Title: Guidelines for Submitting Proposals for NIJ Investigator-Initiated
Research.
Series: NIJ Solicitation
Author: NIJ 
17 pages
37,000 bytes

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U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
National Institute of Justice
Jeremy Travis, Director

Guidelines

Guidelines for Submitting Proposals for NIJ Investigator-Initiated
Research 

In this document, NIJ Guidelines for Submitting Proposals for NIJ
Investigator-Initiated Research, applicants will find requirements for
proposal writers, requirements for award recipients, general application
information, and a reiteration of the 1998 grant application deadlines.

Application Information

Please see "Requirements for Proposal Writers" below for general
application and eligibility requirements and selection criteria. Proposals
not conforming to these application procedures will not be considered.
Proposals requesting less than $50,000 will be considered Small Grants
across all goals and subjects. Readers should consult the
Investigator-Initiated Research Solicitation for additional information on
the differences in application requirements for the Small Grants program.
NIJ's Data Resources Program is another researcher-initiated source of
funding that provides support for secondary analysis of data sets created
by NIJ grantees. Further information can be downloaded from the Justice
Information Center Web site: http://www.ncjrs.org, or the National
Institute of Justice Web site: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.

Award period. NIJ generally limits its grants and cooperative agreements
to a maximum period of 24 months. However, longer budget periods will
be considered.

Mailing Address. Ten (10) copies of fully executed proposals should be
sent to:
(Topic Area--See Topic Area Designation form in the Solicitation)
Investigator-Initiated Research Solicitation Program
National Institute of Justice
810 Seventh Street N.W.
Washington, DC 20531
[Overnight carrier zip code: 20001]

Due Date. Completed proposals must be received at the National Institute
of Justice by the close of business on June 16 and December 15, 1998.
Extensions of these deadlines will not be permitted. Proposals must be
complete; additions at a later date will not be accepted.

The author(s) of the proposal should be clearly identified. Proposals that
are incorrectly collated, incomplete, or handwritten will be judged as
submitted or, at NIJ's discretion, will be returned without a deadline
extension. No additions to the original submission are allowed. Proposals
exceeding the page limit will not be read. The Institute suggests that
applicants make certain that they address the questions, issues, and
requirements set forth below when preparing an application.

Information and contacts. If you wish to obtain further information about
topics covered here, gain access to background literature, inquire about the
status of an application, or learn about other matters, please see
"Information and Contacts" below. To obtain additional copies of required
application forms, see "Application Forms" below.

Requirements for Proposal Writers

Over the past 5 years, Institute staff have reviewed thousands of grant
applications. On the basis of those reviews and inquiries from applicants,
the Institute offers the following recommendations to help potential
applicants present workable, understandable proposals.

1. What technical materials are required to be included in the application?

o An abstract of the full proposal, not to exceed 400 words. When read
separately from the rest of the application, the abstract will serve as a
succinct and accurate description of the proposed work. The abstract will
concisely describe the research goals and objectives, research design, and
methods for achieving the goals and objectives. Summaries of past
accomplishments are to be avoided, and proprietary/confidential
information is not to be included. Abstract headers are to be: "Project
Goals and Objectives" and "Proposed Research Design and Methodology."

o A program narrative, which is the technical portion of the proposal. It
should include a clear, concise statement of the problem, goals, and
objectives of the project and related questions to be explored. A discussion
of the relationship of the proposed work to the existing research literature
is expected.

o A list of key personnel, as well as key positions that have yet to be filled.

o A statement of the project's anticipated contribution to criminal justice
policy and practice. It is important that applicants briefly cite those
particular issues and concerns of present-day criminal justice policy that
stimulate the proposed line of inquiry and suggest what their own
investigations would contribute to current knowledge.

o A detailed statement of the proposed research or study design and
analytical methodologies. The proposed data sources, data collection
strategies, variables and issues to be examined, and procedures of analysis
to be employed should be delineated carefully and completely. When
appropriate, experimental designs are encouraged because of their
potential relevance to policymaking and the strength of the evidence they
can produce.

