fy15 sca coip solicitation.pdf

U.S. Department of Justice OMB No. 1121-0329 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 to pilot programs that will strengthen the relationships between children, their caregivers, and their incarcerated parent(s) who is confined in a federal correctional facility. This program furthers the Department’s mission by supporting efforts to reduce recidivism and expanding services and education programs that strengthen an incarcerated parent’s engagement with his or her children and family.

OJJDP FY 2015 Second Chance Act Strengthening Families and Children of Incarcerated Parents

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are limited to nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, tribal, and community nonprofit organizations) with a demonstrable history of providing services to children of incarcerated parents and community-based reentry programming.

Applicants who do not have a demonstrated history of providing both services to children of incarcerated parents and community-based reentry programming must be able to demonstrate a history of providing one of the required services and may partner with a community-based nonprofit that has experience and expertise in providing the other required services. Applicants must submit letters of support or memoranda of understanding demonstrating this relationship.

OJJDP welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for conducting and leading the pilot.

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 29, 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. Applications and Submission Information.

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 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/grantsgov_information.htm http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/grantsgov_information.htm

OJJDP-2015-4236

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 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.

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 http://www.ojjdp.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2015/FAQ/SCACOIPFAQ.pdf.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: OJJDP-2015-4236

Release date: May 13, 2015 mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:responsecenter@ncjrs.gov https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp http://www.ojjdp.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2015/FAQ/SCACOIPFAQ.pdf

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 and match requirement

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 and 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

Appendix A:

OJJDP FY 2015 Second Chance Act Strengthening Families and Children of Incarcerated Parents

(CFDA #16.831)

A. Program Description

Overview

This program will promote and expand services to children who have a parent who is incarcerated in a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) correctional facility. Program activities include mentoring and comprehensive services that facilitate healthy and positive relationships between incarcerated individuals, their children, and caregivers. This program will implement positive developmental activities to address issues the child and the family may face, strategies to increase and enhance communication between child and parent, and transitional reentry services for parents who are released during the program. This program is authorized pursuant to Section 211 of the Second Chance Act, P.L. 110-199.

Program-Specific Information

A 2007 Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) survey on inmates in state and federal correctional facilities estimated that 1.7 million children younger than age 18 had a parent in prison, an increase of almost 80 percent since 1991. BJS estimated that more than 55 percent of female inmates and more than 60 percent of male inmates in federal prison are parents of minor children. Among parents in federal prison, approximately 80 percent of mothers and 50 percent of fathers had a minor child living with them prior to incarceration. More than 40 percent of those parents did not receive any personal visits from their minor children during their incarceration.1

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has reported that the arrest of a parent can be a traumatic experience for children. In a comprehensive review of research on children with incarcerated parents, NIC noted the arrest and removal of a mother or father from a child’s life forces that child to confront emotional, social, and economic consequences that may trigger behavior problems, poor outcomes in school, and a disruption or severance of the relationship with the incarcerated parent that may persist even after the parent is released from prison.(http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/node/50059)

Parental incarceration is recognized as an “adverse childhood experience” (ACE), a measure of childhood trauma that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed. Exposure to multiple ACEs significantly increases the likelihood of long-term negative mental and physical health outcomes (e.g., obesity, heart disease, diabetes, tobacco use, alcohol use, and asthma), and the stigma associated with parental incarceration can damage children’s self-esteem, cause alienation, and distort children’s sense of social-connectedness. Children with an incarcerated parent are often at a greater

1 Glaze, L.E., and Maruschak, L.M. 2008. Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children. Special Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

http://www.findyouthinfo.gov/node/50059 risk for other overlapping risk factors, such as parental substance abuse, mental health issues, inadequate education, poverty, and household instability. Maintaining family ties for incarcerated individuals has generally been found to be important for both children and adults. For children, it can lessen the negative impacts associated with having an incarcerated parent, and parents may improve their behavior while incarcerated.

