Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime, Fiscal Year 2020 | NIJ 2020 17275

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2020 17275

The Department of Justice, through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), offered the "Research and Evaluation on Drugs and Crime, Fiscal Year 2020" grant (Funding Opportunity Number: NIJ 2020 17275) to support rigorous, applied research aimed at improving how criminal justice agencies respond to drug trafficking, drug markets, and drug-related violence. This opportunity sits within NIJ's Drugs and Crime Research Program and emphasizes practical, evidence-based work that can translate into real-world tools, protocols, and policies used by agencies operating at the state, tribal, and local levels. The overall intent is to strengthen the effectiveness of law enforcement and related justice-system partners by generating findings that are actionable and grounded in strong research methods rather than purely theoretical study.

The solicitation specifically targets research connected to narcotics-related criminal investigation and prosecution, along with the intelligence and community surveillance functions that often support those activities. It also highlights relevance to medicolegal death investigation, signaling interest in research that can help improve responses to drug-related deaths, including investigative and forensic practices that intersect with overdose and drug poisoning cases. In other words, NIJ was looking for projects that can help agencies understand, detect, investigate, and reduce drug-related criminal activity and harm, while also improving the information systems and investigative approaches that underpin those efforts.

For FY2020, NIJ identified drug priorities centered on methamphetamine and other stimulants. This includes not only classic illicit stimulant markets, but also diverted pharmaceuticals, and illicit drugs and their analogues. The inclusion of analogues indicates attention to the rapid evolution of drug supply and chemistry, where new variants can appear and spread quickly, complicating enforcement, prosecution, and public safety responses. By prioritizing stimulants and diverted pharmaceuticals, the program reflects a focus on substances associated with significant community impacts, including patterns of trafficking, market volatility, and potential connections to violence.

The opportunity was offered as a discretionary grant, categorized under Law, Justice and Legal Services as well as Science and Technology and other Research and Development (CFDA: 16.560). It was created on January 30, 2020, with an original application closing date of April 20, 2020. NIJ anticipated making around five awards, with an award ceiling of up to $1,000,000 per grant, indicating relatively substantial funding intended for multi-faceted research and evaluation efforts that may involve data collection, field partnerships, and careful analysis over time.

Eligibility was broad and designed to encourage participation from a wide range of organizations capable of conducting or supporting applied research. 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 both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories); and for-profit organizations other than small businesses, along with other entities as allowed by the solicitation's additional eligibility guidance. This wide eligibility framework suggests NIJ expected research teams to potentially combine academic expertise, practitioner knowledge, and operational access through partnerships with justice agencies and medicolegal offices.

In practical terms, this funding opportunity aimed to produce research that helps justice and public safety stakeholders make better decisions about how to investigate and prosecute drug crimes, how to gather and use intelligence, how to conduct community surveillance in lawful and effective ways, and how to improve investigative practices surrounding drug-related deaths. The emphasis on evidence-based tools and policies underscores that NIJ was seeking outcomes that agencies can implement and evaluate, with the ultimate goal of reducing drug trafficking impacts, disrupting harmful drug markets, and mitigating drug-related violence and fatalities.

• 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, Fiscal Year 2020" 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 Jan 30, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 20, 2020. (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 $1,000,000.00 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, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for NIJ 2020 17275

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