Title: The W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program. Series: Solicitation Author: National Institute of Justice Published: NIJ, November 1999 (Web-only) Subject: Funding sources 6 pages 12,000 bytes ------------------------------- Figures, charts, forms, and tables are not included in this ASCII plain-text file. To view this document in its entirety, download the Adobe Acrobat graphic file available from this Web site or order a print copy from NCJRS at 800-851-3420 (877-712-9279 for TTY users). ------------------------------- The W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program SL 000391 ------------------------------- The W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program The National Institute of Justice supports the investigation, analysis, and development of innovative approaches that enhance justice and advance public policy decisionmaking on issues related to crime, violence, and the administration of justice. Recognizing the dynamic influence of community factors on these issues, NIJ includes in its research portfolio a body of work that explores diverse perspectives addressing criminal justice research questions. The W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program seeks to advance the field of knowledge regarding the confluence of crime, justice, and culture in various societal contexts. DuBois Fellows will be asked to focus on these policy-relevant questions in a manner that truly reflects their saliency as an integral part of the American past, present, and, increasingly, its future. The DuBois Fellowship complements NIJ's other fellowships--the Graduate Research and Visiting Fellowship programs--and provides talented researchers early in their career with the opportunity to elevate independently generated research and ideas to the level of national discussion. DuBois Fellows will contribute to NIJ's criminal justice research national program by studying topics of mutual interest to the Fellow and the Institute. Fellows are expected to spend a short residence at NIJ and prepare reports suitable for publication by NIJ that summarize the results and policy implications of their research. NIJ will negotiate specific products with Fellows during the preaward period. Fellows also may be asked to: o Participate in developing plans for nationally significant criminal justice research programs relating to the Fellow's proposed research and field of expertise. o Interact with Institute staff and other Fellows. o Develop presentations that inform and involve the Institute's research and development community and its program partners in the discussion and interpretation of research findings and policy implications. o Help develop informational materials for new or current projects. The DuBois Fellowship places particular emphasis on crime, violence, and the administration of justice in diverse cultural contexts. Therefore, researchers may choose from, but are not limited to, the following list of broad topic areas: o Immigration, crime, and victimization: examining incidences of crime, violence, and victimization within immigrant populations; justice system responses; justice system innovations addressing the needs of immigrant populations; and illegal immigration, with a focus on law enforcement issues and the administration of justice. o Transnational crime: examining instances in which crime and crime control efforts extend beyond national boundaries and studying links to transnational crime in immigrant communities and implications for sound investigative practices. o Ethnographic studies investigating crime, violence, substance abuse, and justice system interactions in particular cultural settings: exploring in depth the role of race, ethnicity, and culture-specific norms within particular communal contexts; considering implications for further knowledge development and the development of policies and programmatic responses that take these factors, where relevant and significant, into account. o Police-community relations: considering the impact of race, ethnicity, gender, and culture on law enforcement effectiveness and perceptions of justice; weighing factors of language, culture, and socio-historical perceptions of law enforcement as these issues come to bear on the ability of police, as individuals and organizations, to serve communities. o Courts, sentencing, and corrections: determining the influence of race, ethnicity, gender, and culture on charging decisions, sentencing practices, and disparities in representation; considering the needs of special populations within the correctional system and current programmatic responses addressing rehabilitation and offender reintegration in situations where race, gender, or culture may prove relevant. o Civil rights: researching the preservation of civil rights juxtaposed against the preservation of public safety, order, and the administration of justice; examining policing and other justice system issues through comparative analyses of practices in existing and emerging democracies. In addition to describing the substantive focus of the proposed research, applicants should outline the manner in which this work would be conducted. Unlike other research grant proposals where a team of researchers might undertake a large-scale project, a fellowship places an emphasis on the activities and interactions of the principal scholar. The fellowship should comprise activities linking the scholar and his/her work to NIJ, the Fellow's home institution, and colleagues at other institutions. There are several formats in which the work of an NIJ Research Fellow can be conducted; the precise contours of the fellowship depend on the scholarship being proposed. An applicant may wish to propose a long-term residency at NIJ; this would be particularly appropriate where the project requires extensive contact with Federal