15ecrimesttasol.pdf

OMB No. 1121-0329

U.S. Department of Justice Approval Expires 07/31/2016

Office of Justice Programs

Bureau of Justice Assistance

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for funding under the Economic, Cyber, and High-Tech Crimes National Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by supporting and assisting state, local, and tribal jurisdictions in improving the criminal justice system, and enhancing their efforts to prevent, investigate, and respond to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes.

Economic, Cyber, and High-Tech Crimes National Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program

FY 2015 Competitive Grant Announcement

Eligibility Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit or for-profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and for-profit organizations) and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee.

Applicants must possess experience providing training and technical assistance on a national level to state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials, intelligence analysts, prosecutors, judges, staff who work in fusion centers, and other criminal justice entities on preventing, investigating, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. In addition, applicants are required to have the capacity to deliver training and technical assistance nationally to include remote locations and to underserved communities throughout the United States.

BJA welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the entire program.

Only one application per lead applicant will be considered; however, subrecipients may be part of multiple proposals.

Because this solicitation focuses on providing training and technical assistance at the national level, the resources associated with it cannot be used to fund:

The efforts of economic, cyber, or high-tech crimes task forces in state, local, or tribal jurisdictions; or

New or existing programs in state, local, or tribal jurisdictions.

For additional eligibility information, see Section C. Eligibility Information.

Deadline Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due to be submitted and in receipt of a successful validation message in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on May 18, 2015.

http://www.justice.gov/ http://www.ojp.gov/ https://www.bja.gov/ https://www.bja.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp

BJA-2015-4158

All applicants are encouraged to read this Important Notice: Applying for Grants in

Grants.gov.

For additional information, see How to Apply in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

Contact Information For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035, or via e-mail to support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays.

Applicants that experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must e-mail the BJA contact identified below within 24 hours after the application deadline and request approval to submit their application. Additional information on reporting technical issues is found under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the How to Apply section.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Response Center: toll-free at 1-800-851-3420; via TTY at 301-240-6310 (hearing impaired only); email responsecenter@ncjrs.gov; fax to 301-240-5830;

or web chat at https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp. The NCJRS Response Center hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern time on the solicitation close date.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: BJA-2015-4158

Release date: April 1, 2015 http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm mailto:support@grants.gov http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp mailto:responsecenter@ncjrs.gov https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp

Contents A. Program Description

Overview

Program-Specific Information

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices

B. Federal Award Information

Type of Award

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Budget Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable)

C. Eligibility Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Limit on Number of Application Submissions

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

How to Apply

E. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria

Review Process

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notices

Administrative, National Policy, and other Legal Requirements

General Information about Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

H. Other Information

Provide Feedback to OJP

Application Checklist

Economic, Cyber, and High-Tech Crimes National Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program

CFDA #16.752

A. Program Description

Overview The BJA Economic, Cyber, and High-Tech Crimes National TTA Program serves the nation’s communities by providing TTA to state, local, and tribal law enforcement officials; intelligence analysts; prosecutors; judges; fusion center staff; and other criminal justice entities on preventing, investigating, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. These crimes are committed using networked computers, handheld devices, and Internet technology;

examples include various kinds of theft (financial, identify, etc.), selling illegal goods using the Internet, cyber stalking, hijacking accounts on social networking web sites, infrastructure intrusions, and hacking (i.e., reconfiguring or reprogramming a system to function in ways not approved by the owner, administrator, or designer). This program is funded under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (P.L. 113-235).

Program-Specific Information The Economic, Cyber, High-Tech Crimes National TTA Program is designed to enhance the capacity of state, local, and tribal criminal justice systems to prevent, investigate, and respond to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes by delivering TTA to diverse audiences as described in the Overview. In addition, the program is intended to serve as a key resource to identify new and emerging issues in the areas of economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. Applicants are, therefore, strongly encouraged to identify and describe new and emerging issues, and explain how their proposed TTA efforts will help agencies address these issues.