Incarcerated parents who maintain supportive relationships with family members are more likely to successfully reintegrate into their communities upon release.2

This solicitation supports the development and delivery of services that foster family engagement between the incarcerated parent, child, and caregiver(s). Such services may include:

developing and/or delivering programs that enhance the life skills of children of incarcerated parents, such as mentoring, case management, counseling, youth coaching, and academic support.

educating parents on the benefits of positive youth development activities for their children.

supporting the incarcerated parent’s continued involvement in the lives of their minor children.

providing services to facilitate communication between incarcerated parents and their children and caregiver, such as transportation to facilities, reading on tape, phone calls, emails, letters, and tele-visiting.

working with facilities to implement policies that foster additional family engagement.

facilitating peer-to-peer consultation and networking at facilities among inmates and their families to address problem solving and innovation through the exchange of information that addresses parenting and other issues.

providing family-driven and youth-guided services that focus on enhancing the capacity of the families.

providing comprehensive services to promote responsible civic and family engagement.

OJJDP strongly encourages applicants to consider a partnership with a local research organization that can assist with data collection, performance measurement, and local evaluations. One resource that applicants may use is the e-Consortium for University Centers and Researchers for Partnership with Justice Practitioners. The e-Consortium provides resources to local, state, federal, and other groups who seek to connect to nearby (or other) university researchers and centers on partnerships and projects that are mutually beneficial to the criminal justice community. Find the e-Consortium online here. OJJDP will expect successful applicants to coordinate with OJJDP and its partners regarding common performance measure definitions and collection.

2 Creasie Finney Hairston, “Prisoners and Their Families: Parenting Issues During Incarceration,” in Prisoners Once

Removed: The Impact of Incarceration and Reentry on Children, Families and Communities, edited by Jeremy Travis and Michelle Waul (Washington, D.C.: The Urban Institute Press, 2003), 260-282.

http://www.gmuconsortium.org/

For the purpose of this solicitation, positive youth development is defined as an intentional, prosocial approach that engages youth within their communities, schools, organizations, peer groups, and families in a manner that is productive and constructive; recognizes, uses, and enhances youths' strengths; and provides opportunities, fosters positive relationships, and furnishes the support they need to build on their leadership strengths.

Successful applicants will demonstrate appropriate cultural competence and be familiar with the issues facing children of incarcerated parents.

Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables

The goals of this solicitation are to support activities that foster positive family engagement between an incarcerated parent and his or her child(ren). This solicitation also aims to provide opportunities for positive youth development and identify effective strategies and best practices that support children of incarcerated parents. In addition to engaging the parent while he or she is incarcerated, this solicitation also supports the delivery of transitional reentry services upon release.

The program will:

develop new approaches to strengthen the relationships between children of incarcerated parents, their parents, and caregivers.

seek to reduce behavioral infractions during incarceration and recidivism post-release of the incarcerated parent.

provide services that foster positive youth development that may include but are not limited to mentoring, to children of incarcerated parents.

develop innovative approaches that will enhance child/parent communication, including use of tele-visiting, emailing, letter writing, audio recordings, and transportation assistance for in-person visits.

document best practices, lessons learned, and strategies that can be replicated.

BOP provides a wide variety of supportive services for incarcerated individuals, including reentry services, case management, and comprehensive services to address substance abuse, mental health issues, life skills (e.g., coping skills, anger management, decision making), housing needs, educational attainment, vocational training, and parenting education. This solicitation seeks to support and complement those services. Successful applicants will partner with OJJDP, BOP, and others to incorporate the families and children of incarcerated parents to enhance existing services. The solicitation will fund selected nonprofits to generate a better understanding of how youth and family-serving agencies can improve outcomes for children with a parent who is incarcerated and also improve outcomes for the incarcerated parent.

OJJDP supports the implementation and delivery of mentoring services that include one-to-one, group, and peer mentoring services. OJJDP expects successful applicants to integrate evidence-based or culturally specific mentoring principles into the mentoring services.

Appendix B contains a list of evidence-based mentoring practices.

Target population. The target population for this initiative is medium- to low-risk incarcerated individuals housed at a BOP facility and their minor children. BOP will take into account safety issues and other factors, as deemed appropriate, when determining if inmates are eligible to participate in this program. The children’s current caregiver(s) must consent to the child’s participation in the program.

