NIJ Offers Grants for Research and Evaluation on Domestic Radicalization and Violent Extremism

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for rigorous research and evaluation projects targeted toward developing a better understanding of the domestic radicalization phenomenon and advancing evidence-based strategies for effective intervention and prevention.

NIJ seeks proposals in four topics as they relate to radicalization and violent extremism under this solicitation:

Research to inform terrorism prevention efforts.
Research on the role of communications in promoting and countering extremist content and information.
Research on disengagement, deradicalization and the reintegration into society of individuals incarcerated for terrorism related offenses.
Evaluations of programs and practices to prevent acts of terrorism.

NIJ is particularly interested in proposals that explore the radicalization of individuals within the United States to violent white supremacist extremism and anti-government extremism, and identify and advance evidence-based strategies for effective intervention and prevention.

NIJ will not fund applications that intentionally introduce, expose, or disseminate extremist materials and propaganda to study participants. Applications that do not include an explicit plan to anonymize data and personally identifiable information will not be funded. Further, NIJ will not fund applications that employ deceptive or non-privatized data collection practices nor will NIJ fund applications that provide identifiable research data to law enforcement or investigative agencies. Please see the “Important Considerations” and “What will not be funded” sections on pages 8 and 17 below for more information.

NIJ will give special consideration to proposals with methods that include meaningful engagement with the people with lived experience of the subject of study, including, but not limited to, justice practitioners, community members, crime victims, service providers, and individuals who have experienced justice system involvement.

Applicants are encouraged to propose multidisciplinary research teams to build on the complementary strengths of different methods and areas of subject matter expertise. NIJ also seeks proposals that include consideration and measurement of issues of diversity, discrimination, and bias across age, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation, as applicable.

Applications proposing research involving partnerships with criminal justice or other agencies, should include a 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 an award funded by NIJ 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 NIJ’s data archiving guidance. If selected for an award, grantees will be expected to have a formal agreement in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2024. That formal agreement must include a provision to meet the data archiving requirements of the award.

NIJ seeks proposals that include robust, creative, and multi-pronged dissemination strategies that include strategic partnerships with organizations and associations that are best equipped to ensure that research findings lead to changes in policies and practices related to the subjects of study. Special consideration will be given to proposals that dedicate at least 15% of the requested project award funding toward implementing such strategies, as demonstrated in the Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative.

In the case of partnerships that will involve the use of federal award funds by multiple partnering agencies to carry out the proposed project, only one entity/partnering agency may be the applicant (as is the case with any application submitted in response to this solicitation); any others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant is expected to conduct a majority of the work proposed.

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for rigorous research and evaluation projects targeted toward developing a better understanding of the domestic radicalization phenomenon and advancing evidence-based strategies for effective intervention and prevention.

NIJ seeks proposals in four topics as they relate to radicalization and violent extremism under this solicitation:

Research to inform terrorism prevention efforts.
Research on the role of communications in promoting and countering extremist content and information.
Research on disengagement, deradicalization and the reintegration into society of individuals incarcerated for terrorism related offenses.
Evaluations of programs and practices to prevent acts of terrorism.

NIJ is particularly interested in proposals that explore the radicalization of individuals within the United States to violent white supremacist extremism and anti-government extremism, and identify and advance evidence-based strategies for effective intervention and prevention.

NIJ will not fund applications that intentionally introduce, expose, or disseminate extremist materials and propaganda to study participants. Applications that do not include an explicit plan to anonymize data and personally identifiable information will not be funded. Further, NIJ will not fund applications that employ deceptive or non-privatized data collection practices nor will NIJ fund applications that provide identifiable research data to law enforcement or investigative agencies. Please see the “Important Considerations” and “What will not be funded” sections on pages 8 and 17 below for more information.

NIJ will give special consideration to proposals with methods that include meaningful engagement with the people with lived experience of the subject of study, including, but not limited to, justice practitioners, community members, crime victims, service providers, and individuals who have experienced justice system involvement.

Applicants are encouraged to propose multidisciplinary research teams to build on the complementary strengths of different methods and areas of subject matter expertise. NIJ also seeks proposals that include consideration and measurement of issues of diversity, discrimination, and bias across age, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation, as applicable.

Applications proposing research involving partnerships with criminal justice or other agencies, should include a 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 an award funded by NIJ 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 NIJ’s data archiving guidance. If selected for an award, grantees will be expected to have a formal agreement in place with partnering agencies by January 1, 2024. That formal agreement must include a provision to meet the data archiving requirements of the award.

NIJ seeks proposals that include robust, creative, and multi-pronged dissemination strategies that include strategic partnerships with organizations and associations that are best equipped to ensure that research findings lead to changes in policies and practices related to the subjects of study. Special consideration will be given to proposals that dedicate at least 15% of the requested project award funding toward implementing such strategies, as demonstrated in the Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative.

In the case of partnerships that will involve the use of federal award funds by multiple partnering agencies to carry out the proposed project, only one entity/partnering agency may be the applicant (as is the case with any application submitted in response to this solicitation); any others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant is expected to conduct a majority of the work proposed.