fy-15-aian-tta-solicitation-508.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office for Victims of Crime

OMB No. 1121-0329 Approval Expires 07/31/2016

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is seeking applications for funding under the American Indian/Alaska Native Training and Technical Assistance Program. This program furthers the Department’s mission by enhancing the capacity of victim service providers to better respond to the needs and rights of crime victims in tribal communities.

OVC FY 2015 American Indian/Alaska Native Training and Technical Assistance Program

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit organizations, including faith- and community-based organizations, institutions of higher learning, and consortiums with demonstrated organization and community-based experience working with American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Tribal nonprofit organizations and public agencies are also eligible, including tribal colleges and universities and tribal consortiums.

OVC 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 1, 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.

http://www.usdoj.gov/ http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ http://www.ovc.gov/ http://www.ovc.gov/ 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

OVC-2015-4225

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 OVC 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 Barbara Robertson, Victim Justice Program Specialist, by telephone at 202–353–3775, or by e-mail at Barbara.Robertson2@usdoj.gov.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: OVC-2015-4225

Release date: April 14, 2015 mailto:Barbara.Robertson2@usdoj.gov

Contents A. Program Description

Overview

Program-Specific Information

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices

B. Federal Award Information

Type of Award

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Budget Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver

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

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable)

C. Eligibility Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Limit on Number of Application Submissions

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

How to Apply

E. Application Review Information

Selection Criteria

Review Process

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notices

Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements

General Information About Post-Federal Award Reporting Requirements

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

H. Other Information

Provide Feedback to OJP

Application Checklist

OVC FY 2015 American Indian/Alaska Native Training and Technical Assistance Program

(CFDA # 16.582)

A. Program Description

Overview Through the American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Training and Technical Assistance Program, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) will provide resources and coordination to increase AI/AN tribal communities’ ability to provide comprehensive and culturally appropriate services to crime victims, their families, and the community. Using a victim-centered approach designed to foster dignity and spiritual, mental, and physical health in victims, their families, and the community, the selected organizations will assist OVC in supporting the training and technical assistance needs of AI/AN communities that receive grant funds from OVC. These cooperative agreements are authorized under 42 U.S.C. 10603(c)(1)(A) & (B), 42 U.S.C.

10601(g) and the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, Pub. L. No. 113-235, December 16, 2014.

Program-Specific Information The OVC AI/AN victim assistance program assists communities with developing comprehensive, culturally appropriate, victim-centered services. It includes funding to AI/AN communities through the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitations (CTAS)—Children’s Justice Act (CJA) Partnerships for Indian Communities, Purpose Area 6 (see www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/tribal/pages/attachments/2014/11/19/ ctas_fy-2015_solicitation.pdf and Comprehensive Tribal Victim Assistance (CTVA) Program, Purpose Area 7—as well as OVC Vision 21 Community Wellness Centers (see http://ojp.gov/ovc/grants/pdftxt/FY14_V21_TribalWellness.pdf).

CJA Partnerships for Indian Communities (CTAS Purpose Area 6) The CJA program assists AI/AN communities in developing, establishing, and operating programs to improve the investigation, prosecution, and overall handling of cases of child abuse, child sexual abuse, and severe physical abuse in a manner that increases support for, and lessens additional trauma to, child victims. Grantee sites are tasked with developing, enhancing, and sustaining comprehensive victim assistance programs that provide a coordinated, collaborative, multidisciplinary response to child victims, their families, and the community; and that provide trauma-informed, culturally competent holistic services.

CTVA Program (CTAS Purpose Area 7) The CTVA program assists AI/AN tribal communities in developing, establishing, and operating programs to serve victims of crime, their families, and the community. Grantee communities that receive CTVA funding must identify related program focus areas. These may include elder abuse, child abuse, homicide, gang violence, youth violence, trafficking, sexual assault, domestic violence, battery and assault, identity theft, hate crimes, and/or driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs. For larger and more established communities, focusing on a http://ojp.gov/ovc/grants/pdftxt/FY14_V21_TribalWellness.pdf http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/tribal/pages/attachments/2014/11/19/ctas_fy-2015_solicitation.pdf http://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/tribal/pages/attachments/2014/11/19/ctas_fy-2015_solicitation.pdf limited set of purpose areas is critical for ensuring efficacy. Smaller communities may have a broader focus as to the delivery of services, particularly if few—or any—victim services currently exist.