Collaboration with other federal agencies. OJJDP, BOP, and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) are collaborating closely on this Second Chance Act implementation. The agencies are also working with the National Institute of Justice to support research and evaluation activities called for in the Second Chance Act. For more information on the implementation of the Second Chance Act initiatives and frequently asked questions, visit the National Reentry Resource Center website.

Note: For those interested in submitting applications to adult offender demonstration reentry projects, visit the BJA website.

Deliverables and Allowable Use of Funds

Successful applicants will address challenges that children of incarcerated parents, the incarcerated parent(s), and the caregivers encounter and provide services to enhance the relationships between children and their incarcerated parents. Successful applicants will also provide family-driven reentry and transitional services to incarcerated parents who are released during the program. OJJDP expects the grantee to partner with the federal program team that will include representatives from BOP and OJJDP.

Successful applicants should demonstrate experience and expertise in providing services in correctional facilities to inmates. The applicant should have established partnerships with relevant stakeholders (to include community and faith-based nonprofit organizations, mentoring providers) and apply evidence-based and best practices. Such practices will promote and support effective strategies that build capacity at facilities to support activities that increase parents’ engagement with their children and foster the children’s healthy and positive relationships with their incarcerated parent. In the project narrative, applicants should address deliverables for a 6-month planning phase and an 18-month implementation phase of the project. In addition, successful applicants will have to produce a final report in the form of a program monograph that documents all aspects of the project from planning to implementation. The grantee will develop the monograph for OJJDP in coordination with BOP. It should document the input of local planners, project staff, researchers, correctional staff, program participants, children participants, and program specialists who have been involved in implementing or evaluating programs.

The monograph should describe the program model, goals, lessons learned, best practices, results and impact, and process for replication. Although the programs will be local in scope, each program description should provide enough information about how the successful applicant developed and implemented the program to give other communities guidance in developing similar programs in other regions across the nation.

In the project narrative, applicants should address strategies that they propose to implement during the planning and implementation phases, which may include, but is not limited, to the following:

http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org/ http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA

Provide sustained services and programming to the children of the incarcerated inmate. OJJDP recommends that applicants make available a comprehensive range of programs and a process to address the specific needs of children and their incarcerated parent. OJJDP expects the applicant to develop programs that are culturally sensitive and provide services based on the individual child’s needs. Services may include a broad range of activities, such as supporting comprehensive services and implementation of strategies that enhance the life skills and future of the child.

Successful applicants will develop a collaborative approach to providing services to this population. Depending on the specific needs of the child, OJJDP expects the applicant to coordinate with other programs and entities to provide substance abuse treatment services, mental health services, trauma-informed care, or housing services to the eligible child. Applicants may consider strategies to incorporate older youth and adults who have had incarcerated parents to serve as mentors. OJJDP expects grantees to use their award to implement activities that focus on positive youth engagement activities, family engagement activities, individual well-being activities, and mentoring.

Services for a child of an incarcerated parent participating in this project should ideally be located in the community where the youth resides; be individualized; concentrate on school attendance and re-enrollment, if needed; focus on permanent family/guardianship connections; and recognize the diverse needs of the youth.

Provide a comprehensive range of services for incarcerated parents housed in federal facilities. OJJDP recommends applicants to make available a comprehensive range of programs and a process for addressing the needs of inmates who are parents.

Services may include parenting classes and developing strategies to promote positive parental involvement and engagement.

Collect performance measures of implementation and impact. OJJDP expects successful applicants to collect the performance measures identified on page 16. OJJDP also expects successful applicants and their research partners to coordinate with the National Reentry Resource Center and other entities, as OJJDP identifies, to determine appropriate partners, measurement definitions, and protocols for performance measure collection. During the planning phase, OJJDP will expect successful applicants to submit baseline measures for the impact measures noted on page 19. Applicants should also address how they will implement a reliable and systematic process to collect performance measures, including whether they will partner with an individual or organization with research expertise. Applicants, when possible, should collect official records to supplement individual reports.

