NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on School Safety
The National Institute of Justice funds rigorous research and evaluations of K-12 school safety programs focused on anonymous threat reporting systems and school threat assessment and intervention teams.
Funder: National Institute of Justice
Due Dates: November 23, 2026 (Grants.gov) | November 30, 2026 (JustGrants)
Funding Amounts: $5 million total funding; award ceiling $5 million; 6 expected cooperative agreements; no match required
Summary: Supports rigorous evaluations of anonymous school-violence reporting systems and school threat assessment and intervention teams to improve K–12 safety.
Key Information: Projects should pair outcome/impact evaluations with process/implementation evaluations of STOP School Violence Act activities or aligned programs.
Description
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the U.S. Department of Justice’s research, development, and evaluation agency within the Office of Justice Programs, supports research addressing key gaps in K–12 school safety. This opportunity focuses on the development, deployment, and operation of anonymous reporting systems for threats of school violence—including mobile applications, hotlines, and websites—and school threat assessment and intervention teams coordinating with law enforcement and school personnel.
The program seeks rigorous outcome/impact evaluations paired with process/implementation evaluations of activities supported by STOP School Violence Act projects administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the COPS Office School Violence Prevention Program, or similar programs aligned with the Act’s goals. NIJ strongly encourages collaboration with educators, school stakeholders, and communities to develop questions, identify solutions, collect data, and interpret findings that inform practical school-safety recommendations.