Vision 21 Community Wellness Centers The goal of this program is to meet the holistic needs of crime victims and survivors through the development of a victim-centered Community Wellness framework that extends beyond crisis victim assistance to meet the longer-term, complex needs of victims, survivors, and their families. Grantees will provide services and resources that support recovery from victimization, break cycles of abuse, and support healing for victims and their communities. Victim-centered activities may include traditional healing and other cultural practices; peacekeeping; financial empowerment of victims through education and job training; youth engagement, particularly around interventions to reduce levels of victimization and re-victimization; promoting physical and emotional wellness; innovative uses of technology; therapy; and programs that promote cultural and community cohesiveness.

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables The primary goal of the cooperative agreements awarded under this solicitation is to provide resources and training and technical assistance to improve the ability of OVC and OVC tribal grantees to enhance their response to victims of crime, their families, and the community. The deliverables (training, technical assistance, meeting and conference support, and information management) should be directed toward the continuation, expansion, and enhancement of the goals and objectives of OVC’s tribal victim assistance programs.

OVC anticipates offering funding to two organizations with experience providing culturally appropriate program support and training and technical assistance to AI/AN communities. The funded organizations will be required to develop a program plan and provide for the delivery of services with a focus on two specific goals:

• Support OVC tribal grantees in developing a comprehensive community needs assessment and implementing a strategic plan and logic model that builds a new, or enhances an existing, comprehensive array of culturally appropriate victim-centered services to victims of crime, their families, and the community.

• Support OVC tribal grantees and OVC in developing or enhancing comprehensive victim assistance programs that provide coordinated, collaborative, multidisciplinary responses that are trauma-informed and based on culturally competent holistic approaches through the provision of program support, training and technical assistance, and appropriate resources.

During the first year of implementation, each provider awarded through this solicitation will assess the needs of their assigned OVC tribal grantees and develop a plan for the delivery of training and technical assistance. This plan will include criteria for prioritizing requests and address different levels of training and technical assistance. Further, the awardees will support OVC in developing or enhancing comprehensive victim assistance programs that provide coordinated, collaborative, multidisciplinary responses that are trauma-informed and based on culturally competent holistic approaches through the provision of program support, training, and appropriate resources.

Activities and Deliverables OVC seeks innovative approaches to designing and delivering training to support the CJA and CTVA grant recipients. OVC is particularly interested in approaches that deliver effective and cost-efficient training through a combination of culturally appropriate traditional instruction and appropriate learning technologies.

OVC anticipates entering into a cooperative agreement with the successful applicant(s). In furtherance of the goals and objectives described above, OVC will—

• Review and approve major work plans, including changes to such plans and key decisions pertaining to project operations.

• Review and approve major project-generated documents and materials used in the provision of project services.

• Provide guidance and approval in significant project planning, meeting coordination, and scheduling; and participate in project-sponsored training events or conferences.

The successful applicant(s) must plan to—

• Upon award, conduct an initial assessment of their assigned OVC tribal grantee’s training and technical assistance needs, and integrate what is learned from this assessment with additional information provided by OVC.

• Assess each assigned OVC tribal grantee’s training and technical assistance needs on a yearly basis, through their own assessment and through information provided by OVC.

• Develop tools that are available on the front-end in a variety of formats to assist in the development of privacy certificates, needs assessments, strategic plans, and logic models; and provide culturally appropriate technical assistance to OVC AI/AN grant recipients in furtherance of the goals of the OVC AI/AN victim assistance programs.

• Assist OVC in providing training and resources that are targeted for all OVC tribal grantees.