Provide mentoring. If mentoring is provided, successful applicants should integrate evidence-based and/or culturally specific mentoring principles into the mentoring services being offered that respond to the needs of the identified youth, with a focus on promoting civic and community engagement and mental and social cognitive skills.

Mentoring activities include direct one-on-one, group, or peer mentoring services. The applicant should provide a safety protocol for screening potential mentors. Examples of safety protocols include developing a policy to conduct background checks for potential staff and volunteers and developing policies and procedures to monitor staff and volunteers’ interaction with program participants.

Mentoring services should support the structured relationship between an adult or trained peer and one or more youth. OJJDP does not expect mentoring to look the same across all programs; however, there are some underlying principles of quality mentoring that provide the foundation around which effective mentoring systems are developed. These principles are highlighted in Appendix A.

In many cases, the role of a mentor who works with a vulnerable mentee requires a major commitment of time on the part of the mentor. While many volunteer mentors make the time to go above and beyond investing in the lives and addressing the needs of their mentees, they often do not have the time to complete intensive training and invest the significant time required to be optimally effective in their role. Applicants may consider expanding the traditional role of a mentor to a combination of a “Friend/Case Manager/ Coach/Advocate.”

In such cases where the role of the mentor is expanded, grant recipients may use funds to compensate these individuals either as part or full time staff of the project.

Family engagement. OJJDP envisions a transformed juvenile justice system that recognizes and builds upon the strengths, values, and diversity of families and communities to best serve the children and youth who come into contact with the system and to improve both safety and quality of life for all. This system will honor and support families before, during, and after their children have contact with the system. Applicants should describe how the proposed program will include a family engagement component.

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

improving the quantity and quality of evidence OJP generates;

integrating evidence into program, practice, and policy decisions within OJP and the field; and improving the translation of evidence into practice.

OJP considers programs and practices to be evidence-based when their effectiveness has been demonstrated by causal evidence, generally obtained through one or more outcome evaluations. Causal evidence documents a relationship between an activity or intervention (including technology) and its intended outcome, including measuring the direction and size of a change, and the extent to which a change may be attributed to the activity or intervention. Causal evidence depends on the use of scientific methods to rule out, to the extent possible, alternative explanations for the documented change. The strength of causal evidence, based on the factors described above, will influence the degree to which OJP considers a program or practice to be evidence-based. OJP’s 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.

Resources for civil legal aid under the Second Chance Act. Civil legal assistance can often play a critical role in addressing barriers to successful reintegration. This guidance clarifies that an allowable use of Second Chance Act funds for reentry services includes referral to and payment of legal services related to the purpose of the grant, such as:

securing a driver’s license, expunging criminal records, litigating inappropriate denials of housing or employment and violations of the Fair Credit Reporting Act, creating and/or modifying child support orders, and other family law services that help stabilize individuals http://www.crimesolutions.gov/ and families. This excludes the payment of fines or penalties associated with a driver’s license suspension or the payment of child support. For more information, go here.

B. Federal Award Information

OJJDP expects to make as many as two awards for as much as $500,000 for an estimated total of $1 million for a 24-month project period, beginning on October 1, 2015.

The initial award period will be 24 months with the possibility of no-cost extensions for completion of the project, if necessary. Grantees may take as long as 6 months to complete their project planning. During the planning phase, grantees will have access to $50,000 for activities related to addressing the mandatory requirements and planning phase deliverables.

Once they complete the planning phase and OJJDP has approved satisfactory progress toward or completion of all deliverables, grantees will gain access to the remaining award balance of as much as $450,000. Grantees may then proceed into the implementation phase and complete project activities.

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 award3. OJJDP expects to make awards from this solicitation in the form of a cooperative agreement, which is a particular type of grant used by OJJDP to have ongoing substantial involvement in award activities. See “Program-Specific Requirements, Terms, and Conditions,” under section F. Federal Award Administration Information for details regarding the federal involvement anticipated under an award from this solicitation.

OJJDP 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 OJJDP 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 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 United States and the “Internal Control Integrated Framework”, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

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

http://www.bja.gov/Programs/SecondChanceLegalServicesGuidance.pdf

(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.

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

Budget Information

Cost sharing and 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.

