nij-2016-4320.pdf

MODIFICATION NOTICE

5/4/2016: This solicitation originally stated that awards would be made on or before May 1, 2016. As of May 4, 2016, all applications are still under review and NIJ is not yet able to announce awards or give an estimated announcement date.

NIJ still anticipates that funds awarded under this solicitation will be available on or before August 1, 2016. But applicant academic institution and doctoral student are cautioned not to anticipate the availability of funds for meeting any necessary or required expenses for the fall 2016 semester or quarter until the requirements stipulated under Doctoral Student Eligibility have been met in full.

Applicants are encouraged to visit the program website at www.nij.gov/GRF-STEM for program information and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). This page was updated on March 4, 2016.

For further assistance please contact GRF-STEM@usdoj.gov.

On September 2, the paragraph on page 17 reading, “Both the Budget Detail Worksheet and the Budget Narrative should address no more than the funding anticipated to be provided with the initial award. The budget narrative should thoroughly and clearly describe every category of expense listed in the Budget Detail Worksheet. OJP expects proposed budgets to be complete, cost effective, and allowable (e.g., reasonable, allocable, and necessary for project activities).”

was changed.

The paragraph was changed to: “The Budget Narrative and Budget Detail Worksheet should reflect the entire proposed project timeline of up to three years, in discrete 12-month increments. However, the SF-424 should only reflect the first 12-months funding requirement.

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

To assist applicants in completing their proposals, NIJ has made FAQs available for this funding opportunity. Visit http://www.nij.gov/funding/fellowships/graduate-research-fellowship/Pages/grf-stem.aspx for questions and answers to help prepare your application.

These FAQs were updated on November 30, 2015.

For further assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, please contact GRF- STEM@usdoj.gov.

http://www.nij.gov/funding/fellowships/graduate-research-fellowship/Pages/grf-stem.aspx http://www.nij.gov/funding/fellowships/graduate-research-fellowship/Pages/grf-stem.aspx mailto:GRF-STEM@usdoj.gov

U.S. Department of Justice OMB No. 1121-0329 Office of Justice Programs Approval Expires 07/31/2016 National Institute of Justice

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of Justice (NIJ) is seeking applications for funding innovative doctoral dissertation research in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics that is relevant to providing solutions to better ensure public safety, prevent and control crime, and ensure the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. This program furthers the Department’s mission by sponsoring research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the State and local levels.

Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

Eligibility Eligible applicants are limited to degree-granting academic institutions in the United States and its territories. To be eligible, the institution must be fully accredited by one of the regional institutional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Under this solicitation, the applicant institution must apply as the sponsoring institution for the doctoral candidate conducting criminal justice-related research in a discipline relevant to NIJ’s mission.

NIJ 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 December 15, 2015.

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

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

Contact Information For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035, or via e-mail to support@grants.gov.

The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except federal holidays.

Applicants that experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond their control that prevent them from submitting their application by the deadline must e-mail the NIJ 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.

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

NIJ-2016-4320

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact GRF-STEM@usdoj.gov.

General information on applying for NIJ awards can be found at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/welcome.aspx. Answers to frequently asked questions that may assist applicants are posted at www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/faqs.aspx.

Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement: NIJ-2016-4320

Release date: August 26, 2015 http://www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/welcome.aspx http://www.nij.gov/funding/Pages/faqs.aspx

Contents A. Program Description

Overview

Program-Specific Information

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

B. Federal Award Information

Type of Award

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Budget Information

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

Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics

(CFDA No. 16.562)

A. Program Description

Overview

The Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (GRF-STEM) provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. Applicant academic institutions sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply only if:

1. The doctoral student’s degree program is in a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) discipline; and

2. The student’s proposed dissertation research has direct implications for providing solutions to problems that affect public safety, crime, and the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States.

Academic institutions sponsoring doctoral students whose disciplines are in the social and behavioral sciences should consider submitting their proposals under the forthcoming “NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship Program in the Social and Behavioral Sciences” solicitation.

Awards are anticipated to be made to successful applicant institutions in the form of a grant to cover a fellowship for the sponsored doctoral student. Although the initial award is only for 1 year of funding, each fellowship potentially provides up to 3 years of support usable over a 5-year period. The applicant institution will have to reapply on behalf of the student for each additional year. Pending NIJ review of continued enrollment and adequate progress, up to 3 years of support are possible. For each year of support, NIJ provides the degree-granting institution a stipend of $35,000 usable toward the student’s salary and related costs, and up to $15,000 to cover the student’s tuition and fees, research expenses, and related costs (see Section B. Federal Award Information). Final award decisions will be made by the Director of the National Institute of Justice.

