draft solicitation fy 2015 assessing the impact of juvenile justice reforms 2-11-15.pdf

OMB No. 1121-0329

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

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is seeking applications for funding under its Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Assessing the Impact of Juvenile Justice Reforms Program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by supporting research and evaluation to investigate the effectiveness and/or cost efficiency of juvenile justice system reforms. In particular, OJJDP is interested in reforms targeted at youth and law enforcement interaction, diversion, and community-based alternatives. OJJDP also encourages inquiries into the effectiveness of reforms targeted at mitigating negative outcomes that juvenile justice practices and conditions produce.

OJJDP FY 2015 Assessing the Impact of Juvenile Justice Reforms Program

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are limited to states (including territories), units of local government, tribes (i.e., federally recognized Indian tribal governments, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior), nonprofit and 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.

OJJDP welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the other(s) must be proposed as subrecipient(s). The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for conducting and leading the project. If successful, the applicant will be responsible for monitoring and appropriately managing any subrecipients or, as applicable, for administering any procurement subcontracts that would receive federal program funds from the applicant under the award. OJJDP will consider only one application per lead applicant; however, subrecipients may be part of multiple proposals.

OJJDP 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.

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 June 2, 2015.

http://www.usdoj.gov/ http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ http://www.ojjdp.gov/ http://www.ojjdp.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/applicants/apply_for_grants.jsp

OJJDP-2015-4124

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. 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 OJJDP 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 Response Center by telephone at 800-851-3420, by e-mail at responsecenter@ncjrs.gov, or by Web Chat at https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp. Answers to frequently asked questions that may assist applicants are posted at www.ojjdp.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2015/ImpactReform.pdf.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: OJJDP-2015-4124

Release date: April 17, 2015 http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:responsecenter@ncjrs.gov https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp http://www.ojjdp.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2015/ImpactReform.pdf

Contents

A. Program Description

Overview

Program-Specific Information

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

B. Federal Award Information

Type of award

Financial management and system of internal controls

Budget Information

Preagreement 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

OJJDP FY 2015 Assessing the Impact of Juvenile Justice Reforms Program

(CFDA # 16.540)

A. Program Description

Overview

OJJDP is seeking applications for funding under its Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 Assessing the Impact of Juvenile Justice Reforms Program. This program will support research and evaluation to investigate the effectiveness and/or cost efficiency of juvenile justice system reforms. In particular, OJJDP is interested in reforms targeted at youth and law enforcement interaction, diversion, and community-based alternatives. OJJDP also encourages inquiries into the effectiveness of reforms targeted at mitigating negative outcomes that juvenile justice practices and conditions produce.

Authorizing Legislation: The Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2015, Pub. L. No.

113-235; 128 Stat. 2130, 2195.

Program-Specific Information

The recent National Academies’ report Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach noted that over the past decade the United States has embarked on a period of juvenile justice reform.1 Many states and localities have made (or are considering making) legislative, policy, or practice changes to reform their juvenile justice systems to produce better outcomes for youth, improve public safety, and achieve a greater return on taxpayer investments. Scientific advancements guide many of these reforms and demonstrate that the juvenile justice system must take into account the fundamental developmental differences between adolescents and adults that affect offending behavior.

However, further research is needed to demonstrate that these reform efforts achieve improved outcomes and can serve as models for other jurisdictions seeking to implement similar reforms. Consequently, OJJDP will seek rigorous research proposals to assess the effectiveness and/or cost efficiency of juvenile justice system reform efforts. In particular, OJJDP is interested in reforms targeted at youth and law enforcement interaction, diversion strategies (such as civil citations) and community-based alternatives to residential placement, and conditions of confinement in secure juvenile detention and correctional facilities.

