use of award funds does not apply to the non-profit organizations specifically named at Appendix 

C to 2 C.F.R. Part 230.
NIJ–2015–3975 8

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.

For additional information, see the "Civil Rights Compliance" section of the OJP "Other 

Requirements for OJP Applications" Web page 

at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm.

Match Information

See “Cofunding” paragraph under “What an Application Should Include” (below).

Performance Measures

To assist the Department 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, applicants that receive funding under this solicitation must provide data 

that measure the results of their work done under this solicitation. OJP will require any award 

recipient, post award, to provide the data requested in the “Data Grantee Provides” column so 

that OJP can calculate values for the “Performance Measures” column. (Submission of 

performance measures data is not required for the application.) Performance measures for this 

solicitation are as follows:

Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Grantee Provides

Conduct research in social 

and behavioral sciences 

having clear implications 

for criminal justice policy 

and practice in the United 

States. 

1. Relevance to the needs of the field as 

measured by whether the project’s 

substantive scope did not deviate from the 

funded proposal or any subsequent 

agency-approved modifications to the 

scope.

2. Quality of management (of the award by 

the recipient organization) as measured by 

such factors as whether significant project 

milestones were achieved, reporting and 

other deadlines were met, and costs 

remained within approved limits.

1. Quarterly financial reports, 

semi-annual and final 

progress reports, and a draft 

and final summary overview 

of the work performed under 

the NIJ award.

2. An official, signed copy of 

the doctoral student’s 

successfully defended and 

accepted final dissertation.

What an Application Should Include

Applicants should anticipate that if they fail to submit an application that contains all of the 

specified elements, it may affect negatively the review of their application; and, should a 

decision be made to make an award, it may result in the inclusion of special conditions that 

preclude the recipient from accessing or using award funds pending satisfaction of the 

conditions.
NIJ–2015–3975 9

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications determined to be nonresponsive to the 

scope of the solicitation, or that do not include the application elements that NIJ has designated 

to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. Under this 

solicitation, NIJ has designated the following application elements as critical: Program Narrative, 

Budget Detail Worksheet, Budget Narrative, a statement of support from the sponsored doctoral 

student’s dissertation chair, and each of the other items listed under Section e, “Appendices,” 

that are labeled therein as “required” (see page 11).

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

“Program Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative,” “Timelines,” 

“Memoranda of Understanding,” “Resumes”) for all attachments. Also, OJP recommends that 

applicants include resumes in a single file.

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 

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).

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 should be—

• Written for a general public audience.

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

• Single-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman) with 1-inch margins.

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

program narrative. 

Project abstracts should follow the detailed template (including the detailed instructions as to 

content) available at www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-abstract-template.pdf.

3. Program Narrative

The program narrative section of the application should not exceed 15 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 15-page limit for the narrative 

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

count toward the 15-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.
NIJ–2015–3975 10

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

Program Narrative Guidelines: 

a. Title Page (not counted against the 15-page program narrative limit).

The title page should include the title of the project, submission date, funding 

opportunity number, and the name and complete contact information (that is,

address, telephone number, and e-mail address) for both the applicant 

organization and the principal investigator.

b. Resubmit Response (if applicable) (not counted against the 15-page program

narrative limit).

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

funded, the applicant should indicate this. A statement should be provided, no 

more than two pages, addressing: (1) the title, submission date, and NIJassigned application number of the previous proposal, and (2) a brief summary of 

revisions to the proposal, including responses to previous feedback received 

from NIJ.

c. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the 15-page program narrative 

limit).

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.

• Project Design and Implementation.

• Potential Impact.

• Capabilities/Competencies.

Within these sections, the narrative should address:

• Purpose, goals, and objectives.

• Review of relevant literature.

• Detailed description of research design and methods, such as research 

questions, hypotheses, description of sample, and analysis plan.

• Implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States.

• Management plan and organization.

e. Appendices (not counted against the 15-page program narrative limit) include:
NIJ–2015–3975 11

• Bibliography/references (required).

• Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps 

pertaining to the proposed project that are supplemental to such items 

included in the main body of the narrative.

• Curriculum vitae, resumes, or biographical sketch of the doctoral student and 

dissertation chair.

