Funding
CCR is now part of SAM.gov! The System for Award Management (SAM) is a free web-site which consolidates Federal procurement systems and the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance. Currently CCR, FedReg, ORCA and EPLS have been migrated into SAM. Over the coming years, additional system migrations will be completed. For more information about SAM, visit www.sam.gov. Grants.gov will not be affected by this change.
On this page, learn all about applying for and managing funding from NIJ. Sections include:
Get E-mail Updates
- What NIJ Funds
- Find a Funding Opportunity
- What to Do Before You Apply
- Building Your Proposal
- Submitting Your Application
- How Your Application is Reviewed
- If Your Proposal Is Funded
- Submitting Your Final Technical Report
- Archiving Your Data
What NIJ Funds
NIJ awards grants and agreements for:
- Research, development and evaluation (CFDA 16.560). NIJ funds physical and social science research, development and evaluation projects about criminal justice through competitive solicitations. The focus of the solicitations varies from year to year based on research priorities and available funding.
- Forensic laboratory enhancement. NIJ provides funding through formula and discretionary awards to reduce evidence backlogs and improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services. Programs include:
- Research fellowships. NIJ funds two fellowships through annual solicitations. The focus of the solicitations varies from year to year. Fellowships include:
Other than through the forensic laboratory enhancement programs, NIJ does not fund proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials or supplies, or to provide direct services.
Find a Funding Opportunity
Look for current funding opportunities:
You also can:
- Review a list of forthcoming solicitations from NIJ.
Sign up for an e-mail update whenever we release a new solicitation.
Unsolicited Proposals. Although you may submit unsolicited proposals, you are discouraged from doing so unless you have discussed the concept with NIJ staff and been asked to submit a proposal that does not fit into a specific solicitation. Unsolicited proposals may receive either an external peer review or an internal review. If the proposal fits into an already established solicitation category, it will be returned with a recommendation to resubmit it under that solicitation.
What to Do Before You Apply
CCR Now Part of SAM.gov
CCR.gov has closed and the CCR system has been be moved to the System for Award Management (SAM). See SAM.gov for more information.
Get registered! If you are interested in receiving OJP funding, get registered on Grants.gov and in the System for Awards Management, and do it soon. You cannot submit any OJP applications until you do. Registration, especially with Grants.gov, may take approximately 3-5 business days. OJP strongly encourages applicants to start registration as soon as possible. Learn more from OJP's Grants 101.
Read the materials. Familiarize yourself with NIJ and OJP grants and related requirements. Read the solicitation carefully for specific requirements and review:
- NIJ's Frequently Asked Funding Questions
- The OJP Financial Guide
- Human Subjects and Privacy Protection Information
Build Your Proposal
Although both Grants.gov and OJP's Grants Management System (GMS) require you to submit application packages online, which includes filling out several online forms, you will still need to write the bulk of your proposal in a word processing application.
Write the Program Narrative. The Program Narrative includes an abstract, table of contents, main body and appendixes that provide details about your proposed project. Each solicitation defines the page limit for the main body of the program narrative.
For further guidance, see:
- See NIJ Funding FAQs — About the Program Narrative.
- Section III of "NIJ Guidelines: How to Submit Applications" (16 pages).
- Grants 101 — Write the Proposal
Develop your budget. Although the degree of specificity of any budget will vary depending on the nature of the project and OJP agency requirements, a complete, well-thought-out budget serves to reinforce your credibility and increase the likelihood of your proposal being funded. Your application must include both a budget narrative and a budget detail worksheet (we strongly recommend that you use the Budget Detail Worksheet Template (xls, 49 KB)).
For further information, review:
- The "OJP Financial Guide" for allowable costs.
- NIJ's Funding FAQs — About the Budget.
- Grants 101 — Develop a Budget
Sample Applications
View sample applications fro:
- Research and evaluation project (pdf, 48 pages).
- The Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement Grants Program (pdf, 26 pages).
- DNA Backlog Reduction Program
Submit Your Application
Once you have written a grant proposal, you must complete the application package and submit it online.
Competitive, discretionary grant applications generally are submitted through Grants.gov and formula grants, congressional earmarks and continuation grants must be submitted through OJP’s Grants Management System (GMS).
It is NIJ's general policy that submission of the following five elements is critical for an application to be submitted to peer review:
- Program Narrative.
- Program Budget.
- Budget Narrative.
- Resumes or Curriculum Vitae of Key Personnel, if referred to in the solicitation.
- Tribal Resolution, if applicable.
Learn more about how to submit your application from:
- OJP Grants 101
- Grants.gov Applicant User Guide (pdf, 64 pages)
- OJP Grants Management System Frequently Asked Questions
- Computer-based Training for the Grants Management System
How Your Application Is Reviewed
All proposals are reviewed by independent peer review panels consisting of both researchers and practitioners. Panel members read each proposal, assess the technical merits and policy relevance of the proposed research, and typically meet to discuss their assessments. Panelists are asked to base their reviews on criteria set forth in the solicitation. The panel assessments and any accompanying NIJ staff reports are submitted to the NIJ Director. All final grant award decisions are made by the Assistant Attorney General or the NIJ Director. Learn more about proposal review.
If Your Proposal Is Funded
If you are a successful applicant and your project is selected for funding, NIJ will notify you of the award no later than September 30 of the calendar year via the Grants Management System, regardless of whether the application came through GMS or Grants.gov. If you are unsuccessful, NIJ will issue you a rejection letter by December 30 of the calendar year.
If your project is funded, you will be required to submit several reports and other materials. To learn all of the details, review:
- OJP Postaward Requirements (pdf, 32 pages).
- Reporting Requirements in the OJP Financial Guide.
- Postaward Reporting Requirements (Section VI) in NIJ Guidelines: How to Submit Applications (pdf, 17 pages).
Submitting Your Final Technical Report
In addition to financial and status reporting requirements, typically you will be required to submit a Final Technical Report. The Final Technical Report is cumulative and describes project activities in sufficient detail to permit replication of the research method and design. The final technical report should include:
- Report Title
- Award Number
- Author(s)
- Abstract
- Table of Contents
- Executive Summary
- Main Body
- Introduction
- Methods
- Results
- Conclusions
- References
- Dissemination of Research Findings
Archiving Your Data
Recipients of NIJ research funding must submit data resulting from their projects to NIJ for archiving with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, with some exceptions. Making these data available allows researchers to test each other's conclusions — verifying, refining or refuting original findings — and develop and test new conclusions.
