Notices regarding the solicitation “NIJ Research and Evaluation on 

Drugs and Crime, Fiscal Year 2020”

March 27, 2020: Many of our solicitations encourage research partnerships and require 

applicants to include a strong letter of support, signed by an appropriate decision-making 

authority from each proposed partnering entity.

NIJ continues to strongly encourage prospective applicants to submit executed agreements 

necessary to carrying out the work proposed with applications if they can be obtained, but with 

an understanding of the circumstances surrounding the pandemic, NIJ will accept applications 

without them.

Applicants selected for award will be required to submit completed agreements by January 1, 

2021. Funds will be withheld until such agreements have been received.

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 

NIJ Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime, Fiscal Year 2020

FY 2020 Competitive Research Grant Solicitation

CFDA No. 16.560

Grants.gov Solicitation Number: NIJ-2020-17275

Solicitation Release Date: January 30, 2020

Application Deadline: 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 20, 2020

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

Justice (NIJ) seeks applications for funding of rigorous applied research on evidence-based 

tools, protocols, and policies for state, tribal, and local law enforcement and other criminal 

justice agencies that address drug trafficking, drug markets, and drug-related violence. The 

focus of this research solicitation is narcotics-related criminal investigation, prosecution, drug 

intelligence, and community surveillance relevant to law enforcement and/or medicolegal death 

investigation. DOJ has identified the FY 2020 solicitation drug priorities as methamphetamine 

and other stimulants, including diverted pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their analogues.

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

Grant Application Resource Guide provides guidance to applicants on how to prepare and 

submit applications for funding to OJP. If this solicitation expressly modifies any provision in the 

OJP Grant Application Resource Guide, the applicant is to follow the guidelines in this 

solicitation as to that provision.

Eligibility (Who may apply)

In general, NIJ is authorized to make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative 

agreements with eligible entities as listed below:

 States (including territories);

 Units of local government;

 Federally recognized Indian tribal governments that perform law enforcement functions 

(as determined by the Secretary of the Interior);

 Nonprofit and for-profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and for-profit 

organizations); and
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NIJ-2020-17275

 Institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education).

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

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

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

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

management fee.

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

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

subrecipients (subgrantees). The applicant must be the entity that would have primary 

responsibility for carrying out the award, including administering the funding and managing the 

entire project. For additional information on subawards, see the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide.

Under this solicitation, any particular applicant entity may submit more than one application, as 

long as each application proposes a different project in response to the solicitation. Also, an 

entity may be proposed as a subrecipient (“subgrantee”) in more than one application.

Contact Information

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

Hotline at 1-800-518-4726 or 1-606-545-5035 (international), at 

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html, or at 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 must email the NIJ contact identified 

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

application after the deadline. Additional information on reporting technical issues appears 

under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the “How To Apply 

(Grants.gov)” section in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide.

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 https://nij.ojp.gov/funding. Answers to frequently asked questions that 

may assist applicants are posted at https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/frequently-asked-questions-aboutapplying-grants-and-cooperative-agreements.

Deadline Details

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 20, 2020.
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NIJ-2020-17275

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.

An applicant must use the Add Attachment button to attach a file to its application. Do not click 

the paperclip icon to attach files. This action will not attach the files to the application. After 

adding an attachment, select the View Attachment button to confirm you attached the correct 

file. To remove the file, select the Delete Attachment button.

OJP encourages all applicants to read this Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov.

For additional information, see the “How to Apply (Grants.gov)” section in the OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide.
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NIJ-2020-17275

Contents

A. Program Description 5

Overview 5

Program-Specific Information 7

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products 11

OJP Priority Areas 14

B. Federal Award Information 15

Type of Award 16

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls 16

Budget Information 16

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement 17

Pre-agreement Costs (also known as Pre-award Costs) 17

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver 17

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs 17

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable) 17

C. Eligibility Information 17

D. Application and Submission Information 17

What an Application Should Include 17

How To Apply (Grants.gov) 23

E. Application Review Information 24

Review Criteria 24

Review Process 25

F. Federal Award Administration Information 27

Federal Award Notices 27

Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements 27

Information Technology (IT) Security Clauses 27

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements 27

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) 28

H. Other Information 28

Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 552a) 28

Provide Feedback to OJP 28

Application Checklist 29
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NIJ-2020-17275

NIJ Research and Evaluation on Drugs 

and Crime, Fiscal Year 2020

CFDA No. 16.560

A. Program Description

Overview

NIJ’s Drugs and Crime Research Program supports rigorous applied research on evidencebased tools, protocols, and policies for state, tribal, and local law enforcement and other 

criminal justice agencies that address drug trafficking, drug markets, and drug-related violence. 

The program furthers DOJ’s mission to combat opioid and other drug abuse, support 

prosecutors in their efforts, and reduce violent and other drug-related crime. Research projects 

promote cost-efficient law enforcement, court, and corrections responses to illegal drug markets 

(including diversion of licit drugs). The focus of this research solicitation is narcotics-related 

criminal investigation, prosecution, drug intelligence, and community surveillance relevant to law 

enforcement and/or medicolegal death investigation. DOJ has identified the FY 2020 solicitation 

drug priorities as methamphetamine and other stimulants, including diverted pharmaceuticals, 

illicit drugs, and their analogues.