For additional cost sharing and match information, see Section C. Eligibility Information.

Preagreement cost approvals. OJP does not typically approve preagreement costs; an applicant must request and obtain the prior written approval of OJP for all such costs. If approved, preagreement 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 preagreement costs, the applicant should contact the point of contact listed on the title page of this announcement for details on the requirements for submitting a written request for approval. See the section on Costs Requiring Prior Approval in the Financial Guide, for more information.

Limitation on use of award funds for employee compensation; waiver. With respect to any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation, recipients may not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any employee of the award recipient at a rate that exceeds 110 percent of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year.4 The 2015 salary

4 This limitation on use of award funds does not apply to the non-profit organizations specifically named at Appendix

VIII to 2 C.F.R. part 200.

http://gfm.webfirst.com/ http://ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm 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. 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 of the OJP "Other Requirements for OJP Applications" webpage.

C. Eligibility Information

For additional eligibility information, see the title page.

Cost sharing and 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, OJJDP will review only the most recent system-validated version submitted. For more information on system-validated versions, see How To Apply.

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 http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

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

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications that are determined to be nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, or that do not include the application elements that 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 and Budget Narrative, and Memorandum of Understanding with any identified project partners.

Applicants may combine the Budget Narrative and the Budget Detail Worksheet in one document. However, if an applicant submits only one budget document, it must contain both narrative and detail information. Please review the “Note on File Names and File Types” under “How To Apply” to be sure applications are submitted in permitted formats.

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

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

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

Intergovernmental review. This funding opportunity (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. Project Abstract

Applications should include a high-quality project abstract that summarizes the proposed project in 400 words or less. Project abstracts should be:

written for a general public audience.

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

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

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

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

The abstract should briefly describe the project’s purpose, the population to be served, the number of youth proposed to be served, and the activities that the applicant will implement to achieve the project’s goals and objectives. The abstract should include a description of the partnership required to meet the eligibility. The abstract should describe how the applicant will measure progress toward these goals. The abstract should indicate whether the applicant will use any portion of the project budget to conduct research as described in Note on Project Evaluations on page 19. All project abstracts should follow the detailed template.

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. This public posting would allow other possible funders to become aware of such proposals.

The abstract template asks applicants to indicate whether they give OJP permission to share their project abstract (including contact information) with the public. 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 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 following sections should be included as part of the program narrative.

a. Statement of the problem. Applicants should briefly describe the need for their program based on the goals and objectives identified in the Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables Section on page 6. The applicant should use data to provide evidence that the need exists, demonstrate the size and scope of the need, and document the effects of the need on the target population and the larger community. Applicants http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf should describe the target population and any previous or current attempts to address the need.

b. Project design and implementation. Applicants should detail how their proposed program will operate throughout the funding period and describe the strategies that they will use to achieve the goals and objectives identified on page 6. OJJDP encourages applicants to select evidence-based practices for their programs.

Provide mentoring services for at-risk, high-risk, or underserved youth.

Applicants should outline how their core mentoring practices align with each of the standards in the Elements of Effective Practice for Mentoring, as highlighted on OJJDP’s National Mentoring Resource Center website. These elements include recruitment, screening, training, matching, monitoring and support, and closure.

Enhance mentoring services to implement additional research- and evidence-based practice(s). Applicants should address how they will implement new program services, practices, or resources to enhance their current practices. As a resource, applicants should review the “What Works in Mentoring” section of the OJJDP National Mentoring Resource Center to inform the selection of these enhancements for implementation.

Logic model. Applicants may include a logic model that graphically illustrates how the performance measures are related to the project’s problems, goals, objectives, and design. Sample logic models are available here.

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.”)

The timeline may be submitted as part of the narrative or in a separate attachment document.

c. Capabilities and competencies. This section should describe the experience and capability of the applicant organization 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 design or magnitude. Applicants should highlight their experience/capability/capacity to manage subawards, including details on their system for fiscal accountability.

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 the organizational chart showing how their organization operates, including who manages the finances; how they manage subawards, if there are any; and the management of the project proposed for funding.

