National Institute of Justice · United States

NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Violent Crime: Gangs and Organized Criminal Groups (Domestic and Transnational)

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National Institute of Justice expects to make 5 awards of up to $3 million each, from a total budget of $3 million. Applications close on 30 Nov 2026. Eligible applicant types include nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, city or township governments, for profit organizations other than small businesses and 10 more.

Deadline: 30 Nov 2026 (in 15 days)
Grant amount: Up to $3 million per project
Funding rate: No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated
Total budget: $3 million
Expected awards: 5
Cost sharing: Not required
Likely applicant types: Non-profits, Universities & research, Public bodies, SMEs / start-ups, Companies From source categories or programme rules; the call decides.
Funder: National Institute of Justice
Reference: O-NIJ-2026-172806
Assistance listing: 16.560 National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants
Last checked: 13 Nov 2026

Open the official call ↗ Add deadline to calendar

About this call

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Violent Crime: Gangs and Organized Criminal Groups (Domestic and Transnational). This opportunity supports research and evaluation proposals on gang and organized criminal group-related violent crime, including domestic and transnational. Projects funded through this NOFO will study topics that inform law enforcement strategies and operations to effectuate EO 14157, “Designating Cartels And Other Organizations As Foreign Terrorist Organizations And Specially Designated Global Terrorist;” Chapter 4 of the 2026 National Drug Control Strategy, “Global Campaign Against Transnational Criminal Threats;” and other related threats, including those posed by firearm, human, and other trafficking-related violence.

NIJ seeks rigorous evaluations of new or existing strategies intended to reduce violent crime associated with gangs and organized criminal groups or networks and are led by or collaborate with law enforcement agencies. Evaluations should consider how individual, group, organizational, situational, or other relevant contextual factors interact with the strategies being studied.

Read the full text

NIJ encourages evaluation designs such as randomized controlled trials (when feasible), mixed methods research, quasi-experimental designs, matched comparisons, and other appropriate methodologies. Process evaluations should be incorporated to support interpretation of program implementation and outcomes. Outcome evaluations must focus on violent crime measures such as murder, aggravated assault, and robbery along with relevant intermediate and process outcomes. Multi-site and cross-jurisdictional evaluations are encouraged.

Who can apply

Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
City or township governments
For profit organizations other than small businesses
State governments
Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
Small businesses
County governments
Special district governments
Independent school districts
Nonprofits having 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
Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)

Applicant categories are a starting point. The official call decides eligibility.

Topics

Science and Technology and other Research and Development

How to apply

Read the full notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) linked from the official page: eligibility, cost sharing and evaluation criteria.
Make sure your organisation has an active SAM.gov registration and Unique Entity ID (UEI); registration can take several weeks.
Register with Grants.gov and set up a Workspace for this opportunity, with the right roles for your organisation.
Prepare the required forms, narrative, budget and attachments exactly as the NOFO specifies.
Submit before the deadline and keep the tracking number. Check for amendments before you submit.

From the call text

Who can apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Company stage: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Single applicant or consortium: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where applicants must be based: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page
Where to apply: Not stated in the call text we hold — check the official page

Contact

National Institute of Justice · OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov · 202-616-5314

Where these facts come from

Fact	Value	How we know	Taken from the source
Deadline	30 November 2026	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Amount per applicant	Up to $3 million	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Total budget	$3 million	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Funding rate	No mandatory cost sharing stated; funding percentage not stated	read from the official text	15 Nov 2026
Who can apply	Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education; City or township governments; For profit organizations other than small businesses; State governments; Native…	official data field	15 Nov 2026
Where to apply	Unknown — not stated in the source we hold	unknown	—

Official sources

Official call page · Funder's programme page

Facts on this page come from the funder’s official data, taken on 13 Nov 2026. The funder's own documents, including later amendments, always take precedence.