Methamphetamine is a Schedule II1 stimulant drug that is widely available in high purity and 

potency, and at low prices across the U.S. The 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health 

estimates approximately 1.9 million people aged 12 or older used methamphetamine in the past 

year.2 Methamphetamine continues to dominate West and Midwest drug markets (especially in 

rural and tribal communities), and is now expanding to other regions.3 Methamphetamine and 

other psychostimulant overdose deaths increased annually by 25 percent or more between 

2015 and 2018;

4

they exceed opioid-related fatal overdoses in some states, and the largest 

increase in death rates are observed in Appalachian states.5 With no naloxone equivalent to 

reverse overdoses, and no standard medication-assisted treatment to address addiction, supply 

reduction to prevent and reduce stimulant drug access is imperative. The potential danger in 

failing to address this long-standing and now growing problem is a crossover in the Nation’s 

drug crisis from opioids to stimulants.

Methamphetamine is reemerging as a national problem aggravated by drug-related violence 

due to increased production by Mexican drug trafficking organizations (DTOs). Border and other 

field office seizures have risen steadily since FY 2012;

6 and in 2018, methamphetamine was the 

 

1 The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) defines Schedule II drugs as having a high potential for abuse, 

with use potentially leading to severe psychological or physical dependence; examples include cocaine and fentanyl 

(https://www.dea.gov/drug-scheduling).

2 Key substance use and mental health indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on 

Drug Use and Health, https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2018-nsduh-annual-national-report.

3 2020 Gulf Coast HIDTA Drug Threat Assessment, http://arcassociates.net/yahoo_site_admin/assets/docs/2020_GC_HIDTA_Drug_Threat_Assessment.17165012.pdf.

4 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts, Overdose Death 

Counts, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/drug-overdose-data.htm.

5 Drug Overdose Deaths Involving Cocaine and Psychostimulants with Abuse Potential — United States, 2003–2017, 

https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/68/wr/mm6817a3.htm?s_cid=mm6817a3_e.

6 Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Enforcement Statistics FY 2019, https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbpenforcement-statistics.
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most frequently identified drug (followed by cannabis, cocaine, and heroin).7 Domestic 

clandestine methamphetamine lab seizures have declined, although labs persist primarily in the 

Midwest, including new recrystallization labs.8 Competition among wholesale trafficking 

organizations has led to lower methamphetamine prices, higher drug purity, and expanded 

drug-related violence concerns.9 As noted by the Midwest High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area 

(HIDTA) Program, “methamphetamine remains the greatest danger when considering its nexus 

to violence and other criminal activity used by traffickers to advance or protect their illegitimate 

trade.”10 In addition to systemic violence (e.g., DTO rivalries), methamphetamine is associated 

with pharmacological violence (crimes committed under the influence and long-term use effects) 

and economic-compulsive crime (strong-arm robberies, assaults with a weapon, burglaries, 

etc.). In 2017, law enforcement agencies nationwide identified methamphetamine as the drug 

that contributes most to violent crime,11 and it remains a problem in Indian country where nonnative DTOs traffic drugs for local and interstate distribution.12 Furthermore, the direction of drug 

flow cannot be assumed. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identified the 

bidirectional flow of illicit drugs along the northern border as a threat to public safety.13 Asian 

and other transnational criminal organizations (TCOs) and DTOs compete with domestic 

organized crime organizations to control drug production, distribution, consolidation of drug 

proceeds, and money laundering.

Methamphetamine and other stimulant use is fueled by both illicit and licit drugs trafficked and 

sold in U.S. markets. Methamphetamine is a synthetic drug (or novel psychoactive substance, 

[NPS]) derived from chemically engineered compounds with a capacity for rapid development of 

many newly emergent, high-purity, and high-potency analogues. Forensic laboratory analysis is 

complicated by the continuous emergence of new drugs, underscoring the need for information 

sharing with public health and public safety officials in making protocol, technology, and 

equipment investments.14 NPS are often adulterated with toxic substances during production or 

consumption and used in combination with other drugs. Illicit drug suppliers access precursor 

chemicals through illegal diversion, or unregulated foreign chemical manufacturing operations, 

and produce NPS and their analogues in clandestine labs. Similar to the epidemiology of opioid 

abuse, misuse of licit drugs and diverted pharmaceuticals also plays a role in the 

methamphetamine and other stimulant drug markets. In contrast to a recent reversal in opioid 

prescription trends, the largest annual increases in prescriptions are now among 

amphetamines.15

 

7 National Forensic Laboratory Information System: NFLIS-Drug 2018 Annual Report, 

https://www.nflis.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/DesktopModules/ReportDownloads/Reports/NFLIS-Drug-AR2018.pdf.

8 2018 National Drug Threat Assessment, https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-11/DIR-032-

18%202018%20NDTA%20final%20low%20resolution.pdf; Methamphetamine Seizures Continue to Climb in the 

Midwest, https://www.dea.gov/stories/2019/07/10/methamphetamine-seizures-continue-climb-midwest.

9 2017 Domestic Methamphetamine Threat Key Findings, https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-

07/2017%20Domestic%20Methamphetamine%20Threat%20Assessment%20Key%20Findings.pdf.

10 2018 Midwest HIDTA Threat Assessment (p. 3), 

http://www.dhs.state.il.us/OneNetLibrary/27896/documents/2018MidwestHIDTAThreatAssessment.pdf.

11 2017 National Drug Threat Survey (Figure A8), [unclassified in law enforcement sensitive report]; see National 

Drug Threat Survey Methodology and Key Findings in Appendix A of 2017 National Drug Threat Assessment, 

https://www.dea.gov/sites/default/files/2018-07/DIR-040-17_2017-NDTA.pdf.

12 Perception of Methamphetamine in Indian Country: Interviews with Service Providers in Ten Western Tribes, 

https://cops.usdoj.gov/RIC/Publications/cops-p368-pub.pdf.

