Opportunity Information: Apply for O NIJ 2026 172796
The NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on School Safety opportunity is a National Institute of Justice notice of funding opportunity designed to build stronger evidence on what works to prevent and respond to threats of violence in K-12 settings. The focus is on filling practical, policy-relevant gaps in school safety research by funding rigorous studies that examine not just whether certain strategies are effective, but also how they are implemented in real school environments and what conditions influence results. Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement, which generally means NIJ expects an active partnership role during the project (for example, in refining research plans, monitoring progress, and ensuring the work meets federal research standards).
Substantively, the NOFO centers on two school safety approaches that have become widely used but still need stronger evaluation evidence. The first is anonymous reporting systems for threats of school violence, including mobile apps, telephone hotlines, and web-based reporting tools. Projects can study the development, deployment, and ongoing operation of these systems, with attention to how reports are received, triaged, acted on, and integrated into school and community response procedures. The second is the work of school threat assessment and intervention teams, especially models that involve coordination between school personnel and law enforcement. The intent is to better understand how these teams function, what practices they use, and what outcomes they produce in terms of identifying, assessing, and managing risk.
A key requirement is that proposed projects combine rigorous outcome or impact evaluation with a process or implementation evaluation. In other words, NIJ is looking for studies that can credibly measure effects (such as changes in reporting behavior, threat response timelines, prevention of incidents, disciplinary outcomes, or other measurable safety indicators) while also documenting how the program was carried out, what resources and training were involved, how decisions were made, and what barriers or variations occurred across sites. The NOFO specifically encourages evaluations of activities supported by the STOP School Violence Act investments, including projects funded through the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program, as well as similar efforts funded by other sources as long as they align with STOP SVA goals.
The opportunity strongly emphasizes partnership with the people closest to the school safety work. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate closely with educators, school stakeholders, and community members in shaping the research questions, selecting feasible and meaningful measures, collecting or accessing data, and interpreting results so that findings translate into practical recommendations. This reflects an expectation that the research will be usable for school decision-makers and not only academically oriented.
From an application standpoint, NIJ signals several items reviewers will look for. Applicants should clearly describe complex, real-world factors that may influence outcomes (such as school context, staffing, student population characteristics, reporting culture, local law enforcement practices, or differences in implementation fidelity) and explain exactly how those factors will be measured. If the study relies on secondary data, the application should include letters of support confirming access to the data and should explain how different datasets will be matched or linked to support the proposed analyses. Applicants are also expected to be straightforward about data limitations, describe how limitations will be addressed (methodologically and operationally), and discuss how remaining limitations could affect interpretation of results.
Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity under CFDA 16.560, categorized as science and technology and other research and development. The listed eligible applicants are broad and include state, county, and city or township governments; special districts; independent school districts; public and private institutions of higher education; federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations; public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities; nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status; for-profit entities other than small businesses; and small businesses. The original closing date is November 23, 2026. NIJ anticipates making about six awards, with an award ceiling of up to $5,000,000 per award.Apply for O NIJ 2026 172796
- The National Institute of Justice in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on School Safety" 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 2026-10-09.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-11-23. (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 6 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.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on School Safety
What is the NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on School Safety funding opportunity?
This is a National Institute of Justice (NIJ) notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) focused on building stronger evidence about what works to prevent and respond to threats of violence in K-12 school settings. The emphasis is on filling practical, policy-relevant gaps with rigorous research that looks at both outcomes and how school safety strategies operate in real-world environments.
What is the overall purpose of this NOFO?
The purpose is to fund rigorous studies that can credibly measure the effects of certain school safety approaches while also explaining how those approaches were implemented, what conditions shaped results, and what factors influenced success or challenges across different school contexts.
What funding mechanism is being used?
Funding is offered through a cooperative agreement. This generally means NIJ expects an active partnership role during the project, such as working with awardees to refine research plans, monitoring progress, and helping ensure the work meets federal research standards.
How many awards does NIJ expect to make?
NIJ anticipates making about six awards.
What is the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling is up to $5,000,000 per award.
When is the application due?
The original closing date listed for this opportunity is November 23, 2026.
What CFDA number is associated with this opportunity?