• Develop, implement, and provide culturally appropriate training and technical assistance to assigned OVC tribal grant recipients on victim services issues in furtherance of the goals of the OVC tribal victim assistance programs.

• Develop strategies that will help grantees to identify and adopt promising practices and successful partnerships in order to establish and sustain functional victim service programs.

• Design and maintain a data collection system to help grantees meet reporting requirements in a timely and accurate manner.

• Identify and maintain culturally appropriate model protocols, tribal codes, and victims’ rights codes.

• Identify and develop innovative training materials for OVC tribal grantees.

• Identify, review, and adapt tested strategies for OVC tribal grantees.

• Develop and implement a strategic plan for responding to a wide range of support requests including, but not limited to, teleconferences, event speaker assistance, subject matter deployment, on- and offsite assistance, and other tasks deemed appropriate in consultation with OVC.

• Provide coordination, logistics, and onsite meeting support for training events and cross-site meetings to provide skill-building and promote information-sharing among OVC tribal grantee stakeholders. (In general, the OVC grantees will cover their own expenses to meetings and trainings; however, there may be occasions where the successful applicant will be required to provide travel assistance.)

• If not already developed, develop a system for receiving, tracking, and responding to requests for training and technical assistance, including an evaluation process that allows OVC to assess user satisfaction of services.

• Identify and maintain a cadre of OVC-approved experts who can conduct training and provide technical assistance to OVC tribal grant recipients on services to crime victims, their families, and the community.

• Coordinate with OVC staff to identify relevant federally funded training and technical assistance resources and incorporate these resources into training and technical assistance efforts.

• Develop or adapt assessment tools to measure the quality and effectiveness of delivered services.

• Develop a program assessment plan that includes assisting OVC and OVC tribal grantees with identifying measurable outcomes and implementing a data collection process.

• Special Projects—OVC may require the successful applicant(s) to conduct special projects, develop products, or work collaboratively with other OVC AI/AN TTA providers in support of this cooperative agreement. For example, OVC may want to convene a roundtable meeting to provide specialized training to a targeted group of OVC tribal grantees.

Evidence-Based Programs or Practices OJP strongly emphasizes the use of data and evidence in policymaking 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

OVC estimates that it will make up to two awards of up to $1,500,000 each for an estimated total of $3,000,000 for a 3-year project period, beginning on October 1, 2015. OVC may invite the successful applicants to apply for continuation funding for up to two 12-month increments.

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 (e.g., 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.

http://www.crimesolutions.gov/

Type of Award1 OVC 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 OVC 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 Information, 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).

(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 statutes, 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 DOJ Grants Financial Management Online Training, available here.

Budget Information

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

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

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

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

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

http://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 or benefits for individuals with limited English proficiency may be allowable. Reasonable steps to provide meaningful access to services or benefits may include interpretation or translation services where appropriate.

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

C. Eligibility Information

For additional eligibility information, see title page.

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

Limit on Number of Application Submissions If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, OVC 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 OVC has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. Under this solicitation, OVC has designated the following application elements as critical: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, Budget Narrative, and resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel, timeline of key activities, and letters of support from tribal communities.

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 http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm 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 (program) is not subject to Executive Order 12372. (In completing the SF-424, applicants are to make the appropriate selection in response to question 19 to indicate that the “Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”)

2. 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 must be double spaced with 1-inch margins, not exceed 30 pages, and use a standard 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman. Pages must be numbered “1 of 30,” etc. The project abstract, 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 “Other Attachments” sections will not count toward the program narrative page count.

If the program narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, OVC 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

Applicants should include a proposal to support at least one cross-site meeting for OVC tribal grant recipients to bring together the key stakeholders participating in each community’s effort. Additionally, applicants under the Technical Assistance focus area must include a detailed discussion of how they will engage tribal leadership and support the tribal communities in the needs assessment process and development of the logic model and strategic plans.

c. Capabilities and Competencies In addition to providing information about experience in delivering training and technical assistance and program support on crime victim’s issues, applicants must demonstrate that they have appropriate experience, knowledge, and credibility working with AI/AN communities, as well as documented evidence of working with AI/AN communities and letters of support from AI/AN communities.

d. Plan for Collecting the Data Required for this Solicitation’s Performance Measures Submission of performance measures data is not required for the application.