13 Northern Border Threat Analysis Report, 

https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/17_0731_Public_Summary_NBSRA_0.pdf.

14 Needs Assessment of Forensic Laboratories and Medical Examiner/Coroner Offices: Report to Congress, 2019, 

https://www.justice.gov/olp/page/file/1228306/download.

15 2017-2018 Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Annual Report, http://www.floridahealth.gov/statistics-and-data/eforcse/health_care_practitioners/_documents/2018-pdmp-annual-report.pdf.
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With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for rigorous applied research that examines the 

feasibility, impact, and cost efficiency of evidence-based tools, protocols, and policies for state, 

tribal, and local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies that address drug 

trafficking, drug markets, and drug-related violence. The research focus is narcotics-related 

criminal investigation, prosecution, drug intelligence, and community surveillance relevant to law 

enforcement and/or medicolegal death investigation. All proposed projects should examine 

novel approaches to common problems, demonstrate methods to generate actionable 

information, add value to resources that can be sustained long-term and replicated by other 

jurisdictions for a national scale impact, and promote innovative partnerships between 

stakeholders. This solicitation’s drug priorities are methamphetamine and other stimulants —

including diverted pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their analogues.

This solicitation supports DOJ Strategic Objective 3.2: Disrupt and dismantle drug trafficking 

organizations to curb opioid and other illicit drug use in our nation. It also supports DOJ 

Strategic Objective 3.1: Combat violent crime, promote safe communities, and uphold the 

rights of victims of crime.

Statutory Authority: Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 

(sections 201 and 202).

Program-Specific Information

NIJ’s drugs and crime research portfolio16 promotes cost-efficient law enforcement, court, and 

corrections responses to illegal drug markets (including diversion of legal drugs), and violent 

and other criminal behavior. Through the program, NIJ studies crime reduction using several 

approaches: epidemiology (patterns among drugs, violence, and crime to inform communities 

and service providers); prevention and intervention (policies and programs to prevent or reduce 

drug-related crime and violence); drug markets (drug production and distribution information to 

support law enforcement); market disruption (drug interdiction and other strategies to disrupt or 

deter markets); and forensic science (drug recognition and detection, and support of 

medicolegal death investigation).

Relevant to this solicitation are applied research on methamphetamine markets. NIJ supports 

research on policies, practices, and resources available to law enforcement to deter, 

investigate, and prosecute illegal methamphetamine and other drug crimes. Past NIJ 

methamphetamine research has documented its trends in use, trafficking, production, and other 

issues;

17 and examined precursor control laws implementation (restricted access, retail sales, 

and criminalizing possession).18, 19 A Joint Initiative for Research on Retail Drug Markets with the 

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) demonstrated innovative network and geographic 

analyses to explore methamphetamine markets.20 A recent project assessed quantitative and 

qualitative information resources available for Mid/Western states and tribal nations to 

 

16 NIJ’s Drugs and Crime Research, https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/drugs.

17 Methamphetamine Use: Lessons Learned, https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/209730.pdf.

18 From Policy to Practice: State Methamphetamine Precursor Control Policies, 

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/228133.pdf.

19 The Relationship between State Methamphetamine Precursor Laws and Trends in Small Toxic Lab (STL) Seizures, 

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/223467.pdf.

20 NIDA-NIJ Joint Initiative for Research on Retail Drug Markets, https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/252076.pdf.
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NIJ-2020-17275

document the impact of methamphetamine trafficking and production on the criminal justice 

system.21

Also relevant to this solicitation is NIJ-supported research on opioids, marijuana, and other drug 

crimes, including FY 2012 Research on Illegal Prescription Drug Market Interventions,22 and 

research grants awarded under previous iterations of this NIJ solicitation. This FY 2020 funding 

opportunity excludes applications for research on those drug types — but the research 

questions, methods, and partnerships of past grants are informative. Those projects examine: 

intelligence-led policing collaboratives to build opioid drug intelligence networks in rural 

communities and port cities; darknet, clearnet, and cryptocurrency markets; evidence collection 

and preservation protocols for manslaughter prosecutions of drug dealers; and drug metric 

intelligence platforms that integrate data systems for information sharing.

This solicitation is unrelated to NIJ’s Controlled Substances and Forensic Toxicology program,

which funds the development of forensic science tools, methods, or technologies. That program 

supports more basic research and development to improve drug recognition and detection, and 

the work of crime laboratories in medicolegal death investigation. Applicants are encouraged to 

review information on NIJ’s diverse drugs and crime research portfolio, and consider other,

more suitable funding opportunities.23 Applications for funding of basic research activities that 

focus on the development of tools or methods (in the laboratory or the field), are outside the 

scope of this solicitation.

Research Focus and Drug Priorities

Proposed research must focus on narcotics-related criminal investigation, prosecution, 

drug intelligence, and/or community surveillance relevant to law enforcement and/or

medicolegal death investigation.

Proposed research must address drug trafficking, drug markets, and/or drug-related 

violence relevant to the drug priorities: methamphetamine and other stimulants including 

diverted pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and their analogues.

Applications must address at least one of the drug priorities as described above. Other drugs 

may only be addressed in addition to NIJ’s drug priorities, with clear justification relating to 

research and practice, such as drugs produced, or used, in combination. Applications for 

funding research that fall outside of these priorities will not be considered.

A single application may address more than one drug priority — however, the rationale and 

approach to studying each drug type proposed must be made clear in the application. 

Applications that propose to research all drug priorities without clear justification for each will not 

be considered.

