Research and Evaluations of Victims of Crime, Fiscal Year 2020 | NIJ 2020 17326

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2020 17326

The Department of Justice, through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and in collaboration with the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), offered the Fiscal Year 2020 grant opportunity titled "Research and Evaluations of Victims of Crime" (Funding Opportunity Number NIJ 2020 17326). This was a discretionary grant program intended to support research and evaluation work focused specifically on victim services programs, with the goal of building stronger evidence about what these programs do, how they operate in real-world settings, and when they are ready to be tested for outcomes.

The core purpose of the solicitation was to fund formative evaluations, evaluability assessments, and, where appropriate, full evaluations of victim service programs. NIJ signaled that it was open to a wide range of victim service settings and models, including programs embedded in hospitals and trauma centers, umbrella or network organizations that coordinate multiple providers, "one-stop" victim service programs that centralize supports in a single location, and programs embedded within criminal justice agencies. The emphasis on these varied contexts reflects a practical understanding that victims interact with many different systems, and services may be delivered in healthcare environments, community organizations, or justice-system settings depending on local infrastructure and victim needs.

A central theme of the opportunity was the recognition that many victim service programs are not immediately prepared for rigorous outcome evaluation designs. In response, NIJ encouraged a phased approach. Applicants were expected to plan for a formative evaluation and an evaluability assessment as key early steps. In practice, this means grantees would first document and assess how a program is being implemented (for example, whether services are delivered as intended, who is being served, what the operational workflow looks like, and what barriers exist). Then, through evaluability assessment, they would determine whether the program has the necessary features to support a credible outcome evaluation, such as clearly defined program components, stable implementation, appropriate comparison options, measurable outcomes, sufficient data quality, and feasible participant tracking. Only when those conditions are in place would an outcome evaluation be considered realistic and defensible.

The solicitation also highlighted the diversity of victim service programs, which implicitly encouraged applicants to design evaluations that are sensitive to differences in populations served, service settings, organizational capacity, and community context. While the opportunity statement did not list specific victim populations, the framing suggests NIJ was looking for projects that could handle real-world variability and still produce useful findings for practitioners and policymakers. This kind of evaluation work often focuses on clarifying program logic models, identifying measurable short- and long-term outcomes, improving data collection practices, and generating actionable recommendations that can strengthen services even before a full impact study is attempted.

Administratively, the program fell under CFDA 16.560 and was categorized within Law, Justice and Legal Services as well as Science and Technology and other Research and Development. Eligibility was broad and included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, excluding higher education where specified); for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and other entities as described in the solicitation's additional eligibility language. The award ceiling was $4,000,000, and NIJ anticipated making up to 8 awards. The opportunity was created on February 20, 2020, with an original application closing date of April 20, 2020.

Overall, this funding opportunity was designed to strengthen the evidence base for victim services by meeting programs where they are. Instead of requiring every applicant to propose a full-scale outcome study from the start, NIJ explicitly encouraged evaluation work that can first establish whether a program is ready to be evaluated for impact, while still producing practical findings about implementation and service delivery that can improve victim support systems.

• 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 Evaluations of Victims of 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 Feb 20, 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 $4,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 8 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 17326

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