o A Privacy Certificate.

o The organization and management plan to conduct the study. A list of
major milestones of events, activities, and products and a timetable for
completion that indicates the time commitments to individual project tasks
should be included. All grant activities, including writing of the final
report, should be completed within the duration of the award period.

o A plan to disseminate the results of the research, evaluation, technology,
or demonstration beyond the jurisdictions and individuals directly affected
by the project. The plan should identify the specific methods that will be
used to inform the field about the project such as the publication of journal
articles or the distribution of key materials. Expectations regarding
products are discussed more fully in the following section, "Requirements
for Award Recipients." Applicants must concisely describe the interim and
final products and address each product's purpose, audience, and
usefulness to the field. This discussion should identify the principal
criminal justice constituency or type of agency for which each product is
intended and describe how the constituent group or agency would be
expected to use the product or report. In addition, a schedule of delivery
dates of all products should be delineated.

o The key personnel's curriculum vitae should summarize education,
research experience, and bibliographic information related to the proposed
work.

o A detailed statement identifying all machine- readable and
non-machine-readable databases that will be developed as part of the
proposed project. This statement should also identify any anticipated
problems associated with the archiving of this data.

o Past performance. In an appendix to the proposal, applicants must list
their prior and current funded grants with NIJ, the status of each of these
grants, and, where appropriate, the products that resulted (final report,
specific NIJ publications, other publications, etc.).

2. What is the page order? The requisite page order is given below.
Omission of sections can result in rejection of the application:

o Topic Area Designation form (from the Solicitation).

o A copy of Standard Form (SF) 424, Application for Federal Assistance.

o Assurances.

o Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and Other
Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements.

o Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

o Budget Detail Worksheet.

o Budget Narrative.

o Negotiated indirect rate agreement, if appropriate.

o Names and affiliations of all key persons from applicant and
subcontractor(s), advisers, consultants, and Advisory Board members.
Include the name of the Principal Investigator, title, organizational
affiliation (if any), department (if institution of higher education), address,
and phone and fax numbers.

o Proposal abstract.

o Table of contents.

o Program narrative or technical proposal.

o Privacy Certificate.

o References.

o Resumes of key personnel.

o Appendixes, if any (e.g., letters of cooperation from collaborating
organizations, list of previous NIJ awards and products).

3. Is there a page limit? (a) Grants of $50,000 or more: The Institute has
established a limit of 30 double-spaced pages (in font size no smaller than
12 point) for all normal grant applications. This page limit applies only to
the program narrative section of the proposal (described in item 1 above)
and not to references, budget narrative, curriculum vitae, or necessary
appendixes (the latter include, for example, letters of cooperation from
collaborating organizations and a list of previous NIJ awards and
products). Applicants may include additional substantive material in a
technical appendix but should be advised that reviewers have the option of
not reading material exceeding the page limit. (b) Applications for small
grants (less than $50,000): The program narrative section is limited to 15
double-spaced pages (in font size no smaller than 12 point). Proposals
failing to conform to these page and font limitations will not be accepted.

4. What are the specific costs involved? The budget application should be
presented clearly. Major budget categories such as personnel, benefits,
travel, supplies, equipment, and indirect costs should be identified
separately. The components of "other" or "miscellaneous" items should be
specified in the application budget narrative and should not include
set-asides for undefined contingencies. Grant funds may be used to
purchase or lease equipment essential to accomplishing the objectives of
the project. The budget narrative must list such equipment and explain
why the equipment is necessary. Funds may not be used for operating
programs, augmenting program staff time, writing texts or handbooks,
training, or writing proposals.