 

21 Measuring the Criminal Justice System Impacts of the Increased Presence of Methamphetamine in the Bakken Oil 

Formation, https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/253270.pdf.

22 NIJ’s Research on Illegal Prescription Drug Market Interventions, https://nij.ojp.gov/topics/articles/research-illegalprescription-drug-market-interventions.

23 See NIJ’s FY 2020 solicitations, including “Research and Development in Forensic Science for Criminal Justice 

Purposes,” and “Tribal-Researcher Capacity Building Grants.”
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NIJ-2020-17275

Potential Research Questions

Criminal Investigation and Prosecution – NIJ seeks proposals for research on criminal case 

investigation and prosecution related to narcotics, law enforcement, forensic science, and 

medicolegal death investigation.

Research questions of interest include, but are not limited to:

 How can new technologies (such as field-deployable drug detection/identification 

technologies) support investigation and prosecution?

 What is the relative utility of results from drug tests conducted in the field, in contrast to 

confirmatory lab tests, in terms of charging decisions and case outcomes?

 What is the value of information from cybercrime and darknet/clearnet websites in 

supporting investigation and prosecution, and how can that be optimized?

 How can information collected at clandestine labs, suspected drug crime and death 

scenes, or non-fatal drug overdose events be enhanced to support investigations and 

prosecution strategies?

 How can information sharing across agencies be improved to support investigations and 

prosecution strategies, such as whether to build the instant case or connect other 

potentially related cases?

 How can information sharing across agencies help prioritize evidence processing and 

investigative assignments as a given case evolves, in order to conserve resources?

 What effect do drug laws have on investigations and prosecution strategies? If they 

increase the number of cases or convictions, for what types of cases? If not, how can 

outstanding legal and resource challenges be addressed?

Drug Intelligence and Community Surveillance – NIJ seeks proposals for research on 

improvements to aggregate data collection, analysis, and dissemination that support drug 

intelligence and community surveillance goals.

Research questions of interest include, but are not limited to:

 How can new technologies (such as field deployable drug detection/identification 

technologies) inform intelligence, surveillance, and interdiction activities?

 What is the value of information from cybercrime and darknet/clearnet websites in 

supporting drug intelligence and interdiction, and how can that be optimized?

 How can provisional data address immediate information needs, and what means are 

available to assess validity and reliability of information? What are the actionable data, 

and how is the impact of actionable data measured in terms of public safety goals?
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NIJ-2020-17275

 How is information from interdictions used to estimate the flow of drugs? How do 

forensic laboratory results inform interdiction activities? What other information can be 

used to identify drug seizure targets efficiently?

 How best can public safety and public health stakeholders examine and project drug use 

trajectories in conjunction with drug markets?

 What is the impact of current drug intelligence and community surveillance efforts on 

drug deterrence, interdiction, and pursuit of organized crime targets? What metrics 

assess impact, and what are the demonstrable effects on crime prevention, drug market 

intervention, and other criminal justice outcomes?

Drug-Related Violent Crime – NIJ seeks proposals for research on violent crime associated with 

illegal drug markets.

Research questions of interest include, but are not limited, to:

 Is there any relationship between violent crime and specific drug markets (i.e., 

methamphetamine or other stimulant drugs) in the U.S.?

 If so, are there any trends or patterns specific to offense type, geographic region, or 

other variables?

 Are specific drug markets associated with different types of drug-related violence ―

pharmacological violence (crimes under the influence and long-term use effects), 

economic-compulsive crime (steal cash/property to buy drugs), and/or systemic violence 

(drug trafficking rivalry)?

 Is drug-related violence exacerbated or ameliorated by certain factors? 

 Are there predictive factors that may be used to prevent or control drug-related violence?

Additional Guidance Applicable to All Research Categories

 NIJ is especially interested in supporting research relevant to small,24 rural, tribal, and 

border jurisdictions.

 Applications must demonstrate cultural competence by addressing regional, 

racial/ethnic, language, and other diversity issues in proposed research protocol and 

team capabilities, as applicable.

 Each partnering agency must provide a letter of commitment clarifying information, staff, 

and other resource access.

 Applicant must confirm access to all necessary information resources for a successful 

project, without assistance from either NIJ or from any other federal agency, except as 

stipulated in that other federal agency’s letter of commitment.

 

24 The majority of local police departments serve jurisdictions with populations of less than 100,000 (see Local Police 

Departments, 2016: Personnel, https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/lpd16p_sum.pdf).
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 Each research team member (staff, contractor, consultant, agency partner, etc.) must be 

identified, with a clearly specified role and projected level of effort, regardless of 

compensation.

 Any potential conflict of interest must be addressed if any research team member may 

benefit financially from, or is/was involved in the development of, what is being 

researched. (Also see Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity.)

 The research proposed must result in knowledge and tools that have potential value to 

other jurisdictions for a national impact.

 Applications for research that leverage projects actively supported by federal, private, or 

other entities must clarify the proposed value added; how information collected and other 

resources funded by NIJ will remain separate; and plans for dissemination, including 

public archive of work products.

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

The goal of this program is to support DOJ’s mission to combat opioid and other drug abuse, 

support prosecutors in their efforts, and reduce violent and other drug-related crime through 

research that promotes cost-efficient law enforcement, court, and corrections responses to 

illegal drug markets (including diversion of legal drugs), and violent and other criminal behavior.