• List of the student’s dissertation committee and their contact information to 

include: names, telephone numbers, and email addresses. The dissertation 

chair should be clearly identified. 

• Doctoral student eligibility documentation (timeline or other documentation as 

applicable). (See page 4 for details.)

• Dissertation chair’s statement of support (required). (For information on 

content, see page 5.)

• Proposed project timeline and expected milestones (required). The timeline 

also should include details about other milestones including, but not limited 

to, the timing of the dissertation prospectus defense, the writing of the 

dissertation, and an expected dissertation defense date. The project timeline 

also should allow for time needed to complete edits to and submission of the 

final dissertation to NIJ.

• Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to 

Institutional Review Board (IRB) review). 

(See http://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 http://nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/pages/confidentiality.aspx).

• List of any previous and current NIJ awards to applicant organization 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).

• Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from 

organizations collaborating in the project, such as law enforcement and 

correctional agencies (if applicable).

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

proposal has been submitted (if applicable).
NIJ–2015–3975 12

4. Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

a. Budget Detail Worksheet 

A sample Budget Detail Worksheet can be found 

at http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/BudgetDetailWorksheet.pdf. Applicants that 

submit their budget in a different format should include the budget categories listed in 

the sample budget worksheet. (Work associated with satisfying data archiving 

requirements should be reflected.) Please note: NIJ expects applicants to provide a 

thorough narrative to each section of the Budget Detail Worksheet, as described under 

“Budget Narrative,” below.

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

see the OJP Financial Guide at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/index.htm.

b. Budget Narrative

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).

Applicants should demonstrate in their budget narratives how they will maximize cost 

effectiveness of grant expenditures. Budget narratives generally should 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 narrative should be sound mathematically and correspond 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 they are relevant 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 be broken down by year.

The following is a sample budget narrative description of a cost item.

Salaries and Wages – Personnel

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.

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 

__________.

Note that direct and indirect administrative expenses of the applicant educational 

institution are not allowable costs. 
NIJ–2015–3975 13

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.

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.

d. Non-Competitive Procurement Contracts In Excess of Simplified Acquisition 

Threshold

If an applicant proposes to make one or more non-competitive procurements of products 

or services, where the non-competitive procurement will exceed the simplified 

acquisition threshold (also known as the small purchase threshold), which is currently 

set at $150,000, the application should address the considerations outlined in the OJP 

Financial Guide.

5. Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable)

Tribes, tribal organizations, or third parties proposing to provide direct services or assistance 

to residents on tribal lands should include in their applications a resolution, a letter, affidavit, 

or other documentation, as appropriate, that certifies that the applicant has the legal 

authority from the tribe(s) to implement the proposed project on tribal lands. In those 

instances when an organization or consortium of tribes applies for a grant on behalf of a 

tribe or multiple specific tribes, the application should include appropriate legal 

documentation, as described above, from all tribes participating in the research. A 

consortium of tribes for which existing consortium bylaws allow action without support from 

all tribes in the consortium (i.e., without an authorizing resolution or comparable legal 

documentation from each tribal governing body) may submit, instead, a copy of its 

consortium bylaws with the application.

6. Applicant Disclosure of High Risk Status

Applicants are to disclose whether they are currently designated high risk by another federal 

grant making agency. This includes any status requiring additional oversight by the federal 

agency due to past programmatic or financial concerns. If an applicant is designated high 

risk by another federal grant making agency, you must email the following information 

to OJPComplianceReporting@usdoj.gov at the time of application submission:

• The federal agency that currently designated the applicant as high risk;

• Date the applicant was designated high risk;

• The high risk point of contact name, phone number, and email address, from that 

federal agency; and
NIJ–2015–3975 14

SAMPLE

• Reasons for the high risk status.

OJP seeks this information to ensure appropriate federal oversight of any grant award. 

Unlike the Excluded Parties List, this high risk information does not disqualify any 

organization from receiving an OJP award. However, additional grant oversight may be 

included, if necessary, in award documentation.

7. Additional Attachments

a. Applicant disclosure of pending applications2

Applicants are to disclose whether they have pending applications for federally funded 

grants or subgrants (including cooperative agreements) that include requests for funding 

to support the same project being proposed under this solicitation and will cover the 

identical cost items outlined in the budget narrative and worksheet in the application 

under this solicitation. The disclosure should include both direct applications for federal 

funding (e.g., applications to federal agencies) and indirect applications for such funding 

(e.g., applications to state agencies that will subaward federal funds).

OJP seeks this information to help avoid any 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.

Applicants that have pending applications as described above are 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 funding agency.

Applicants should include the table as a separate attachment, with the file name 

“Disclosure of Pending Applications,” to their application. Applicants that do not have 

pending applications as described above are to include a statement to this effect in the 

 2 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.

Federal or State 

Funding Agency

Solicitation Name/

Project Name

Name/Phone/E-mail for 

Point of Contact at

Funding Agency

DOJ/COPS COPS Hiring Program Jane Doe, 202/000-0000; 

jane.doe@usdoj.gov

HHS/ Substance Abuse 

& Mental Health Services 

Administration

Drug Free Communities 

Mentoring Program/ North 

County Youth Mentoring 

Program

John Doe, 202/000-0000; 

john.doe@hhs.gov
NIJ–2015–3975 15

separate attachment page (e.g., “[Applicant Name on SF-424] does not have pending 

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

(including cooperative agreements) that include requests for funding to support the same 

project being proposed under this solicitation and will cover the identical cost items 

outlined in the budget narrative and worksheet in the application under this solicitation.”)

b. Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity

If a proposal involves research and/or evaluation, regardless of the proposal’s other

merits, in order to receive funds, the applicant must demonstrate research/evaluation

independence, including appropriate safeguards to ensure research/evaluation

objectivity and integrity.

For purposes of this solicitation, research and evaluation independence and integrity 

pertains to ensuring that the design, conduct, or reporting of research and evaluation

funded by NIJ grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts will not be biased by any 

personal or financial conflict of interest on the part of the investigators responsible for the 

research and evaluation or on the part of the applicant organization. Conflicts can be 

either actual or apparent. Examples of potential investigator (or other personal) conflict 

situations may include 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 colleague (potential apparent conflict). With regard to 

potential organizational conflicts of interest, as one example, generally an organization 

could not be given a grant to evaluate a project if that organization had itself 

provided substantial prior technical assistance to that project, as the organization in such 

an instance would 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 is a problem.

In the attachment dealing with research and evaluation independence and integrity, the 

applicant should explain the process and procedures that the applicant has put in place 

to identify and eliminate (or, at the very least, mitigate) potential personal or financial 

conflicts of interest on the part of its staff, consultants, and/or subrecipients. It also 

should identify any potential organizational conflicts of interest on the part of the 

applicant with regard to the proposed research/evaluation. If the applicant reasonably 

believes that no potential personal or organizational conflicts of interest exist, then the 

applicant should provide a brief narrative explanation of how and why it reached that 

conclusion. Documentation that may be helpful in this regard could include 

organizational codes of ethics/conduct or policies regarding organizational, personal, 

and financial conflicts of interest.

For situations in which potential personal or organizational conflicts of interest exist, in 

the attachment, the applicant should identify the safeguards the applicant has or will put 

in place to eliminate, mitigate, or otherwise address those conflicts of interest.

Considerations in assessing research and evaluation independence and integrity will 

include, but may not be limited to, the adequacy of the applicant’s efforts to identify 

factors that could affect the objectivity or integrity of the proposed staff and/or the 
NIJ–2015–3975 16

organization 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.

8. Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable)

Any applicant (other than an individual) that is a non-governmental entity and that has not 

received any award from OJP within the past 3 years is to download, complete, and submit

this form.

Selection Criteria

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

the following review criteria.