One particular emerging issue and area of emphasis for this solicitation is the joint delivery of TTA to prosecutors and law enforcement. The objectives of the TTA will detail how law enforcement and prosecutors can work more closely together to address specific areas of need like collecting and preserving evidence of economic, cyber, or high-tech crimes; documenting the chain of custody of such evidence; presenting that evidence in court; and maintaining digital evidence.. As the amount of digital evidence continues to grow exponentially, it is a priority for the successful applicant to provide guidance and protocols for coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors addressing the growing use of technology needed for collecting or producing such evidence in connection with preventing economic, high-tech, or internet crime.

Delivery of TTA must address ethical and statutory requirements for collection of digital evidence, preparation of case materials for testimony, and proper format and evidence authenticated for introduction in court. It is also important that law enforcement and prosecutors understand and meet the legal obligations of providing digital evidence to defense counsel;

have the ability to obtain digital evidence and redact them for witness safety; have the necessary resources to review the evidence; and have protocols in place guiding the timing and release of digital evidence. The successful applicant is also expected to work with BJA partners to make appropriate digital evidence resources available to help educate judges and work with federal agencies to enhance outcomes in these cases.

Emerging issues of interest to BJA also include, but are not limited to, combating the commission of crimes using social networking web sites, hand-held devices (e.g., cell phones, smart phones, etc.), proactive efforts to support infrastructure protection, and responses should an intrusion occur. According to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), there have been more than 262,000 reports filed by victims to IC3 regarding some type of Internet crime in 2013, and 45.5 percent involved some financial loss. In addition, there have been numerous documented cases across the United States of cyberstalking on social networking sites, using hand-held devices for criminal purposes, and specific attacks on government-hosted networks in recent years. In response to these problems, BJA encourages applicants under this program to include TTA related to preventing, investigating, and responding to crimes that are committed using social networking web sites, hand-held devices, and evaluating and strengthening public safety infrastructures.

Applicants are expected to demonstrate effective collaboration and coordination with other organizations that conduct TTA related to preventing, investigating, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. These collaborations should include working with not only professional organizations, but also federal agencies, educational institutions, and the private sector working in the areas of development of tools to assist in the investigations of these types of crimes. Applicants that do not currently have such partnerships in place should clearly and comprehensively describe how they will be developed, so that the work supported under this program extends current national TTA capacity, and results in the creation of a national, integrated, and collaborative TTA strategy that targets economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. In addition, the successful applicant will work closely with BJA to identify and apply resources to address other emerging cyber threats and evolving criminal behavior from economic and high-tech crime trends.

Funding under this solicitation is specifically to provide TTA to state, local, tribal, and territorial public safety entities to include law enforcement, prosecutors, probation/parole, and judges.

Funds may not be used to provide TTA to federal agencies. However, to ensure the most cost-effective programs are delivered to the field, attendance of federal officials is allowed at no charge if vacancies exist that cannot be filled by state, local, tribal, and territorial participants.

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables Because this national program leverages and builds upon existing TTA, applicants must clearly articulate how they will expand and/or enhance existing efforts. (For more information regarding existing efforts, go to www.nw3c.org and www.search.org.) In addition, applicants must explain how they will provide training and technical assistance to small and underserved agencies in rural and remote jurisdictions across the United States and how this will be accomplished with partnerships with federal agencies, educational institutions, professional organizations, and the private sector.

During the 12-month program period, applicants will receive continuous oversight and guidance from BJA, and will be required to achieve the following goals and objectives, and produce the following deliverables, including but not limited to:

1. Goal 1: Provide high quality, cost-effective training to the field that targets preventing, investigating, prosecuting, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes.

Applicants should propose the use of innovative, cost-effective delivery methods, such as webinars, online training sessions, law enforcement roll call, and academy training (for both new recruits and experienced officers), and clearly explain how they will address the training needs of different agencies and disciplines (e.g., law enforcement, prosecution, judges, intelligence, etc.). In addition, applicants should describe how they will expand, update, and improve existing training initiatives that focus on preventing, investigating, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. Applicants also are encouraged to propose training strategies that better equip professionals to educate their communities and build awareness http://www.nw3c.org/ http://www.search.org/ among the general public about economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes.