The objective of this solicitation is to support applied research that examines the feasibility, 

impact, and cost efficiency of evidence-based tools, protocols, and policies for state, tribal, and 

local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies that address drug trafficking, drug 

markets, and drug-related violence. The research focus is narcotics-related criminal 

investigation, prosecution, drug intelligence, and community surveillance relevant to law 

enforcement and/or medicolegal death investigations. The FY 2020 solicitation drug priorities 

are methamphetamine or other stimulants including diverted pharmaceuticals, illicit drugs, and 

their analogues.

NIJ encourages researchers to seek guidance from, or partner with, various stakeholder groups.

Key partners in law enforcement and prosecution efforts to combat drug-related crime are public 

safety and public health stakeholders, such as medical examiner and coroner offices, forensic 

science laboratories, emergency health services, and poison control centers, among others. 

Their multidisciplinary expertise and pooled resources can support effective information 

collection and analysis, as well as criminal investigation case building for successful 

prosecutions.

Such associations foster a greater understanding of the issues unique to their respective fields, 

and may strengthen the scope of the proposed research plan. Proposed projects should 

investigate novel approaches to common problems, demonstrate methods to generate 

actionable information, promote innovative partnerships between stakeholders, and add value to 

resources that can be sustained long-term and replicated by other jurisdictions for a national 

scale impact. Collaborative efforts can expand understanding of drug trafficking, drug markets, 

and drug-related violence for targeted interdiction; further the identification of drug deterrent and 

interdiction opportunities; examine non-fatal and fatal overdoses; and support strategies to 

pursue organized crime targets.
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NIJ-2020-17275

Expected Deliverables

Draft Research Report Outline. An annotated outline including preliminary findings with draft 

tables, figures, and other relevant graphics is required approximately sixty (60) days prior to the 

grant end date for NIJ to review.

Briefing. An NIJ briefing to be delivered in Washington, D.C. is required approximately thirty (30) 

days prior to the grant end date. Presentation materials, including a handout and PowerPoint 

slides, that summarize research methods and findings are due in draft form no later than ten 

(10) business days in advance of the briefing for NIJ to review.

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

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

the solicitation is posted on the Research, Development, and Evaluation Grant Award 

Requirements The Final Research Report will undergo review for public archive on the National 

Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS).

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

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

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

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

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

analysis. For more information, see Program Narrative in Section D. Application and 

Submission Information.

Technology Prototype. An exemplar of any algorithm, method, software development kit, and 

training data set resulting from research and development activities funded under this 

solicitation will be delivered to NIJ at the end of the award for third-party evaluation, along with

detailed implementation instructions. Documentation must include descriptions of algorithmic 

development and approaches to data collection.

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

described in Section F. Federal Award Administration Information), NIJ expects scholarly 

products to result from each award under this solicitation, taking the form of one or more 

published, peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles, and/or (if appropriate) law review journal 

articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press, technological prototypes, patented 

inventions, or similar scientific products.

NIJ expects that there will be an equal effort to make the research findings accessible to 

practitioner and policymaker audiences through articles in trade publications, the development 

of training manuals, policy briefs, conferences, webinars, and articles for newspapers or 

magazines.

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

performance measures that demonstrate the results of the work completed.

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 Post-
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NIJ-2020-17275

Federal 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 research in 

science, technology, 

engineering, and/or 

mathematics having 

clear implications for 

criminal justice policy 

and practice in the 

United States.

Conduct research in 

social and behavioral 

sciences having clear 

implications for criminal 

justice policy and 

practice in the United 

States.

1. Relevance to the needs of the field as 

measured by whether the project’s 

substantive scope did not deviate from 

the funded project or any subsequent 

agency-approved modifications to the 

scope.

2. Quality of the research as demonstrated 

by the scholarly products that result in 

whole or in part from work funded under 

the NIJ award, such as published, 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.

3. Quality of management as measured by 

such factors as whether significant 

project milestones were achieved, 

reporting and other deadlines were met, 

and costs remained within approved 

limits.

4. Number of technologies fielded as a 

result (in whole or in part) of work funded 

under the NIJ award.

1. Quarterly financial 

reports, semi-annual and 

final progress reports, 

and products of the work 

performed under the NIJ 

award (including, at 

minimum, a final research 

report).

If applicable, an annual 

audit report.

2. List of citation(s) to all 

scholarly products that 

resulted in whole or in 

part from work funded 

under the NIJ award.

3. If applicable, each data 

set that resulted in whole 

or in part from work 

funded under the NIJ 

award.

4. Description of all 

technologies fielded as a 

result (in whole or in part)

of 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), 
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NIJ-2020-17275

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 

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.

OJP Priority Areas

Applications proposing activities in the following areas may be given priority consideration:

 Addresses the specific challenges that rural communities face.

 Encouraging program investments in economically distressed communities (Qualified 

Opportunity Zones).

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

the geographic service area rural (using U.S. Census or other appropriate government data), 

how isolated the area is from needed services, and how they will address specific public safety 

challenges in rural communities.

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

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

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

Department of the Treasury’s resource webpage, accessible at 

https://www.cdfifund.gov/pages/opportunity-zones.aspx.
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B. Federal Award Information

Maximum number of awards NIJ expects to make: NIJ anticipates funding 

approximately five (5) grants

for research on multiple 

priorities, each ranging from 

$250,000 to $1 million.

Estimated maximum dollar amount for each award: $1,000,000

Total amount anticipated to be awarded under solicitation: $3,000,000

Period of performance start date: January 1, 2021

Period of performance duration: Awards will normally not 

exceed a three-year period of 

performance, and 

applications proposing 

shorter timelines are 

preferred.

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, 2021. No 

period of performance, including any requested and NIJ-approved extension, will exceed a 

maximum of five years.