Statement of the Problem (Understanding of the problem and its importance) – 20% 

1. Clarity of problem statement and its importance to the field of study.

2. Demonstrated connection between problem and proposed research.

3. Awareness of the state of current research and/or technology.

4. Identification of gaps in existing research.

5. Demonstrated understanding of the population under investigation.

Project Design and Implementation (Quality and technical merit) – 50%

1. Detailed and complete discussion of proposed research methods.

2. Explanation for research method approach.

3. Awareness of limitations of analysis plan and proposed practical solutions.

4. Awareness of human subjects’ matters.

5. Overall feasibility of proposed project and awareness of pitfalls.

6. Innovation and creativity.

Potential Impact (Impact of the proposed project and relevance to policy and practice) – 20% 

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

the United States, such as—

1. Potential for significantly improved understanding of the stated criminal justice problem.

2. Potential for significant advances in the field and filling key gaps in scientific knowledge 

related to criminal justice policy and practice in the United States.

3. Relevance for improving criminal justice policy and practice, public safety, security 

and/or quality of life.

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

justice problem.
NIJ–2015–3975 17

Capabilities/Competencies (Capabilities, demonstrated productivity, and experience of 

applicants) – 10%

1. Qualifications and experience of the doctoral student and dissertation chair; e.g., 

successful coursework completion, relevant work and/or research experience, 

leadership roles, mentoring experience, and record of publication.

2. Demonstrated ability of dissertation chair to manage endeavor.

3. Adequacy of management plan to ensure project completion.

4. University record of accomplishment with respect to doctoral candidates’ completion of 

degrees.

5. University record of past performance regarding NIJ grants and contracts.

Review Process

OJP is committed to ensuring a fair and open process for awarding grants. 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. NIJ may use internal peer reviewers, external peer reviewers, or a 

combination, to review the applications. 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. A peer review panel will evaluate, score, and rate applications that meet basic 

minimum requirements. Peer reviewers’ ratings and any resulting recommendations are 

advisory only, although their views are considered carefully. In addition to peer review ratings, 

considerations for award recommendations and decisions may include, but are not limited to, 

underserved populations, geographic diversity, strategic priorities, past performance, and 

available funding.

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer, in consultation with NIJ, reviews applications for 

potential discretionary awards to evaluate the fiscal integrity and financial capability of 

applicants, examines proposed costs to determine if the Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget 

Narrative accurately explain project costs, and determines whether costs are reasonable, 

necessary, and allowable under applicable federal cost principles and agency regulations. 

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

may consider factors including, but not limited to, underserved populations, geographic 

diversity, strategic priorities, past performance, and available funding.

Additional Requirements

Applicants selected for awards must agree to comply with additional legal requirements upon 

acceptance of an award. OJP encourages applicants to review the information pertaining to 

these additional requirements prior to submitting an application. Additional information for each 

requirement can be found at www.ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/index.htm.
NIJ–2015–3975 18

• Civil Rights Compliance

• Civil Rights Compliance Specific to State Administering Agencies

• Faith-Based and Other Community Organizations

• Confidentiality

• Research and the Protection of Human Subjects

• Anti-Lobbying Act

• Financial and Government Audit Requirements

• Reporting of Potential Fraud, Waste, and Abuse, and Similar Misconduct

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)

• DOJ Information Technology Standards (if applicable) 

• Single Point of Contact Review

• Non-Supplanting of State or Local Funds

• Criminal Penalty for False Statements

• Compliance with Office of Justice Programs Financial Guide

• Suspension or Termination of Funding

• Non-profit Organizations

• For-profit Organizations

• Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA)

• Rights in Intellectual Property 

• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 (FFATA)

• Awards in Excess of $5,000,000 – Federal Taxes Certification Requirement

• Active SAM Registration 

• Policy and Guidance for Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conferences (including 

Meetings and Trainings)

• OJP Training Guiding Principles for Grantees and Subgrantees
NIJ–2015–3975 19

If a proposal is funded, the award recipient will be required to submit several reports and other 

materials. 

Final substantive report and other scholarly products: The final deliverable for a GRF 

award is an official signed copy of the student’s defended dissertation. Upon submission to NIJ, 

the dissertation may be archived at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS).

In addition to the expectation of scholarly products, successful applicants under this solicitation 

will be required to submit the following deliverables regarding the work funded by the NIJ award:

Semi-Annual and Final Progress Reports

Applicants should anticipate that progress reports will be required to follow the nonbudgetary 

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 award and 

fund draw-downs may be withheld if reports are delinquent.