5. How much detail should be included in the budget narrative? The
budget narrative should list all planned expenditures and detail the
salaries, materials, and cost assumptions used to estimate project costs for
the full period of the proposed project. Budget Detail Worksheets are one
of the application forms, and a sample worksheet is available. The
narrative and cost estimates should be presented under the following
standard budget categories: personnel, fringe benefits, travel, equipment,
supplies, contracts, other, and indirect costs. For multiyear projects,
applicants must include the full amount of NIJ funding for the entire life of
the project. This amount should be reflected in item 15g on SF 424. When
appropriate, grant applications should include justification for use of
consultants and a full explanation of daily rates for any consultants
proposed. To avoid common shortcomings of application budget
narratives, include the following information:

o Personnel estimates that accurately provide the amount of time to be
spent by personnel involved with the project and the total associated costs,
including current salaries for the designated personnel (e.g., Project
Director, 50 percent of 1 year's annual salary of $50,000 = $25,000). If
salary costs are computed using an hourly or daily rate, the annual salary
and number of hours or days in a work year should be shown.

o Estimates for supplies and expenses supported by a complete description
of the supplies to be used, nature and extent of printing to be done,
anticipated telephone charges, and other common expenditures, with the
basis for computing the estimates included (e.g., 100 reports x 75 pages
each x $0.05/page = $375.00). Supply and expense estimates offered
simply as "based on experience" are not sufficient.

6. What travel regulations apply to the budget estimates? Transportation
costs and per diem rates must comply with the policies of the applicant
organization, and a copy of the applicant's travel policy should be
submitted as an appendix to the application. If the applicant does not have
a travel policy established in writing, then travel rates must be consistent
with those established by the Federal Government. The budget narrative
should state which regulations are in force for the project and should
include the estimated fare, the number of persons traveling, the number of
trips to be taken, and the length of stay. The estimated costs of travel,
lodging, ground transportation, and other subsistence should be listed
separately. When combined, the subtotals for these categories should equal
the estimate listed on the budget form.

7. To what extent may indirect costs be included in the budget estimates?
It is the policy of the Institute that all costs should be budgeted directly;
however, if an applicant has an indirect cost rate that has been approved by
a Federal agency within the past 2 years, an indirect cost recovery estimate
may be included in the budget. A copy of the approved rate agreement
should be submitted as an appendix to the application. If an applicant does
not have an approved rate agreement, the applicant should contact the
Office of the Comptroller, Office of Justice Programs, at 202-307-0623 to
obtain information about preparing an indirect cost rate proposal.

8. What, if any, matching funds are required? Units of State and local
governments (not including publicly supported institutions of higher
education) are encouraged to contribute a match (cash, noncash, or both)
of requested funds. Other applicants also are encouraged to seek matching
contributions from other Federal agencies or private foundations to assist
in meeting the costs of the project.

9. Should other funding sources be listed? 

Coordination of funding sources. Applicants are expected to identify all
other Federal, local, or private sources of support, including other NIJ
programs, to which this or a closely related proposal has been or will be
submitted. This information permits NIJ to consider the joint funding
potential, limits the possibility of inadvertent duplicate funding, and
promotes coordination of Federal funding of related efforts. Applicants
must state how these other pending and/or active awards will be
coordinated with the funding sought with this application.

For each related Federal effort, the applicant should include the
program/project title, the name of the Federal grantor agency, the Federal
award amount, and a very brief description of the purpose. "Related
efforts" is defined for these purposes as for:

o The same purpose (i.e., the proposed award would supplement, expand,
complement, or continue activities funded with other Federal grants).

o Another phase or component of the same program/project.

Applicants may submit more than one proposal to NIJ, but the same
proposal cannot be submitted in more than one program area.

10. What does the review process entail? After all applications for a
competition are received, NIJ will convene a series of peer review panels
of researchers and criminal justice professionals. When appropriate, NIJ
will assign proposals to peer panels based on the applicant's choice in the
Topic Area Designation form; however, NIJ is the final authority on
assignments to peer panels. Panel members read each proposal and meet to
assess the technical merits and policy relevance of the proposed research.
Panel assessments of the proposals, together with assessments by NIJ
staff, are submitted to the Director, who has sole and final authority over
approval and awards. The review normally takes 60 to 90 days, depending
on the number of applications received. Each applicant receives written
comments from the peer review panel concerning the strengths and
weaknesses of the proposal. These comments may include suggestions for
how a revised or subsequent application to NIJ might be improved.