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

with each phase resulting in completion of one or more significant, defined milestones, then NIJ 

strongly recommends that the applicant structure the application — specifically including the 

narrative, expected scholarly products, timelines/milestones, and budget detail worksheet and 

budget narrative — to clearly define each phase. (This is particularly the case if the applicant 

proposes a project that will exceed — in cost or the length of the period of performance — the 

amount or length of time anticipated for an individual award (or awards) under this solicitation.) 

Given limitations on the availability to NIJ of funds for awards for research, development, and 

evaluation, this information will assist NIJ in considering whether partial funding of applications 

would be productive. (If, in FY 2020, NIJ elects to fund only certain phases of a proposed 

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

vary from those described above.)

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

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

strategic priorities, a recipient’s overall management of the award, and progress of award 

funded work, when making continuation award decisions.

Under this solicitation, any particular applicant entity may submit more than one application, as 

long as each application proposes a different project in response to the solicitation. Also, an 

entity may be proposed as a subrecipient (“subgrantee”) in more than one application.
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NIJ-2020-17275

NIJ may elect to fund applications submitted under this FY 2020 solicitation in future fiscal 

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

availability of appropriations.

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 awards under this solicitation as grants or cooperative agreements. A 

cooperative agreement provides for OJP to have substantial involvement in carrying out award 

activities. See the “Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements” section of 

the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information.

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 2020 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center.

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

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

entities) must, as described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements25 as set out at 2 C.F.R. 

200.303, comply with standards for financial and program management. See OJP Grant 

Application Resource Guide for additional information.

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 that are not responsive to this specific solicitation.

 Applications that lack clear research targets, such as a single proposal to research 

multiple drug types without a clear rationale and approach to studying each drug type, 

and demonstrated relevance to the research goals.

 Applications to conduct national surveys, basic laboratory research, purely descriptive 

studies, or single-site evaluations without stated potential benefit to other jurisdictions.

 Applications to conduct research supported by other NIJ solicitations or other federal 

research programs without explanation including proposed value added.

 

25 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-2020-17275

 Funds may not be used to support biomedical or behavior control experimentation on 

individuals or any research involving such experimentation, especially involving juvenile 

populations.

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement

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

under “What an Application Should Include” in Section D. Application and Submission 

Information.

Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

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

 Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver

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

 Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable)

C. Eligibility Information

For eligibility information, see 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

This solicitation expressly modifies the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide by not 

incorporating the “Disclosure of Process Related to Executive Compensation” provisions in the 

“Application Attachments” section of the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide.

What an Application Should Include

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

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

receive consideration for funding: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet (including 

Budget Narrative), and resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel. (For purposes of this 

solicitation, “key personnel” means the principal investigator, and any and all co-principal 

investigators.)

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

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

specified elements, or that is nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation.
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NIJ-2020-17275

1. Application for Federal Assistance (Standard Form (SF)-424)

The SF-424 is a required standard form used as a cover sheet for submission of preapplications, applications, and related information. See the OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide for additional information on completing the SF-424.

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 no more than 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 Times New Roman font 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 on the NIJ webpage.

3. Program Narrative

The program narrative section of the application should not exceed 25 pages 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 25-page limit for the 

narrative section. The project abstract, table of contents, appendices, and government forms 

do not count toward the 25-page limit.

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

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

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

26

 

26 As noted earlier, if the proposed program or project reasonably could be conducted in discrete phases, with each 

phase resulting in completion of one or more significant, defined milestones, then NIJ strongly recommends that the 

applicant structure the application – specifically including the narrative, expected scholarly products, 

timelines/milestones, and budget detail worksheet and budget narrative – to set out each phase clearly. (In 

appropriate cases, the expected scholarly product(s) from a particular phase may vary from those described above.) 
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NIJ-2020-17275

Program Narrative Guidelines:

a. Title Page (not counted against the 25-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 and the principal investigator.

b. Resubmit Response (if applicable) (not counted against the 25-page program narrative 

limit)

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

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

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

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

including responses to previous feedback received from NIJ.

c. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the 25-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 and Research Questions. The statement of the problem 

should address the need for research in this area. Applicants should discuss current 

gaps in data, research, and knowledge, including those for particular justice sectors, 

for certain populations, and to answer questions relevant to current policy and 

practice needs and public interests. As part of this discussion, applicants should 

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

problems.

This section should also identify the proposed research questions and discuss the 

purpose, goals, and objectives of the proposed project.

 Project Design and Implementation. Applicants should provide a detailed description 

of the strategies to implement this research project and address the research 

questions. Design elements should follow directly from the research project’s goals 

and objectives and address the program-specific information noted on page 7. 

Applicants should describe the research methodology in detail and demonstrate the 

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

rigor and soundness of the methodology and analytical and technical approaches for 

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

potential challenges or problems in carrying out the activities.

 

See generally “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products” under “Program-Specific 

Information,” above.
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NIJ-2020-17275

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

capability of the applicant organization, key staff, and any proposed subgrantees 

(including consultants) that the applicant will use to implement and manage this effort 

and the federal funds under this award, highlighting any previous experience 

implementing projects of similar scope, design, and magnitude. Applicants should 

address:

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

of similar research efforts.

o Experience and capacity to design and implement rigorous research and data 

analysis projects.

o Experience producing and disseminating meaningful deliverables.

Applicants should also outline the management plan and organization that connects to 

the goals and objectives of the project.

