§ Federal grant opportunity · O-NIJ-2026-172805
NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Drones as First Responders
National Institute of Justice is accepting applications for NIJ FY 2026 Research and Evaluation on Drones as First Responders. The deadline is November 30, 2026 and the published award range is $0 – $3.5M.
Key facts
- Funder
- National Institute of Justice
- Application deadline
- November 30, 2026
- Award range
- $0 – $3.5M
- Eligibility
- small businesses, independent school districts, nonprofits non higher education without 501c3, city or township governments, public and indian housing authorities, special district governments, private institutions of higher education, state governments, nonprofits non higher education with 501c3, public and state institutions of higher education, other native american tribal organizations, federally recognized native american tribal governments, other, for profit organizations other than small businesses, county governments
- Geography
- United States
- Focus areas
- Science Technology And Other Research And Development
- Opportunity number
- O-NIJ-2026-172805
Program overview
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.
How to apply
- Confirm your organization meets the eligibility criteria above.
- Read the full funding opportunity announcement from National Institute of Justice.
- Draft your narrative against the funder's stated priorities and review criteria.
- Submit before November 30, 2026, allowing time for registration and validation.
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