Quarterly and Final Financial Reports; Audit Reports

Quarterly and final financial status reports are required. If applicable, an annual audit report in 

accordance with Office of Management and Budget requirements must be submitted. Future 

award and fund draw-downs may be withheld if reports are delinquent.

Draft and Final Summary Overview of the Work Conducted Under the Award

The overview is expected to provide an overall summary of the work under, and results of, the 

project funded by NIJ under this solicitation. Among other things, the summary overview should 

address the purpose of the project, project subjects (if applicable), project design and methods, 

data analysis, project findings, and implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the 

United States.

A draft summary overview no longer than 10 pages long (double-spaced) is to be submitted 90 

days prior to the end of the project period for NIJ review and comment.

How to Apply

Applicants must register in, and submit applications through Grants.gov, a “one-stop storefront” 

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

register and submit an application at www.Grants.gov. Applicants that experience technical 

difficulties during this process should call the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800–518–

4726 or 606–545–5035, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays. 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 and a user password. OJP 

encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline. 

In addition, OJP urges applicants to submit applications 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.
NIJ–2015–3975 20

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

regarding this solicitation. If this solicitation is cancelled or modified, individuals who sign up with 

Grants.gov for updates will be notified.

Note on File Names and File Types: Grants.gov only permits the use of certain specific

characters in names of attachment files. Valid file names may include only the characters 

shown in the table below. Grants.gov is designed to reject any application that includes 

an attachment(s) with a file name that contains any characters not shown in the table 

below. Grants.gov is designed to forward successfully submitted applications to OJP’s 

Grants Management System (GMS).

Characters Special Characters

Upper case (A – Z) Parenthesis ( ) Curly braces { } Square brackets [ ]

Lower case (a – z) Ampersand (&) Tilde (~) Exclamation point (!)

Number 0 – 9 Comma ( , ) Semicolon ( ; ) Apostrophe ( ‘ )

Underscore ( __ ) At sign (@) Number sign (#) Dollar sign ($)

Hyphen ( - ) Percent sign (%) Plus sign (+) Equal sign (=)

Space When using the ampersand (&) in XML, applicants must use the “&” 

Period 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:

1. Acquire a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. In general, the Office of 

Management and Budget requires that all applicants (other than individuals) for federal 

funds include a DUNS number in their applications for a new award or a supplement to an 

existing award. A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit sequence recognized as the 

universal standard for identifying and differentiating entities receiving federal funds. The 

identifier is used for tracking purposes and to validate address and point of contact 

information for federal assistance applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. The DUNS 

number will be used throughout the grant life cycle. Obtaining a DUNS number is a free, 

one-time activity. Call 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 1–2 business 

days.

2. Acquire registration with the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the 

repository for standard information about federal financial assistance applicants, recipients, 

and subrecipients. OJP requires all applicants (other than individuals) for federal financial 

assistance to maintain current registrations in the SAM database. Applicants must be 

registered in SAM to successfully register in Grants.gov. Applicants must update or renew 

their SAM registration annually to maintain an active status.

Applications cannot be successfully submitted in Grants.gov until Grants.gov receives the

SAM registration information. The information transfer from SAM to Grants.gov can take up 
NIJ–2015–3975 21

to 48 hours. OJP recommends that the applicant register or renew registration with SAM as 

early as possible.

Information about SAM registration procedures can be accessed at www.sam.gov.

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. The applicant organization’s DUNS number must be used to complete this 

step. For more information about the registration process, go 

to www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp.

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. 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 number for this solicitation is 16.562, titled “Criminal Justice 

Research and Development—Graduate Research Fellowships,” and the funding opportunity 

number is NIJ–2015–3975.

6. Complete the Disclosure of Lobbying Activities. All applicants must complete this 

information. Applicants that expend any funds for lobbying activities are to provide the 

detailed information requested on the form Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL). 

Applicants that do not expend any funds for lobbying activities should enter “N/A” in the 

required highlighted fields. 

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 an e-mail validation message from Grants.gov. The message will state 

whether the application has been received and validated, or 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 well 

ahead of the deadline provides time to correct the problem(s) that caused the 

rejection. Important: OJP urges applicants to submit applications 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.