Letters of support/memoranda of understanding. If submitting an application with partners, applicants should provide signed and dated letters of support or memoranda of understanding for all key partners that include the following:

http://www.nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/index.php/what-works-in-mentoring/elements-of-effective-practice-for-mentoring.html http://www.nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/ http://www.nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/ http://www.nationalmentoringresourcecenter.org/ http://www.ojjdp.gov/grantees/pm/logic_models.html http://www.ojjdp.gov/grantees/timelines.html expression of support for the program and a statement of willingness to participate and collaborate with it.

description of the partner’s current role and responsibilities in the planning process and expected responsibilities when the program is operational.

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

d. Plan for collecting the data required for this solicitation’s performance measures. OJJDP does not require applicants to submit performance measures data with their applications. Performance measures (see Performance Measures below) 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.

Performance measures. To assist the Department with fulfilling its responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Public Law 103-62, and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Public Law 111–352, applicants that receive funding under this solicitation must provide data that measure the results of their work done under this solicitation. 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. OJJDP will require award recipients to submit semiannual performance metrics of relevant data through the Data Reporting Tool (DCTAT) located at www.ojjdp-dctat.org/.

Performance measures for this solicitation are as follows:

Objective

Performance Measure

Description

Data Grantee Provides

To improve outcomes for children with incarcerated parents by facilitating access to effective services that can strengthen the relationship between incarcerated parents and their children.

Number of parents, children, and families enrolled during the reporting period.

The intent of this indicator is to measure the change in the number of families enrolled in the program.

Number of incarcerated fathers and mothers (by gender, race, and ethnicity) enrolled in the program during the reporting period.

Number of children with incarcerated parents enrolled in the program during the reporting period.

Number of families enrolled in the program during the reporting period.

http://www.ojjdp-dctat.org/

Number of program parents, children, and families served during the reporting period.

An unduplicated count of the number of the parents, children, and families served by the program during the reporting period. The number of families served for a reporting period is the number of program families carried over from the previous reporting period, plus new admissions during the reporting period.

Number of program fathers and mothers, children, and families (by gender, race and ethnicity) carried over from the previous reporting period.

New admissions during the reporting period.

Number and percentage of families served with whom an evidence-based practice or program was used.

The number and percentage of families with whom an evidence-based practice was used. Evidence-based practice or programs include interventions that have been shown, through rigorous evaluation and replication, to be effective at preventing or reducing offending behaviors or related risk factors.

Identification of evidence-based programs and practices can come from many valid sources (e.g., OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide, CrimeSolutions.gov, Blueprints for Violence Prevention, SAMHSA’s Model Programs, State model program resources, etc.).

Number of families (by gender, race, and ethnicity) served using an evidence-based practice or program during the reporting period.

The number of families (by gender, race, and ethnicity) served during the reporting period.

Number of services provided to families.

This measure is designed to assess both need and program capacity. Report the number of families who are assessed as needing various types of services during the reporting period, and also the number of families who actually receive various services during the reporting period.

Number of families (by gender, race, and ethnicity) assessed as needing various types of services

Number of families (by enrolled in various services

Number and percentage of parents and children exhibiting desired change in the targeted behavior.

The number and percentage of fathers and mothers who have exhibited a desired change in the targeted behavior during the reporting period. The behavior targeted may include positive parenting behaviors, engagement in workforce development, or treatment participation.

The number and percentage of children who exhibited a desired change in the targeted behavior during the reporting period. The behaviors targeted may include a variety of risk factor reductions or prosocial improvements such as a gang resistance, substance abuse, school engagement, prosocial friendships, or mental health).

Number of fathers and mothers (by gender, race, and ethnicity) served during the reporting period with the noted behavioral change.

Total number of fathers and mothers (by gender, race, and ethnicity) receiving services for the target behavior during the reporting period.

Number of children (by gender, race, and ethnicity) served during the reporting period with the noted behavioral change.

Total number of children (by receiving services for the target behavior during the reporting period.

Number and percentage of participants completing program requirements.

The number and percent of participants who have successfully fulfilled all program obligations and requirements.

This does not include participants who are still in ongoing programs.