The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), is seeking applications for its Research and Evaluation on Policing 2021 to develop evidence based knowledge in policing.

This program furthers the Department’s mission by sponsoring research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of policing, particularly at the state, local, and tribal levels.

This project furthers the Department’s mission by supporting the development of new knowledge and tools to address the challenges of crime and justice in the United States.

Objectives

The objective of this solicitation is to support rigorous research to examine:

• the impact of the reallocation of police resources on police operations and functions and crime;
• the effectiveness of police use of force and de-escalation tactics and strategies;
• the impact of tactics and strategies on police-community relations.

Priorities

In FY 2021 and in addition to executing any program specific prioritization that may be applicable, OJP will give priority consideration to applications as follows:

• Applications that address specific challenges that rural communities face.
• Applications that demonstrate that the individuals who are intended to benefit from the requested grant reside in high-poverty areas or persistent-poverty counties.
• Applications that offer enhancements to public safety in economically distressed communities (Qualified Opportunity Zones).

Funding Information

• Estimated Total Program Funding: $3,000,000
• Award Ceiling: $3,000,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Eligible Applicants:
  • Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Independent school districts
  • City or township governments
  • County governments
  • Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
  • Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
  • Small businesses
  • For profit organizations other than small businesses
  • Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
  • Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
  • Private institutions of higher education
  • State governments
  • Special district governments
  • Others
  • Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Additional Information on Eligibility:
  • For purposes of this solicitation, the term "State" means any State of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virginia Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • 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.)
  • To advance Executive Order 13929 Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Attorney General determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process to be eligible for FY 2021 DOJ discretionary grant funding.
  • To become certified, the law enforcement agency must meet two mandatory conditions:
    • the agency’s use of force policies adhere to all applicable federal, state, and local laws;
    • the agency’s use of force policies prohibit chokeholds except in situations where use of deadly force is allowed by law. The certification requirement also applies to law enforcement agencies receiving DOJ discretionary grant funding through a subaward.

For more information, visit NIJ.