Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2021 99001
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), within the U.S. Department of Justice, offered this Fiscal Year 2021 grant to support research and evaluation aimed at improving how the justice system responds to "technical violations" of probation or parole. Technical violations are supervision rule breaches (for example, missing an appointment or failing a drug test) that are not new criminal offenses, yet they can still trigger revocation proceedings and lead to jail or prison time. The core idea behind the solicitation is to develop and test a national model that speeds up judicial review for people being held or facing revocation because of technical violations, while also connecting them to proven, evidence-based services that address underlying drivers of repeat involvement in the system, such as substance use, mental health needs, housing instability, or unemployment. In short, NIJ was looking for rigorous, actionable research that both improves court and supervision processes and reduces recidivism by tackling root causes rather than relying primarily on detention.
Eligibility was tightly limited to accredited academic institutions. NIJ explicitly stated that applications from entities other than accredited colleges or universities would not be accepted. The opportunity category was discretionary and the funding instrument was a grant, listed under the research and development/science and technology activity area. Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, with the key condition being accreditation. The solicitation anticipated making a single award, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $4,000,000, indicating NIJ intended to fund one major, nationally relevant project rather than several smaller efforts.
A major emphasis of the solicitation was on practical partnerships and real-world implementation. While the applicant had to be an accredited academic institution, NIJ encouraged research designs that involved partnerships with criminal justice agencies or other relevant organizations (such as courts, community supervision agencies, jails, service providers, or local government partners). If an application proposed such partnerships, NIJ required a strong letter of support from each partnering agency, signed by an appropriate decision-making authority. This requirement signals that NIJ wanted more than informal cooperation; it wanted evidence that leadership at partner agencies was committed to participating, sharing data, and supporting the evaluation work needed to test an expedited judicial review model and service linkage strategy.
Data sharing and long-term data stewardship were also central requirements. Partner letters of support had to specifically acknowledge that de-identified data produced through the project would be archived with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) at the end of the award. NIJ also encouraged applicants and partners to review NACJD policies and protections, reinforcing that archiving is not a casual add-on but a planned deliverable with privacy and governance expectations. Beyond letters of support, NIJ stated that if an award was made, the grantee would be expected to have formal agreements in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2022, and those agreements had to include language that ensures the project can meet the required data archiving obligations. This effectively made early, written interagency coordination a condition of successful project launch.
The solicitation also clarified how multi-agency funding arrangements needed to be structured. Even if multiple agencies were involved in carrying out the project and using federal award funds, only one entity could be the applicant, consistent with standard federal grant rules. Any other participating entities that would receive or spend federal funds had to be listed and managed as subrecipients rather than co-applicants. This matters for budgeting, oversight, reporting responsibilities, and compliance, because the primary grantee (the academic institution) would be accountable for ensuring subrecipients follow federal grant requirements and that the overall project meets NIJ expectations.
Administratively, the opportunity was created on May 3, 2021, with an original application closing date of June 10, 2021, under Funding Opportunity Number O-NIJ-2021-99001 and CFDA 16.560. Taken together, the solicitation reflects DOJ and NIJ priorities around civil rights, access to justice, public safety, and trust in the justice system, translated into a targeted research agenda: reduce unnecessary detention and delays for technical violations, improve fairness and efficiency in revocation decision-making, and pair supervision responses with interventions that have evidence behind them, all while producing high-quality findings and shareable data that can support future policy and practice nationwide.Apply for O NIJ 2021 99001
- The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Evaluation on a National Model for Technical Violations, Fiscal Year 2021" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.560.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 03, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 10, 2021. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $4,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is this NIJ funding opportunity about?
This Fiscal Year 2021 National Institute of Justice (NIJ) grant supported research and evaluation focused on improving how the justice system responds to technical violations of probation or parole. The solicitation emphasized developing and testing a national model that (1) speeds up judicial review for people held or facing revocation due to technical violations and (2) connects individuals to evidence-based services that address underlying needs such as substance use, mental health, housing instability, or unemployment.
What is a "technical violation" in this context?
A technical violation is a breach of supervision rules that is not a new criminal offense. Examples mentioned include missing an appointment or failing a drug test. Even though these are not new crimes, they can still lead to revocation proceedings and result in jail or prison time.
