15visitingfellowssol.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 the BJA Visiting Fellows Program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by bringing talent and expertise from the field to BJA to inform policy and practice and create new tools for the field to disseminate knowledge of effective and innovative approaches to priority criminal justice issues.

BJA Visiting Fellows Program FY 2015 Competitive Announcement

Eligibility Eligible applicants are limited to individuals, as well as state, tribal, or local government, organizations, or academic institutions seeking to provide federal-level experience for one of its staff members. Organizations seeking to place their employee as a Fellow under this program will not have programmatic oversight of the staff person for those activities conducted as part of the fellowship. For-profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee.

Eligible applicants for the Second Chance Act Fellow position are limited to individuals who have formerly been incarcerated.

All persons serving in the fellowship positions must be U.S. citizens at the time of application.

The prospective Fellow should have all of the expertise needed to conduct the proposed activities in the fellowship, including at least 5 years of criminal justice expertise in the relevant area of practice or research, working in a policy or applied criminal justice setting (such as a criminal justice agency (law enforcement, criminal courts, prosecutor, corrections, or partner agency such as a social service provider), or an agency or office with responsibility for criminal justice and public policy (such as a governor’s office, mayor’s office, or other important policy setting pertinent to criminal justice). Researchers should apply only if they have expertise and specific skills in developing models and applied research tools for the field, implementation of evidence-based practices, and collection and analysis of data and performance management.

Applicants must demonstrate the administrative capacity, particularly fiscal administrative capacity, to manage an agreement or award, as well as the knowledge and skills to successfully execute the proposed fellowship activities. Eligibility will be determined only after a review of a complete, submitted application.

BJA may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.

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

http://www.justice.gov/ http://www.ojp..gov/ https://www.bja.gov/ https://www.bja.gov/ https://www.bja.gov/

BJA-2015-4079

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 April 16, 2015.

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 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 closing date.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: BJA-2015-4079

Release date: February 3, 2015 http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm 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

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

BJA Visiting Fellows Program (CFDA #s 16.752, 16.320, 16.812, 16.735, and 16.828)

A. Program Description

Overview BJA’s mission is to provide leadership and services through grant administration and criminal justice policy development to support local, state, and tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities. Driving BJA's work in the field are the following principles: to reduce crime, recidivism, and unnecessary confinement; and to promote a safe and fair criminal justice system.

To implement our strategies consistent with these principles, BJA supports effective criminal justice policy, programs, information sharing, and collaborations within state, local, and tribal agencies and communities, and promotes the use of data, research, and information to increase the effectiveness of criminal justice programs. BJA has four primary components: Policy, Programs, Planning, and the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits Office. The Fellows will work in the Policy Office, which provides national leadership in criminal justice policy, training, and technical assistance to further the administration of justice. It also acts as a liaison to national organizations that partner with BJA to set policy and help disseminate information on best and promising practices.

To address emerging issues and build capacity to improve the administration of criminal justice, BJA launched the BJA Visiting Fellows Program in FY 2012. The intent is to leverage state, local, or tribal subject-matter expertise to assess areas of need and to develop strategies, tools, and policies in collaboration with BJA staff for the benefit of the criminal justice field. By hosting up to five Fellows with FY 2015 funds, BJA will collaborate with practitioners and researchers to build capacity to address gaps in priority and emerging issues in the criminal justice field. BJA encourages potential applicants from a broad range of disciplines to consider how their work in areas related to crime and justice might support work in the BJA Visiting Fellows Program’s priority issue areas outlined below.

This program is likely to be funded under Economic High-Tech and Cyber Crime Prevention, Services for Trafficking Victims, Second Chance Act, Prison Rape Elimination Act, and Swift and

Certain Sanctions/Replicating the Concepts Behind Project HOPE.

Program-Specific Information Through the BJA Visiting Fellows Program, BJA announces plans to invest in the field to advance priority national policy issues and offer cross developmental opportunities for DOJ staff and practitioners and researchers in the criminal justice field. Awards made under the BJA Visiting Fellows Program will fund fellowships for a total period of 12–18 months, including a residency period of at least 6–12 months onsite at BJA in Washington, D.C. The goal of the fellowship is to make important policy and programmatic contributions in a priority area of criminal justice practice. Fellows will work in collaboration with BJA and DOJ staff to help provide critical outreach, data, research, and subject-matter expertise to inform the development of new BJA strategies and programs to benefit the field.

