Research and Evaluation on White Collar Crime: Health Care and Elder Fraud, FY 2019 | NIJ 2019 15383

Opportunity Information: Apply for NIJ 2019 15383

The Department of Justice, through the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), offered this FY 2019 discretionary grant opportunity to fund research and evaluation projects focused on white collar crime in the United States. The main goal was to build stronger, evidence-based knowledge about how white collar crimes are detected, prevented, reduced, investigated, and prosecuted. While white collar crime can cover a broad range of unlawful conduct, this solicitation narrowed its focus to three specific areas where NIJ sought scientifically rigorous work: health care fraud, cyber-crime targeting individuals, and elder fraud (including elder financial exploitation). The program was positioned as part of DOJ priorities tied to strengthening national security and reinforcing the rule of law, integrity, and good government.

The solicitation emphasized research and evaluation rather than general programming or service delivery. In practical terms, NIJ was looking for projects that could produce credible findings about what is happening in these crime areas, why it is happening, and what strategies work to stop it. That could include studies that improve understanding of offender methods and networks, the systems and vulnerabilities that allow fraud to occur, and the institutional challenges faced by regulators, law enforcement, prosecutors, health systems, or financial institutions. It also invited evaluations that test approaches intended to improve outcomes such as earlier identification of fraud, better prevention and deterrence, stronger investigations, and more effective prosecutions. The common thread is that proposed work needed to be methodologically strong and capable of producing actionable findings that advance the field.

The three topic areas define the kinds of white collar crime NIJ intended to support. Health care fraud generally includes deceptive or illegal practices that result in improper payment or benefit within health care programs and systems, and the solicitation invited research that could improve understanding and countermeasures in that space. Cyber-crime against individuals pointed to offenses where individuals are targeted through digital means, which can include fraud schemes and other financially motivated cyber offenses. Elder fraud and financial exploitation addressed crimes that disproportionately harm older adults, including scams and misuse of an elder's finances, and the solicitation highlighted the need for better evidence on how to identify risk, prevent harm, and strengthen responses by the justice system and partner agencies.

On eligibility, NIJ kept the competition broad to encourage participation from research institutions, governments, and other organizations capable of carrying out high-quality research. Eligible applicants included state, county, and city or township governments; special district governments; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; nonprofit organizations (including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) entities that are not universities); individuals; for-profit organizations (including small businesses and other for-profits); and other eligible entities as described in the solicitation's additional eligibility information. This wide eligibility reflects NIJ's intent to draw on academic expertise, practitioner knowledge, and private-sector technical capabilities, especially relevant in areas like cyber-enabled fraud.

Key administrative details show this was a relatively targeted competition with a limited number of awards and a sizable maximum award amount for research of this kind. The opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number NIJ 2019 15383 and CFDA 16.560, with an initial posting/creation date of February 15, 2019, and an original closing date of May 2, 2019. NIJ anticipated making about three awards under the solicitation, and the award ceiling was set at $2,500,000 per award. The funding instrument type was a grant, and the funding activity category was Law, Justice and Legal Services.

Overall, this grant opportunity was designed to strengthen the empirical foundation behind efforts to combat major forms of white collar crime affecting public resources and vulnerable populations. By concentrating on health care fraud, cyber-crime against individuals, and elder fraud, NIJ signaled interest in research that not only describes the scope and mechanics of these crimes, but also tests and evaluates real-world strategies for improving detection, prevention, investigation, and prosecution in ways that can be replicated and scaled.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Research and Evaluation on White Collar Crime: Health Care and Elder Fraud, FY 2019" 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 Feb 15, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 02, 2019. (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 $2,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 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, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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