Objective: Increase the knowledge of criminal justice practitioners through in-person training.

Deliverables: Classroom-style trainings on economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes will be provided at locations and times approved by BJA. Each must include pre- and post-event participant evaluations that assess the quality of the faculty members and the information provided, and evaluate impact on the participants’ knowledge. Applicants will summarize the results of these evaluations and share them with BJA in order to inform and enhance future events. Applicants should propose specific topics that will be the focus of these classroom-style trainings, justify why the field should receive live, “face-to-face” training on these topics, and propose the number of events to be conducted (based on the needs of the field and available resources) and the number of students who will participate in each. In addition, applicants should recommend locations for these trainings, and include a corresponding rationale for proposing each location while coordinating with other federal agencies who may be providing similar training.

Objective: Increase the knowledge of criminal justice practitioners through web-based learning.

Deliverables: An expanded, updated, and improved online training program will be maintained under the guidance of BJA that focuses on economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. Applicants should articulate the specific topics related to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes that will be addressed via online training through this program, and explain why it is important that the field receive training on these topics using online methods. It is important to show how traditional in-person classes can be modified and presented in an online format to ensure this type of training is available to law enforcement, intelligence analysts, prosecutors, and judges at any time from any location through a secure internet connection. These classes should be coordinated with those provided by other federal agencies and educational institutions.

Objective: Complete a “train-the-trainer” initiative that leverages training activities related to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes, and enhances the training capacity that exists in the field.

Deliverables: “Train-the-trainer” curricula will be developed, pilot tested, and finalized or maintained as previously developed curricula with all activities occurring under the guidance of BJA. These curricula will integrate presentation materials, discussion exercises designed to promote exchanges among the participants and faculty about the information presented, and other resources. This “train-the-trainer” initiative will result in a select group of qualified experts from across the nation equipped to deliver effective training related to economic, cyber, and/or high-tech crimes. Applicants should articulate the specific topics that will be the focus of the “train-the-trainer” curricula, and explain why it is important that the field’s training capacity be enhanced related to the identified topics. In addition, applicants should explain who will be selected to participate in this “train-the-trainer” initiative, provide a rationale regarding why these individuals will be included, and propose a specific number of curricula to be developed. It is important the applicant provide documentation of any train-the-trainer classes which currently exist and how applicant will update existing material to address the ever evolving criminal profile in these areas. Any new classes under this objective must be justified if another class of this nature already exists and is available to the field.

Objective: Update and enhance existing material and develop new written resources and educational deliverables to support the achievement of Goal 1.

Deliverables: Instructional aides such as PowerPoint presentations, issue papers, policy and practice briefs, and handbooks which assist agencies or jurisdictions examine and improve their own policies and practices related to preventing, investigating, and/or responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes are examples of the kinds of resources and materials that may require updating, enhancement, or development under the guidance of BJA. These resources and materials should target agency administrators and policymakers, mid-level supervisors, and line staff. In addition, resources should be made available using cost-effective methods (e.g., on CDs, downloads from the web) that reach large numbers of professionals. Although the primary target audience for these materials is criminal justice system stakeholders, the products developed will, ideally, be adaptable for use with the general public to build community members’ awareness regarding economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes.

Applicants should identify the specific resources and materials that will be updated, enhanced, or developed, as well as the specific topics they will cover, and explain how they will support the achievement of Goal 1. The items identified, updated, and/or enhanced under this objective shall be made available to the BJA-supported Law Enforcement Cyber Resource Center, hosted by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in conjunction with the RAND Corporation and the Police Executive Research Forum..

2. Goal 2: Provide, under continuous oversight and guidance from BJA, high-quality, cost-effective technical assistance to state, local, and tribal jurisdictions/agencies on preventing, investigating, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes. Applicants should propose the use of onsite and offsite technical assistance, and describe how they will expand, update, and improve existing technical assistance initiatives that focus on preventing, investigating, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes.

Objective: Increase the ability of criminal justice agencies to solve problems and/or modify policies or practices related to preventing, investigating, and responding to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes.