To ensure the goals of the program are achieved, BJA is only recruiting Fellows who have significant work and academic experience in a criminal justice policy, practice, or research setting on the issue area for which they are applying.

Therefore, the Fellow must have the experience and expertise to make significant contributions, through BJA, to enhance practice and innovation in the field. BJA Fellows will be accomplished practitioners with the credentials and experience that demonstrate significant achievements in—and a continuing commitment to—solving the persistent challenges of crime and justice in the United States. A key priority for these Fellows will also be to support the use of data and research to inform the development of effective strategies, including the translation of research and evidence into implications for criminal justice policy and practice.

In FY 2015, the priority issue areas are:

1. Justice Information Sharing, Analysis, and Cyber Crimes Fellow:

This fellowship will focus on the use of justice information sharing and data analytics in the identification and reduction of crime, examining specifically crimes committed using high tech means involving network intrusions, infrastructure protection, investigations, awareness, and prevention. Responsibilities will include documenting how state law enforcement agencies, major city police departments, intelligence units, and fusion centers handle high tech crime, intelligence, sharing of information, and recommending how demonstrated practices can assist other agencies in identifying, preventing, and reacting to these types of threats. High tech crimes are classified as those crimes committed using electronic devices, the internet, and secure networks within the jurisdiction of federal, state, local, and tribal criminal justice and public safety agencies. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background with an emphasis on data analysis, as well as a working knowledge of electronic communication methods, storage of electronic data, methods for securing communication and data, methods for reporting electronic based crimes, investigation techniques, and supporting effective prosecutions. The candidate must also possess the ability to help facilitate national scope projects, communicate with diverse stakeholders, and work both independently and in a team environment. The selected Fellow will be expected to assist BJA in developing national policy, evaluating delivery of training and technical assistance services to criminal justice and public safety agencies, and shaping project activities in support of BJA's efforts to enhance the justice communities’ capacity to combat crime through information sharing and analytics. This fellowship will be assigned to BJA’s Justice Information Sharing team, and will coordinate closely with other staff, including BJA’s Policy Office Law Enforcement team.

2. Law Enforcement Human Trafficking Fellow:

This fellowship will seek to improve and expand the ability of law enforcement and prosecutors nationwide and the BJA-funded human trafficking task forces to utilize innovative, proactive investigative practices, build innovative partnerships and networks, and develop data-driven strategies to improve responses, operations, efficiencies, and decision making in addressing the crime of human trafficking. The focus of the fellowship will be on enhancing state, local, and tribal law enforcement and prosecutorial capacity to address human trafficking through identifying innovative investigatory and prosecutorial practices, documenting successful practices and sharing information. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in human trafficking investigations, prosecutions, collaborative task force operations, victim services, collaboration across justice entities, identifying and collecting data, and an understanding of stakeholder dynamics within communities and criminal justice practice. The candidate must also have the ability to facilitate national scope projects, communicate with diverse stakeholders, and work in a collaborative, team environment. The Fellow selected will propose a project which will work on a parallel track with BJA in the development of national policy, delivery of training and technical assistance to local agencies, and shaping project activities that support BJA's efforts to enhance law enforcement capacity to combat human trafficking.

The project should focus on working directly with the task forces to understand and document what investigative and prosecutorial practices are working in the field, documenting innovative and proactive investigative practices (especially for labor trafficking) and identifying trends for approaching human trafficking cases. This fellowship will be housed with the Law Enforcement and Adjudication team and will coordinate closely with other staff.

3. Reentry and Corrections Second Chance Act Fellow:

BJA seeks to identify and work collaboratively with a Fellow who has substantial expertise as a policy advocate, legal or social services provider, or academic focusing on the area of successful reintegration of people returning home to communities after incarceration.

