Assessing the Effectiveness of the Second Chance Act Grant Program: A Phased Evaluation Approach, Fiscal Year 2020 | NIJ 2020 17170

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2020 17170

The Department of Justice, through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), offered a discretionary grant opportunity titled "Assessing the Effectiveness of the Second Chance Act Grant Program: A Phased Evaluation Approach, Fiscal Year 2020" (Funding Opportunity Number: NIJ 2020 17170). The core purpose of the solicitation was to fund a rigorous research evaluation of the Second Chance Act (SCA) grant program, with a clear emphasis on determining how well SCA-funded efforts support successful reentry and reduce recidivism. In practical terms, NIJ was looking for a research partner capable of stepping back from individual local projects and producing credible evidence about whether, how, and under what conditions SCA investments lead to measurable public safety and reintegration benefits.

The solicitation called for a phased evaluation strategy rather than a single, one-size-fits-all study. That phased approach was meant to capture the full lifecycle and real-world functioning of SCA grants. It signaled that NIJ expected applicants to examine not only end results, but also how programs were implemented, what services and processes were actually delivered, and how closely sites followed their intended program models. The evaluation was expected to cover multiple dimensions: implementation and fidelity (what was put in place and how well it matched the plan), process (how participants moved through services and what barriers emerged), outcomes (short- and medium-term changes for participants), costs (resources required to run the programs), and impacts (the net effect attributable to SCA-funded interventions, ideally using designs that can support causal conclusions when feasible). Taken together, the goal was a comprehensive assessment that could inform future funding decisions, identify effective practices, and improve accountability for reentry programming.

NIJ positioned this work within a broader Department of Justice priority, specifically DOJ Strategic Objective 3.1: combating violent crime, promoting safe communities, and upholding the rights of crime victims. While the SCA is centered on reentry, the underlying policy logic is that effective reentry can reduce repeat offending, lower victimization, and strengthen community safety. The solicitation therefore aligned evaluation goals with public safety outcomes, including reductions in recidivism, and likely encouraged attention to how programs affect both individuals returning from incarceration and the communities to which they return.

The opportunity was open to a wide range of eligible applicants, reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of reentry research and the practical need to partner with justice agencies and service providers. Eligible entities included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (both with and without 501(c)(3) status, other than higher education institutions); for-profit organizations other than small businesses; and other applicants as described in the solicitation’s additional eligibility language. This broad eligibility suggests NIJ anticipated proposals from universities, research organizations, and policy institutes, often in collaboration with corrections departments, community supervision agencies, courts, or community-based reentry providers that interact directly with SCA-funded programs and participants.

From a funding standpoint, the grant instrument type was a standard grant under a research and justice-related funding activity category (Law, Justice and Legal Services, and Science and Technology/other R&D), and it was associated with CFDA number 16.560. NIJ anticipated making a single award, with an award ceiling of $1,500,000. The solicitation was created on March 25, 2020, with an original application closing date of May 26, 2020. The single-award structure and relatively substantial ceiling indicate NIJ was likely seeking one lead evaluator to design and execute a large, coordinated evaluation plan that could produce findings of national relevance for the Second Chance Act portfolio.

Overall, this opportunity was essentially an invitation to build a strong evidence base around the Second Chance Act grant program. NIJ sought proposals that could credibly document what SCA grantees did on the ground, measure participant and system outcomes, estimate the costs of delivering services, and determine whether the program produced meaningful reductions in recidivism and improvements in reentry success. The phased design requirement underscored the expectation of a structured, methodical evaluation that progresses from understanding implementation to testing outcomes and impacts, generating actionable lessons for practitioners, policymakers, and future federal reentry investments.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services, science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Assessing the Effectiveness of the Second Chance Act Grant Program: A Phased Evaluation Approach, Fiscal Year 2020" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.560.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 25, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 26, 2020. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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), 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, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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