11. What are the criteria for an award? 

Quality and technical merit 

o Soundness of methodology or of analytic or technical approach.

o Innovation and creativity.

o Feasibility of proposed project; awareness of pitfalls.

o Awareness of existing research and related applications.

Impact of the project

o Understanding the importance of the project.

o Potential for significant advance in crime prevention, law enforcement,
courts, corrections, or other practice or policy area.

o Potential for advancement of scientific understanding of problem area.

o Relevance to practice, including development and demonstration in
application domains (if applicable).

o Affordable end products (if applicable).

Capabilities, demonstrated productivity, and experience of applicants

o Qualifications and experiences of personnel as related to proposed
project.

o Responsiveness to the goals of the solicitation. 

o Demonstrated ability to manage proposed effort.

o Adequacy of proposed resources to undertake effort.

Budget considerations

o Total cost relative to perceived benefit.

o Appropriate budgets and level of effort.

o Use of existing resources to conserve costs.

o Cost-effectiveness of program or product for application in the criminal
justice system (if applicable).

12. Who is eligible to apply? NIJ awards grants to, or enters into
cooperative agreements with, educational institutions, nonprofit
organizations, public agencies, individuals, and profitmaking
organizations that are willing to waive their fees. Where appropriate,
special eligibility criteria are indicated in the separate solicitations.

13. Does NIJ accept resubmission of proposals? The Institute will accept
resubmission of a previously submitted proposal. The applicant should
indicate for Question 8, SF 424, that the application is a revision. The
applicant should include this information in the abstract. Finally, the
applicant should prepare a one-page response to the earlier panel review
(to follow the abstract), including (1) the title, submission date, and
NIJ-assigned application number of the previous proposal, and (2) a brief
summary of responses to the review and/or revisions to the proposal.

14. Prohibition on supplanting funds. Federal funds must be used to
supplement existing funds and not replace those funds which have been
appropriated for the same purpose. Potential supplanting will be the
subject of application review, as well as preaward review, postaward
monitoring, and audit. If there is a potential presence of supplanting, the
applicant or grantee will be required to supply documentation
demonstrating that the reduction in non-Federal resources occurred for
reasons other than the receipt or expected receipt of Federal funds.

NIJ Policy Regarding Unsolicited Proposals

It is NIJ's policy to submit all unsolicited proposals to peer review. NIJ's
peer review process takes place in periodic cycles; unsolicited proposals
received will be included in the next appropriate review cycle.

Requirements for Award Recipients

Confidentiality of Information and Human Subjects Protection

Research that examines individual traits and experiences plays a vital part
in expanding our knowledge about criminal behavior. It is essential,
however, that researchers protect human subjects from the risk of harm or
embarrass- ment and proceed with their willing and informed consent. 

The Department of Justice (DOJ) regulations at 28 Code of Federal
Regulations (CFR) Part 22 require recipients of NIJ research funds to
protect personally identifiable information that is collected from all
research participants. The purpose of these regulations is, in part, (1) to
protect the privacy of individuals by requiring that any information
identifiable to a private person that is obtained for research or statistical
purposes may only be used and/or revealed for the purpose for which it
was acquired, and (2) to protect the integrity of research findings by
minimizing subjects' concerns over the subsequent uses of personally
identifiable information.

