NIJ FY18 Research and Evaluation on Promising Reentry Initiatives | NIJ 2018 14380

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2018 14380

The NIJ FY18 Research and Evaluation on Promising Reentry Initiatives grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number NIJ 2018 14380) was a discretionary research grant offered by the U.S. Department of Justice through the National Institute of Justice. Its core purpose was to strengthen the evidence base around what actually works in offender reentry, with an emphasis on identifying best practices that can reduce recidivism and support safer communities. NIJ was looking for rigorous, research-driven proposals that evaluate reentry initiatives serving either adult or juvenile offenders, and it made clear that the goal was not just to describe programs, but to test them in ways that produce credible, actionable findings for the field.

The solicitation focused on reentry initiatives that incorporate promising practices, strategies, or programs, meaning efforts that show potential but still need strong evaluation to confirm their effectiveness and clarify how and why they work. The initiatives under study could be based in institutional corrections (such as prisons, jails, or juvenile facilities), community corrections (such as probation, parole, reentry supervision, and community-based service delivery), or could span both settings, reflecting the reality that successful reentry often depends on coordinated support before and after release. NIJ signaled a strong preference for proposals using randomized controlled trials (RCTs), which are generally considered the strongest design for establishing causal impact. While not stated as an absolute requirement, the emphasis on RCTs indicates NIJ wanted studies capable of making clear comparisons between participants who receive an intervention and similar individuals who do not, minimizing bias and strengthening conclusions about program effects.

The larger policy rationale was tied to Department of Justice priorities: reducing violent crime and improving public safety, including protecting police and other public safety personnel. The solicitation linked those outcomes to reentry success by highlighting recidivism reduction and helping returning individuals become law-abiding, productive members of society. In practical terms, that means NIJ was interested in research that measures outcomes like rearrest, reconviction, reincarceration, compliance with supervision, and potentially intermediate outcomes that contribute to long-term success, such as employment, education, housing stability, substance use recovery, mental health engagement, and improved social supports. Because the opportunity emphasized research and evaluation, applicants were expected to bring strong methodological skills, solid partnerships with correctional agencies or service providers, and plans for collecting and analyzing data in a defensible way.

In terms of eligibility, NIJ opened the competition broadly to many applicant types, reflecting the interdisciplinary nature of reentry research and the need for partnerships across government, academia, nonprofits, and the private sector. Eligible applicants included state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status (as long as they were not institutions of higher education); individuals; for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and small businesses. The funding activity categories were listed as Law, Justice and Legal Services and Science and Technology and other Research and Development, and the CFDA number associated with the opportunity was 16.560, which is commonly tied to NIJ research funding.

The opportunity was created on April 6, 2018, with an original closing date of August 6, 2018. NIJ anticipated making approximately 2 awards, with an award ceiling of up to $5,000,000 per award. That ceiling suggests NIJ was prepared to support large-scale evaluations, including multi-site studies or designs that require substantial recruitment, long follow-up periods, extensive data linkage across agencies, and robust implementation and process analysis. With only a small number of expected awards, the solicitation was likely highly competitive, favoring proposals that combined a strong theory of change, high-quality evaluation design (preferably randomized), feasible and ethical recruitment and consent processes where needed, realistic analytic plans, and clear value to practitioners and policymakers trying to improve reentry outcomes.

Overall, this solicitation was designed to push the field beyond anecdotal success stories and toward dependable evidence about which reentry strategies deliver measurable benefits, under what conditions, and for which populations. By prioritizing rigorous evaluation and especially randomized trials, NIJ aimed to generate findings that jurisdictions can rely on when investing in reentry programming, with the broader public safety objective of lowering repeat offending and supporting successful reintegration into the community.

• 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 "NIJ FY18 Research and Evaluation on Promising Reentry Initiatives" 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 Apr 06, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 06, 2018. (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 $5,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township 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, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

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