Authorizing Legislation: Title I of the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 (sections 201 and 202); and 28 U.S.C. 530C.

Program-Specific Information

Degree-granting academic institutions are encouraged to sponsor outstanding and promising doctoral students whose dissertation research has direct implications for ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and/or ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States.

Successful applicants must demonstrate clearly how the proposed dissertation research will advance one or more of these areas of criminal justice practice and/or policy in the United States.

Official Applicant

The official applicant under this solicitation will be a degree-granting academic institution in the United States or its territories. To be eligible, the academic institution of record must be fully accredited by one of the regional institutional accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S.

Secretary of Education. An applicant institution sponsoring a doctoral student is eligible to apply only if the doctoral student satisfies the Doctoral Student Eligibility Requirements. Applications from students who apply as individuals will be removed from consideration.

The academic institution’s institution-wide research office (e.g., office of sponsored research) must complete and submit an application electronically using Grants.gov (see What an Application Should Include). If allowed by the applicant institution, the sponsored doctoral student should be identified as the project’s Principal Investigator.

The applicant academic institution must demonstrate that the sponsored graduate student is enrolled in a qualifying doctoral degree program at the time of application. This should take the form of a document from the Office of the Registrar, or an equivalent university- or college-wide office with the authority to verify verf status. A transcript may be accepted if it clearly indicates the student’s current full-time enrollment in the qualifying doctoral degree program.

Doctoral Student Eligibility Requirements

The graduate student must:

1. Be enrolled full-time in a doctoral degree program in a STEM discipline at the eligible academic institution; and

2. Propose a dissertation research topic that is relevant to providing solutions to problems that directly affect public safety, crime, and/or the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States (see What an Application Should Include).

The doctoral student need not have a dissertation committee at the time the application is submitted; nor is it necessary for the student’s dissertation topic to have been accepted by the committee. However, if the application is selected for award, grant funds will be withheld until such a time as the applicant academic institution submits proof that the doctoral student’s dissertation topic has been accepted by their committee and that it is substantively the same as that proposed in the application.

If the doctoral student has an approved topic at the time of application, then it should be noted in a statement of support from the doctoral student’s dissertation committee chair (see Dissertation Committee Chair Requirements). If the doctoral student’s topic has not been approved at the time of application, then the expected dates by which the doctoral student will meet this requirement should be indicated in the project timeline (see “Proposed project timeline and expected milestones” under Appendices). In addition, the doctoral student’s faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies, or an individual with similar responsibilities must submit a statement of support at the time of application. That statement of support should generally follow the outline provided below for the statement of support from the dissertation committee chair, including all relevant elements.

Even though an award may be made, access to award funds will be withheld until the required documentation is received and approved by the NIJ Program Office. NIJ anticipates that awards under this solicitation will be made on or before May 1, 2016. The applicant academic institution and doctoral student are cautioned not to anticipate the availability of fellowship funds for meeting any necessary or required expenses until the requirements stipulated above have been met in full. Awarded doctoral students may receive fellowship funding only while actively enrolled in the initially identified doctoral degree program and actively carrying out research toward the dissertation.

Human subjects protection paperwork including Institutional Review Board (IRB) documentation and a completed privacy certificate are not required at the time of application. If awarded, and if applicable, funds will be withheld until submission and NIJ approval of any required Human Subjects Protection paperwork and/or a completed Privacy Certificate. The Privacy Certificate must be signed by the academic institution’s IRB chair. For information on NIJ’s Human Subjects and Privacy Protection requirements, see www.nij.gov/nij/funding/humansubjects/welcome.htm.

Dissertation Committee Chair Requirements

Although a fellowship may be awarded based on consideration of a letter of support from the faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies, or individual with similar responsibilities, the NIJ Program Office must receive a signed statement of support from the sponsored doctoral student’s dissertation committee chair prior to authorizing the disbursement of the funds provided with the award (applicants can expect to see conditions to that effect attached to any such award.) If a dissertation committee has accepted the doctoral student’s topic at the time of application, that statement of support must be submitted as part of the application. If the topic has not been accepted by the time of application, it must be submitted as soon as is reasonable after the topic has been approved. The approved dissertation topic must remain substantively the same as that initially proposed.