Successful applicants will possess significant reentry policy and practice experience, and will have a unique perspective of the justice system having been formerly incarcerated him or herself.1 Potential Fellows are strongly encouraged to propose specific strategies that build upon and improve BJA’s investments in the reentry priority area.2 For example, an applicant with significant experience in leading reentry policy efforts or programs at a state or local level, or a reentry advocate with experience in collateral consequences of a criminal conviction, including challenges with the reentry population securing housing, employment, educational, healthcare, or voting opportunities could propose innovative ways to assist BJA to build more responsive funding opportunities, and to support and document achievement of successful outcomes in these areas in jurisdictions across the nation. BJA strongly encourages potential Second Chance Act Fellows to submit creative and innovative proposals to enhance BJA’s current national efforts related to promoting successful reentry for the incarcerated population, reducing recidivism among correctional populations; and/or assist BJA to identify and define new and emerging reentry challenges, and define efficient and effective methods to address them. The successful applicant will be an integral member of the Justice Systems team and will collaborate with staff members from across the Policy Office and BJA management. The successful applicant will also be a member of the Federal Interagency Reentry Council staff working group and will help to inform federal policy efforts to remove barriers to successful reentry. It is expected that the individual will also have opportunities to provide strategic guidance related to corrections to the BJA Director and OJP leadership from the Office of the Assistant Attorney General. Please see pages 8-9 for specific notes on fellowship requirements.

4. Corrections Fellow: Reforming Corrections Policies and Practices to Reduce

Recidivism and Enhance Outcomes:

BJA seeks to identify and work collaboratively with a Fellow who possesses significant corrections policy and practice experience to enhance current national efforts related to reentry, recidivism reduction, and/or the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA). Potential Fellows are strongly encouraged to propose specific strategies that build upon and improve BJA’s investments in the corrections priority area.3 For example, an applicant with significant

1 In order to be eligible for consideration for the Second Chance Act (SCA) Fellow position the applicant must have been formerly incarcerated. Any applicant without this background will be removed at the Basic Minimum Requirements phase of the review process. Additionally, all SCA Fellow applicants must successfully pass the DOJ background investigation and drug test and receive the appropriate security clearance prior to the release of their grant funding.

2 BJA leads national corrections programs to support innovative, strategic efforts at the state, local, and tribal levels to promote positive offender reentry outcomes by developing and implementing evidence-based, data-driven programs and services for people returning to this nation’s communities from incarceration; reduce offender recidivism and enhance public safety while lowering corrections populations and costs; and improve the safety of correctional facilities, and reduce the incidence and prevalence of prison rape.

3 BJA leads national corrections programs to support innovative, strategic efforts at the state, local, and tribal levels to promote positive offender reentry outcomes by developing and implementing evidence-based, data-driven programs and services for offenders returning to this nation’s communities from prison; reduce offender recidivism and enhance public safety while lowering corrections populations and costs; and improve the safety of correctional facilities, and reduce the incidence and prevalence of prison rape.

experience leading their state’s successful efforts to comply with the National PREA Standards could propose to leverage their work and accomplishments to assist BJA and DOJ’s current efforts to promote nationwide compliance with the Standards. Similarly, a corrections policymaker who has played an integral leadership role developing and implementing policies and practices that have resulted in successful outcomes (e.g., reductions in institutional corrections populations, lower rates of technical violations and returns to prison by those on post-release supervision, decreases in recidivism by those released from prison) could propose innovative ways to assist BJA to support and document achievement of such outcomes in other jurisdictions across the nation. BJA is also very committed to identifying new and emerging corrections challenges, and developing and implementing efficient and effective national strategies, policies, and practices to address them. As such, a potentially viable alternative for BJA’s Corrections Fellow is to lead a strategic, comprehensive process to define one or more of these challenges and to develop methods BJA can use to help solve them. An optional, but preferred, activity to support such a process could be convening a formal summit or meeting of corrections experts from across the nation to forecast upcoming corrections challenges, and to advise BJA on priorities and proactive next steps. The ideas contained in this section are intended to be illustrative rather than proscriptive. BJA, therefore, strongly encourages potential Corrections Fellows to submit creative and innovative proposals to enhance BJA’s current national efforts related to promoting successful reentry, reducing recidivism among correctional populations, and/or improving prison safety and effectively addressing prison rape; or assist BJA to identify and define new and emerging corrections challenges, and define efficient and effective methods to address them. The successful applicant will be an integral member of the Justice Systems team and will collaborate with staff members from across the Policy Office and BJA management. It is likely that the individual will also have opportunities to provide strategic guidance related to corrections to the BJA Director and OJP leadership from the Office of the Assistant Attorney General.