Deliverables: Customized technical assistance (onsite and offsite) that is designed to address the specific need(s) of each requesting jurisdiction/agency. Applicants should outline the elements of an effective technical assistance process, including the specific steps associated with selecting jurisdictions/agencies to receive assistance. In addition, applicants should propose a specific number of onsite and offsite instances of assistance (based on resources that may be available under this program and the needs of the field that the applicant anticipates). Applicants also should describe a strategy that includes provision of assistance to underserved agencies in rural and remote jurisdictions across the United States, and outline how all recipients of technical assistance will provide feedback regarding the effectiveness of the assistance that is delivered.

Applicants should outline in their proposals a strategic and comprehensive process to achieve the goals and objectives, and to generate the deliverables that are described above.

The TTA provider also will be required to participate in BJA’s GrantStat for specified grantees.

Through GrantStat, BJA management and staff examine the performance of the grant programs funded by BJA by tracking grantee or program performance along several key indicators.

GrantStat calls for the collection and analysis of performance data and other relevant grant-level information that enables BJA as well as our partners to be held accountable for the grantees and programs performance as measured against the program’s goals and objectives.

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices

OJP strongly emphasizes the use of data and evidence in policy making and program development in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services. OJP is committed to:

Improving the quantity and quality of evidence OJP generates

Integrating evidence into program, practice, and policy decisions within OJP and the field

Improving the translation of evidence into practice

OJP considers programs and practices to be evidence-based when their effectiveness has been demonstrated by causal evidence, generally obtained through one or more outcome evaluations. Causal evidence documents a relationship between an activity or intervention (including technology) and its intended outcome, including measuring the direction and size of a change, and the extent to which a change may be attributed to the activity or intervention. Causal evidence depends on the use of scientific methods to rule out, to the extent possible, alternative explanations for the documented change. The strength of causal evidence, based on the factors described above, will influence the degree to which OJP considers a program or practice to be evidence-based. The OJP CrimeSolutions.gov web site is one resource that applicants may use to find information about evidence-based programs in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.

B. Federal Award Information

BJA estimates that it will make one award of up to $6 million for a 12-month project period, beginning on October 1, 2015.

BJA may, in certain cases, provide supplemental funding in future years to awards under this solicitation. BJA may also, in certain cases, make awards in future years to applicants who apply for funding under this solicitation but may not receive funding during the original year of the solicitation. Important considerations in decisions regarding supplemental funding include, among other factors, the availability of funding, strategic priorities, assessment of the quality of the management of the award (for example, timeliness and quality of progress reports), and assessment of the progress of the work funded under the award.

All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law.

Type of Award 1 BJA expects that it will make any award from this solicitation in the form of a grant.

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls If selected for funding, the award recipient must:

(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the non-federal entity is managing the federal award in compliance

1 See generally 31 U.S.C. §§ 6301-6305 (defines and describes various forms of federal assistance relationships, including grants and cooperative agreements (a type of grant)).

http://www.crimesolutions.gov/ with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the “Internal Control Integrated Framework,” issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

(b) Comply with federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the federal awards.

(c) Evaluate and monitor the non-federal entity's compliance with statute, regulations, and the terms and conditions of Federal awards.

(d) Take prompt action when instances of noncompliance are identified including noncompliance identified in audit findings.

(e) Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other information the federal awarding agency or pass-through entity designates as sensitive or the non-federal entity considers sensitive consistent with applicable Federal, state and local laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality.

In order to better understand administrative requirements and cost principles, award applicants are encouraged to enroll, at no charge, in the Department of Justice Grants Financial Management Online Training available here.

Budget Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement This solicitation does not require a match. However, if a successful application proposes a voluntary match amount, and OJP approves the budget, the total match amount incorporated into the approved budget becomes mandatory and subject to audit.

Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals OJP does not typically approve pre-agreement costs; an applicant must request and obtain the prior written approval of OJP for all such costs. If approved, pre-agreement costs could be paid from grant funds consistent with a grantee’s approved budget, and under applicable cost standards. However, all such costs prior to award and prior to approval of the costs are incurred at the sole risk of an applicant. Generally, no applicant should incur project costs before submitting an application requesting federal funding for those costs. Should there be extenuating circumstances that appear to be appropriate for OJP’s consideration as pre-agreement costs, the applicant should contact the point of contact listed on the title page of this announcement for details on the requirements for submitting a written request for approval. See the section on Costs Requiring Prior Approval in the Financial Guide, for more information.

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver With respect to any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation, recipients may not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any employee of the award recipient at a rate that exceeds 110 percent of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year.2 The 2015 salary table for SES employees is available on the Office of Personnel Management web site. Note: A

2 This limitation on use of award funds does not apply to the non-profit organizations specifically named at Appendix VIII to 2 C.F.R. part 200.

http://gfm.webfirst.com/ http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/15Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx recipient may compensate an employee at a greater rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is paid with non-federal funds. (Any such additional compensation will not be considered matching funds where match requirements apply.)

The Assistant Attorney General for OJP may exercise discretion to waive, on an individual basis, the limitation on compensation rates allowable under an award. An applicant requesting a waiver should include a detailed justification in the budget narrative of the application. Unless the applicant submits a waiver request and justification with the application, the applicant should anticipate that OJP will request the applicant to adjust and resubmit the budget.

The justification should include the particular qualifications and expertise of the individual, the uniqueness of the service the individual will provide, the individual’s specific knowledge of the program or project being undertaken with award funds, and a statement explaining that the individual’s salary is commensurate with the regular and customary rate for an individual with his/her qualifications and expertise, and for the work to be done.

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs OJP strongly encourages applicants that propose to use award funds for any conference-, meeting-, or training-related activity to review carefully – before submitting an application – the OJP policy and guidance on conference approval, planning, and reporting available at www.ojp.gov/financialguide/PostawardRequirements/chapter15page1.htm. OJP policy and guidance (1) encourage minimization of conference, meeting, and training costs; (2) require prior written approval (which may affect project timelines) of such costs for cooperative agreement recipients and of such costs for their sub recipients; and (3) set cost limits, including a general prohibition of all food and beverage costs.

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable) If an applicant proposes a program or activity that would deliver services or benefits to individuals, the costs of taking reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to those services or benefits for individuals with limited English proficiency may be allowable. Reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to services or benefits may include interpretation or translation services where appropriate.

For additional information, see the "Civil Rights Compliance" section under “Solicitation Requirements” in the OJP Funding Resource Center.

C. Eligibility Information For additional eligibility information, see Title page.

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement For additional information on cost sharing and match requirement, see Section B. Federal Award Information.

Limit on Number of Application Submissions If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, BJA will review only the most recent system-validated version submitted. For more information on system-validated versions, see How to Apply.

http://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/PostawardRequirements/chapter15page1.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

Applicants should anticipate that if they fail to submit an application that contains all of the specified elements, it may negatively affect the review of their application; and, should a decision be made to make an award, it may result in the inclusion of special conditions that preclude the recipient from accessing or using award funds pending satisfaction of the conditions.

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications that are determined to be nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, or that do not include the application elements that BJA has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. Under this solicitation, BJA has designated the following application elements as critical: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, and Budget Narrative. Applicants may combine the Budget Narrative and the Budget Detail Worksheet in one document. However, if an applicant submits only one budget document, it must contain both narrative and detail information. Please review the “Note on File Names and File Types” under How to Apply to be sure applications are submitted in permitted formats.

OJP strongly recommends that applicants use appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., “Program Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative,” “Timelines,” “Memoranda of Understanding,” “Resumes”) for all attachments. Also, OJP recommends that applicants include resumes in a single file.

1. Information to Complete the Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

The SF-424 is a required standard form used as a cover sheet for submission of pre-applications, applications, and related information. Grants.gov and OJP’s Grants Management System (GMS) take information from the applicant’s profile to populate the fields on this form. When selecting "type of applicant," if the applicant is a for-profit entity, select "For-Profit Organization" or "Small Business" (as applicable).