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

The goal of this program is to assess the effectiveness and/or cost efficiency of juvenile justice system reforms. For the purposes of this solicitation, OJJDP defines the juvenile justice system broadly to include systems involving law enforcement, courts, and corrections. The applicant should demonstrate how adolescent developmental science

1 National Research Council. 2013. Reforming Juvenile Justice: A Developmental Approach. Committee on

Assessing Juvenile Justice Reform, Committee on Law and Justice, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

across cognitive, social, emotional, and cultural domains guides the reform effort under investigation. Reform may constitute a systemic policy or practice change within a locality and/or state that impacts one or more segments of the juvenile justice system. Outcomes of interest include measures of juvenile delinquency, recidivism, and well-being; measures of public safety; and juvenile justice system costs. Note that this solicitation is focused on system and community-level reforms. Proposals to support evaluations of individual programs will not be considered for funding.

Applicants must clearly indicate one or more central research question(s) and should propose a sound research methodology. Additionally, applicants should clearly explain how the proposed research will fill a gap in the literature and how the expected findings will inform juvenile justice reform efforts.

OJJDP encourages applicants to propose research questions and/or evaluation studies that are consistent with the goals and objectives of this solicitation. Applicants may choose among the following or propose and justify their own area(s) of investigation:

evaluate reforms to juvenile justice system policies or practices to assess their impact on youth outcomes, public safety, and/or justice system costs (e.g., diversion, civil citations, community-based alternatives to residential placement, transfers to adult court, procedural fairness).

explore the impact of juvenile justice system practices on adolescent development, particularly tactics that may produce stress and trauma (i.e., youth and law enforcement interactions, including stop and frisk practices; conditions of confinement, including the use of segregation, isolation, or restraints in juvenile facilities; and correctional placement at considerable distance from family and community supports).

Deliverables. OJJDP will expect award recipients to deliver the following:

practitioner friendly overview documents highlighting the project’s goals and objectives, as OJJDP requires. (Refer to OJJDP News @ a Glance and JuvJust publications for examples of the type of documents requested, www.ojjdp.gov/enews/enews.html.)

a detailed progress report to OJJDP every 6 months describing the status of the research, methodological and implementation issues, progress toward the project goals, and any other issues that are relevant to the study’s completion.

one or more scholarly products, to result from each award under this solicitation, taking the form of one or more published, peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles and/or, if appropriate, law review journal articles, book chapter(s), or book(s) in the academic press.

a final, detailed report documenting the research and its findings. This publication should include an executive summary and be suitable for a nontechnical audience, to be disseminated at OJJDP’s discretion.

Evaluation research. If an application includes an evaluation research component (or consists entirely of evaluation research), and the primary purpose of this evaluation is to determine the effectiveness or impact of an intervention (e.g., program or practice), the http://www.ojjdp.gov/enews/enews.html application is expected to propose the use of random selection and assignment of participants (or other appropriate units of analysis) to experimental and control conditions, if feasible. Applications that include such evaluation research but do not propose the use of randomization should explain clearly why randomization is not feasible, and should propose a strong quasi-experimental design that can address the risk of selection bias. Applications that propose meta-analysis of existing evaluation studies must establish clear inclusion criteria that favor and provide separate analysis of effect sizes for randomized and strong quasi-experimental studies. Applicants are encouraged to review evidence rating criteria for further information on high-quality evaluation design elements.

Also, applications that include evaluation research should consider seriously including cost/benefit analysis. In cases where evaluations find that interventions have produced the intended benefit, cost/benefit analysis provides a valuable and practical information that aids decision making for justice practitioners and policy makers.

B. Federal Award Information

OJJDP anticipates making between one and three awards under this program. Applicants may apply for awards up to $600,000 (or between $200,000 and $600,000), but OJJDP anticipates the total amount of funds to be available for all awards under this program is $600,000.

Applicants may propose to assess the impact of a specific reform or policy in more than one site under a single award. Indirect costs are allowable and included within the total award.

To allow time for, among other things, any necessary post-award review, modification, and OJP clearance of the proposed budget, applicants should propose an award start date of October 1, 2015.

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 award2. OJJDP expects that it will make awards from this solicitation in the form of a grant.