The statement of support should:

• Evaluate the doctoral student’s proposed project.

• Describe the current status of the proposed work.

• Outline any other outstanding work, academic or otherwise, toward completion of the degree.

• Verify the date on which the dissertation research project is expected to be ready to begin.

• Comment on the student’s potential to complete the dissertation successfully.

• Indicate that the doctoral student has his/her full support.

http://www.nij.gov/nij/funding/humansubjects/welcome.htm

• Describe the dissertation committee chair’s role in monitoring the project and present evidence of both the department’s and the dissertation committee chair’s abilities to mentor doctoral candidates through the completion of their degrees.

• Verify that the dissertation committee chair will review and approve all progress reports prior to their submission to NIJ.

An application that does not include the statement of support from (1) the dissertation committee chair; or (2) the doctoral student’s faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies, or individual with similar responsibilities will be removed from consideration.

For information on application elements designated as required by NIJ under this solicitation, see page 12.

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

The ultimate goal of this solicitation is to increase the pool of researchers who are involved in providing STEM-based solutions to problems that affect criminal justice policy and practice in the United States. Through the GRF-STEM program, NIJ supports STEM graduate education by investing in academic institutions that support outstanding and promising doctoral students.

All awards made under this solicitation will be required to deliver interim and final progress reports and quarterly financial reports to NIJ by specified deadlines. The final deliverables for awards under this solicitation are:

• An official signed copy of the doctoral student’s dissertation.

• A list of scholarly products and products developed for broad dissemination to informal audiences resulting from the dissertation research.

Such scholarly products may take the form of one or more published, peer-reviewed scientific journal articles or indexed conference abstracts, law review journal articles (if appropriate), book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press, technological prototypes, patented inventions, or similar scientific products. Products developed for broad dissemination to informal audiences may take the form of websites, informational documents, online tools, or other similar products.

Upon submission, the dissertation may be archived at the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS). Students who receive funds under the GRF program are encouraged but are not required to archive their dissertation data.

B. Federal Award Information

Each fellowship award will initially be made for a 12-month period. However, pending, among other factors, the availability of funding, strategic priorities, NIJ’s assessment of the quality of the management of the award (for example, timeliness and quality of progress reports), and NIJ’s assessment of the progress of the work funded under the award, each fellowship may potentially be extended for second and third years of support usable over a 5-year total period.

The applicant institution will have to resubmit an application package on behalf of the student for each additional year. Each annual supplement of fellowship support after the initial award will http://www.ncjrs.gov/ http://www.ncjrs.gov/ require, minimally, proof that the doctoral student is still actively carrying out research toward the dissertation topic originally proposed (or substantively similar to that originally proposed). It will also require verification of satisfactory progress on the dissertation in the form of a signed letter from the dissertation committee chair.

Each year of support (i.e., the initial award, and possible second and third year supplements) includes a $35,000 allowance usable toward a salary/stipend for the student and related costs, and up to $15,000 to cover the student’s tuition and fees, research expenses, and related costs.

The $35,000 allowance for salary/stipend and related costs may include fringe benefits (if applicable) and health insurance, at the applicant institution’s discretion. Under this solicitation, research expenses and related costs may include any combination of the doctoral student’s tuition, student fees, project costs, professional society membership fees, or conference travel, among other allowed expenses during the award period (see complete Budget Information, including “What will not be funded”).

To allow time for, among other things, any necessary post-award review, modification, and clearance by OJP of the proposed budget, applicants should propose an award start date of August 1, 2016. In selecting an award start date, please be advised that NIJ awards are activated on the first day of a given month. Although NIJ anticipates that funds awarded under this GRF-STEM solicitation will be made available on or before August 1, 2016, the applicant academic institution and doctoral student are cautioned not to anticipate the availability of funds for meeting any necessary or required expenses for the fall 2016 semester or quarter until the requirements stipulated under Doctoral Student Eligibility have been met in full.

The total period of an award will not exceed five years. The applicant’s budget narrative and budget detail worksheet should reflect the entire proposed project timeline of up to three years, in discrete 12-month increments. However, Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) should only reflect the first 12-months funding requirement.

