NIJ FY22 Research and Evaluation on School Safety | O NIJ 2022 171188

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NIJ FY22 Research and Evaluation on School Safety

What is the NIJ FY22 Research and Evaluation on School Safety grant?

This is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), administered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). It supports rigorous research and evaluation intended to strengthen community safety and public trust while advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, and improving support for crime victims and others impacted by the justice system, with a specific focus on school safety.

What is the overall goal of this opportunity?

The overarching goal is to build stronger evidence about what drives school violence and what works to prevent it, especially as threats evolve and communities seek effective, fair, and practical school safety strategies.

What kinds of projects is NIJ looking to fund?

NIJ is seeking proposals in two main research lanes: (1) studies on the root causes and consequences of school violence, and (2) evaluations of the impact and effectiveness of awards made under the STOP School Violence Act.

What does NIJ mean by research on the "root causes and consequences" of school violence?

These projects should go beyond describing incidents. NIJ is looking for studies that analyze underlying drivers of school violence, risk and protective factors, and the short- and long-term impacts on students, staff, families, and communities.

What does NIJ mean by evaluations related to the STOP School Violence Act?

NIJ is interested in evaluations that examine whether activities funded under the STOP School Violence Act are achieving their intended outcomes and under what conditions they are most effective.

How important is research design and methodology for this solicitation?

The solicitation emphasizes filling clear knowledge gaps using credible methods. In practice, this typically means a strong research design, appropriate data sources, and transparent analytic approaches that can inform policy and practice.

Are partnerships with agencies or organizations expected?

Many school safety studies require access to administrative data, operational details, or implementation sites. Because of that, the solicitation highlights expectations for partnerships with criminal justice agencies or other organizations when needed for the proposed work.

What documentation is expected when there are partner agencies involved?

If a proposal includes partnerships, the application should include a strong letter of support from each partner agency. Each letter must be signed by an appropriate decision-making authority.

What should a partner letter of support include?

The letter should confirm the partner is committed to participating in the project. It must also acknowledge that de-identified data connected to the project (derived from, provided to, or obtained through the work) will be archived by the grant recipient with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) when the award ends.

What is NACJD and what is the data archiving requirement?

NACJD is the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. The solicitation requires that de-identified data connected to the project be archived by the grant recipient with NACJD when the award ends, as applicable to data derived from, provided to, or obtained through the project.

Should applicants and partners review NACJD requirements before applying?

Yes. The solicitation encourages applicants and partners to review NACJD policies and protections in advance so data-sharing and confidentiality obligations are understood early in project planning.

If selected for funding, when must formal agreements with partners be in place?

If NIJ selects a proposal for funding, grantees are expected to have formal agreements in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2023.

What must be included in formal agreements with partner agencies?

Those agreements must include language that ensures the project will meet the required data archiving obligations (including the expectation that de-identified data will be archived with NACJD at the end of the award).

Can multiple organizations apply together as co-applicants?

No. The solicitation clarifies that only one entity can submit the application as the primary applicant.

How should project roles be structured if multiple organizations will do work and receive funds?

Any other participating organizations that will receive federal award funds to carry out project work must be included as subrecipients rather than co-applicants.

Who is eligible to apply?

The opportunity is broadly open to many eligible applicant types, including state, county, and city governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and certain tribal organizations; public housing authorities; nonprofits (501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)); and for-profit organizations, including small businesses.

Who is not eligible to apply?

Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign colleges and universities are explicitly not eligible to apply.

Are for-profit organizations allowed to apply?

Yes. For-profit organizations, including small businesses, are listed among eligible applicants.

Can recipients or subrecipients earn profit or charge a management fee on this award?

No. All recipients and subrecipients, including for-profit entities, must agree to forgo any profit or management fee. The award is intended to pay for actual allowable project costs rather than generate profit.

Is there a law enforcement certification condition tied to this opportunity?

Yes. To support Executive Order 13929 (Safe Policing for Safe Communities), state, local, and campus law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body, or at least have started the certification process, to be eligible for FY 2022 DOJ discretionary grant funding.

What are the mandatory conditions for law enforcement certification mentioned in the solicitation?

To qualify for certification, law enforcement agencies must meet two mandatory conditions: (1) their use-of-force policies must comply with applicable federal, state, and local laws, and (2) those policies must prohibit chokeholds except where deadly force is legally permitted.

Does the law enforcement certification condition apply to subawards?

Yes. The requirement extends to law enforcement agencies that receive DOJ discretionary funds through subawards. If an applicant plans to pass funds to a law enforcement subrecipient, the solicitation indicates this eligibility condition should be addressed early.

What is the Funding Opportunity Number for this grant?

The Funding Opportunity Number is O-NIJ-2022-171188.

What is the CFDA number associated with this opportunity?

The CFDA number listed is 16.560.

What type of funding instrument is this?

The funding instrument is a grant.

How is this opportunity categorized?

It is categorized under science and technology and other research and development.

What was the application closing date?

The original application closing date was April 25, 2022.

What is the maximum (ceiling) award amount?

The posted award ceiling is up to $6,000,000.

What kinds of outcomes is NIJ hoping this research will support?

Based on the solicitation description, NIJ is seeking work that produces high-quality, policy-relevant evidence on preventing and responding to school violence, while also reflecting real-world requirements like agency partnerships, data stewardship (including archiving), and DOJ compliance expectations.