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 for innovative and creative research that examines

information sharing and how it has evolved since implementation of the Sex Offender Registration 

and Notification Act. 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. 

Information Sharing and Its Effect on Tracking Sex Offenders 

and Community Awareness: Examining a Key Function of the 

Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)

Eligibility

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

with, States (including territories), units of local government (including federally recognized Indian 

tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior), nonprofit and for-profit 

organizations (including tribal nonprofit or for-profit organizations), institutions of higher education 

(including tribal institutions of higher education), and certain qualified individuals. For-profit 

organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee. Foreign governments, foreign 

organizations, and foreign institutions of higher education are not eligible to apply.

NIJ welcomes applications that involve two or more entities, however, one eligible entity must be the 

applicant and the other(s) must be proposed as subrecipient(s). The applicant must be the entity 

with primary responsibility for conducting and leading the research.

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 22.) All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on July 7, 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 Dr. Marie Garcia, Social 

Science Analyst, by telephone at 202-514-7128, or by e-mail at Marie.Garcia@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 that may assist applicants are posted 

at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/faqs.aspx.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: NIJ-2014-3831

Release date: May 6, 2014

SL001125
NIJ-2014-3831 2

Contents

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

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

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

Project-Specific Information ......................................................................................................3

Performance Measures.............................................................................................................9

What an Application Should Include .........................................................................................9

Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) .........................10

Project Abstract...................................................................................................................10

Program Narrative...............................................................................................................10

Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative .................................................................14

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) ......................................................................15

Applicant Disclosure of High Risk Status ............................................................................15

Additional Attachments .......................................................................................................16

Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable) ........................18

Selection Criteria.....................................................................................................................18

Review Process ......................................................................................................................19

Additional Requirements.........................................................................................................20

How to Apply...........................................................................................................................22

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

Application Checklist...............................................................................................................26
NIJ-2014-3831 3

Information Sharing and Its Effect on Tracking 

Sex Offenders and Community Awareness:

Examining a Key Function of the Sex Offender 

Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)

(CFDA No. 16.560)

Overview

As part of a collaborative effort with and funding from the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, 

Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), the National Institute of Justice 

(NIJ) seeks creative and innovative proposals for research that examines how information 

sharing, a key function of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification (SORNA) Act, may 

have evolved since its implementation. Specifically, NIJ is interested in assessing how 

information sharing has changed how criminal justice agents, for example, law enforcement, 

public safety administrators, correctional administrators, and prosecutors, track, monitor, and 

prosecute offenders; what types of information are collected and shared; how the public 

accesses and uses information about sex offenders in their community; and the cost of interand intra-jurisdictional information sharing. This research will further the SMART Office’s 

mission to monitor the impact of SORNA and NIJ’s goal of partnering with federal agencies to 

improve knowledge and understanding of crime and justice issues through science.

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

(sections 201 and 202); Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2014 (Public Law 113-76).

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 July 7,

2014. See “How to Apply” on page 22 for details.

Eligibility

Refer to the title page for eligibility under this program.

Project-Specific Information

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), in collaboration with the Office of Sex Offender 

Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART), is seeking 

innovative research proposals to assess how information sharing, a key function of the Sex 

Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) has enhanced how criminal justice agents, 

including but not limited to law enforcement, public safety administrators, correctional 

administrators, and prosecutors, track and monitor sex offenders; what type of information is 

collected; and how the public accesses, consumes, and uses this information.
NIJ-2014-3831 4

The United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) asserts in their February 2013 

report on the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA): “the practice of requiring 

criminal offenders to register certain identifying information with law enforcement agencies 

began in the 1930s in response to the increased mobility of criminals upon their release.”1

Almost 85 years later, this practice continues, and for some groups of offenders, specifically sex 

offenders, this practice has expanded to include more nuanced and personal information that is 

available via registration and community notification systems. The purpose of this solicitation is 

to assess how information is shared through sex offender registration and community 

notification systems, how the process of information sharing has evolved since the passage of 

SORNA (either due to sex offender legislation or public perception), and the cost of SORNA 

systems to jurisdictions. 

Sex offender registration and notification programs in the United States have proliferated since 

the early 1990s. Due in part to sex offender legislation such as the Jacob Wetterling Crimes 

Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act,2 States and other jurisdictions 

were required to form registries of convicted sex offenders and to develop rigorous registration 

requirements for these offenders. In general these programs are designed for law enforcement 

to register sex offenders in order to monitor their movements as they are released into the 

community, and to provide information that may assist in investigating crimes and apprehending

perpetrators. Another important feature of these programs is community notification, which 

makes information about released sex offenders available to the public for the purposes of selfprotection and awareness. 