 Dissemination. This section should describe in detail plans for presentations, 

publications, and other media use for dissemination of information on the proposed 

research and its work products (see Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected 

Scholarly Products on page 11). Applicants should identify plans to produce or make 

available to broader interested practitioners and policy makers in a form that is 

designed to be readily accessible and useful to them.

e. Appendices (not counted against the 25-page program narrative limit) include:

 Bibliography/references.

 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 or resume of the principal investigator and any and all co-principal 

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

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

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

such as statisticians used to conduct proposed data analysis).

 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 
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NIJ-2020-17275

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 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 on the NIJ webpage to prepare 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 Information and Associated Documentation,” below.

 Proposed project timeline and expected milestones.

 Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to 

Institutional Review Board [IRB] review). See https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/humansubjects-and-privacy-protection. Note: Final IRB approval is not required at the time 

an application is submitted.

 Privacy Certificate (for further guidance go to 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/confidentiality-and-privacy-protections and 

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/model-privacy-certificate).

 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 (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://nij.ojp.gov/funding/participant-support-costs-and-incentives-social-scienceresearch.

 Data archiving plan. Applicants should anticipate that NIJ will require (through 

special award conditions, that data sets resulting in whole or in part from projects 

funded under this solicitation be submitted for archiving with the NACJD. See

https://nij.ojp.gov/funding/data-archiving-plans-nij-funding-applicants.
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NIJ-2020-17275

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

Plan” — to comply with data archiving requirements. The plan should provide brief 

details about proposed data management and archiving, including submission to NIJ 

(through NACJD) of all files and documentation necessary to allow for future 

efforts by others to reproduce the project’s findings and/or to extend the scientific 

value of the data set through secondary analysis. Pertinent files and documentation 

include, among other things, qualitative and quantitative data produced, 

instrumentation and data collection forms, codebook(s), any specialized 

programming code necessary to reproduce all constructed measures and the original 

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

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

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

associated with meeting archiving requirements.

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

days before the end of the period of performance.

 Letters of commitment, letters of support, or administrative agreements from 

organizations collaborating in the project, such as law enforcement and correctional 

agencies (if applicable).

Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

4. Budget Information and Associated Documentation in the “Budget Preparation and 

Submission Information” section.

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

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

follow the guidance in the following paragraph instead of the guidance stated under the 

“Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement” heading in the OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide.

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

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

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

application should identify generally any such contributions that the applicant expects to 

make and the proposed budget should indicate in detail which items, if any, will be 

supported with non-federal contributions.

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.

5. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement

6. Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable)

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

applicant disclosure of high-risk status)
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NIJ-2020-17275

8. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

9. Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications

10. Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High-Risk Grantees27 (if applicable)

11. Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity

12. Additional Attachments

a. Documentation of Anticipated Benefit to Qualified Opportunity Zones (if 

applicable)

As is mentioned above, OJP may, as appropriate, give priority consideration in award 

decisions to applications that propose projects that will generate information about 

enhancing public safety in the specified QOZs. Each applicant proposing a project it 

anticipates will generate information about enhancing public safety in the specified 

QOZs should provide a sufficient narrative explanation in order for OJP to identify clearly 

the public safety benefit the applicant anticipates that information generated under its 

project will have on a specified QOZ(s). The attachment(s) should be clearly labeled as 

addressing QOZs. The applicant may also include tables, charts, graphs, or other 

relevant illustrations that may be useful in comprehending the manner in which the 

proposed project is anticipated to benefit a QOZ(s).

b. Documentation of Rural Challenges (if applicable)

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

applications that address the specific public safety challenges that rural communities

face. Each applicant proposing a project under the rural priority, should provide a 

sufficient narrative to include what makes the geographic service area rural (using U.S. 

Census or other appropriate government data), how isolated the area is from needed 

services, and how they will address specific public safety challenges in rural 

communities. The narrative must be included as an attachment that is clearly labeled as 

addressing rural challenges.

How To Apply (Grants.gov)

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

federal funding opportunities and apply for funding. Find information on how to apply in 

response to this solicitation in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide.

Registration and Submission Steps

Applicants will need the following identifying information when searching for the funding 

opportunity on Grants.gov.

 

27 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.
24

NIJ-2020-17275

 Assistance Listing 16.560, National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and 

Development Project Grants.

 Funding Opportunity Number NIJ-2020-17275.

For information on each registration and submission step, see the OJP Grant Application 

Resource Guide.

E. Application Review Information

Review Criteria

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

the following review criteria.

Statement of the Problem and Research Questions (Understanding of the problem, research 

questions, and their importance) – 25%

1. Demonstrated understanding of the problem.

2. Demonstrated importance of research questions, goals and objectives, including 

alignment with the aims of the solicitation.

3. Demonstrated awareness of the state of current research.

4. Demonstrated awareness of relevant tools, protocols, practices, and/or policies.

5. Rationale for proposed topic, jurisdiction(s), and research proposed based on trends and 

other background information.

6. Potential relevance of findings to small, rural, tribal, and/or border jurisdictions.

7. Potential research to result in knowledge and tools that have value to other jurisdictions 

for a national impact.

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

1. Soundness of methods and analytic and technical approach to addressing the stated 

aim(s) of the proposed project.

2. Feasibility of proposed project.

3. Awareness of potential pitfalls of proposed project design and feasibility of proposed 

actions to minimize and/or mitigate them.

4. Feasibility of completing the deliverables noted in the solicitation.

5. Cultural competence in addressing regional, racial/ethnic, language, and other diversity 

issues in proposed research protocol, as relevant.
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NIJ-2020-17275

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

applicant organization and proposed project staff) – 25%

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

any and all co-principal investigators, and all other individuals (and organizations) 

identified in the application (regardless of “investigator” status) who will be significantly 

involved in substantive aspects of the proposed project).

