OJJDP FY 18 Law Enforcement-Youth Field Initiated Research and Evaluation Program | OJJDP 2018 13556

Opportunity Information: Apply for OJJDP 2018 13556

The OJJDP FY 18 Law Enforcement-Youth Field Initiated Research and Evaluation Program is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), focused on building strong, usable evidence about how law enforcement and young people interact and what helps those interactions go well. The central aim is to fund field-initiated projects that use rigorous research and evaluation methods to produce findings that can realistically guide policy and practice in real-world settings. In practical terms, the program is designed to help jurisdictions and agencies identify approaches that improve safety for officers, youth, and the broader community, while also promoting more constructive engagement between police and young people.

This solicitation specifically targets two broad types of work. First, it supports research that improves scientific understanding of the conditions, behaviors, environments, and organizational factors that either support or undermine positive police-youth relationships. That can include studying what shapes trust, communication, cooperation, perceived legitimacy, and conflict in encounters involving youth, and how these dynamics vary across settings like schools, neighborhoods, community events, or routine patrol. Second, it invites evaluations that examine the implementation and effectiveness of trainings, programs, practices, or policies intended to improve law enforcement and youth engagement. That means applicants can propose studies that do not just ask whether something works, but also look closely at how it is carried out in practice, what barriers or facilitators affect implementation, and which components are most strongly linked to better outcomes.

The opportunity emphasizes methodological rigor, signaling that OJJDP is looking for designs capable of producing credible, defensible conclusions. While the solicitation summary does not list specific required methods, the language indicates a preference for strong evaluation and research approaches that can support actionable recommendations. The intended output is evidence that practitioners and decision-makers can use to refine training, adopt promising practices, strengthen policies, and reduce negative outcomes in youth-law enforcement contacts.

Key administrative details frame the size and structure of the program. The funding opportunity title is "OJJDP FY 18 Law Enforcement-Youth Field Initiated Research and Evaluation Program," and the funding opportunity number is OJJDP 2018 13556. It is offered as a grant under the Law, Justice and Legal Services funding activity category, with CFDA number 16.540. The solicitation was created on April 12, 2018, with an original closing date of May 29, 2018. OJJDP anticipated making about two awards, with an award ceiling of $1,000,000 per award, indicating relatively large, competitive projects likely intended to support multi-site research, robust data collection, or comprehensive evaluations.

Eligibility is broad and includes a range of public, academic, tribal, and private entities. Eligible applicants include state governments, county governments, and city or township governments, as well as special district governments. Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are eligible, reflecting the research-heavy nature of the program. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are eligible as well. The eligibility list also includes for-profit organizations other than small businesses, plus an "others" category referencing additional eligibility clarification in the full solicitation. Overall, the applicant pool is designed to allow partnerships between researchers and practitioners, such as universities working with police departments, juvenile justice agencies, schools, or community organizations, or governmental entities teaming with research organizations to carry out rigorous studies.

In short, this OJJDP solicitation is aimed at generating high-quality evidence that helps communities understand and improve the way law enforcement engages with youth. By funding both foundational research on the drivers of police-youth interaction quality and applied evaluations of trainings and policies, the program seeks to move beyond anecdote and toward tested strategies that can improve safety, strengthen relationships, and support more effective youth-focused law enforcement practice.

• The Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OJJDP FY 18 Law Enforcement-Youth Field Initiated Research and Evaluation Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.540.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 12, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 29, 2018. (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 $1,000,000.00 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, Special district governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for OJJDP 2018 13556

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