Award funding may be received only while the fellow is actively enrolled in the initially identified doctoral degree program and actively carrying out research toward his/her dissertation. Should certain unforeseen and/or temporary circumstances arise that preclude the fellow from actively pursuing the dissertation research, the fellow is expected to notify the NIJ Program Office via his/her academic institution representative, as identified in the initial application. The fellow’s award funding may be temporarily suspended at the discretion of the NIJ Program Office.

NIJ anticipates that up to $1,000,000 will be available in FY 2016 for a maximum of 20 awards.

NIJ expects that half of the resulting awards will support research topics of interest to NIJ’s Office of Science and Technology (OST), and half will support research topics of interest to NIJ’s Office of Investigative and Forensic Sciences (OIFS).

Students do not receive awards directly. The academic institution, as the grant recipient, will be responsible for, among other things, the administration of grant funds and for distributing payments to the fellowship recipient. When an award has been activated, it is expected that the academic institution will draw down funds based on immediate disbursement/reimbursement requirements. Funds should not be paid to the doctoral student in a lump sum but rather should be disbursed over time as project costs are incurred or anticipated. Recipients should time their drawdown requests to ensure that federal cash-on-hand is the minimum needed for disbursements/reimbursements to be made immediately or within 10 days.

http://www.nij.gov/about/pages/ost.aspx http://www.nij.gov/about/pages/oifs.aspx

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 Award1

NIJ expects to make any award from this solicitation in the form of a grant.

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

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

If selected for funding, the award recipient must:

a. Establish and maintain effective internal control over the federal award that provides reasonable assurance that the 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 statute, regulations and the terms and conditions of federal awards.

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

e. Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other information the federal awarding agency or pass-through entity designates as sensitive or the non-federal entity considers sensitive consistent with applicable federal, State and local laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality. In order to better understand administrative requirements and cost principles, award applicants are encouraged to enroll, at no charge, in the Department of Justice Grants Financial Management Online Training available here.

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

http://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm http://gfm.webfirst.com/

Budget Information

What will not be funded:

• Direct administrative expenses or indirect costs of the institutional applicant.

• Proposals for dissertation research by doctoral students who are not pursuing research related to providing STEM-based solutions to problems that affect public safety, crime, and/or the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States.

• Proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies. (A budget may include these items, valued at up to $15,000, if they are necessary to conduct research, development, demonstration, evaluation, or analysis.)

• Conference, meeting or training activity hosted by the applicant. (Conference, meeting or training attendance by the fellow, if included in the fellowship proposal and budget, may be allowable.)

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

See “Cofunding” paragraph under item 4 (“Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative”) under What an Application Should Include in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

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.) For employees who

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/archives/financial_guides/financialguide11/PostawardRequirements/chapter11page4.htm http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/15Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx charge only a portion of their time to an award, the allowable amount to be charged is equal to the percentage of time worked times the maximum salary limitation.

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

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

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

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

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable)

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

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

C. Eligibility Information

Eligibility

For additional eligibility information, see title page.

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

For additional information on cost sharing and match requirement, see Section B. Federal Award Information. A given academic institution may submit applications for more than one doctoral student.

http://ojp.gov/financialguide/PostawardRequirements/chapter15page1.htm

Limit on Number of Application Submissions

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

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

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

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications determined to be nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, or that do not include the application elements that NIJ has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. Under this solicitation, NIJ has designated the following application elements as required: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, Budget Narrative, verification of enrollment in a qualifying degree program, undergraduate or graduate transcripts (official or unofficial), and statement of support from the dissertation committee chair or, as appropriate, the doctoral student’s faculty advisor, department chair, departmental director of graduate studies, or an individual with similar responsibilities. 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

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

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

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

• Written for a general public audience.

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

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

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

Project abstracts should follow the detailed template (including the detailed instructions as to content) available at www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-abstract-template.pdf.

3. Program Narrative

The program narrative section of the application should not exceed 12 double-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. If included in the main body of the program narrative, tables, charts, figures, and other illustrations count toward the 12-page limit for the narrative section. The project abstract, table of contents, appendices, and government forms do not count toward the 12-page limit.

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

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative.3

Program Narrative Guidelines:

a. Title Page (not counted against the 12-page program narrative limit).