Intergovernmental Review: This funding opportunity is subject to Executive Order 12372.

Applicants may find the names and addresses of their state’s Single Point of Contact (SPOC) at the following website: www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/. Applicants whose state appears on the SPOC list must contact their state’s SPOC to find out about, and comply with, the state’s process under Executive Order 12372. In completing the SF-424, applicants whose state appears on the SPOC list are to make the appropriate selection in response to question 19 once the applicant has complied with their state’s E.O. 12372 process. (Applicants whose state does not appear on the SPOC list are to make the appropriate selection in response to question 19 to indicate that the “Program is subject to E.O. 12372 but has not been selected by the State for review.”)

2. Program Narrative Applicants must submit a program narrative that describes the proposed activities under the “Program-Specific Information” section relating to the goals, objectives, and deliverables outlined, and that responds to the Selection Criteria 1-5 below. The narrative should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman preferred) with 1-inch margins, and should not exceed 10 pages. Please number pages “1 of 10,” “2 of 10,” etc.

If the program narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, BJA may consider such noncompliance in peer review and in final award decisions.

http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative:

a. Statement of the Problem

b. Project Design and Implementation

c. Capabilities and Competencies

d. Plan for Collecting the Data Required for this Solicitation’s Performance Measures

To assist the Department with fulfilling its responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Public Law 103-62, and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Public Law 111–352, applicants that receive funding under this solicitation must provide data that measure the results of their work done under this solicitation. Post award, recipients will be required to submit performance metric data quarterly through BJA’s online Training and Technical Assistance Reporting Portal located at www.bjatraining.org. Below are some sample performance measures:

Objectives Performance Measure Data Grantee Provides

Enhance the capacity of law enforcement and other criminal justice entities to prevent, investigate, and effectively respond to economic, cyber, and high-tech crimes through training and technical assistance

Number of trainings conducted

Number of participants who attend the training

Percentage of participants who successfully completed the training

Percentage of participants who rated the training as satisfactory or better

Percentage of participants trained and subsequently demonstrated performance improvement

Percentage of scholarship recipients surveyed who reported that the training provided information that could be utilized in their job.

Number of curricula developed

Number of curricula that were pilot tested

Percentage of curricula that were revised after pilot testing

For the current reporting period:

Number of trainings (by type):

In-person

Web-based

CD/DVD

Peer-to-peer

Workshop Number of individuals who:

Attended the training (in-person) or started the training (web-based)

Completed the training

Completed an evaluation at the conclusion of the training

Completed an evaluation and rated the training as satisfactory or better

Completed the post-test with an improved score over their pre-test

For the current reporting period, number of individuals who:

Received a scholarship

Completed the training

Completed a survey at the conclusion of the training

Reported the training provided information that could be utilized in their job

Number of training curricula:

Developed

Pilot tested

Revised after being pilot tested

Percentage of requesting agencies who rated services as satisfactory or better

For the current reporting period:

Number of onsite visits completed http://www.bjatraining.org/

Percentage of requesting agencies that were planning to implement one or more recommendations

Number of reports submitted to requesting agencies after onsite visits

Number of requesting agencies who completed an evaluation of services

Number of agencies who rated the services a satisfactory or better

a) in terms of timeliness

b) quality

Number of follow-ups with requesting agencies completed 6 months after onsite visit

Number of agencies that were planning to implement at least one or more recommendations 6 months after the onsite visit

Percentage of peer visitors who reported that the visit to the other agency was useful in providing information on policies or practices

Percentage of peer visitors that were planning to implement one or more policies or practices 6 months after they were observed at the visited site

Percentage of requesting agencies of other onsite services who rated the services provided as satisfactory or better

Number of peer-to-peer visits completed

Number of peer visitors who completed an evaluation

Number of peer visitors who reported that the visit was useful in providing information on policies or practices

Number of follow-ups with the requesting peer visitor completed 6 months after the peer-to-peer visit

Number of peer visitors who were planning to implement at least one or more recommendations 6 months after the onsite visit

Number of other onsite services provided

Number of requesting agencies who completed an evaluation of other onsite services

Number of agencies who rated the services a satisfactory or better

Increase information provided to BJA and the criminal justice community

Number of conferences or advisory/focus groups held

Percentage of advisory/focus groups evaluated as satisfactory or better.

