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

Updated Oct 20, 2026

Grant from the National Institute of Justice, open to small businesses. Closes Nov 16, 2026, 27 days left.

Opportunity number	O-NIJ-2026-172800
Agency	National Institute of Justice
Funding type	Grant
Field	Science, technology and other research and development
Award ceiling	$3.0 million
Expected number of awards	5
Total program funding	$3.0 million
Cost sharing or matching	Not required
Assistance listing	16.560
Posted	Oct 9, 2026
Closes	Nov 16, 2026 (27 days left)
Add the deadline to	Google Calendar

Who can apply

State governments
County governments
City or township governments
Special district governments
Public and state controlled institutions of higher education
Native American tribal governments (federally recognized)
Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments)
Nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status, other than institutions of higher education
Private institutions of higher education
For-profit organizations other than small businesses
Small businesses
Others (see the eligibility notes)

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.

Description

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.

Full announcement and how to apply on Grants.gov

Science, technology and other research and development grants right now

There are 99 open federal grants in science, technology and other research and development that small businesses may apply for; 46 close within 30 days. The median award ceiling is $1.2 million; this grant offers up to $3.0 million. The agencies offering the most are Defense Health Agency Contracting Activity - DHACA, U.S. National Science Foundation and National Institute of Justice. Grants in this field stay open a median of 154 days; this one is open for 38 days.

Who has won this program before

Research Triangle Institute $13.2 million · from Jan 1, 2024
University Of Pittsburgh - Of The Commonwealth System Of Higher Education $12.4 million · from Jan 1, 2018
The CNA Corporation $7.0 million · from Jan 1, 2025
National Policing Institute $3.0 million · from Jan 1, 2024
Icahn School Of Medicine AT Mount Sinai $2.5 million · from Jan 1, 2021

The largest grants and cooperative agreements under assistance listing 16.560 with payments since Oct 1, 2025, from USAspending.gov. Amounts are each award's total.