Data / Federal grants / O-NIJ-2026-172805
NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Drones as First Responders
National Institute of Justice (Department of Justice) is accepting applications until November 30, 2026. It lists awards of up to $3.5 million, 6 awards expected, $3.5 million in total.
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Key facts
- Opportunity number
- O-NIJ-2026-172805
- Status
- Posted, open
- Posted
- October 22, 2026
- Closes
- November 30, 2026
- Award ceiling
- $3,500,000
- Expected awards
- 6
- Total funding
- $3,500,000
- Cost sharing
- Not required
- Funding instrument
- Grant
- Category
- Science and Technology and other Research and Development
- Assistance listing
- 16.560 National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Project Grants
- Contact
- National Institute of Justice · [email protected] · 202-616-5314
Who can apply
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Independent school districts
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Small businesses
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- State governments
- Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)
- Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- County governments
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Private institutions of higher education
Other Units of Local Government
What the agency says
This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Drones as First Responders. This opportunity seeks proposals for rigorous evaluations of implementations of drone technology to combat violent crime, immigration enforcement, and other law enforcement activities. The goal of this NOFO is to provide actionable information about police implementation of small drones through a collaboration between law enforcement agencies and researchers. NIJ welcomes research and evaluation of drones as first responders (DFR) capabilities, including evaluation of existing capabilities or pilot programs at police departments already using DFR, as well as implementation of new pilot programs or demonstrations. NIJ expects research entities and law enforcement agencies to collaborate on implementing DFR and evaluating operational performance. Law enforcement agencies participating in evaluations will have the option to retain any DFR technology purchased through the NOFO at the study’s conclusion.
Other open grants from the Department of Justice
| Opportunity | Status | Closes | Award ceiling | Total funding | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OJP FY 2026 Special Attorneys Program Round 10 O-BJA-2026-172792 | Open | Oct 28 | $3,000,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Capital Case Litigation Initiative: Improving the Quality of Legal Representation in State Capital Cases O-BJA-2026-172715 | Open | Oct 29 | $450,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 DNA Capacity Enhancement for Backlog Reduction (CEBR)—Formula Grants Program O-BJA-2026-172718 | Open | Oct 29 | $3,500,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Paul Coverdell Forensic Science Improvement- Competitive Grants Program O-BJA-2026-172711 | Open | Oct 29 | $500,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA O-BJA-2026-172708 | Open | Oct 29 | $750,000 | grants.gov | |
| BJA FY 2026 Veterans Treatment Court Program O-BJA-2026-172714 | Open | Oct 29 | $2,500,000 | grants.gov |
All grants open to Public colleges and universities · All grants open to Independent school districts · All grants open to For profit organizations other than small businesses · Everything closing in November 2026
Read from the Grants.gov API, last updated 2026-10-23. The agency's notice on Grants.gov is the official record; check it before you apply.