The DOJ regulations at 28 CFR Part 22 require applicants for NIJ funding
to file their "confidentiality plans" for the protection of private information
about individuals as part of their proposal. All applicants, regardless of
whether they intend to collect data identifiable to individual subjects, are
required to submit a Privacy Certificate as part of their application for
funding. The necessary assurances and safeguards are detailed in 28 CFR
Part 22 (¤22.23 Privacy Certification). The Privacy Certificate must either
(1) assert that no information identifiable to a private person is being
collected, or (2) fully describe the procedures used to ensure data
confidentiality, the procedures to ensure the security of the data, the
procedures for notifying research subjects and providing informed
consent, and the procedures for the final disposition of the data. For
complete details on developing a "confidentiality plan" and drafting a
Privacy Certificate, please consult the regulations at 28 CFR Part 22.
Applicants should also consult the "Privacy Certificate Guidelines" and
the sample format for a Privacy Certificate, both of which are included
with the application forms packet.

In addition to the regulations in Part 22, DOJ has adopted policies on the
protection of human subjects that are the same as those established by the
Department of Health and Human Services in 45 CFR Part 46, Subpart A,
also known as the "Common Rule." The DOJ regulations are set forth in
28 CFR Part 46. Although many NIJ-supported research activities may be
covered by one of the exemptions in 28 CFR ¤46.101(b) and, therefore,
may not require review by an Institutional Review Board (IRB), all
decisions as to whether IRB review is required must be made on an
applicant-by-applicant basis by each applicant for funding and by NIJ
during the process of application review. Applicants for NIJ funding
should review 28 CFR Part 46 and particularly 28 CFR ¤46.101 to
determine their individual project requirements.

Required Products

Each project is expected to generate tangible products of maximum benefit
to criminal justice professionals, researchers, and policymakers. In
particular, NIJ strongly encourages documents that provide information of
practical utility to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, judges,
corrections officers, victims service providers, and Federal, State, county,
and local elected officials.

The recipient shall provide all products specified in the proposal. In
addition, the recipient will provide:

o A summary of approximately 2,500 words (in hard copy and on diskette)
highlighting the research findings and the policy issues those findings will
inform. The material should be written in a style that will be accessible to
policy officials and practitioners and suitable for possible publication as an
NIJ Research in Brief.

o A full technical report (in hard copy and on diskette), including a
discussion of the research question, review of the literature, description of
project methodology, detailed review of project findings, and conclusions
and policy recommendations. (See Guide to Writing Reports for NIJ:
Policy, Requirements, and Procedures.)

o Clean copies of all automated data sets developed during the research
and full documentation prepared in accordance with the instructions in the
NIJ publication Depositing Data With the Data Resources Program of the
National Institute of Justice: A Handbook.

o A brief project summary (in hard copy and on diskette), on request, for
NIJ use in preparing annual reports to the President and Congress.

Additional products such as case studies and interim reports (e.g., articles,
manuals, or training materials) may be specified in the proposal or
negotiated at the time of the award.

Public Release of Automated Data Sets

NIJ is committed to ensuring the public availability of research data and,
to this end, established its Data Resources Program in 1984. All NIJ award
recipients who collect data are required to submit a machine-readable copy
of the data and appropriate documentation to NIJ prior to the conclusion of
the project. The data and materials are reviewed for completeness. NIJ
staff then create machine-readable data sets, prepare users' guides, and
distribute data and documentation to other researchers in the field. A
variety of formats are acceptable; however, the data and materials must
conform with requirements detailed in Depositing Data With the Data
Resources Program of the National Institute of Justice: A Handbook. A
copy of this handbook is sent to each project director at the time of the
award.

Standards of Performance by Recipients

NIJ expects individuals and institutions receiving its support to work
diligently and professionally toward completing a high-quality research or
study product. Besides this general expectation, the Institute imposes
specific requirements to ensure that proper financial and administrative
controls are applied to the project. Financial and general reporting
requirements are detailed in OJP's Financial Guide, published in April
1996 by the Office of Justice Programs. This guidance manual is sent to
recipient institutions with the award documents. Project directors and
recipient financial administrators should pay particular attention to the
regulations in this document.

