Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime, FY 2019 | NIJ 2019 15444

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2019 15444

Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime, FY 2019 (Funding Opportunity Number NIJ 2019 15444) is a discretionary grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ). It is designed to fund rigorous, applied research that can directly improve how the criminal justice system understands and responds to drug trafficking, drug markets, and drug-related violence. The central goal is to produce practical, evidence-based tools, protocols, and policies that state, tribal, and local law enforcement agencies and other justice partners can use in real-world operations and decision-making.

The solicitation emphasizes research that connects closely to day-to-day narcotics enforcement and the broader justice process, with a particular focus on criminal investigation and prosecution. That includes projects that strengthen how cases are built, how drug-related intelligence is collected and analyzed, and how agencies conduct community surveillance in a lawful and effective way. It also highlights work relevant to forensic science and medicolegal death investigation, recognizing that laboratory practices, toxicology, drug chemistry, overdose death investigations, and related medicolegal processes are often critical for identifying substances, linking evidence to suspects and networks, and accurately documenting the harms associated with drug markets.

For FY 2019, DOJ identified three drug priorities that applicants are expected to address. The first is fentanyl and its illicit analogues, reflecting the urgent public safety and public health risks posed by highly potent synthetic opioids and the challenges they create for detection, investigation, and attribution. The second priority is methamphetamine, including issues related to supply chains, distribution patterns, market dynamics, associated violence, and investigative strategies. The third priority is illegal marijuana markets, which can include research on illicit cultivation and distribution, organized criminal involvement, market shifts, and enforcement and regulatory challenges that can arise in jurisdictions with differing legal frameworks.

The program falls within the broad federal assistance areas of law, justice, and legal services, as well as science and technology and other research and development, and it is listed under CFDA 16.560. Funding is provided through grants, with an award ceiling of $3,000,000 per award, and NIJ anticipated making about five awards under this solicitation. The opportunity was created on February 14, 2019, with an original application closing date of May 6, 2019.

Eligibility is broad, reflecting NIJ's interest in drawing on a wide range of research and operational expertise. Eligible applicants include 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 (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3), other than institutions of higher education); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); small businesses; individuals; and other entities as allowed under the additional eligibility guidance referenced in the solicitation. In practice, this structure supports a mix of applicants, such as research universities, forensic laboratories partnered with academic researchers, practitioner-researcher collaborations with law enforcement agencies, nonprofits conducting evaluation work, and private sector or small business teams developing and testing investigative or analytical tools.

Overall, the opportunity is aimed at generating defensible, actionable research that can help agencies prevent and respond to drug-driven crime more effectively, improve investigative and prosecutorial outcomes, and strengthen the scientific and medicolegal foundations that support narcotics enforcement and overdose or drug-related death investigations, with special attention to fentanyl/analogues, methamphetamine, and illegal marijuana markets.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime, 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 14, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 06, 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 5 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, Nonprofits that do not have 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).

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