DOJ – Research and Evaluation of Services for Victims of Crime (2021)

By NLADA on February 23, 2021

Applications are due March 16, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

In collaboration with the Office of Victims of Crime, NIJ is seeking applications in three main areas under this solicitation: 1) research and evaluation of State crime victim compensation programs; 2) research on the impact of COVID-19 on the delivery of services to victims of crime; and 3) evaluation of programs that provide services for victims of crime. Applicants should submit proposals that address one of the three topics. Applications proposing research involving partnerships with criminal justice or other agencies, should include a strong letter of support, signed by an appropriate decision-making authority from each proposed, partnering agency. A letter of support should include the partnering agency’s acknowledgement that de-identified data derived from, provided to, or obtained through this project will be archived by the grant recipient with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) at the conclusion of the award. Applicants and their potential partners are encouraged to review the NACJD’s policies and protections at ( NACJD). If selected for award, grantees will be expected to have a formal agreement in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2022.

NIJ seeks proposals for evaluations of programs that deliver services to victims of crime. NIJ is interested in evaluations of different types of victim service programming including, but not limited to, programs embedded in hospitals/trauma centers, umbrella/network organizations, one-stop victim services programs, and/or programs embedded in criminal justice agencies. Applicants are expected to use rigorous research methods in evaluating service delivery programs with preference given to those that employ, or are clearly progressing towards employing experimental research designs. NIJ is seeking both applications for formative
evaluations with evaluability assessments and outcome/impact evaluations as described below.

Helpful resources and research

NLADA recently presented at the MIE Fundraising Conference on how civil legal aid serves victims of crime. Access the PowerPoint here.
The Justice in Government Project at American University has curated research briefs on how civil legal aid assists domestic violence survivors, elder abuse survivors and children. You can access these briefs here.
Want help making your case? The Justice Index scores and ranks states on their adoption of best practices for ensuring access to justice. Find how well your state is doing here.

Grant information

Funding Title: Research and Evaluation of Services for Victims of Crime, Fiscal Year 2021

Agency Name: Department of Justice – National Institute for Justice

Funding Opportunity Number: O-NIJ-2021-40005

Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Express Language for Legal Aid: No, there isn’t express language for legal aid. However, legal aid is eligible to apply.

Target Population: Individuals who have experienced Fair Housing violations

Expected Number of Awards: 5

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

Estimated Total Program Funding: $3,000,000

Award ceiling: $600,000

Award floor: N/A

Current Closing Date for Applications: Applications are due March 16, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Eligible Applicants: City or township governments, County governments, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Independent school districts, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Small businesses, Special district governments, State governments, Other