NIJ FY23 Research and Evaluation on Correctional Culture and Climate | O NIJ 2023 171774

Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2023 171774

The NIJ FY23 Research and Evaluation on Correctional Culture and Climate opportunity is a discretionary research grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), focused on improving how correctional agencies understand and manage organizational culture and day-to-day climate inside prisons, jails, and similar facilities. The core intent is to fund rigorous research and evaluation that helps agencies better achieve their missions, especially maintaining safe, humane, and secure environments for both staff and incarcerated people. NIJ is looking for studies that go beyond surface descriptions and instead explain how culture and climate shape outcomes like safety, working conditions, staff recruitment and retention, and an agency's ability to implement and sustain operational or programmatic reforms over time.

The solicitation is explicitly tied to broader Department of Justice priorities that emphasize civil rights and racial equity, improved access to justice, support for victims and justice-involved individuals, stronger community safety, and building public trust. In practical terms, NIJ wants projects that can generate credible evidence correctional leaders, policymakers, and practitioners can use to make real changes, not just publish findings. Applicants are encouraged to form multidisciplinary research teams, bringing together complementary methods and expertise (for example, combining quantitative analysis of administrative data with qualitative interviews or ethnographic work, organizational psychology, criminology, public health, or implementation science).

A major feature of this opportunity is NIJ's emphasis on meaningful engagement with people who have lived experience related to the topic. Proposals get special consideration when the research design includes authentic involvement of groups such as correctional practitioners, community members, service providers, victims, and people with justice system involvement. NIJ also expects projects to measure and seriously consider diversity, discrimination, and bias where applicable, across characteristics such as age, gender and gender identity, race, ethnicity, religion, and sexual orientation. This is framed as a substantive research expectation, not a check-the-box requirement, meaning applicants should be prepared to incorporate these issues into their data collection, measurement strategy, and analysis plan.

For projects that rely on partnerships with criminal justice agencies or other organizations, NIJ requires clear evidence that the partners are on board. Applications should include letters of support signed by an appropriate decision-making authority at each partnering agency. These letters must specifically acknowledge NIJ's data archiving requirement: de-identified data produced or obtained through the award must be archived with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) at the end of the project. Applicants and partners are expected to follow NIJ data archiving guidance, and if selected, grantees must have formal agreements in place with partners by January 1, 2024, including contract language that supports the archiving requirement.

NIJ also places strong weight on dissemination that is designed to drive policy and practice change. Proposals are expected to include robust, creative, multi-pronged dissemination plans, ideally built around strategic partnerships with organizations and associations positioned to reach decision-makers in corrections and translate findings into action. Special consideration is given to applications that dedicate at least 15 percent of the requested budget to implementing these dissemination strategies, and applicants must show that commitment clearly in the Budget Worksheet and Budget Narrative.

Administratively, this is a grant opportunity under CFDA 16.560 (science and technology and other research and development). Eligibility is broad and includes state, county, and local governments; tribal governments and tribal organizations; public and private institutions of higher education; nonprofits with or without 501(c)(3) status; public housing authorities; for-profit organizations (other than small businesses); and small businesses, subject to any limits described in the solicitation. The opportunity number is O-NIJ-2023-171774. NIJ anticipated making about four awards, with an award ceiling of $3,500,000. The solicitation was posted May 23, 2023, and the original closing date was August 7, 2023.

Finally, the solicitation clarifies expectations about who applies and how partnership funding flows. Even when multiple agencies are involved in carrying out the work, only one entity can be the applicant, and any other participating organizations must be included as subrecipients. The applicant is expected to conduct the majority of the proposed work, reinforcing NIJ's focus on clear accountability, strong project management, and the ability to deliver rigorous research products along with usable, practice-oriented dissemination.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIJ FY23 Research and Evaluation on Correctional Culture and Climate" 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 May 23, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 07, 2023. (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 $3,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), 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, Small businesses, Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for O NIJ 2023 171774

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