Number of publications developed

Number of publications disseminated

Percent of web sites developed and maintained.

For the current reporting period:

Number of conferences or advisory/focus groups held

Number of conference or advisory/focus group attendees who completed an evaluation

Number of conference or advisory/focus group attendees who rated the advisory/focus group as satisfactory or better

Number of publications/resources developed

Number of publications/ resources disseminated

Number of web sites developed.

Number of web sites maintained.

Percent increase in the number of visits to web sites

Percentage of information requests responded to

Number of visits to web sites during the current reporting period

Number of visits to web sites during the previous reporting period

Number of information requests

Number of information requests responded to

BJA does not require applicants to submit performance measures data with their application. Performance measures are included as an alert that BJA will require successful applicants to submit specific data as part of their reporting requirements. For the application, applicants should indicate an understanding of these requirements and discuss how they will gather the required data, should they receive funding.

Note on Project Evaluations Applicants that propose to use funds awarded through this solicitation to conduct project evaluations should be aware that certain project evaluations (such as systematic investigations designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge) may constitute “research” for purposes of applicable DOJ human subject’s protection regulations. However, project evaluations that are intended only to generate internal improvements to a program or service, or are conducted only to meet OJP’s performance measure data reporting requirements likely do not constitute “research.”

Applicants should provide sufficient information for OJP to determine whether the particular project they propose would either intentionally or unintentionally collect and/or use information in such a way that it meets the DOJ regulatory definition of research.

Research, for the purposes of human subjects protections for OJP-funded programs, is defined as, “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing, and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge” 28 C.F.R. § 46.102(d). For additional information on determining whether a proposed activity would constitute research, see the decision tree to assist applicants on the “Research and the Protection of Human Subjects” section of the OJP Funding Resource Center web page (ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequire ments.htm). Applicants whose proposals may involve a research or statistical component also should review the “Data Privacy and Confidentiality Requirements” section on that web page.

e. Partnerships

3. Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

a. Budget Detail Worksheet A sample Budget Detail Worksheet can be found at www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/BudgetDetailWorksheet.pdf. Applicants that submit their budget in a different format should include the budget categories listed in the sample budget worksheet.

For questions pertaining to budget and examples of allowable and unallowable costs, see the Financial Guide at www.ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm.

http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequirements.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequirements.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/BudgetDetailWorksheet.pdf http://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm

b. Budget Narrative The budget narrative should thoroughly and clearly describe every category of expense listed in the Budget Detail Worksheet. OJP expects proposed budgets to be complete, cost effective, and allowable (e.g., reasonable, allocable, and necessary for project activities).

Applicants should demonstrate in their budget narratives how they will maximize cost effectiveness of grant expenditures. Budget narratives should generally describe cost effectiveness in relation to potential alternatives and the goals of the project. For example, a budget narrative should detail why planned in-person meetings are necessary, or how technology and collaboration with outside organizations could be used to reduce costs, without compromising quality.

The narrative should be mathematically sound and correspond with the information and figures provided in the Budget Detail Worksheet. The narrative should explain how the applicant estimated and calculated all costs, and how they are relevant to the completion of the proposed project. The narrative may include tables for clarification purposes but need not be in a spreadsheet format. As with the Budget Detail Worksheet, the Budget Narrative should be broken down by year.

c. Non-Competitive Procurement Contracts In Excess of Simplified Acquisition Threshold If an applicant proposes to make one or more non-competitive procurements of products or services, where the non-competitive procurement will exceed the simplified acquisition threshold (also known as the small purchase threshold), which is currently set at $150,000, the application should address the considerations outlined in the Financial Guide.

d. Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals For information on pre-agreement costs, see Section B. Federal Award Information.

4. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

Indirect costs are allowed only if the applicant has a current federally approved indirect cost rate. (This requirement does not apply to units of local government.) Attach a copy of the federally approved indirect cost rate agreement to the application. Applicants that do not have an approved rate may request one through their cognizant federal agency, which will review all documentation and approve a rate for the applicant organization, or, if the applicant’s accounting system permits, costs may be allocated in the direct cost categories.

For the definition of Cognizant Federal Agency, see the “Glossary of Terms” in the Financial Guide. For assistance with identifying your cognizant agency, please contact the Customer Service Center at 1-800-458-0786 or at ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov. If DOJ is the cognizant federal agency, applicants may obtain information needed to submit an indirect cost rate proposal at www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/IndirectCosts.pdf.

5. Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable)

Tribes, tribal organizations, or third parties proposing to provide direct services or assistance to residents on tribal lands should include in their applications a resolution, a letter, affidavit, or other documentation, as appropriate, that certifies that the applicant has the legal authority from the tribe(s) to implement the proposed project on tribal lands. In those instances when an organization or consortium of tribes applies for a grant on behalf of a tribe or multiple specific tribes, the application should include appropriate legal documentation, as described above, from all tribes that would receive services or assistance under the grant. A consortium of tribes for which existing consortium bylaws allow action http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm mailto:ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov http://www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/IndirectCosts.pdf without support from all tribes in the consortium (i.e., without an authorizing resolution or comparable legal documentation from each tribal governing body) may submit, instead, a copy of its consortium bylaws with the application.

Applicants unable to submit an application that includes a fully-executed (i.e., signed) copy of appropriate legal documentation, as described above, consistent with the applicable tribe’s governance structure, should, at a minimum, submit an unsigned, draft version of such legal documentation as part of its application (except for cases in which, with respect to a tribal consortium applicant, consortium bylaws allow action without the support of all consortium member tribes). If selected for funding, BJA will make use of and access to funds contingent on receipt of the fully-executed legal documentation.

6. Applicant Disclosure of High Risk Status Applicants are to disclose whether they are currently designated high risk by another federal grant making agency. This includes any status requiring additional oversight by the federal agency due to past programmatic or financial concerns. If an applicant is designated high risk by another federal grant making agency, you must email the following information to OJPComplianceReporting@usdoj.gov at the time of application submission:

The federal agency that currently designated the applicant as high risk

Date the applicant was designated high risk

The high risk point of contact name, phone number, and email address, from that federal agency

Reasons for the high risk status

OJP seeks this information to ensure appropriate federal oversight of any grant award.

Unlike the Excluded Parties List, this high risk information does not disqualify any organization from receiving an OJP award. However, additional grant oversight may be included, if necessary, in award documentation.

7. Additional Attachments

a. Organizational capacity statements.

The applicant should include information on the management structure, including the staffing plan; grant or project experience of key personnel; and the organization’s competencies to manage the project, including past experience managing similar projects. This should include who will be ultimately responsible for the conduct of the project and what the protocol will be for project operation if multiple units, divisions, or partners are involved.

b. Resumes of key program staff members, trainers, and technical assistance providers.

c. Program timeline with each project goal, related objective, activity, expected completion date, responsible person, or organization.

d. Memoranda of understanding from all key partners, detailing the commitment to work with the applicant to promote the mission of the project.

Overview of the partnerships established with other federal agencies, educational institutions, professional organizations, and private sector entities. OJP seeks this information to ensure appropriate federal oversight of any grant award. Unlike the Excluded Parties List, this high risk information does not disqualify any organization from receiving an OJP award. However, additional grant oversight may be included, if mailto:OJPComplianceReporting@usdoj.gov

SAMPLE

necessary, in award documentation.

e. Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications Applicants are to disclose whether they have pending applications for federally funded grants or subgrants (including cooperative agreements) that include requests for funding to support the same project being proposed under this solicitation and will cover the identical cost items outlined in the budget narrative and worksheet in the application under this solicitation. The disclosure should include both direct applications for federal funding (e.g., applications to federal agencies) and indirect applications for such funding (e.g., applications to state agencies that will subaward federal funds).

OJP seeks this…