This is a discretionary funding opportunity under CFDA 16.560.
How is this opportunity categorized?
It is categorized as science and technology and other research and development.
Who is eligible to apply?
The listed eligible applicants are broad and include:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special districts
- Independent school districts
- Public and private institutions of higher education
- Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status
- For-profit entities other than small businesses
- Small businesses
What school safety topics does this NOFO prioritize?
The NOFO centers on two widely used school safety approaches that still need stronger evaluation evidence:
- Anonymous reporting systems for threats of school violence (such as mobile apps, telephone hotlines, and web-based reporting tools)
- School threat assessment and intervention teams, especially models that coordinate school personnel and law enforcement
What kinds of anonymous reporting systems can be studied?
The NOFO mentions anonymous reporting systems including mobile apps, telephone hotlines, and web-based reporting tools. Proposed projects may examine how these systems are developed, deployed, and operated over time.
What aspects of anonymous reporting system operations does NIJ want researchers to evaluate?
Projects can focus on operational and procedural questions such as how reports are received, triaged, acted on, and integrated into school and community response procedures.
What does NIJ want to learn about school threat assessment and intervention teams?
NIJ is seeking stronger evidence about how these teams function, what practices they use, and what outcomes they produce related to identifying, assessing, and managing risk. The NOFO highlights models involving coordination between school personnel and law enforcement.
Does NIJ require both impact/outcome evaluation and process/implementation evaluation?
Yes. A key requirement is that proposed projects combine a rigorous outcome or impact evaluation with a process or implementation evaluation. The intent is to measure effects while also documenting how the program was carried out and what conditions influenced results.
What kinds of outcomes or effects might an evaluation measure?
The NOFO provides examples of measurable effects that could be studied, such as changes in reporting behavior, threat response timelines, prevention of incidents, disciplinary outcomes, and other measurable safety indicators.
What kinds of implementation details does NIJ expect applicants to document?
Implementation/process evaluation elements described in the NOFO include documenting how the program was carried out, what resources and training were involved, how decisions were made, what barriers arose, and how implementation varied across sites (including variations in implementation fidelity).
How important is real-world school context in the proposed research?
Real-world context is central to this NOFO. NIJ indicates that reviewers will look for clear descriptions of complex, real-world factors that may influence outcomes, along with an explanation of how those factors will be measured.
What are examples of real-world factors that may influence outcomes?
The NOFO gives examples such as school context, staffing, student population characteristics, reporting culture, local law enforcement practices, and differences in implementation fidelity.
Does the NOFO encourage evaluation of STOP School Violence Act-related efforts?
Yes. The NOFO specifically encourages evaluations of activities supported by STOP School Violence Act (STOP SVA) investments, including projects funded through the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program.
Can projects funded by other sources be evaluated under this opportunity?
Yes. The NOFO notes that similar efforts funded by other sources may be evaluated as long as they align with STOP SVA goals.
How strongly does NIJ emphasize partnerships with schools and communities?
The opportunity strongly emphasizes partnership with the people closest to school safety work. Applicants are encouraged to collaborate closely with educators, school stakeholders, and community members to shape research questions, select feasible and meaningful measures, collect or access data, and interpret results so findings translate into practical recommendations.
What does NIJ mean by research that is "usable" for schools?
Based on the NOFO description, NIJ is looking for research designed with school decision-makers in mind, not only academically oriented work. This includes selecting feasible measures, incorporating practitioner and community input, and producing practical recommendations grounded in real implementation conditions.
What does NIJ expect if a project relies on secondary data?
If the study relies on secondary data, the application should include letters of support confirming access to the data. Applicants should also explain how different datasets will be matched or linked to support the proposed analyses.
How should applicants address data limitations?
Applicants are expected to be straightforward about data limitations, describe how limitations will be addressed (methodologically and operationally), and discuss how remaining limitations could affect interpretation of results.
What will reviewers be looking for in strong applications?
Based on the NOFO description, reviewers will look for applications that (1) clearly explain real-world factors that may influence outcomes and how they will be measured, (2) include documentation of data access when using secondary data (such as letters of support), (3) describe how datasets will be linked when relevant, and (4) transparently address data limitations and their implications for interpreting findings.
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