Note: OJJDP will require any recipient of an award under this solicitation to comply with Department of Justice regulations on confidentiality and human subjects’ protection. See “Evidence, Research, and Evaluation Guidance and Requirements” under “Solicitation Requirements” in the OJP Funding Resource Center.

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 nonfederal 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

2 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)).

ttp://www.crimesolutions.gov/about_instrument.aspx http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm

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 nonfederal 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 nonfederal 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

What will not be funded:

proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies. (A budget may include these items if they are necessary to conduct research, development, demonstration, evaluation, or analysis.)

proposals that are not responsive to this specific solicitation.

proposals that include support for the development of programs, program implementation, or delivery of direct services. (All budgeted funds under this solicitation must be for the direct support of research/evaluation related expenses.)

pursuant to the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, grantees may not use OJJDP funds for any biomedical or behavior control experimentation on individuals or any research involving such experimentation.

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.

Preagreement cost approvals. OJJDP will not consider requests for approval of preagreement costs under this solicitation.

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 http://gfm.webfirst.com/ http://www.ojjdp.gov/about/jjdpa2002titlev.pdf 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 year3. The 2015 salary table for SES employees is available at the Office of Personnel Management website. 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 OJJDP Administrator 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/funding/confcost.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.

C. Eligibility Information

Eligibility. 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.

3 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://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/15Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx http://www.ojp.gov/funding/confcost.htm

Limit on number of application submissions. If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, OJJDP 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 affect negatively 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 determined to be nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, or that do not include the application elements that OJJDP has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. Under this solicitation, OJJDP has designated the following application elements as critical: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, Budget Narrative, and resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel. For purposes of this solicitation, “key personnel” means the principal investigator, and any and all co-principal investigators. 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). 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.”) http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/ http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/grants_spoc/

2. Project Abstract

The project abstract is a very important part of the application, and serves as an introduction to the proposed project. OJJDP uses the project abstract for a number of purposes, including assignment of the application to an appropriate review panel. If the application is funded, the project abstract typically will become public information and be used to describe the project.

Applications should include a high-quality project abstract that summarizes the proposed project in 250-400 words. 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.

The abstract should include a description of:

the purpose of the project, the reform or policy to be evaluated, and the anticipated relevance to juvenile justice policy, practice, and theory.

the study site(s), target population, and comparison group(s), including number of subjects and other relevant attributes.

the study timeframe before and after the reform or policy implementation.

the research design and methodology, including the type(s) of data, access and collection strategies, instruments, measurement considerations, and other methods or procedures. For an evaluation, clearly describe the type of evaluation (e.g., randomized control trial or quasi-experimental design).

the techniques proposed for data analysis.

the outcomes to be measured (i.e., short-term outcomes and/or long-term impacts).

the expected deliverables, such as data sets, interim and final reports, and other dissemination plans.

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

Project abstracts should follow the detailed template (including the detailed instructions as to content).

Permission to share project abstract with the public. It is unlikely that OJJDP will be able to fund all promising applications submitted under this solicitation, but it may have the opportunity to share information with the public regarding promising but unfunded applications, for example, through a listing on a webpage available to the public. The http://www.nij.gov/funding/Documents/nij-project-abstract-template.pdf intent of this public posting would be to allow other possible funders to become aware of such proposals.

In the project abstract template, applicants are asked to indicate whether they give OJP permission to share their project abstract (including contact information) with the public if OJJDP does not fund the proposed project. Granting (or failing to grant) this permission will not affect OJP’s funding decisions, and, if the application is not funded, granting permission will not guarantee that project abstract information will be shared, nor will it guarantee funding from any other source.

Note: OJP may choose not to list a project that otherwise would have been included in a listing of promising but unfunded applications, should the abstract fail to meet the format and content requirements noted above and outlined in the project abstract template.