SORNA was passed in order to improve the effectiveness of registration and notification 

programs. SORNA sets minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification policies 

and programs in States, the District of Columbia, U.S. territories, and certain tribal jurisdictions.3

SORNA aims to:

• Create consistency in registration and notification programs across the United States.

• Improve information sharing about registered sex offenders among jurisdictions so that 

offenders are easily and better tracked as they travel and relocate.

• Provide a tool for law enforcement investigation of incidents of sexual violence and 

apprehension of sex offenders.

• Increase public awareness about sex offenders to improve public safety. 

The SMART Office is responsible for ensuring that jurisdictions substantially implement

SORNA’s requirements. SMART also provides jurisdictions with guidance and technical 

assistance in the implementation of SORNA. Currently, 17 States, 3 U.S. Territories, and 63

Indian tribes have substantially implemented SORNA’s requirements. 

 1 To access the full GAO Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act – Jurisdictions face challenges to 

implementing the Act, and stakeholders report positive and negative effects, see 

http://www.gao.gov/assets/660/652032.pdf. 2 To access the full text of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994, see 

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-103hr3355enr/pdf/BILLS-103hr3355enr.pdf 3 For specific information on SORNA and the goals of the legislation, see http://smart.gov/sorna.htm.
NIJ-2014-3831 5

Understanding the complexity and assessing the impact of SORNA is an immense undertaking. 

An initial foray into this complex issue will begin with describing the types of information 

collected and assessing how information generated by SORNA requirements is used by criminal 

justice agents and the public, specifically with regard to inter- and intra-jurisdictional information 

sharing about registered sex offenders. 

Goals Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

NIJ is soliciting proposals to:

• Provide a detailed and comparative assessment between those jurisdictions that have 

implemented SORNA and those that have not implemented SORNA and how they share 

information; the capacity of the SORNA systems to share information; and how the 

process of information sharing may have changed over time, for example, pre- and postSORNA.

• Provide a detailed description of the types of information shared between and within 

jurisdictions as well as the information made publicly available through community 

notification systems prior to and after the implementation of SORNA. 

• Document how information sharing may (a) aid or enhance law enforcement in its effort 

to track registered sex offenders over time, (b) how information is shared with the public 

about offenders in their communities, and (c) how the process of information sharing 

may vary between jurisdictions that have implemented SORNA and those that have not. 

• Produce a reliable estimate of (a) the cost of information sharing of sex offender 

registration information within and between jurisdictions, and (b) how this cost may have 

changed pre- and post-implementation of SORNA.

• Conduct a cost-benefit analysis of sex offender registration information sharing within 

and between jurisdictions and by criminal justice agencies.

Site Selection

In the research design section of the proposal, applicants are encouraged to discuss and 

describe the site selection process needed to make reliable comparisons between SORNA and 

non-SORNA sites and within jurisdictions over time. As this is a critical component of this 

project, applicants are encouraged to consider a subsample of States or other jurisdictions that 

have substantially implemented SORNA and a subsample of States or other jurisdictions that 

have not substantially implemented SORNA. For the purposes of this solicitation, Indian tribes 

may not be selected as site participants.4

The selected grantee(s) will be responsible for the following activities:

• Consistent with the nature of a cooperative agreement, the applicant will work 

collaboratively with NIJ and SMART to modify the research design and site selection 

process as needed.

 4 A large number of Indian tribes have implemented SORNA. On-going research in this area precludes the inclusion 

of this population in the current research effort. 
NIJ-2014-3831 6

• Report and disseminate interim and final project results. 

• Work collaboratively with NIJ and SMART to produce joint publications. 

In addition to required data sets, a draft and final summary overview of research results, interim 

and final progress and financial reports,5 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. 

Amount and Length of Awards

NIJ anticipates that up to a total of $1 million may become available for awards under this 

solicitation. From the total amount, NIJ anticipates that multiple awards may be made for a 36-

month project period. 

To allow time for, among other things, any necessary post-award review, modification, and 

clearance by OJP of the proposed budget, applicants should propose an award start date of 

January 1, 2015. 

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 set out each phase clearly. (This is particularly the case if the applicant 

proposes a project or program that will exceed – in cost or length of project period – the amount 

or length anticipated for an individual award (or awards) under this solicitation.) Given limitations 

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

information will assist NIJ in considering whether partial funding of proposals that would not 

receive full funding would be productive. (If NIJ elects to fund only certain phases of a proposed 

project in FY 2014, the expected scholarly products from the partial-funding award may, in some 

cases, vary from those described above.)

