NIJ FY25 Research on the Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation of Older Adults | Apply Online

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the name of this funding opportunity?

The opportunity is titled "NIJ FY25 Research on the Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation of Older Adults."

2) Who is offering this grant?

The grant is offered by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).

3) What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?

The Funding Opportunity Number is O-NIJ-2025-172574.

4) What is the purpose of the solicitation?

The purpose is to support rigorous research and evaluation that strengthens the evidence base on how older adults experience abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation, and on which interventions, investigative methods, and prevention strategies are most effective.

5) What kind of work is NIJ looking to fund under this solicitation?

NIJ is looking for methodologically strong, practically relevant research and evaluation that can produce findings usable by justice system and community partners.

6) What program area or portfolio does this opportunity fall under?

This opportunity sits within NIJ's science and technology and broader research and development portfolio, and is associated with CFDA 16.560.

7) What are the main research topics NIJ is seeking (topical areas)?

NIJ is seeking projects aligned with five topical areas:

1. Evaluations of programs that prevent, intervene in, or respond to abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation of older adults.
2. Research on financial fraud targeting older adults, including scam prevention messaging.
3. Research on formal and informal caregivers who perpetrate abuse or neglect (including financial, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse).
4. Forensic research on physical abuse of older adults, especially radiographic evidence and bioinformatic approaches.
5. Research on how emerging technologies contribute to fraud and exploitation, including potential countermeasures.

8) What does NIJ mean by "evaluations of programs" in this context?

It refers to studying real-world programs intended to prevent, intervene in, or respond to abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of older adults, and assessing whether they reduce harm, increase reporting or service access, improve victim safety, or enhance system responses, including the conditions under which programs work well or fall short.

9) What types of outcomes might a program evaluation examine?

Examples mentioned include reductions in harm, increased reporting, improved access to services, improved victim safety, and stronger or more effective system responses.

10) What kinds of projects fit the financial fraud and scam-prevention messaging topic?

Projects may examine how scams reach older adults, what makes scam pitches persuasive, which communication channels or message frames work best for prevention, and how to design warnings that people notice, trust, and act on.

11) What is included in the caregiver-focused topic area?

This area includes research on both formal and informal caregivers who perpetrate abuse or neglect, including financial, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse. NIJ is interested in work that goes beyond documenting risk factors to generate insights that can inform intervention and prevention program development.

12) What kinds of caregiver-related factors or dynamics are specifically highlighted?

The solicitation highlights potential focus areas such as caregiver stressors, opportunity structures for financial exploitation, supervision and accountability gaps, and family or care-setting dynamics that make detection and reporting difficult.

13) What does the forensic research topic focus on?

It focuses on physical abuse of older adults, particularly the development of radiographic evidence and bioinformatic approaches to improve detection, documentation, and evidentiary standards.

14) What are examples of forensic advances NIJ is interested in for this topic?

Examples include improved interpretation of imaging, identification of injury patterns, and analytical approaches that help distinguish accidental injury from abuse in older populations.

15) What does NIJ mean by "emerging technologies" in the context of fraud and exploitation?

This topic recognizes that technology is changing offender tools and victim-targeting environments. Relevant areas mentioned include technology-enabled scams, digital payment platforms, AI-driven impersonation or persuasion tactics, online marketplaces, and remote access tools, as well as technological countermeasures or system-level interventions.

16) Who is eligible to apply for this grant?

The eligible applicant pool includes:

• State, county, and local governments
• Special district governments
• Independent school districts
• Public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations
• Nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those nonprofit categories)
• For-profit organizations other than small businesses
• Small businesses

17) Are institutions of higher education eligible?

Yes. Both public and state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.

18) Are tribal governments or tribal organizations eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized tribal governments and other tribal organizations are included in the eligible applicant pool.

19) Are nonprofit organizations eligible, including those without 501(c)(3) status?

Yes. Nonprofit organizations with and without 501(c)(3) status are listed as eligible (with the noted exclusion for higher education institutions within those nonprofit categories).

20) Are for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes. For-profit organizations other than small businesses are included, and small businesses are also explicitly listed as eligible.

21) How many awards does NIJ expect to make?

NIJ expects to make about two awards under this opportunity.

22) What is the maximum funding amount (award ceiling) per award?

The award ceiling is $1,600,000 per award.

23) What is the application closing date?

The original closing date listed for applications is May 19, 2026.

24) When was the opportunity record created?

The opportunity record reflects a creation date of March 25, 2026.

25) What is NIJ emphasizing about the research design and usefulness of results?

NIJ emphasizes studies that are rigorous and methodologically strong, practically relevant, and capable of producing findings that can be used by justice system and community partners.

26) Does the solicitation focus only on documenting the problem, or also on solutions?

Based on the stated purpose and topical areas, NIJ is seeking not only research that strengthens understanding of abuse, neglect, and exploitation, but also evaluations and other studies that identify what interventions, investigative methods, prevention strategies, and countermeasures work best.

27) What populations and harms are at the center of the solicitation?

The solicitation centers on older adults and how they experience abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation, including fraud and exploitation facilitated by caregivers or emerging technologies.