5. Strategic Initiatives Fellow, Implementation Fidelity:

This Fellow will support the innovative and strategic programs of the Strategic Initiatives Unit (SIU) by advancing the goals of the group. The SIU goals are to translate research and evidence informed approaches into BJA policies and programs including strategies for use by state, local and tribal practitioners; enhance the use of data, research partnerships, strategic planning, and data analysis to enhance practitioners’ capacity to effectively develop and implement justice interventions, as well as the provision of training and technical assistance;

generate new knowledge about effective interventions through field tests, assessments, and applied research and evaluation; promote innovation, strategic replication, and rapid response to emerging criminal justice needs; support the fidelity of program implementation; and enhance the coordination and implementation of effective place-based, community-oriented strategies. This Fellow should have an extensive background criminal justice research and/or public policy or a cross-cutting discipline to enhance BJA strategies or resources, consistent with these goals and the BJA's Strategic Plan. Each fellowship applicant should propose strategies that are not duplicative of existing BJA work, and should advance a critical area of need in the field of criminal justice. In particular, an SIU/Implementation Fidelity Fellow might focus on building capacity in the field to conduct low-cost, high-quality data collection, analysis, evaluation or research; translate research knowledge in areas of documented need such as prosecution; propose strategies to incorporate the core components of high-quality implementation (“implementation drivers”) into BJA initiatives; develop briefing papers, resources, and checklists to promote and support the implementation of programs with fidelity;

create strategies to enhance local program design (such as identifying appropriate target populations and services); and use of physical design in developing community justice spaces and community conditions that engage community and build community trust and safety.

In addition, all Fellows will be expected to engage in the following kinds of activities as part of being a BJA Visiting Fellow Program:

Assist BJA with activities designed to assess the technical assistance, training, and capacity building needs in the priority area.

Assume lead responsibility for reviewing, updating, and maintaining any relevant BJA web site pages, in coordination with BJA staff.

Assess current BJA training and technical assistance resources in the priority area to determine if the products should be updated to be relevant to the field.

Assist BJA staff with the review and analysis of semi-annual performance measurement data submitted to BJA by grantees, if any, in the assigned priority area through OJP’s Grants Management System (GMS) progress reports module, the Performance Measurement Tool (PMT), and the TTA Reporting Portal. The Fellow will highlight inconsistencies between the performance data and the narrative reports and work with BJA staff and grantee organizations to reconcile the data.

Work with BJA staff to plan and implement monthly technical assistance conference calls with grantees on projects in assigned priority areas, including identifying potential call topics and speakers.

At the request of BJA management, participate in internal and external stakeholder meetings, forums, conferences, and international briefings for the purpose of presenting information on BJA efforts to address issues in the priority area and corresponding gaps in services and capacity building needs of the field.

Prepare detailed reports, speeches, and articles at the request of OJP and BJA management.

Develop written responses to various requests for information, including public inquiries seeking information on BJA’s efforts in the priority area.

Participate in professional development and training activities in consultation with BJA management to enhance expertise related to the priority area.

Travel to support the execution of the above activities.

Other duties as assigned to support the implementation of the fellowship.

Interested applicants should note the following:

BJA Fellows must pass the DOJ background investigation and drug test and receive the appropriate security clearance prior to the release of their grant funding.

BJA Fellows must have no outstanding IRS tax debt or other delinquent federal debt.

BJA Fellows may not be registered lobbyists at the time that the fellowship award is made or during the period of the fellowship.

BJA Fellows must take the online financial management training for grantees to ensure understanding of recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

BJA Fellows will be responsible for maintaining an accurate record of their time dedicated to the fellowship. BJA Fellows are required to spend at least 1,100 hours during the duration of their fellowship onsite at BJA.