agencies or other scholars in the Washington area. Others may propose a fellowship that includes only an initial, limited residency at NIJ. In addition to work conducted at their home institution, applicants may propose to spend part of their fellowship in residency at another institution, working with a colleague or mentor, or developing important new scholarly collaborations. While the specific research activities proposed may vary, applicants should incorporate the following elements into their work plan and budget: o Fellowships will typically be granted for between 6 and 12 months' duration. Each year, NIJ will make funding decisions for awards to begin during the summer. o Fellows are required to be in residency at NIJ a minimum of 2 months at the beginning of their fellowship. In addition, Fellows should plan to return briefly to NIJ near the end of the fellowship for a presentation to NIJ staff and other relevant agency partners on their work. o Collaboration with other scholars during the fellowship, especially work requiring a term of residency at another institution, should be documented in the application by letters of support from colleagues and host institutions. o Proposals should include plans for reports suitable for publication by NIJ, summarizing the results and policy implications of their research. APPLICATION INFORMATION Application Procedures. Applicants should write to the NIJ Director expressing their interest in fellowship opportunities; they should enclose a resume and a brief concept paper (four or five double-spaced pages) that describes their research objectives, briefly summarizes their work plan, and discusses how their work and residence would contribute to national knowledge and practice as well as the work of the Institute with respect to the substantive focus outlined within this solicitation. Supporting letters should be attached where appropriate as discussed above. The Institute will review each concept paper for suitability with current NIJ needs and priorities and selectively invite the development of a full proposal reflecting a scope and work plan of mutual interest. Selection Criteria. NIJ's research fellowship selection process is highly competitive. Review criteria include significance and timeliness of the topic, relevance to NIJ's mission, the applicant's research and academic track record and accomplishments, and the quality and viability of the projects proposed. Proposals to the DuBois Fellowship Program will be reviewed by external peer reviewers as well as NIJ professional staff. Eligibility Requirements. NIJ awards grants and cooperative agreements to educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, public agencies, individuals, and profit-making organizations willing to waive their fees. For this program, no indirect costs are allowable. To be eligible to receive an award under the DuBois Fellowship program, an applicant must hold a Ph.D or other doctoral-level degree or a legal degree of J.D. or higher. Award Amounts. NIJ will fund successful applicants from an amount of up to $100,000 (subject to available appropriations) made available for this solicitation. As many as two (2) awards of approximately $50,000 each will be made annually. Funding allocations for this program are based on the quality of the proposals received and the extent to which they relate to ongoing research, evaluation, or science and technology priorities. Fellows receive full financial and logistical support from NIJ as well as access to the abundant criminal justice resources of NIJ and the Nation's Capital. Allowable Expenses. Awards cover salary, fringe benefits, reasonable costs of relocation, travel essential to the project, and office expenses not provided by NIJ (e.g., computers and research assistants). Applicants should develop reasonable budgets that adequately cover the costs of their proposed projects. Award Period. DuBois Fellowships last from 6 and 12 months. The period in residency and starting date at NIJ are negotiable. APPLICATION SUBMISSION Due date. During calendar year 2000, DuBois Fellowship proposals will be reviewed beginning in February with awards to be made starting in June. As such, proposals must be received by February 1 to be considered for the current calendar year. Ten (10) copies of concept papers should be sent to: W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Program National Institute of Justice 810 7th Street., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20531 Staff contact. Applicants are encouraged to contact the Institute to discuss topic viability before submitting concept papers. To obtain further information about the W.E.B. DuBois Justice Fellowship Program, prospective applicants may contact Rhonda Jones at 202-616-3233. STEERING COMMITTEE NIJ has impaneled a diverse group of distinguished criminal justice scholars who will add their expertise to the Fellowship proposal review process. The recommendations made by the Steering Committee will be fully incorporated among the decision criteria used to select DuBois Fellows. The members of the W.E.B. DuBois Fellowship Steering Committee are: Felton Earls, Chair Department of Psychiatry Harvard Medical School Vine DeLoria Department of History University of Colorado, Boulder Darnell F. Hawkins Department of Sociology University of Illinois at Chicago Orlando Rodriguez Department of Sociology and Anthropology Fordham University Katheryn K. Russell Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice University of Maryland, College Park William A. Vega Metropolitan Research and Policy Institute University of Texas at San Antonio Charles Wellford Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice University of Maryland, College Park Cathy Spatz Widom School of Criminal Justice State University of New York at Albany ------------------------------- SL 000391