2. Demonstrated ability of the applicant organization to implement the proposed strategies 

and manage the effort.

3. Relationship between the capabilities/competencies of the proposed project staff 

(including the applicant organization) and the scope and strategies of the proposed 

project.

4. Necessary information, staff, and other resource access documented by a letter of 

commitment for each partnering agency.

5. Clearly specified role and projected level of effort for each research team member (staff, 

contractor, consultant, agency partner, etc.) regardless of compensation.

6. Potential conflict of interest clearly addressed if any research team member may benefit 

financially from, or is/was involved in the development of, what is being researched.

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 strength 

and feasibility 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.

Budget

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

the context of scientific and technical merit.

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

2. Appropriateness of the budget relative to the level of effort.

3. Use of existing resources to conserve costs.

4. Alignment of the proposed budget with proposed project activities.

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, achievable, and consistent with the solicitation.
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The following five paragraphs in this solicitation expressly modify the “Application Review 

Information” provisions in the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. An applicant is to follow 

the guidance in these five paragraphs instead of the guidance stated under the “Application 

Review Information” heading in the Guide.

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 necessary to meet the basic minimum 

requirements.

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

28 or is 

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

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

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

corrective actions necessary for removal of the DOJ High Risk Grantee (or non-DOJ 

high risk) designation, 2) the nature and severity of the issues leading to or 

accompanying the DOJ High Risk Grantee (or non-DOJ high risk) designation, and/or 3) 

the applicant’s expected ability to manage grant funds and achieve grant goals and 

objectives.

For a list of the application elements that MUST be included in the application submission in 

order for an application to meet the basic minimum requirements, 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 internal peer reviewers, external peer reviewers, or a combination, 

to assess applications on technical merit using the solicitation’s review criteria. An internal 

reviewer is a current DOJ employee who is well-versed or has expertise in the subject matter of 

this solicitation. An external peer reviewer is an expert in the subject matter of a given 

solicitation who is not a current DOJ employee. Peer reviewers’ ratings and any resulting 

recommendations are advisory only, but are considered carefully.

Other important considerations for NIJ include geographic diversity, strategic priorities 

(specifically including, but not limited to, addressing public safety challenges that rural 

communities face and/or demonstrable potential enhancement to public safety in one or more 

federally designated Qualified Opportunity Zones), available funding, the planned scholarly 

products, and the extent to which the Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative accurately 

 

28 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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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 the applicant. Among other things to 

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

record with respect to performance, integrity, and business ethics, OJP checks whether the 

applicant is listed in SAM as excluded from receiving a federal award.

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

must review and consider any information above the applicant that appears in the non-public 

segment of the integrity and performance system accessible through SAM (currently, the 

Federal Awardee Performance Integrity Information System, FAPIIS).

Important note on FAPIIS: An applicant, at its option, may review and comment on any 

information about itself that currently appears in FAPIIS and was entered by a federal awarding 

agency. OJP will consider any such comments by the applicant, in addition to the other 

information in FAPIIS, in its assessment of the risk posed by the applicant.

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

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

as indicated in this section.

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

 Federal Award Notices

 Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements

OJP strongly encourages prospective applicants to review information on post-award 

legal requirements and common OJP award conditions prior to submitting an 

application. 

If selected for funding, in addition to implementing the funded project consistent with the 

OJP-approved application, the recipient must comply with all award conditions, and all 

applicable requirements of federal statutes and regulations (including applicable 

requirements referred to in the assurances and certifications executed in connection with 

award acceptance). 

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

Policy, and Other Legal Requirements” section in the OJP Grant Application Resource 

Guide.

 Information Technology (IT) Security Clauses

 General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements
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In addition to the deliverables described in Section A. Program Description, any recipient 

of an award under this solicitation will be required to submit certain reports and data.

Required reports. Recipients typically must submit quarterly financial reports, semiannual 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.)

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

post-award reporting requirements, including performance measures data.

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

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

page 2.

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

H. Other Information

Please see the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the following:

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

 Provide Feedback to OJP
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Application Checklist

NIJ Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime FY 2020

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 OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

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

To Register with Grants.gov:

 Acquire AOR and Grants.gov username/password

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

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

To Find Funding Opportunity:

 Search for the Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov (see page 18)

 Access Funding Opportunity and Application Package

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Sign up for Grants.gov email notifications (optional)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

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

 Read OJP policy and guidance on conference approval, planning, and reporting available at

ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

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 OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

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

 Contact NIJ regarding technical difficulties

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

Overview of Post-Award Legal Requirements:

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

Cooperative Agreements - FY 2020 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center.

Scope Requirement:

 The federal amount requested is within the allowable limit(s).

Eligibility Requirement: See cover page.
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What an Application Should Include:

The following items are critical application elements required to pass basic minimum requirements 

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

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

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

 Program Narrative (see page 18)

 Budget Detail Worksheet (including Budget Narrative)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel (see page 20)

 Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) (see page 18)

 Project Abstract (see page 18)

 Program Narrative (see page 18)

 Budget Detail Worksheet (including Narrative)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

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

 Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable) (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

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

 Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications (see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Applicant Disclosure and Justification – DOJ High-Risk Grantees (if applicable)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

Additional Attachments:

 Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Request and Justification for Employee Compensation; Waiver (if applicable)

(see OJP Grant Application Resource Guide)

 Documentation of Anticipated Benefit to federally designated 

Qualified Opportunity Zones (if applicable) (see page 23)

 Documentation of rural challenges (if applicable) (see page 23)