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables A centerpiece of the Visiting Fellows Program is a term of residency at BJA, working full-time onsite at BJA for at least 6–12 months. Fellows are expected to work onsite in Washington, D.C.

because the fellowship is intended to provide professional development opportunities for the Fellow and technical expertise that supports BJA’s efforts, through Fellow/staff interaction. This project is not intended to fund a set of activities with a group of staff but rather the activities of an individual Fellow in collaboration with BJA. Additional time can be built into the period of the fellowship before or after the residency period at BJA to prepare for the fellowship work and to complete deliverables. The total fellowship, including both the offsite and residency periods, should be no more than 18 months. During the period of the fellowship, it is estimated that about 20 percent of the fellowship time will be devoted to collaborative work with BJA staff and leadership. BJA will consider periods less than 6 months (1,500 hours) or a part-time schedule (i.e., 20 hours per week) for a period of 1 year where the applicant makes the case that the goals of this solicitation can still be accomplished in a shorter amount of time.

Fellows will be expected to produce specific deliverables that can address these priority issues, such as outreach to BJA stakeholders, applied research tools, training curricula or toolkits, articles or publications, and provision of technical subject-matter assistance. Through this process, the Fellows will assist BJA in enhancing strategies and building capacity, then bring their fellowship experience back into the field. Applications should propose strategies to address the stated goals of the solicitation and the specific priority area, but final defined deliverables will be based upon those which are proposed in the application and negotiated with BJA through the award and start-up period. These deliverables must advance a priority policy issue during the fellowship at BJA, and can either enhance existing policy or develop new strategies to address emerging policy issues.

Fellows will be required to maintain time records and submit progress reports documenting their work to help ensure a continuous level of effort. Progress reports will also be used to ensure that the Fellow’s activities support the stated purpose of the award and that the fellowship’s deliverables are being met as established by the approved schedule for that reporting period. The Fellow’s financial, administrative, and programmatic compliance, as well as overall performance, will be monitored by BJA staff. Oversight of the direction of the grant goals and implementation of deliverables will be managed by staff within the assigned unit with ultimate oversight by the BJA Associate Deputy Director. Because the salary of a BJA Fellow is intended to compensate for an expected level of work during the funding period, any adjustment to a Fellow’s level of effort during the funding period (e.g., changes to the number of days worked beyond that set out above) may require an adjustment of the Fellow’s drawdown schedule or award budget. During the Fellow’s residency period, BJA will provide workspace and equipment, including telephone, computer, office supplies, and internet access.

FY 2015 fellowships are expected to begin after October 1, 2015 and end before March 31, 2017. Any offer of a fellowship is contingent upon the applicant successfully passing a complete and thorough background security check. The BJA Fellow will be expected to undergo OJP Financial Management training.

The overarching goal of these fellowships is to provide assistance through BJA to meet the field’s need for evidence-based training, technical assistance, and public awareness resources in the priority areas outlined below. Each Fellow will be expected to complete a major set of deliverables that will address critical, chronic, or emerging issues and build capacity to address priority issues in the criminal justice field. Critical deliverables could include:

Outreach to BJA stakeholders to coordinate development of projects, such as interviews or focus groups.

Creation of reports, toolkits and training curricula, applied research tools, and other creative learning strategies.

Translating research and evidence into programmatic and policy implications for practitioners.

Development of up to two significant articles or publications on topics relevant to BJA’s mission.

Provision of technical subject-matter training and assistance to the BJA staff, especially their Policy team.

Collaboration to facilitate creation of recommended strategies and enhancements to work in the specific priority issue area (identified below).

Training of BJA stakeholders.

Enhancing the professional development of successful applicants is an important aspect of the fellowship program, but activities and deliverables must conform to the solicitation parameters, with a specific focus on the priority issues developed below. Applicants who propose more narrowly focused fellowships that focus on their specific interests will not be considered responsive to this solicitation and will not be forwarded for peer review.

Fellows will be expected to participate in a wide range of collegial work with the BJA Director and BJA staff. Much of this collegial work will be designed to provide subject-matter expertise to expose BJA and other DOJ staff to issues facing the field and current practice to enhance the knowledge-building work of BJA. The Fellow will have a range of opportunities to participate in high-level policy discussions and processes that inform practice and will be expected to take this expertise back to share with the field. BJA is especially interested in funding Fellows who can make significant contributions toward building a cumulative body of knowledge in one of the five priority issue areas outlined above.

