NIJ FY23 Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women | O NIJ 2023 171586

Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2023 171586

The NIJ FY23 Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women opportunity is a discretionary funding solicitation from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), within the Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs (OJP), aimed at supporting research and evaluation that can improve understanding of violence against women and strengthen criminal justice and community responses. The overarching purpose is to generate objective, independent evidence and practical, validated tools that can help prevent and reduce violence, promote justice for victims, and improve policies and practices across the systems that respond to these crimes. OJP frames this work within broader federal priorities that include advancing civil rights and racial equity, increasing access to justice, supporting victims and people impacted by the justice system, strengthening community safety, addressing evolving public safety threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

The solicitation invites proposals covering a wide range of violence-against-women-related topics and contexts. Areas explicitly included are domestic violence and family violence, intimate partner violence, homicide and other violent deaths, rape and sexual assault, sex trafficking, stalking, and teen dating violence (also referred to as adolescent relationship abuse). Importantly, NIJ is not only interested in studies of the crimes themselves, but also in research and evaluations focused on the associated criminal justice system response, including procedures, policies, and practices used by law enforcement, courts, corrections, and allied service systems. In practical terms, applicants can propose studies that examine how cases are identified, investigated, prosecuted, adjudicated, and supported, as well as what interventions work best, for whom, under what circumstances, and why.

A central theme of the opportunity is the expectation that research be grounded in the realities of people most affected by the problems being studied. NIJ notes that special consideration will be given to proposals that use methods incorporating meaningful engagement with individuals who have lived experience relevant to the project. This can include survivors and victims, justice practitioners, service providers, community members, and people with justice system involvement. The intent is to push projects beyond purely academic designs and toward approaches that incorporate stakeholder perspectives in shaping research questions, interpreting findings, and improving the real-world usefulness of results.

NIJ also emphasizes methodological and team strengths. Applicants are encouraged to assemble multidisciplinary teams that combine complementary expertise, such as quantitative and qualitative methods, evaluation science, criminology, public health, psychology, sociology, data science, or legal and policy analysis. In addition, NIJ signals that proposals should consider and measure issues of diversity, discrimination, and bias where applicable, including across age, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. This reflects an interest in research that can identify disparities, explain differential impacts or system responses, and inform equitable improvements in policy and practice.

For projects that rely on partnerships with criminal justice agencies or other organizations, the solicitation includes clear documentation and compliance expectations. Applications proposing such partnerships should include letters of support from appropriate decision-making authorities at each partnering agency. Those letters should acknowledge that any de-identified data generated, provided, or obtained through the NIJ-funded work will be archived with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) at the end of the award period. Applicants and partners are encouraged to review NIJ data archiving guidance early, since this requirement affects data management planning, consent and privacy protections, and interagency data-sharing terms. If an award is made, the grantee is expected to have a formal agreement in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2024, and that agreement must include provisions that support the data archiving requirement.

Another major priority is dissemination that leads to tangible change. NIJ is seeking robust, creative, multi-pronged dissemination plans designed to get findings into the hands of the people and institutions most able to implement improvements, including through partnerships with organizations and associations positioned to influence policy and practice. Special consideration is offered to proposals that commit at least 15 percent of requested project funds to dissemination strategies, and applicants are expected to demonstrate that commitment explicitly in the budget worksheet and budget narrative. The message is that NIJ wants not only strong research, but also deliberate and adequately resourced plans for translating results into practice and decision-making.

From an administrative standpoint, the award instrument is a cooperative agreement, under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development funding activity category (CFDA 16.560). The opportunity number is O-NIJ-2023-171586. The original application closing date listed is April 26, 2023, and NIJ encouraged (but did not require) prospective applicants to submit a non-binding letter of intent by March 28, 2023, via NIJsVAW-FVResearch@ojp.usdoj.gov, addressed to the NIJ Director at the NIJ office address in Washington, DC. The solicitation lists a maximum award ceiling of $2,300,000. Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and local governments; special district governments; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; and for-profit organizations (including small businesses). For collaborative projects where multiple agencies would participate in carrying out the work using federal funds, NIJ clarifies that only one entity may apply as the primary applicant; other participating organizations should be structured as subrecipients, and the applicant is expected to perform the majority of the proposed work.

Overall, this opportunity is designed for applicants proposing rigorous research or evaluation that is directly relevant to violence against women and the systems responding to it, with clear expectations around stakeholder engagement, equity-focused measurement, formalized agency partnerships and data archiving, and well-funded dissemination intended to move results into real-world policy and practice.

• The National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIJ FY23 Research and Evaluation on Violence Against Women" 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 2023-02-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-26. (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 $2,300,000.00 in funding.
• 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), 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, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Unrestricted.

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