3. Program Narrative

Applicants must submit a program narrative that presents a detailed description of the purpose, goals, objectives, strategies, design, and management of the proposed program. The program narrative should be double-spaced with 1-inch margins, not exceeding 30 pages of 8½ by 11 inches, and use a standard 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman. Pages should be numbered “1 of 30,” etc. The tables, charts, pictures, etc., including all captions, legends, keys, subtext, etc., may be single-spaced and will count in the 30-page limit. Material required under the Budget and Budget Narrative and Additional Attachments sections will not count toward the program narrative page count. Applicants may provide bibliographical references as a separate attachment that will not count toward the 30-page program narrative limit. If the program narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, OJJDP may consider such noncompliance in peer review and in final award decisions.

The program narrative should address the following selection criteria: (1) description of the policy and research questions, (2) study design and implementation, (3) potential impact, and (4) capabilities/competencies. The applicant should clearly delineate the connections between and among each of these sections. For example, the project design section should clearly explain how the program’s structure and activities will respond to the problem statement identified in the previous section.

Program narrative guidelines:

a. Title page (not counted against the 30-page program narrative limit). Should include the title of the project, submission date, funding opportunity number, and the name and complete contact information (that is, address, telephone number, and e-mail address) for both the applicant organization and the principal investigator.

b. Table of contents and figures (not counted against the 30-page program narrative limit).

c. Main body. Should describe the proposed project in depth. Include the following sections as part of the program narrative:

(1) Description of the policy and research questions. Applicants should briefly describe the components of the reform or policy they will evaluate in keeping with the discussion on pages 4-5 (e.g., assessing the impact of juvenile justice reforms). The applicant should use data as evidence of the need to demonstrate the impact of the policy, explain the size and scope of the need, and document its importance to the target population and the larger community.

Applicants should discuss their research questions and how their proposed study addresses the research gaps they have identified.

Applicants should provide a brief review of the relevant theories and research supporting the proposed approach.

Applicants should describe any research or evaluation studies that relate to the reform or policy and contribute to the applicant’s understanding of its effectiveness and/or cost efficiency. While OJJDP expects applicants to review the research literature for relevant studies, they should also explore whether unpublished local sources of research or evaluation data are available.

(2) Project design and implementation. Applicants should describe in detail the research design and methods they propose to achive the goals listed on pages 4-5. This includes detailed explanations of:

whether primary data collection will occur and/or secondary analysis of existing data.

whether this study will entail an outcome evaluation and/or other research approaches.

how the applicant will measure impact (i.e., effectiveness and/or cost efficiency) for the proposed research questions and why this is the best approach, including the design for establishing a link, if any, between a reform or policy and changes in outcomes.

the outcomes to be measured (i.e., short-term outcomes and/or long-term impacts).

the sampling plan for selecting the study site(s), target population, and comparison group(s).

the study timeframe before and after the reform or policy implementation.

the privacy and human subjects considerations.

the data sources, data collection tools, and data collection and processing procedures, including the steps for accessing data (i.e., establishing data-sharing agreements), linking records from multiple datasets, and transforming administrative records into analytic files.

the statistical and data analyses anticipated.

the anticipated limitations and barriers in the approach and project.

Logic model. Applicants should include a logic model that graphically illustrates the theory of change to be measured by the research/evaluation. Sample logic models are available here. Applicants should submit the logic model as a separate attachment, as stipulated in Additional Attachments, page 18.

Timeline. Applicants should submit a realistic timeline or milestone chart that indicates major tasks associated with the goals and objectives of the project, assigns responsibility for each, and plots completion of each task by month or quarter for the duration of the award, using “Year 1,” “Month 1,” “Quarter 1,” etc., not calendar dates (see “Sample Project Timelines”).

Applicants should submit the timeline as a separate attachment, as stipulated in Additional Attachments, page 18.

(3) Potential impact. Applicants should describe the potential impact of the research: This includes a description of:

how study findings may inform or improve juvenile justice-related policy, practice, and reform efforts at the federal, state, and local levels.

how applicants will complete the deliverables stated in the Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables section on pages 4-5.

a plan for dissemination to broader audiences.

d. Capabilities/competencies. This section should describe the experience and capability of the applicant organization, proposed project investigators/staff, and any contractors or subgrantees that the applicant will use to implement and manage this effort and its associated federal funding, highlighting any previous experience implementing projects of similar scope, design, and magnitude.

