The National Identity Exchange Federation (NIEF) is an operational identity federation that supports secure, trusted information sharing within the U.S. justice, homeland security, emergency management, and public safety communities. It is operated by the National Identity Exchange Federation Center (“NIEF Center”), a nonprofit 501(c)(3) entity and a subsidiary of the Georgia Tech Applied Research Corporation. The NIEF Center is managed and operated through the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), part of Georgia Tech — a major U.S. research university that has supported the secure information sharing needs of the public safety community for over 30 years.

NIEF was originally established under the authority of the Global Federated Identity and Privilege Management (GFIPM) program, which was governed by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative. Although GFIPM has concluded, its legacy and principles live on through NIEF’s ongoing work.

Who Participates in NIEF?

NIEF participation is open to U.S.-based public safety and justice organizations at all levels of government — federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial — as well as to vendors serving those agencies and auditors that conduct relevant security policy assessments.

Why Join NIEF?

Agencies today face growing challenges in sharing sensitive information securely across jurisdictions. Many store and manage critical data such as law enforcement records, personally identifiable information (PII), and protected health information (PHI), requiring high standards of cybersecurity and trust, as well as compliance with a complex tapestry of laws and regulations spanning multiple levels of government. NIEF helps agencies overcome these challenges by providing a flexible, scalable trust framework that supports mission-critical information sharing using Federated Identity, Credential, and Access Management (Federated ICAM) technologies.

Through NIEF, organizations can build trusted digital relationships, improve their operational effectiveness, and respond more efficiently in collaborative, multi-agency environments.

How It Works

NIEF maintains and operates a comprehensive registry that lists participating agencies and the services they offer — such as identity providers (IDPs) and relying parties (RPs). Each entry includes important trustmark-related data, which agencies can use to evaluate and establish trust with mission partners. Agencies can use available trustmark software tools in conjunction with the registry to define and manage their own trust relationships with their information sharing partners in a decentralized, standards-based way.

Want to Learn More or Join?

Visit our Join NIEF page to find out how to become a participant. You can also email us at help@nief.org with questions or to request a demo or briefing.

For additional information, visit our FAQ page.