Click here for further details on DUNS, SAM, and Grants.gov registration steps and 

timeframes.

Note: Duplicate Applications

If an applicant submits multiple versions of an application, NIJ will review only the most recent 

valid version submitted. 
NIJ–2015–3975 22

Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues

Applicants that experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that 

prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must e-mail the NIJ contact 

identified in the Contact Information section on page 1 within 24 hours after the application 

deadline and request approval to submit their application. The e-mail must describe the 

technical difficulties, and 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: NIJ does not automatically approve requests. After the program 

office reviews the submission, and contacts the Grants.gov or SAM Help Desks to validate 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 applicant failed to follow all 

required procedures, which resulted in an untimely application submission, OJP will deny the 

applicant’s request to submit their application.

The following conditions generally are insufficient to justify late submissions:

• Failure to register in SAM or Grants.gov in sufficient time.

• 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, 

including firewalls.

Notifications regarding known technical problems with Grants.gov, if any, are posted at the top 

of the OJP funding Web page 

at www.ojp.gov/funding/Explore/CurrentFundingOpportunities.htm.

Provide Feedback to OJP

To assist OJP in improving its application and award processes, we encourage applicants to 

provide feedback on this solicitation, the application submission process, and/or the application 

review/peer review process. Provide feedback to OJPSolicitationFeedback@usdoj.gov.

IMPORTANT: This e-mail is for feedback and suggestions only. Replies are not sent from this 

mailbox. If you have specific questions on any program or technical aspect of the solicitation, 

you must directly contact the appropriate number or e-mail listed on the front of this solicitation 

document. These contacts are provided to help ensure that you can directly reach an individual 

who can address your 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 ojppeerreview@lmbps.com. The OJP Solicitation Feedback email account will not

forward your resume. Note: Neither you nor anyone else from your organization can be a peer 

reviewer in a competition in which you or your organization has submitted an application.
NIJ–2015–3975 23

Application Checklist

NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship Program 

in the Social and Behavioral Sciences

This application checklist has been created to assist in developing an application.

What an Applicant Should Do:

Prior to Registering in Grants.gov:

_____ Acquire a DUNS Number (see page 20)

_____ Acquire or renew registration with SAM (see page 20)

To Register with Grants.gov: 

_____ Acquire AOR and Grants.gov username/password (see page 21)

_____ Acquire AOR confirmation from the E-Biz POC (see page 21)

To Find Funding Opportunity:

_____ Search for the funding opportunity on Grants.gov (see page 21)

_____ Download Funding Opportunity and Application Package (see page 21)

_____ Sign up for Grants.gov email notifications (optional) (see page 20)

_____ Read Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov

General Requirements:

_____ Review “Other Requirements” webpage

What an Application Should Include: 

_____ Application for Federal Assistance (SF–424) (see page 9)

_____ Abstract (see page 9)

_____ Program Narrative (see page 9)

_____ Appendices (see page 11)

_____ Bibliography/references (required)

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

to the proposed study (if applicable)

_____ Curriculum vitae, resumes, or biographical sketches of student and dissertation 

chair 

_____ Dissertation committee contact information

_____ Doctoral student eligibility documentation (timeline or other documentation, as 

applicable)

_____ Dissertation chair’s statement of support (required)

_____ Project timeline and research calendar with expected milestones (required)

_____ Human Subjects Protection paperwork

_____ Privacy Certificate

_____ List of previous and current NIJ awards to applicant organization and 

investigators

_____ Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from organizations 

collaborating in the project (if applicable)
NIJ–2015–3975 24

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

has been submitted (if applicable)

_____ Budget Detail Worksheet (see page 12)

_____ Budget Narrative (see page 12)

_____ Employee Compensation Waiver request and justification (if applicable) 

(see page 7)

_____ Read OJP policy and guidance on “conference” approval, planning, and reporting

available at 

www.ojp.gov/financialguide/PostawardRequirements/chapter15page1.htm

(see page 7)

_____ Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF–LLL) (see page 21)

_____ Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable) (see page 13)

_____ Applicant Disclosure of High Risk Status (see page 13)

_____ Additional Attachments

_____ Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications (see page 14)

_____ Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity (see page 15)

_____ Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable) (see page 16)