Deadline: 4-Mar-25
The National Institute of Justice has launched applications for its funding opportunity to support research and evaluation that advances the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the criminal justice system.
The goal is to improve the fairness, accuracy, and effectiveness of criminal justice processes through AI applications in crime prevention, public safety, and justice system decision-making. Research should explore both the benefits and limitations of AI, addressing potential risks and downstream impacts.
Goals and Objectives
- Program Goal: The National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants program fosters the development of new knowledge and tools that can be applied to reduce crime and advance justice, particularly at the state and local level.
- Program Objectives:
- Develop, demonstrate, and evaluate programs and practices relevant to criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victims’ services outcomes.
- Identify and analyze the causes and correlates of crime.
- Improve the functioning of the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
- Develop new methods for the prevention and reduction of crime.
- Develop new methods to detect, investigate, and prosecute crime.
- Enhance the justice research infrastructure.
Funding Information
- Total Amount to Be Awarded Under This Funding Opportunity: $2,500,000
- Anticipated Period of Performance Start Date: January 1, 2026
- Anticipated Period of Performance Duration: 60 months
Funding Priorities
- NIJ will provide priority consideration when making award decisions to applications addressing the following research priorities:
- Fostering Rigorous and Inclusive Research: Applications proposing methods that include meaningful engagement with the people closest to the subject of study—for example, criminal justice practitioners, community members, business owners, crime survivors, and people who have experienced incarceration—to guide data collection, help interpret findings, and identify implications of research findings for policy and practice.
- Infusing Evaluation Research with a Strong Implementation Fidelity Component: Applications proposing evaluations of an intervention’s implementation in the field and identifying both their impacts and unintended consequences.
- Encouraging Interdisciplinary Research: Applications proposing multidisciplinary research teams to build on the complementary strengths of different methods and areas of subject matter expertise.
- Ensuring Research Evidence is Translated into Actionable Information to Promote Change in the Field: Applications proposing robust, creative, and multipronged 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; with at least 15% of the requested project award funding toward implementing such strategies.
Eligibility Criteria
- The types of entities that are eligible to apply for this funding opportunity are listed below:
- Government Entities
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Native American Tribal governments (federally recognized)
- Native American Tribal governments (other than federally recognized)
- Educational Organizations
- Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofit Organizations
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the Internal Revenue Service (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
- For-Profit Organizations
- Organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Other
- Other Units of Local Government
- Government Entities
For more information, visit Grants.gov.