Research and Evaluation on Gangs and Gang Violence, FY 2019 | NIJ 2019 15270

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2019 15270

The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), within the U.S. Department of Justice, offered the FY 2019 grant opportunity titled "Research and Evaluation on Gangs and Gang Violence" (Funding Opportunity Number: NIJ 2019 15270) to support scientifically rigorous research and program evaluation focused on reducing street gang activity, gang-related violence, and victimization in the United States. The central purpose of the solicitation is to generate credible, actionable evidence that can help communities and justice agencies prevent and respond to gang crime more effectively, particularly in places where gangs contribute disproportionately to serious violence and other criminal activity. NIJ emphasized practical utility, meaning the research should produce findings that can be translated into real-world strategies rather than remaining purely theoretical.

This opportunity funded projects that examine, test, or evaluate approaches across the full spectrum of gang-related responses. That includes prevention strategies aimed at youth before involvement begins, intervention strategies for individuals already at risk or involved, enforcement strategies that target violent behavior and criminal networks, and reentry strategies that address the needs and risks of people returning to the community after incarceration who may have a history of gang involvement. The solicitation also explicitly aligns with a broader Department of Justice priority: preventing and reducing victimization and the wide range of criminal activities associated with gangs.

The funding mechanism was a discretionary grant under the Law, Justice and Legal Services activity category (CFDA 16.560). NIJ anticipated making about three awards, with a maximum award ceiling of $3,000,000 per award. The solicitation was created on February 13, 2019, with an original application closing date of April 29, 2019. Overall, it was designed to support robust study designs and careful evaluation methods so that funded work could credibly answer questions about what works, for whom, under what conditions, and at what cost, when it comes to reducing gang violence and related harms.

Eligibility for this solicitation was broad, reflecting NIJ's interest in drawing proposals from research institutions, governments, and community-relevant organizations. Eligible applicants included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits); and individuals, with additional eligibility details referenced in the solicitation's "Additional Information on Eligibility" section. This wide eligibility pool was intended to encourage strong partnerships between researchers and practitioners, such as collaborations among universities, local law enforcement, community organizations, schools, and reentry providers, to ensure the research questions and evaluation findings would be grounded in on-the-ground realities and useful for decision-making.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Evaluation on Gangs and Gang Violence, FY 2019" 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 Feb 13, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 29, 2019. (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 $3,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NIJ 2019 15270

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