 5 See “Additional Requirements” section of this solicitation, below, for additional information.
NIJ-2014-3831 7

NIJ may, in certain cases, provide supplemental funding in future years to awards under its 

research, development, and evaluation solicitations. Important considerations in decisions 

regarding supplemental funding include, among other factors, the availability of funding, 

strategic priorities, NIJ’s assessment of the quality of the management of the award (for 

example, timeliness and quality of progress reports), and NIJ’s assessment of the progress of 

the work funded under the award.

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 cooperative 

agreement, which is a particular type of grant used if NIJ expects to have ongoing substantial 

involvement in award activities.

As discussed later in the solicitation, important rules (including limitations) apply to any 

conference/meeting/training costs under cooperative agreements.

Evaluation Research

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

research), the application is expected to propose the use of random selection and assignment 

of participants to experimental and control conditions, if feasible. Applications that include 

evaluation research but do not propose the use of randomization should explain clearly why 

randomization is not feasible, and should propose a strong quasi-experimental design that can 

address the risk of selection bias.

Also, applications that include evaluation research are expected to seriously consider 

incorporation of cost/benefit analysis. NIJ views cost/benefit analysis as an effective way to 

communicate and disseminate findings from evaluation research and best serve our criminal 

justice constituents.

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 “Other 

Requirements for OJP Applications” at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm.

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.)

• Work that will be funded under another solicitation. 
NIJ-2014-3831 8

• Proposals that do not contain a research component.

• Proposals that are not responsive to this specific solicitation.

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.6 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.

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.

 6 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-2014-3831 9

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 agencyapproved modifications to the scope.

2. Quality of the research as demonstrated by the 

scholarly products that result in whole or in part from 

work funded under the NIJ award (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.

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. 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.

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-2014-3831 10

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, 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. 

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 30 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 30-page limit for the narrative 

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

count toward the 30-page limit.
NIJ-2014-3831 11

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

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

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative.7

Program Narrative Guidelines: 

a. Title Page (not counted against the 30-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 30-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 30-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.

 7 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.) 

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

Information,” above.
NIJ-2014-3831 12

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.

• Planned Scholarly Products (See “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and 

Expected Scholarly Products” under “Program-Specific Information,” 

above, for a discussion of expected scholarly products.) 

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

• Management plan and organization.

• Plan for Dissemination to Broader Audiences (if applicable to the 

proposed project). Applicants should identify plans (if any) to produce or 

to make available to broader interested audiences – such as criminal 

justice practitioners or policymakers – summary information from the 

planned scholarly products of the proposed project (such as summaries 

of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals), in a form designed to be 

readily accessible and useful to those audiences. (Such dissemination 

might include, for example, trade press articles and webinars.)

e. Appendices (not counted against the 30-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 resumes of the principal investigator and any and all coprincipal investigators. In addition, curriculum vitae, resumes, or biographical 

sketches of all other individuals (regardless of “investigator” status) who will 

be significantly involved in substantive aspects of the proposal (including, for 

example, individuals such as statisticians serving as consultants to conduct

proposed data analysis).

• List (to the extent known) of all proposed project staff members, including 

those affiliated with the applicant organization or any proposed subrecipient

organization(s), any proposed consultant(s) and contractors (whether 

individuals or organizations), and any proposed members of an advisory 

board for the project (if applicable). The list should include, for each individual 

and organization: name, title (if applicable), employer or other organizational

affiliation, and roles and responsibilities proposed for the project. Applicants 

should use the “Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles” form available 
NIJ-2014-3831 13

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

this listing.

• Proposed project timeline and expected milestones.

• Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to 

Institutional Review Board (IRB) review). 

(See www.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 www.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). (See “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, 

and Expected Scholarly Products” under “Program-Specific Information,” 

above, for definition of “scholarly products.”)

• 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).

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

special award conditions, including a partial withholding of award funds) that 

data sets resulting in whole or in part from projects funded under this 

solicitation be submitted for archiving with the National Archive of Criminal 

Justice Data (NACJD) (See www.nij.gov/funding/data-resourcesprogram/applying/Pages/data-archiving-strategies.aspx).

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 typically would 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.
NIJ-2014-3831 14

Note that required data sets are to be submitted 90 days before the end of 

the project period. 

4. Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

a. Budget Detail Worksheet 

A sample Budget Detail Worksheet can be found 

at www.ojp.gov/funding/forms/budget_detail.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 should generally describe cost 

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

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

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

used to reduce costs, without compromising quality.

The 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.

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.
NIJ-2014-3831 15

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. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

Indirect costs are allowed only if the applicant has a federally approved indirect cost rate. 

