NIJ FY24 Evaluation of BJA Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP): Scan of Practices and Evaluability Assessments

The NIJ FY24 Evaluation of BJA Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program (SCIP) is designed to assess the effectiveness of state-level crisis intervention efforts funded through Byrne SCIP from fiscal years 2022 to 2024. The Byrne SCIP program provides financial support for initiatives that include extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs), courts' responses to individuals in crisis, community-based services, and law enforcement-led crisis interventions. The goal of this grant is to generate insights into these interventions and their outcomes, informing future program development and enhancing public safety. This opportunity consists of two categories: a scan of practices and evaluability assessments. The scan of practices will review state-level crisis intervention activities, with one award of up to $600,000 available. The evaluability assessments, with four awards of up to $1,500,000 each, will focus on evaluating program areas such as ERPO programs, courts responding to crises, community services, and law enforcement initiatives. Applicants may submit proposals in both categories but must submit separate applications for each. These assessments will help identify promising programs and strategies that can be scaled or improved. Eligible applicants include state, local, and tribal governments, educational institutions, nonprofits, small businesses, and public housing authorities. The solicitation encourages partnerships with stakeholders such as law enforcement, behavioral health providers, and community organizations. Applications with multidisciplinary research teams or those led by minority-serving institutions will receive special consideration. The application process consists of a two-step submission. The first step requires registering in Grants.gov and submitting preliminary documents, followed by the full application submission through JustGrants. Deadlines are set for November 19, 2024, for Grants.gov submissions, and December 3, 2024, for JustGrants. The performance period for the scan of practices is 16 months, while evaluability assessments may span up to 30 months, with awards starting on March 1, 2025. Applicants must clearly outline research goals, objectives, and methodologies. They should demonstrate prior experience in conducting evaluations, propose practical timelines, and include plans for disseminating findings to policymakers and practitioners. Each project must align with NIJ’s standards for evaluation, data collection, and archiving, and applicants are encouraged to build collaborative frameworks with local partners. Successful applicants will be required to submit quarterly reports and a final research report. The deliverables include insights into implementation practices, data quality assessments, and logic models for crisis interventions. Grantees are also expected to submit data to the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data to ensure transparency and promote future research. This funding opportunity seeks to improve understanding of crisis intervention strategies, with the broader aim of reducing crime and enhancing public safety. Findings from these evaluations will guide policy decisions and support jurisdictions in refining their approaches to addressing crises effectively. For further information, applicants are encouraged to participate in a pre-application webinar and consult with NIJ program staff.