What outcomes was NIJ trying to achieve through this research?
Based on the solicitation description, NIJ sought rigorous, actionable research designed to improve court and supervision processes, reduce unnecessary detention and delays, improve fairness and efficiency in revocation decision-making, and reduce recidivism by addressing root causes rather than relying primarily on detention.
What was the core project concept NIJ wanted applicants to develop and test?
The core concept was a national model that expedites judicial review for people being held or at risk of revocation due to technical violations, while also creating strong linkages to proven, evidence-based services aimed at addressing drivers of repeated justice-system involvement.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligibility was limited to accredited academic institutions. NIJ stated that applications from entities other than accredited colleges or universities would not be accepted.
Which types of academic institutions were considered eligible?
Eligible applicants included public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education, with the key condition being accreditation.
Could non-academic organizations apply as the lead applicant?
No. NIJ explicitly stated that it would not accept applications from entities other than accredited colleges or universities.
What was the funding category and instrument?
The opportunity category was discretionary, and the funding instrument was a grant. The activity area was listed under research and development/science and technology.
How many awards did NIJ expect to make?
The solicitation anticipated making a single award, signaling an intent to fund one major, nationally relevant project rather than multiple smaller projects.
What was the maximum award amount?
The maximum (ceiling) award amount was $4,000,000.
Was partnering with justice agencies encouraged?
Yes. Although the applicant had to be an accredited academic institution, NIJ emphasized practical partnerships and encouraged research designs that involved real-world implementation with criminal justice agencies or other relevant organizations.
What kinds of partners were relevant for this solicitation?
The solicitation referenced potential partners such as courts, community supervision agencies, jails, service providers, and local government partners.
Were letters of support required from partner agencies?
Yes. If an application proposed partnerships, NIJ required a strong letter of support from each partnering agency, signed by an appropriate decision-making authority.
Who needed to sign partner letters of support?
Letters of support needed to be signed by an appropriate decision-making authority, indicating leadership-level commitment rather than informal cooperation.
What did NIJ expect partner letters of support to demonstrate?
The letters were meant to show that partner agency leadership was committed to participating, sharing data, and supporting the evaluation work needed to test the expedited judicial review model and the service-linkage strategy.
What data archiving requirement applied to this grant?
Partner letters of support had to specifically acknowledge that de-identified data produced through the project would be archived with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) at the end of the award.
What is NACJD in relation to this opportunity?
NACJD is the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data, identified in the solicitation as the required archive for de-identified data produced through the project.
Did NIJ provide any guidance about NACJD policies?
Yes. NIJ encouraged applicants and partners to review NACJD policies and protections, reinforcing that archiving is a planned deliverable with privacy and governance expectations.
When were formal agreements with partner agencies expected to be in place (if awarded)?
If an award was made, NIJ expected the grantee to have formal agreements in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2022.
What did NIJ require those formal partner agreements to include?
The agreements had to include language ensuring the project could meet the required data archiving obligations (including archiving de-identified data with NACJD).
Could multiple organizations submit as co-applicants?
No. Even if multiple agencies were involved, only one entity could be the applicant, consistent with standard federal grant rules.
How should other participating organizations be included if they will receive or spend federal funds?
Any other participating entities that would receive or spend federal award funds had to be listed and managed as subrecipients rather than co-applicants.
Why does subrecipient vs. co-applicant matter for this grant?
The solicitation noted that this affects budgeting, oversight, reporting responsibilities, and compliance. The primary grantee (the academic institution) would be accountable for ensuring subrecipients follow federal grant requirements and that the overall project meets NIJ expectations.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA listing?
The Funding Opportunity Number was O-NIJ-2021-99001, and the CFDA number was 16.560.
When was the opportunity created and when did it close?
The opportunity was created on May 3, 2021, and the original application closing date was June 10, 2021.
What broader priorities did NIJ/DOJ connect to this solicitation?
As described, the solicitation reflected priorities around civil rights, access to justice, public safety, and trust in the justice system, implemented through a targeted research agenda focused on technical violations, expedited judicial review, evidence-based service connections, and high-quality findings with shareable archived data.
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