The title page should include the title of the project, submission date, funding opportunity number, and the name and complete contact information (that is, address, telephone number, and e-mail address) for both the applicant academic institution and the Principal Investigator (i.e., the sponsored doctoral student, if allowed by the academic institution).

b. Resubmit Response (if applicable) (not counted against the 12-page program narrative limit).

If an applicant is resubmitting a proposal presented previously to NIJ, but not funded, the applicant should indicate this. A statement should be provided, no more than two pages, addressing: (1) the title, submission date, and NIJ-assigned application number of the previous proposal, and (2) a brief summary of

3 As noted earlier, if the proposed program or project reasonably could be conducted in discrete phases, with each phase resulting in completion of one or more significant, defined milestones, then NIJ strongly recommends that the applicant structure the application to set out each phase clearly.

http://nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-abstract-template.pdf revisions to the proposal, including responses to previous feedback received from NIJ.

c. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the 12-page program narrative limit).

d. Main Body.

The main body of the program narrative should describe the proposed project in depth. The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative:

• Statement of the Problem.

• Project Design and Implementation.

• Potential Impact.

• Capabilities/Competencies.

Within these sections, the narrative should address:

• Purpose, goals, and objectives.

• Review of relevant literature.

• Detailed description of research design and methods, such as research questions, hypotheses, description of sample, and analysis plan.

• Planned Scholarly Products (See Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and

Expected Scholarly Products under Program-Specific Information, above, for a discussion of expected scholarly products.)

• Implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United States.

• A description of the project’s management plan and organization. This description should identify the people involved in the execution of the project, their specific roles, and any framework to be used for ensuring that their tasks are fulfilled.

• If applicable, a description contextualizing the proposed doctoral work relative to, or within, any other work being conducted under an existing NIJ award, which must be specifically identified.

• Management plan and organization.

• Plan for Dissemination to Broader Audiences. Applicants should identify plans both to disseminate their findings at scholarly meetings and to make their work available to broader interested audiences (such as criminal/juvenile justice practitioners or policymakers). Applicants should consider how and to whom they will provide summary information from the planned scholarly products of the proposed project (such as summaries of articles in peer-reviewed scientific journals), in a form designed to be readily accessible and useful to broader audiences. Such dissemination might include, for example, trade press articles and webinars.

e. Appendices (not counted against the 12-page program narrative limit) include:

• Bibliography/references.

• Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps pertaining to the proposed project that are supplemental to such items included in the main body of the narrative.

• Curriculum vitae, resumes, or biographical sketches of the doctoral student and the dissertation committee chair.

• Personal statement from the student discussing his or her academic background, research experience, career goals, and the anticipated role of the fellowship in his or her professional trajectory, not to exceed three (3) double-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1-inch margins.

• List of the student’s dissertation committee (if known) and their contact information to include: names, telephone numbers, and email addresses. The dissertation chair should be clearly identified. Applicants should use the “Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles” form available at www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-staff-template.xlsx to provide this listing.

• Proposed project timeline and expected milestones. The timeline should also include details about student progress milestones including, but not limited to, the date by which the student will have advanced to candidacy (if applicable), any major dates in the dissemination plan, the writing of the dissertation, and an expected dissertation defense date. If one or more of these steps is not required by the sponsoring institution for successful completion of the doctoral degree, then such exceptions should be clearly documented. The project timeline should also allow for time needed to complete edits to the dissertation manuscript and for submission of the final dissertation to NIJ.

• Human Subjects Protection paperwork (documentation and forms related to Institutional Review Board (IRB) review).

(See nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/Pages/welcome.aspx) NOTE: Final IRB approval is not required at the time an application is submitted.

• Privacy Certificate (for further guidance go to nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/pages/confidentiality.aspx).

• List of any previous and current NIJ awards to applicant organization and investigator(s), including the NIJ-assigned award numbers and a brief http://www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-staff-template.xlsx http://nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/Pages/welcome.aspx http://nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/pages/confidentiality.aspx description of any scholarly products that resulted in whole or in part from work funded under the NIJ award(s). (See “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products” under “Program-Specific Information,” above, for definition of “scholarly products.”)

• Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from organizations collaborating in the project, such as law enforcement and correctional agencies (if applicable).

• List of other agencies, organizations, or funding sources to which this proposal has been submitted (if applicable), including, but not limited to, other fellowships which the doctoral student has received and the dates during which those fellowships will be active.