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;

and 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

Amount and Length of Award BJA estimates that it will make up to 5 awards of up to $270,000 each for an estimated total of $1,350,000 for an 18-month project period, beginning on October 1, 2015.

BJA may, in certain cases, provide supplemental funding in future years to awards under this 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 Award4 BJA expects that it will make any award from this solicitation in the form of a cooperative agreement, which is a particular type of grant used if BJA expects to have ongoing substantial involvement in award activities. Substantial involvement includes direct oversight and involvement with the grantee organization in implementation of the grant, but does not involve day-to-day project management. See Administrative, National Policy, and other Legal Requirements, under Section F. Federal Award Administration, for details regarding the federal involvement anticipated under an award from this solicitation.

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 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).

4 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/

(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 The funding level for each visiting Fellow will be largely determined by the total package submitted in the application, which may include salary and expenses, housing expenses, travel, and other limited administrative expenses. BJA will not fund salary (or costs) for any persons other than the person to be placed in the fellowship, with the following exception: BJA will fund small costs for a support staff person or contractor to perform support functions in completing research, analysis, meeting support, or document development insofar as such is a core need to accomplish the goals of the fellowship. The needs must be fully documented in the budget and budget narrative and be clearly tied to the proposed fellowship activities. Travel can include: (1) travel associated with the fellowship duties, (2) travel from the Fellow’s home to BJA and back for the fellowship residency, and (3) up to two trips to travel home during the period of the residency. This travel will not include local travel between the Fellow’s local residence during the period of the residency at BJA. Proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies will not be funded. Fellows are generally required to spend a minimum of 1,100 hours during the duration of their fellowship on site at BJA, though BJA will consider shorter periods of time where the applicant makes the case that s/he will still satisfactorily accomplish the goals of the solicitation. Proposals that do not respond to the specific goals of this solicitation will not be funded.

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 http://gfm.webfirst.com/ 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.5 The 2015 salary table for SES employees is available on the Office of Personnel Management web site. Note: A 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 most such costs for cooperative agreement recipients and of some such costs for grant 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.

5 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://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/15Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx http://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/PostawardRequirements/chapter15page1.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm

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.

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, Budget Narrative, Project Abstract, Time/Task Plan, and Resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel. 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 http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/ 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. Project Abstract Applications should include a high-quality project abstract that summarizes the proposed project in 400 words or less. Project abstracts should be:

written for a general public audience.

submitted as a separate attachment with “Project Abstract” as part of its file name.

single-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman) with 1-inch margins.

As a separate attachment, the project abstract will not count against the page limit for the program narrative.

All project abstracts should follow the detailed template available at ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf.

3. Program Narrative The program narrative must respond to the solicitation and the Selection Criteria (1-4) in the order given. The program narrative should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman is preferred) with not less than 1-inch margins, and should not exceed 15 pages. Number pages “1 of 10,” “2 of 10,” etc. as determined by the head of BJA.

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.

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

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.

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. OJP will require any award recipient, post award, to provide the data requested in the “Data Grantee Provides” column so that OJP can calculate values for the http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf

“Performance Measures” column. Performance measures for this solicitation are as follows:

Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Grantee Provides

Advance priority issues by enhancing existing policy or developing new strategies to address priority or emerging policy issues in the criminal justice field

Provide a final report with a comprehensive overview of the project

Percentage of deliverables that meet expectations

Percent of deliverables completed on time

Number of conferences, focus groups, and forums attended

Number of papers presented at national conferences

Number of recommendations developed

Number of program policies changed, improved, or rescinded based upon recommendations

Final comprehensive report providing an overview of the project and a detailed description of the design, activities, outcomes of assessments, and deliverables completed. Report must also include copies of all deliverables completed as well as a discussion of the implications of the project findings for criminal justice practice and policy in the United States

During the current reporting period:

Number of deliverables to include (but not limited to): reports, toolkits, training curricula, applied research tools, publications

Number of deliverable that meet expectations as approved by BJA staff

Number of deliverables to…