Open for applications

NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Justice System Responses to Illegal Immigration

National Institute of Justice · Opportunity number O-NIJ-2026-172800

31 days left (deadline Nov 16, 2026)

Details summarized from the official notice as of Oct 15, 2026. Always confirm eligibility, deadlines and requirements in the official notice before applying.

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Key facts

Opportunity number	O-NIJ-2026-172800
Agency	National Institute of Justice Department of Justice
Assistance listing (ALN, formerly CFDA)	16.560
Posted	Oct 9, 2026
Deadline	Nov 16, 2026
Award ceiling	$3,000,000
Expected number of awards	5
Estimated total program funding	$3,000,000
Cost sharing or matching required	No
Funding type	Grant
Category	Science technology and other research and development
Last updated here	Oct 15, 2026

Summary from the notice

This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Justice System Responses to Illegal Immigration. This opportunity supports proposals for rigorous, applied research and evaluations examining the adult criminal justice system (courts, law enforcement, jails, prisons, and community supervision) challenges and responses to illegal immigration and crimes committed by aliens while in the U.S. illegally at the state, local, and tribal levels. This includes, but is not limited to, location and apprehension, court operations, transportation and detention, investigating fraud and other crimes committed by illegal aliens, including creating an accurate profile of their rates of criminal activity, counter gang and criminal activity including drug and human trafficking operations. Criminal justice agencies often develop innovative solutions to local challenges that may provide insight to other jurisdictions. Applicants may propose studies examining single or multiple states and jurisdictions and models of cooperation between federal, state, local and tribal justice systems and other stakeholders. The goal of this NOFO is to identify innovative local strategies, evaluate their effectiveness, and inform practical, data-driven solutions that inform and strengthen the strategies that state, local, and tribal justice systems use to address illegal immigration.

Who can apply

The official notice lists these applicant types as eligible:

County governments
City or township governments
Public and state colleges and universities
State governments
Other Native American tribal organizations
Private colleges and universities
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than colleges)
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than colleges)
Federally recognized tribal governments
Special district governments
Others named in the notice (see the eligibility text)
Small businesses

Who should take a closer look

Small businesses
Nonprofits
Colleges and universities
State governments
Local governments
Tribal governments and organizations
Larger for-profit companies

Not listed as eligible

Individuals

Unless the eligibility text in the notice names you, this opportunity is probably not for you.

Eligibility details from the notice

Other Units of Local Government: For the purposes of this notice of funding opportunity, other units of local government include towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state.

Registrations you will likely need

Most applications submitted through Grants.gov need the following. Registration can take several weeks, so start early. The notice lists the exact requirements.

SAM.gov registration for your organization, which also gives you a Unique Entity ID (UEI). Registration is free.
A Login.gov account, which Grants.gov uses for sign-in.
A Grants.gov applicant registration linked to your organization's UEI.

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National Institute of Justice · O-NIJ-2026-172798

Deadline: Nov 16, 2026 (31 days left) Up to: $5,943,493 Science technology and other research and development

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Before you apply

Read the full official notice, including the evaluation criteria.
Confirm your organization type and location are eligible.
Check your SAM.gov registration is active.
Note the exact deadline time and time zone in the notice.