Applicants should include details on their system for fiscal accountability. If applicable to this application, applicants should also highlight their experience/ capability/capacity to manage subawards.

Management and staffing patterns should be clearly connected to the project design described in the previous section.

Applicants should describe the roles and responsibilities of project staff and explain the program’s organizational structure and operations. Applicants should include a copy of an organizational chart showing how the organization operates, including who manages the finances; how the organization manages subawards, if there are any; and the management of the project proposed for funding.

Applicants should address whether a research advisory board will be included in the development and review of the research methodology.

e. 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 http://www.ojjdp.gov/grantees/pm/logic_models.html http://www.ojjdp.gov/grantees/timelines.html 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 “Performance Measures” column. (Submission of performance measures data is not required for the application.) Performance measures for this solicitation are as follows:

Objective Performance Measure(s)

Data Grantee Provides

To generate research/ evaluation to inform juvenile justice reform efforts.

Number of new policies, procedures, strategies, or interventions researched/evaluated.

Number of new policies, procedures, strategies, or interventions researched/evaluated.

Number of gaps identified as a result of research/evaluation.

Number of documents published.

Number of deliverables that meet expectations.

Number of gaps identified as a result of research/evaluation.

Number of documents published (i.e.

peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles, and/or (if appropriate) law review journal articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press).

Number of deliverables that meet expectations (as outlined in the solicitation).

OJJDP does not require applicants to submit performance measures data with their applications. Performance measures are included as an alert that OJJDP 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.

OJJDP encourages award recipients to use information from existing program records to fulfill performance measures reporting requirements rather than initiating new data collection activities for this purpose.

f. Appendices. Appendices (not counted against the 30-page program narrative limit) should include:

bibliography/references.

any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps pertaining to the proposed project that will supplement items included in the main body of the narrative.

curriculum vitae or resumes of the principal investigator and all coprincipal investigators. In addition, curriculum vitae, resumes, or biographical sketches of all other individuals (regardless of investigator status) who will be significantly involved in substantive aspects of the proposal (including, for example, individuals, such as statisticians, serving as consultants to conduct proposed data analysis).

list (to the extent known) of all proposed project staff members, including those affiliated with the applicant organization or any proposed subrecipient organization(s), any proposed consultant(s) and contractors (whether individuals or organizations), and any proposed members of an advisory board for the project (if applicable). The list should include, for each individual and organization: name, title (if applicable), employer or other organizational affiliation, and roles and responsibilities proposed for the project. Applicants should use the “Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles” form to provide this listing proposed project timeline and expected milestones.

list of any previous and current OJJDP awards to applicant organization and investigator(s), including the OJJDP-assigned award numbers and a brief description of any scholarly products that resulted in whole or in part from work funded under the award(s). (See “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products” under “Program-Specific Information,” above, for definition of scholarly products.)

letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from organizations collaborating in the project.

list of other agencies, organizations, or funding sources to which this proposal has been submitted, if applicable.

data archiving plan. Applicants should anticipate that OJJDP may require (through special award conditions) that data sets resulting in whole or in part from projects funded under this solicitation be submitted for archiving with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data.

Applicants should include a brief statement (less than one-page) labeled “Data Archiving Plan” that documents how they will comply with OJJDP data archiving requirements. Grantees must work collaboratively with OJJDP and/or its designee (e.g., National Archive of Criminal Justice Data) to determine the need for a plan to archive the research data for public use, with a specific schedule, tasks, and milestones. The plan will be due to OJJDP within 120 days of the date on which a determination is made that such an archiving plan is required. See the Guide to Social Science Data Preparation and Archiving for information about what is included in a data archiving plan.

letters of support/memoranda of understanding. If submitting an application with a subaward, as described under Eligibility, page 1, applicants should provide signed and dated letters of support or memoranda of understanding for all key partners that include the following:

o expression of support for the program and a statement of willingness to participate and collaborate with it.

http://www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-staff-template.xlsx http://www.nij.gov/funding/data-resources-program/applying/Pages/data-archiving-strategies.aspx http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/files/ICPSR/access/dataprep.pdf o description of the partner’s current role and responsibilities in the planning process and expected responsibilities when the program is operational.

o estimate of the percent of time that the partner will devote to the planning and operation of the project.

4. Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

a. Budget Detail Worksheet. A sample Budget Detail Worksheet can be found here.

Applicants that submit their budget in a different format should include the budget categories listed in the sample budget worksheet. (Work associated with satisfying data archiving requirements should be reflected.) OJJDP expects applicants to provide a thorough narrative to each section of the Budget Detail Worksheet.

For questions pertaining to budget and examples of allowable and unallowable costs, see the Financial Guide.

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 sound mathematically, 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. Noncompetitive procurement contracts in excess of simplified acquisition threshold. If an applicant proposes to make one or more noncompetitive procurements of products or services, where the noncompetitive 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. Preagreement cost approvals. For information on preagreement costs approvals, see Section B. Federal Award Information.

5. 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 http://www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/BudgetDetailWorksheet.pdf http://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm 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 here.

6. 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 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 submit, at a minimum, 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, OJJDP will make use of and access to funds contingent on receipt of the fully executed legal documentation.

7. 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.

http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm mailto:ask.ocfo@usdoj.gov http://www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/IndirectCosts.pdf mailto:OJPComplianceReporting@usdoj.gov

SAMPLE

8. Additional Attachments

a. Applicant disclosure of pending applications4. 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 information to help avoid any inappropriate duplication of funding.

Leveraging multiple funding sources in a complementary manner to implement comprehensive programs or projects is encouraged and is not seen as inappropriate duplication.

Applicants that have pending applications as described above are to provide the following information about pending applications submitted within the last 12 months:

The federal or state funding agency

The solicitation name/project name

The point of contact information at the applicable funding agency

Applicants should include the table as a separate attachment, with the file name “Disclosure of Pending Applications,” to their application. Applicants that do not have pending applications as described above are to include a statement to this effect in the separate attachment page (e.g., “[Applicant Name on SF-424] does not have pending applications submitted within the last 12 months 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.”).

b. Research and evaluation independence and integrity. If a proposal involves research and/or evaluation, regardless of the proposal’s other merits, in order to receive funds, the applicant must demonstrate research/evaluation independence, including appropriate safeguards to ensure research/evaluation objectivity and

4 Typically, the applicant is not the principal investigator; rather, the applicant, most frequently, is the institution, organization, or company in which the principal investigator is employed.

Federal or State Funding Agency

Solicitation Name/ Project Name

Name/Phone/E-mail for Point of Contact at Funding Agency

DOJ/COPS COPS Hiring Program

Jane Doe, 202/000-0000;

jane.doe@usdoj.gov

HHS/ Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration

Drug Free Communities Mentoring Program/ North County Youth Mentoring Program

John Doe, 202/000-0000;

john.doe@hhs.gov integrity, both in this proposal and as it may relate to the applicant’s other current or prior related projects. This documentation may be included as an attachment to the application which addresses BOTH i. and ii. below.

i. For purposes of this solicitation, applicants must document research and evaluation independence and integrity by including, at a minimum, one of the following two items:

a. A specific assurance that the applicant has reviewed its proposal to identify any research integrity issues (including all principal investigators and sub-recipients) and it has concluded that the design, conduct, or reporting of research and evaluation funded by OJJDP grants, cooperative agreements, or contracts will not be biased by any personal or financial conflict of interest on the part of part of its staff, consultants, and/or sub-recipients responsible for the research and evaluation or on the part of the applicant organization;

OR

b. A specific listing of actual or perceived conflicts of interest that the applicant…