NIJ FY17 Visiting Fellows Program | NIJ 2017 11561

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2017 11561

The NIJ FY17 Visiting Fellows Program (Funding Opportunity No. NIJ 2017 11561) is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice (NIJ), designed to place highly accomplished practitioners, policymakers, and researchers in residence at NIJ for a focused fellowship period. The program is meant to strengthen NIJ's research mission by bringing in outside expertise that can both produce meaningful scholarship and directly inform how NIJ sets and refines its broader criminology and criminal justice research agenda. Rather than supporting a typical stand-alone research project conducted entirely offsite, this opportunity centers on embedded collaboration with NIJ leadership and staff, pairing hands-on engagement in federal research planning with the production of high-impact scholarly work.

The core purpose of the fellowship is twofold. First, visiting fellows are expected to produce a substantial piece of scholarship that can significantly advance knowledge in criminology or criminal justice. This could take the form of a major capstone that synthesizes and culminates a long line of research, or it could be a bold pivot into a new research area with strong potential to reshape how the field understands crime and justice in the United States. Second, fellows are expected to contribute to NIJ's internal thinking by working with the NIJ Director and staff to help shape the direction of NIJ's research programs. In practice, this means the fellowship is structured not just to generate publications or products, but to translate top-tier expertise into research priorities, program design, and strategic decision-making at NIJ.

Awards are made through a cooperative agreement, which generally signals a closer working relationship with the funding agency than a standard grant. While the notice summary does not list specific deliverables, a cooperative agreement format typically implies ongoing coordination, shared planning, and substantive federal involvement during the course of the fellowship. The program is situated within the Law, Justice and Legal Services funding activity category and is associated with CFDA number 16.560, aligning it with NIJ's broader role as the research, development, and evaluation arm of the Department of Justice.

Eligibility is broad and includes a wide range of applicant types: state, county, and city or township governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations both with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; small businesses; and individuals. This wide eligibility reflects the program's intent to recruit leading talent regardless of sector, so long as the applicant can credibly contribute at a high scholarly and policy-relevant level and participate in a residency model at NIJ.

From a funding standpoint, the award ceiling is $500,000, with an expectation of making about two awards. The opportunity was created on January 25, 2017, with an original application closing date of March 27, 2017. Taken together, these features suggest a highly competitive, selective fellowship program aimed at supporting a small number of influential fellows whose work can meaningfully impact both the academic field and NIJ's future research direction.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "NIJ FY17 Visiting Fellows Program" 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 Jan 25, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 27, 2017. (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 $500,000.00 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.

Apply for NIJ 2017 11561

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