Financial and Related Requirements

Audit requirement. Audits of institutions of higher education and other
nonprofit institutions must comply with the organizational audit
requirements of OMB Circular A-133, which states that recipients who
expend $300,000 or more of Federal funds during their fiscal year are
required to submit an organizationwide financial and compliance audit
report to their cognizant Federal agency within 13 months after the close
of each fiscal year during the term of the award.

State and local units of governments must comply with the organizational
audit requirements of OMB Circular A-128, which states that recipients
who receive more than $25,000 of Federal funds during their fiscal year
are required to submit an audit report to their cognizant Federal agency.
Recipients who receive less than $25,000 of Federal funds are exempt
from the audit requirements.

Certifications regarding lobbying; debarment, suspension, and other
responsibility matters; and drug-free workplace requirements. Applicants
should read and sign this certification form. Signing this form commits the
applicant to compliance with the certification requirements under 28 CFR
Part 69, "New Restrictions on Lobbying," and 28 CFR Part 67,
"Government-Wide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and
Government-Wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)." The
certification will be treated as a material representation of fact upon which
reliance will be placed by the U.S. Department of Justice in making
awards.

Suspension or termination of funding. The National Institute of Justice
may suspend, in whole or in part, terminate funding for, or impose another
sanction on a recipient for the following reasons:

o Failure to comply substantially with the requirements or statutory
objectives of the relevant legislation (e.g., the Omnibus Crime Control and
Safe Streets Act of 1968, as amended), program guidelines issued
thereunder, or other provisions of Federal law.

o Failure to make satisfactory progress toward the goals or strategies set
forth in this application.

o Failure to adhere to the requirements in the agreement, standard
conditions, or special conditions.

o Proposing or implementing substantial plan changes to the extent that, if
originally submitted, the application would not have been selected for
funding.

o Failure to submit reports.

o Filing a false certification in this application or other report or document.

Before imposing sanctions, the National Institute of Justice will provide
reasonable notice to the recipient of its intent to impose sanctions and will
attempt to resolve the problem informally. Hearing and appeal procedures
will follow those in Department of Justice regulations found in 28 CFR
Part 18.

Reporting Requirements

Progress reports. Recipients of funding are required to submit an initial
progress report and semiannual progress reports. The progress reports
describe activities during the reporting period and the status or
accomplishment of objectives as set forth in the approved application for
funding. Progress reports are due for the first full quarter the award is
active and then every 6 months after that for the remainder of the award
period. Progress reports are due on the 30th day following the end of that
reporting period.

For example, if the begin date of the award is October 1, the first report
would cover the period from October through December and would be due
January 30. The next report would cover the period of January through
June and would be due July 30. If the begin date of the award is November
1, the first report would cover November through March (January through
March being the first full quarter the award is active) and would be due
April 30. The next report would cover April through September and would
be due October 30. A report is due every 6 months.

A final report, which provides a summary of progress toward achieving
the goals and objectives of the award, significant results, and any products
developed under the award, is due 120 days after the end date of the
award. Report forms will be provided to the recipient by the awarding
agency.

Financial status reports. Financial status reports (SF 269A) are due
quarterly on the 45th day following the end of each calendar quarter. A
report must be submitted every quarter the award is active. The final report
is due 120 days after the end date of the award. The Office of the
Comptroller, Office of Justice Programs, will provide a copy of this form
in the initial award package.

Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if the progress and
financial status reports are delinquent.