• Data archiving plan. Applicants should anticipate that NIJ will require (through special award conditions, including a partial withholding of award funds) that data sets resulting in whole or in part from projects funded under this solicitation be submitted for archiving with the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) (see www.nij.gov/funding/data-resources-program/applying/Pages/data-archiving-strategies.aspx).

Applications should include as an appendix a brief plan – labeled “Data Archiving Plan” – to comply with data archiving requirements. The plan should provide brief details about proposed data management and archiving, including submission to NIJ (through NACJD) of all files and documentation necessary to allow for future efforts by others to reproduce the project’s findings and/or to extend the scientific value of the data set through secondary analysis. Pertinent files and documentation include, among other things, qualitative and quantitative data produced, instrumentation and data collection forms, codebook(s), any specialized programming code necessary to reproduce all constructed measures and the original data analysis, description of necessary de-identification procedures, and (when required) a copy of the privacy certificate and informed consent protocols.

If applicable, the plan should be one or two pages in length and include the level of effort associated with meeting archiving requirements.

Note that required data sets are to be submitted 90 days before the end of the project period.

4. 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. (Work associated with satisfying data archiving requirements should be reflected.) NIJ expects applicants to provide a thorough narrative to each section of the Budget Detail Worksheet. The Budget Detail Worksheet should be broken down by year.

http://www.nij.gov/funding/data-resources-program/applying/Pages/data-archiving-strategies.aspx http://www.nij.gov/funding/data-resources-program/applying/Pages/data-archiving-strategies.aspx http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/BudgetDetailWorksheet.pdf

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

b. Budget Narrative

The Budget Narrative and Budget Detail Worksheet should reflect the entire proposed project timeline of up to three years, in discrete 12-month increments. However, the SF- 424 should only reflect the first 12-months funding requirement. The budget narrative should thoroughly and clearly describe every category of expense listed in the Budget Detail Worksheet. OJP expects proposed budgets to be complete, cost effective, and allowable (e.g., reasonable, allocable, and necessary for project activities).

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

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

The following are sample budget narrative descriptions of relevant cost items that might be used by an applicant.

Salaries and Wages – Personnel

Each year of support includes a $35,000 allowance usable toward the student’s salary/stipend and related costs, such as fringe benefits or medical insurance.

Where possible in accordance with institutional policy, academic institutions should account for the full amount of $35,000 when justifying the personnel expenses of the doctoral student.

The Principal Investigator (i.e., the doctoral student), Mr./Ms. xxx, will devote xxx summer months and xxx academic months per year toward the project. One summer month effort is equivalent to xxx hours. One academic month effort is equivalent to xxx hours. Therefore, the salary paid to Mr./Ms. xxx in each academic month will be xxx, and in each summer month will be xxx. (Note that if a stipend will be allocated in equal disbursements each month, please provide such a description with the corresponding monthly breakdown.)

The fringe benefit rate during the academic year for the graduate student is ___%.

The summer fringe benefit rate is ___%. The benefits included in the rate cover http://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm

Travel (Non-Federal)

Attendance at the xxx Annual Meeting will provide an opportunity to disseminate the results of my work within the relevant academic community. The meeting will be held in xxx. The expected lodging rate is $xxx, based on xxx source, for a total of xxx nights ($xxx total). The meal allowance is $xxx per day, based on xxx source. (Note that whether the appropriate source is the Federal per diem rate or a lower rate stipulated by the academic institution is at the institution’s discretion.) The expected transportation cost is $xxx, based on xxx source. Other anticipated costs include an anticipated baggage fee of $30. The total requested funding for this travel event is $xxx.

Note that direct and indirect administrative expenses of the applicant university are not allowable costs and will not be funded under this solicitation.

c. Cofunding

An award made by NIJ under this solicitation may account for up to 100 percent of the total cost of the project. The application should indicate whether it is feasible for the applicant to contribute cash, facilities, or services as non-federal support for the project.

The application should identify generally any such contributions that the applicant expects to make and the proposed budget should indicate in detail which items, if any, will be supported with non-federal contributions.

For additional match information, see the Cost Sharing or Match Requirement section under Section B. Federal Award Information.

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.

d. 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.

e. Pre-Agreement Cost Approvals

For information on pre-agreement costs approvals, see Section B. Federal Award Information.

5. Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable)

Indirect costs are not allowed under this…