(This requirement does not apply to units of local government.) Attach a copy of the 

federally approved indirect cost rate agreement to the application. Applicants that do not 

have an approved rate may request one through their cognizant federal agency, which will

review all documentation and approve a rate for the applicant organization, or, if the 

applicant’s accounting system permits, costs may be allocated in the direct cost categories.

For assistance with identifying your cognizant agency, please contact the OJP Office of the 

Chief Financial Officer (OCFO) Customer Service Center at 1-800-458-0786 or 

at ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov. If DOJ is the cognizant federal agency, applicants may obtain 

information needed to submit an indirect cost rate proposal 

at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/pdfs/indirect_costs.pdf.

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

• 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.
NIJ-2014-3831 16

SAMPLE

7. Additional Attachments

a. Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications8

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 

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 

 8 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-2014-3831 17

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 

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.
NIJ-2014-3831 18

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) – 10% 

1. Demonstrated understanding of the problem.

2. Demonstrated awareness of the state of current research. 

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.

Potential Impact – 20% 

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

the United States, such as—

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

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

justice problem.

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

applicant organization and proposed project staff) – 20%

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 proposal).

2. Demonstrated ability of the applicant organization to manage the effort.

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

(including the applicant organization) and the scope of the proposed project.
NIJ-2014-3831 19

Budget

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. Proposed budget alignment with proposed project activities.

Plan for Dissemination to Broader Audiences (if applicable to the proposed project)

Peer reviewers may comment – in the context of scientific and technical merit – on the proposed 

plan (if any) to produce or to make available to broader interested audiences, such as criminal 

justice practitioners or policymakers, summary information from the planned scholarly products 

of the project.

As discussed further under “Review Process,” below, award decisions will be made by the 

Director of NIJ, who may consider factors including, but not limited to, planned scholarly 

products, proposed budgets, past performance (including scholarly products) under prior NIJ 

and OJP awards.

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. 
NIJ-2014-3831 20

All final award decisions will be made by the Director of NIJ, 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.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm. 

• 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 
NIJ-2014-3831 21

• 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

As indicated earlier in this solicitation, NIJ expects scholarly products to result from any award 

under this solicitation. Please review the “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected 

Scholarly Products” segment of the “Program-Specific Information” section of this solicitation, as 

well as the “Performance Measures” section.

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 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 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.

Required Data Sets and Associated Files and Documentation

As discussed earlier, NIJ applicants should anticipate that NIJ will require recipients of an award 

under this solicitation to submit to NACJD all data sets that result in whole or in part from the 

work funded by NIJ, along with associated files and any 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. All data sets and necessary documentation are to be 
NIJ-2014-3831 22

submitted 90 days prior to the end of the project period. For more information, see the “Program 

Narrative” section of “What an Application Must Include,” above.

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 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 
NIJ-2014-3831 23

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 

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 16.560, titled “National Institute 

of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants,” and the funding 

opportunity number is NIJ-2014-3831.

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 
NIJ-2014-3831 24

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. 

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.usdoj.gov/funding/solicitations.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 
NIJ-2014-3831 25

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-2014-3831 26

Application Checklist

Information Sharing and Its Effect on Tracking Sex Offenders

and Community Awareness: Examining a Key Function of the 

Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA)

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 22)

_____ Acquire or renew registration with SAM (see page 23)

To Register with Grants.gov: 

_____ Acquire AOR and Grants.gov username/password (see page 23)

_____ Acquire AOR confirmation from the E-Biz POC (see page 23)

To Find Funding Opportunity:

_____ Search for the funding opportunity on Grants.gov (see page 23)

_____ Download Funding Opportunity and Application Package (see page 23)

_____ Sign up for Grants.gov email notifications (optional) (see page 21)

_____ 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 10)

_____ Project Abstract (see page 10)

_____ Program Narrative (see page 10)

_____ Appendices (see page 12)

_____ Bibliography/references

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

to the proposed study (if applicable)

_____ Curriculum vitae/resumes of principal investigator and any and all co-principal 

investigators

_____ List of all project staff members, contractors, and advisory board members; their 

professional affiliation; and titles or roles and responsibilities proposed for the 

project

_____ Project timeline and research calendar with expected milestones

_____ 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)

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

has been submitted (if applicable)

_____ Data archiving plan
NIJ-2014-3831 27

_____ Budget Detail Worksheet (see page 14)

_____ Budget Narrative (see page 14)

_____ Employee Compensation Waiver request and justification (if applicable)

(see page 8)

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

available at www.ojp.gov/funding/confcost.htm (see page 8)

_____ Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) (see page 23)

_____ Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) (see page 15)

_____ Applicant Disclosure of High Risk Status (see page 15)

_____ Additional Attachments

_____ Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications (see page 16)

_____ Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity (see page 17)

_____ Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable) 

(see page 18)