Performance measures are included as an alert that successful applicants will be required to submit specific data to OVC as part of their reporting requirements. For the application, the applicant should indicate an understanding of these requirements and discuss how they will gather the required data, should the applicant 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 http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html http://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html 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. Performance measures for this solicitation are as follows:

Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Grantee Provides

To improve the ability of OVC and OVC tribal grantees to enhance their response to victims of crime, their families, and the community through training and technical assistance.

Number of technical assistance requests.

Number of technical assistance requests completed (by type).

Number of needs assessments completed.

Number of logic models completed.

Number of strategic plans developed.

Number of program materials developed.

Number of planning or training events held.

Number of program materials developed.

Number of planning or training events held.

Percent of participants who successfully completed the training.

Percent of participants trained who demonstrated increased knowledge of the program area.

Number of program policies changed, improved, or rescinded.

Percent of organizations reporting improvements in operations based on training and technical assistance.

Number of participants trained.

Number of participants who successfully complete the training.

Number of people exhibiting increased knowledge of the program area (determined by pre- and post-testing).

Number of program policies changed, improved, or rescinded.

Number of organizations that received training and technical assistance.

Number of organizations reporting improvements in operations based on training and technical assistance (determined by a survey rating tool).

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

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

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

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

e. Other: Resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel, or job descriptions of individual(s) not yet hired; timeline of key activities; and letters of support from tribal communities.

3. Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

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

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

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, necessary for project activities).

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

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

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

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

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

4. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

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

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

5. Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable)

Tribes, tribal organizations, or third parties proposing to provide direct services or assistance to residents on tribal lands should include in their applications a resolution, a letter, affidavit, or other documentation, as appropriate, that certifies that the applicant has the legal authority from the tribe(s) to implement the proposed project on tribal lands. In those instances when an organization or consortium of tribes applies for a grant on behalf of a tribe or multiple specific tribes, the application should include appropriate legal documentation, as described above, from all tribes that would receive services or assistance under the grant. A consortium of tribes for which existing consortium bylaws allow action 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.

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

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

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

• The federal agency that currently designated the applicant as high risk;

• Date the applicant was designated high risk;

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

• Reasons for the high-risk status.

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

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

7. Additional Attachments

a. Resumes/Curriculum Vitae of Key Personnel or Job Descriptions Applicants must provide a list of the personnel responsible for managing and implementing major activities of the project and include a description of the current and proposed professional staff member’s unique qualifications that will enable them to fulfill their grant responsibilities. An organizational chart may also be included. Position descriptions and resumes of key personnel must be included as separate attachments. If additional staff will be hired to complete various activities for this project, the applicant should also attach a proposed job description and the selection criteria for the position.

b. Timeline of Key Activities The timeline document must include the following:

• Milestone project goals.

• Related objectives, activities (including data collection and programmatic and financial reporting), and expected completion dates.

• Organization and person(s) responsible for completing each task on the timeline.

c. Letters of Support From Tribal Communities

d. Applicant Disclosure of Pending Applications

Applicants are to disclose whether they have pending applications for federally funded grants or subgrants (including cooperative agreements) that include requests for funding mailto:OJPComplianceReporting@usdoj.gov

SAMPLE

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; and

• 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.”)

8. Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire

In accordance with 2 CFR 200.205, Federal agencies must have in place a framework for evaluating the risks posed by applicants before they receive a Federal award. To facilitate part of this risk evaluation, all applicants (other than an individual) are to download, complete, and submit this form.

9. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities

All applicants must complete this information. Applicants that expend any funds for lobbying activities are to provide the detailed information requested on the form Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL). Applicants that do not expend any funds for lobbying activities

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 http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=2ebfb13012953333f32ed4cf1411e33e&node=pt2.1.200&rgn=div5#se2.1.200_1205 http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/FinancialCapability.pdf are to enter “N/A” in the text boxes for item 10 (“a. Name and Address of Lobbying Registrant” and “b. Individuals Performing Services”).

How to Apply Applicants must register in, and submit applications through Grants.gov, a “one-stop storefront” to find federal funding opportunities and apply for funding. Find complete instructions on how to register and submit an application at www.Grants.gov. Applicants that experience technical difficulties during this process should call the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800–518– 4726 or 606–545–5035, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays. Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, processing delays may occur, and it can take several weeks for first-time registrants to receive confirmation and a user password. OJP encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline.

In addition, OJP urges applicants to submit applications 72 hours prior to the application due date to allow time to receive validation messages or rejection notifications from Grants.gov, and to correct in a timely fashion any problems that may have caused a rejection notification.

OVC strongly encourages all prospective applicants to sign up for Grants.gov email notifications regarding this solicitation. If this solicitation is cancelled or modified, individuals who sign up with Grants.gov for updates will be automatically notified.

Note on File Names and File Types: Grants.gov only permits the use of certain specific characters in names of attachment files. Valid file names may include only the characters shown in the table below. Grants.gov is designed to reject any application that includes an attachment(s) with a file name that contains any characters not shown in the table below.

Characters Special Characters Upper case (A – Z) Parenthesis ( ) Curly braces { } Square brackets [ ] Lower case (a – z) Ampersand (&) Tilde (~) Exclamation point (!)

Underscore (__) Comma ( , ) Semicolon ( ; ) Apostrophe ( ‘ ) Hyphen ( - ) At sign (@) Number sign (#) Dollar sign ($) Space Percent sign (%) Plus sign (+) Equal sign (=) Period (.) When using the ampersand (&) in XML, applicants must use the “&”

format.

Grants.gov is designed to forward successfully submitted applications to OJP’s Grants Management System (GMS).

GMS does not accept executable file types as application attachments. These disallowed file types include, but are not limited to, the following extensions: “.com,” “.bat,” “.exe,” “.vbs,” “.cfg,” “.dat,” “.db,” “.dbf,” “.dll,” “.ini,” “.log,” “.ora,” “.sys,” and “.zip.” GMS may reject applications with files that use these extensions. It is important to allow time to change the type of file(s) if the application is rejected.

All applicants are required to complete the following steps.

OJP may not make a federal award to an applicant until the applicant has complied with all applicable DUNS and SAM requirements. If an applicant has not fully complied with the requirements by the time the federal awarding agency is ready to make a federal award, the federal awarding agency may determine that the applicant is not qualified to receive a federal award and use that determination as a basis for making a federal award to another applicant.

http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/manage-subscriptions.html

1. Acquire a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number. In general, the Office of Management and Budget requires that all applicants (other than individuals) for federal funds include a DUNS number in their applications for a new award or a supplement to an existing award. A DUNS number is a unique nine-digit sequence recognized as the universal standard for identifying and differentiating entities receiving federal funds. The identifier is used for tracking purposes and to validate address and point of contact information for federal assistance applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. The DUNS number will be used throughout the grant life cycle. Obtaining a DUNS number is a free, one-time activity. Call Dun and Bradstreet at 866–705–5711 to obtain a DUNS number or apply online at www.dnb.com. A DUNS number is usually received within 1–2 business days.

2. Acquire registration with the System for Award Management (SAM). SAM is the repository for standard information about federal financial assistance applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. OJP requires all applicants (other than individuals) for federal financial assistance to maintain current registrations in the SAM database. Applicants must be registered in SAM to successfully register in Grants.gov. Applicants must update or renew their SAM registration annually to maintain an active status.

Applications cannot be successfully submitted in Grants.gov until Grants.gov receives the SAM registration information. The information transfer from SAM to Grants.gov can take up to 48 hours.