Program Monitoring

Award recipients and Principal Investigators assume certain
responsibilities as part of their participation in Government-sponsored
research and evaluation. NIJ's monitoring activities are intended to help
grantees meet these responsibilities. They are based on good
communication and open dialogue, with collegiality and mutual respect.
Some of the elements of this dialogue are:

o Communication with NIJ in the early stages of the grant, as the elements
of the proposal's design and methodology are developed and put into
operation.

o Timely communication with NIJ regarding any developments that might
affect the project's compliance with the schedules, milestones, and
products set forth in the proposal. (See statement on "Timeliness" below.)

o Communication with other NIJ grantees conducting related research
projects. An annual "cluster conference" should be anticipated and should
be budgeted for by applicants at a cost of $1,000 for each year of the grant.

o Providing NIJ, on request, with brief descriptions of the project in
interim stages at such time as the Institute may need this information to
meet its reporting requirements to Congress. NIJ will give as much
advance notification of these requests as possible, but will expect a timely
response from grantees when requests are made. NIJ is prepared to receive
such communication through electronic media.

o Providing NIJ with copies of presentations made at conferences,
meetings, and elsewhere based in whole or in part on the work of the
project.

o Providing NIJ with prepublication copies of articles based on the project
appearing in professional journals or the media, either during the life of
the grant or after.

o Other reporting requirements (financial reports, progress reports, final
reports, and other grant products) are spelled out above.

Timeliness

Grantees are expected to complete award products within the timeframes
that have been agreed upon by NIJ and the grantee. The Institute
recognizes that there are legitimate reasons for project extensions.
However, NIJ does not consider the assumption of additional research
projects that impinge upon previous time commitments as legitimate
reasons for delay. Projects with unreasonable delays can be terminated
administratively. In this situation, any funds remaining are withdrawn.
Future applications from either the project director or the recipient
institution are subject to strict scrutiny and may be denied support based
on past failure to meet minimum standards.

Publications

The Institute encourages grantees to prepare their work for NIJ
publication. In cases where grantees disseminate their findings through a
variety of media, such as professional journals, books, and conferences,
copies of such publications should be sent to the Program Manager as they
become available, even if they appear well after a project's expiration. NIJ
imposes no restriction on such publications other than the following
acknowledgment and disclaimer:

This research was supported by grant number _____________ from the
National Institute of Justice. Points of view are those of the author(s) and
do not necessarily represent the position of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Application Forms

All the application forms are available electronically from the Justice
Information Center Web site at http://www.ncjrs.org/fedgrant.htm#nij or
the NIJ Web site at http:/www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/funding.htm, or in paper
form from the Department of Justice (DOJ) Response Center at 800-421-
6770 (in the Washington, D.C., area at 202-307-1480).

Information and Contacts

For (a) general information about NIJ programs and funding opportunities,
(b) requests for reprints of articles, background research literature, final
reports, or funded grants on related topics, or (c) names of researchers
working on specific topics, contact the National Criminal Justice
Reference Service at 800-851-3420 or at http://www.ncjrs.org, or visit the
NIJ Web site at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij.

For assistance with questions of a general administrative or substantive
research nature, please contact the DOJ Response Center at 800-421-6770
(in the Washington, D.C., area at 202-307-1480). If these persons cannot
answer your question, they will put you in touch with the appropriate NIJ
staff member.

If your question concerns the processing of an application (receipt of
proposal, status of peer review, status of funding decisions, etc.), please
contact one of the following NIJ staff:

o Science- and technology-related research proposals: Audrey
Blankenship at 202-616-3675.

o General research: Louise Loften at 202-307-2965.

Application Checkoff List

Those interested in submitting research proposals under this solicitation
must complete the required application materials in addition to their
technical proposals. Applications must contain the following information
to qualify for consideration:

o Topic Area Designation form (from the Solicitation).

o A copy of SF 424, Application for Federal Assistance.

o Assurances.

o Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other
Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements.

o Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.

o Budget Detail Worksheet.

o Budget Narrative.

o Negotiated indirect rate agreement, if appropriate.

o Names and affiliations of all key persons from applicant and
subcontractor(s), advisers, consultants, and Advisory Board members.
Include the name of the Principal Investigator, title, organizational
affiliation (if any), department (if institution of higher education), address,
and phone and fax numbers.

o Proposal abstract.

o Table of contents.

o Program narrative or technical proposal.

o Privacy Certificate.

o References.

o Resumes of key personnel.

o Appendixes, if any. 

Rev. July 1998