NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Drones as First Responders

Key facts

Copied from the official Grants.gov record. Last verified October 29, 2026.

Program name

NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Drones as First Responders

Issuing agency

National Institute of Justice (Department of Justice)

Opportunity number

O-NIJ-2026-172805

Funding type

Grant

Funding purpose

Science and Technology and other Research and Development

Status

Open (posted)

Application deadline

Closes November 30, 2026

Published award range

Up to $3,500,000

Estimated total program funding

$3,500,000

Expected number of awards

6

Cost sharing or match required

No

Eligible applicants (official categories)

• State governments
• County governments
• City or township governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• For profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses
• Others (see Additional Information on Eligibility)

Relevant to

Businesses and NonprofitsHow we determined this: Grants.gov eligibility includes small businesses or for-profit organizations. Grants.gov eligibility includes nonprofit organizations.

Geographic restrictions

None stated in structured data (federal opportunities are often nationwide). Check the eligibility details and full announcement for any limits.

Assistance Listing (CFDA)

16.560

Official source

View on Grants.gov ↗ · Agency information link ↗

Application URL

www.grants.gov/search-results-detail/364139 ↗Apply through Grants.gov (Workspace) using the application package on the official listing, unless the full announcement names a different submission system.

Source identifier

Grants.gov opportunity ID 364139 · Funding opportunity number O-NIJ-2026-172805

Posted

October 22, 2026 · Source last updated October 22, 2026

Last verified

October 29, 2026 (against Grants.gov)

Data completeness

100% of key fields published by the source

Record confidence

highVerified against the official source; key fields present; no open issues.

Eligibility details (from the agency)

Other Units of Local Government

Description (from the official listing)

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.

Agency contact

For assistance with the requirements of this funding opportunity, please contact OJP Response Center at Phone: 800-851-3420 or 202-353-5556 (TTY for hearing-impaired callers only) or Email: OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov. Hours of operation are: 9:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. ET, Monday–Friday. OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov
OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov