oppOJJDP-2018-13556-cfda16.540-instructions..pdf

OMB No. 1121-0329 Approval Expires 11/30/2020

U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is seeking applications for funding under the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Law Enforcement and Youth Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program.

This program furthers the Department’s mission by supporting a methodologically rigorous research and/or evaluation effort focused on interactions between law enforcement and youth, with practical implications for the identification and development of strategies that ensure officer, youth, and community safety.

OJJDP FY 2018 Law Enforcement and Youth Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program

Applications Due: May 29, 2018

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are limited to states (including territories), units of local government,1 nonprofit organizations2 and for-profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit and for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or management fee.

Under this solicitation, an applicant entity may submit more than one application, as long as each application submitted is unique (i.e., includes a nonduplicative program narrative and budget). An entity may also be proposed as a subrecipient (subgrantee) in more than one application.

1 A “unit of local government” means—

(a) Any city, county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a state;

(b) Any law enforcement district or judicial enforcement district that—

(i) Is established under applicable state law, and

(ii) Has the authority to, in a manner independent of other state entities, establish a budget and impose taxes; or

(c) An Indian tribe that performs law enforcement functions, as determined by the Secretary of the Interior; or

(d) For the purposes of assistance eligibility, any agency of the government of the District of Columbia or the federal government that performs law enforcement functions in and for—

(i) The District of Columbia, or

(ii) Any Trust Territory of the United States.

2 See https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/OrganizationalRequirements.htm for additional information on demonstrating nonprofit status.

https://www.usdoj.gov/ https://ojp.gov/ https://www.ojjdp.gov/ https://www.ojjdp.gov/ https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/OrganizationalRequirements.htm

OJJDP-2018-13556

OJJDP welcomes applications under which two or more entities would carry out the federal award; however, only one entity may be the applicant. Any others must be proposed as subrecipients (subgrantees).3 The applicant must be the entity that would have primary responsibility for carrying out the award, including administering the funding, managing the entire research or evaluation, and monitoring and appropriately managing any subawards (“subgrants”).

OJJDP may elect to fund applications submitted under this FY 2018 solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on, among other considerations, the merit of the applications and the availability of appropriations.

Deadline

Applicants must register with Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time (ET) on May 29, 2018.

To be considered timely, an application must be submitted by the application deadline using Grants.gov, and the applicant must have received a validation message from Grants.gov that indicates successful and timely submission. OJP urges applicants to submit applications at least 72 hours prior to the application due date to allow time for the applicant to receive validation messages or rejection notifications from Grants.gov, and to correct in a timely fashion any problems that may have caused a rejection notification.

OJP encourages all applicants to read this Important Notice: Applying for Grants in Grants.gov.

For additional information, see How To Apply in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

Contact Information

For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800–518–4726 or 606–545–5035, at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html, or at support@grants.gov. The Grants.gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays.

An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the National Criminal Justice Reference Service Response Center (Response Center) at grants@ncjrs.gov within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline. Additional information on reporting technical issues appears under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the How To Apply section.

For assistance with any other requirements of this solicitation, contact the Response Center by telephone at 800–851–3420 or TTY: 301–240–6310 (hearing impaired only), by email at grants@ncjrs.gov, or by web chat. Response Center hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

3 For additional information on subawards, see "Budget and Associated Documentation" under Section D. Application and Submission Information.

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html https://ojpnet.ojp.usdoj.gov/bureaus_offices/OJJDP/TeamSites/SolicitationInfo/Shared%20Documents https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html mailto:support@grants.gov https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html mailto:grants@ncjrs.gov mailto:grants@ncjrs.gov https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp

ET, Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET on the solicitation close date. General information on applying for OJJDP awards can be found at https://www.ojjdp.gov/funding/funding.html. Answers to frequently asked questions that may assist applicants are posted at https://www.ojjdp.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2018/FAQ/LawFIRE.pdf.

Grants.gov number assigned to this solicitation: OJJDP-2018-13556

Release date: April 12, 2018 https://www.ojjdp.gov/funding/funding.html https://www.ojjdp.gov/grants/solicitations/FY2018/FAQ/LawFIRE.pdf

Contents

A. Program Description

Overview

Program-Specific Information

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

B. Federal Award Information

Type of Award

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Budget Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Preagreement Costs (also known as Preaward Costs)

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

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

How To Apply

E. Application Review Information

Review 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

Freedom of Information Act and Privacy Act (5 U.S.C. 552 and 5 U.S.C. 552a)

Provide Feedback to OJP

Application Checklist

OJJDP FY 2018 Law Enforcement and Youth Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation Program

CFDA # 16.540

A. Program Description

Overview

This solicitation will support field-initiated, methodologically rigorous research and/or evaluations focused on interactions between law enforcement and youth, with practical implications for the identification and development of programs and policies that ensure officer, youth, and community safety. This solicitation encourages researchers to propose studies that contribute to the development of scientific evidence about factors that facilitate or inhibit positive police-youth interactions, as well as evaluations of the implementation and effectiveness of trainings, programs, practices, or policies designed to facilitate productive law enforcement and youth engagement.

Statutory Authority: This program is authorized pursuant to the Department of Justice Appropriations Act, 2018 (P.L. 115–141, 132 Stat. 348, 423).

Program-Specific Information

OJJDP supports a variety of programs and initiatives that focus on fostering police-youth relationships and enhancing law enforcement efforts to address and prevent youth victimization and violence.4 Recognizing the continuing importance of identifying and generating knowledge to guide the development of policies and programs, and to inform training and technical assistance, OJJDP brought together researchers, practitioners, and federal staff in October 2017 to discuss what is known from existing research on interactions between law enforcement and youth.5 The group also discussed gaps in knowledge and research questions that remain.

The conversations affirmed that a better understanding of law enforcement and youth interactions is needed and that traditional policing research has fallen short in identifying effective strategies specifically targeted at youth and in examining programs and policies comprehensively—with consideration of the impact on law enforcement, youth, and the community.

Law enforcement includes sworn officers serving in municipal police departments; sheriffs’ departments; state police; and special jurisdiction agencies such as transit, park, and university police. Youth frequently come into contact with police, and older adolescents and young adults (ages 18 to 24) report the highest rate of contact with police and are more likely to experience multiple contacts than older age groups.6 Formal contact between law enforcement and youth can occur in a variety of situations and settings, including when youth are suspects in delinquent or criminal acts. In 2015, law enforcement agencies in the United States made nearly 1 million

4 See https://www.ojjdp.gov/programs/law_enforcement_and_youth.html.

5 Booz Allen Hamilton, 2017. “Notes from the research on interactions between law enforcement and youth discussion.” Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/251458.pdf.

6 Eith, C., and Durose, M.R. 2011. Contacts between Police and the Public, 2008. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ojjdp/grants/251458.pdf arrests of persons younger than age 18.7 More than 3 million arrests were made of persons who were ages 18 to 24 in 2014.8 Contact may occur in day-to-day interactions in community and school settings or in programmatic settings, such as police-led programs. Contact can involve formal law enforcement decisions to arrest, divert, or cite youth, as well as less formal circumstances where other interventions or engagement occur. Some interactions also occur when youth are victims or witnesses of crime. For many youth in need of services, law enforcement is the initial point of contact.

Although limited, the available research on police contact with youth provides a number of perspectives.9 For example, policing research has investigated different strategies and their influence on youth crime deterrence and reduction. Other research and surveys of youth have focused on their perceptions of fairness and attitudes toward police. Evaluations of police-led programs have examined the overall effectiveness of multicomponent programs on youth offending and recidivism outcomes. The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) also has ongoing work focused on increasing school and student safety, which includes research around school resource officer training and effectiveness.10 While this body of research has advanced knowledge and understanding of different policing strategies and programs involving law enforcement and youth, more research is needed on how officer, youth, and community safety are simultaneously influenced and impacted by interactions between police and youth. This line of inquiry is important to guide continuous policy and practice improvements.

Under this solicitation, OJJDP will support a methodologically rigorous research and/or evaluation effort to respond to these research gaps and needs. The proposed research should consider the variety of settings and contexts where law enforcement and youth interactions occur. OJJDP is particularly interested in proposals that include partnerships between researchers, local law enforcement, and communities that generate relevant and actionable findings. Examples of some of OJJDP’s topics of interest are outlined below. Applicants may propose research projects that focus on these topics, or they may choose to justify their own area of investigation focused on law enforcement and youth interactions.

Because of NIJ’s ongoing school safety work noted above, this research is intended to focus exclusively on youth interactions with patrol or street-level officers (sworn officers assigned to patrol duties within the community); applications focused on youth interactions with school resource officers will not be considered under this solicitation.

Strategies for youth-officer interactions. OJJDP is interested in understanding the extent to which police are prepared to intervene and engage with youth in a variety of situations and settings, factors involved in these interactions that may contribute to threats to officer wellness and safety as well as youth and community safety, and the strategies or procedures that could help to mitigate or reduce these threats. Questions of interest include: What strategies are most effective in deescalating potentially violent interactions between youth and police? How do the beliefs and attitudes of youth’s peers and community, as well as youth’s age and own experiences, influence youth’s interaction with law enforcement? How are these perceptions

7 Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. 2017. Statistical Briefing Book. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/qa05101.asp?qaDate=2015.

8 Snyder, H.N., Cooper, A.D., and Mulako-Wangota, J. 2017. Arrest in the United States, 1980–2014. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=datool&surl=/arrests/index.cfm#.

9 Development Services Group, Inc. 2017. “Interactions Between Youth and Law Enforcement.” Literature Review.

Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Interactions-Youth-Law-Enforcement.pdf.

10 See https://nij.gov/topics/crime/school-crime/pages/school-safety-initiative.aspx.

http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/crime/qa05101.asp?qaDate=2015 https://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=datool&surl=/arrests/index.cfm https://www.ojjdp.gov/mpg/litreviews/Interactions-Youth-Law-Enforcement.pdf https://nij.gov/topics/crime/school-crime/pages/school-safety-initiative.aspx related to youth, law enforcement, and community safety? What are the implications for strategies used by law enforcement?

Police-led programs. Many police-led programs and strategies involving or targeting youth populations have not been rigorously evaluated or demonstrated to be effective. OJJDP is interested in proposals to evaluate the effectiveness of police-led prevention and intervention programs, and other strategies focused on youth with a fully developed and documented model that have not yet been subject to rigorous evaluation. This includes programs and strategies designed to build and strengthen police-youth relationships, those focused on increasing safety, and those that attempt to accomplish both. This line of inquiry should also investigate the implementation factors, mediators and moderators, and other contextual and program components that may contribute to the effectiveness and potential generalizability of the findings. For example, do programs that facilitate youth and police interactions, such as Police Athletic Leagues or police-led diversion programs, have a relationship with officer, youth, and community safety? Do they reduce delinquency and/or provide ancillary benefits to youth perceptions of police, thereby improving cooperation and compliance when interacting with law enforcement, and do they impact police attitudes and morale, thereby improving officer retention and job satisfaction? Which aspects of the program implementation appear to have the strongest interaction with any impact?

Law enforcement training and education. OJJDP is interested in proposals for new research to determine if training, education, and/or technical assistance for law enforcement, focused on their interactions with youth, have an impact on intended outcomes and measures of officer, youth, and community safety. For example, do training and education efforts that focus on law enforcement and youth interactions enhance officers’ knowledge and skills and, if so, how are these changes associated with officer, youth, and community safety outcomes?

Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products

The goal of this program is to support methodologically rigorous research about interactions between law enforcement and youth in order to identify and develop strategies that ensure officer, youth, and community safety.

The objectives of the program include the following:

Identify one or more research questions that will address a gap or need around law enforcement and youth interactions in order to identify and develop strategies that ensure law enforcement, youth, and community safety. All applicants should identify and justify their selection of the problem(s) to be addressed; the research question(s) to be answered; and the topic(s), program(s), or practice(s) of study. This may include but is not limited to questions about factors that influence the nature and quality of interactions, and the impact or cost of a strategy, program, or practice. Within this discussion the applicant should summarize the current literature on relevant research and the capacity to answer the research question(s) proposed.

Document a structure for conducting and managing the proposed research or evaluation project that ensures research independence and integrity. Applicants that are nonprofit organizations, for-profit organizations, or institutions of higher education are strongly encouraged to document, via letters of support or memoranda of understanding, that they have established a collaborative relationship with the jurisdiction(s) and relevant law enforcement department(s) to ensure the research questions and methods will result in practical findings for agency policy and practice, facilitate the acquisition of data required, and support the proposed research or evaluation effort. Applicants that are units of local government, including law enforcement agencies, must demonstrate via letters of support or memoranda of understanding that they have established a collaborative relationship with a research organization and/or that they have the capacity to conduct the proposed research or evaluation effort. All applicants must demonstrate that they have processes and procedures in place to identify and eliminate or mitigate actual or potential conflicts of interest that could affect the independence and integrity of the proposed research or evaluation effort. For more information, see “Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity” in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

Investigate the research question(s) via a scientifically valid, rigorous, research design and methodology. All applicants should describe their proposed research or evaluation design, including a detailed explanation of why the research design is a scientifically valid approach and how it includes the most rigorous, feasible method (see page 11) available to study the identified research question(s). At a minimum, the proposed research design should address the following:

o Whether the study design will entail program evaluation. If proposing an evaluation, the applicant should outline how it will measure impact via the most rigorous methods possible as well as investigating the costs and other implementation factors and mediators and moderators of any observed effect.

o The geographic area(s) of study, setting, context, target population(s), and any control or comparison group(s).

o The data sources and their availability and quality.

o The data collection tools and data collection and processing procedures, including the validity and reliability of the instruments and/or the steps for accessing administrative data; linking records from multiple data sets (e.g., across the law enforcement agencies and with other youth-serving agencies); and transforming administrative records, as applicable, into analytic files.

o The statistical and data analyses anticipated.

o How the applicant will minimize threats to validity and isolate and measure changes that may be related to the program, intervention, or practice.

o The behaviors and outcomes to be measured, which should include but not be limited to measuring law enforcement, youth, and community safety.

o The study timeframe.

o The privacy and human subjects considerations.

Applicants should also address, in detail, the anticipated limitations and barriers in the approach and project, with a focus on study design feasibility and data quality.

Translate the research findings into practical information for policymakers and practitioners as they strive to enhance law enforcement and youth interactions. All applicants should describe how the expected findings will inform jurisdiction(s) and relevant law enforcement department(s) that could be impacted by the study findings or that are developing or implementing similar programs or practices. Applicants should describe the generalizability of their findings and plans to disseminate findings so other jurisdictions may replicate the lessons learned and best practices that the research findings identify.

Deliverables. Proposals should describe all products that the grantee will produce from the project. Successful applicants will submit relevant reports and deliverables to OJJDP. These reports and deliverables will be a part of the applicants’ progress reporting or special reports and will include the following:

A draft research design, implementation plan, and timeline submitted with the application to be finalized after the award period start date. OJJDP will work with the successful applicants to review and update the research design and implementation plan, as appropriate.

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

Practitioner-friendly interim reports highlighting the project’s progress and interim findings, as OJJDP requires.

A detailed progress report to OJJDP every 6 months describing the status of the evaluation, methodological and implementation issues, progress toward the project goals, and any other issues relevant to the project’s completion. At the conclusion of the project, the final progress report should summarize the extent to which the goals and objectives were met throughout the period of performance under the award.

Electronic copies of (1) a final technical report summarizing the research questions or objectives, methods, and analytical techniques of the study and the findings and conclusions, similar to the type of information reported in a refereed journal and (2) a plain language executive summary of the final technical report suitable for a nontechnical audience. Both documents will be developed and disseminated at OJJDP’s discretion. (See https://www.ojjdp.gov/research/research-grantee.html for more information.)

All new materials, protocols, procedures, manuals, evaluation-related training materials, etc. developed under this program.

Required Data Sets and Associated Files and Documentation. Any recipient of an award under this solicitation will be expected to submit to the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD) all data sets that result in whole or in part from the work funded by the award, along with associated files and any documentation necessary 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. For more information, see “Program Narrative” in Section D. Application and Submission Information.

In addition to these deliverables (and the required reports and data on performance measures described in Section F. Federal Award Administration Information), OJJDP expects scholarly products to result from each award under this solicitation, taking the form of one or more published, peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles and/or (if appropriate) law review journal articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press, technological prototypes, patented inventions, or similar scientific products.

https://www.ojjdp.gov/enews/enews.html https://www.ojjdp.gov/research/research-grantee.html

The Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products are directly related to the performance measures that demonstrate the results of the work completed.

Performance Measures

OJP will require each successful applicant to submit regular performance data that demonstrate the results of the work carried out under the award (see “General Information About Post- Federal Award Reporting Requirements” in Section F. Federal Award Administration Information).

Applicants should visit OJP’s performance measurement page at www.ojp.gov/performance to view the specific reporting requirements for this grant program.

The application should demonstrate the applicant’s understanding of the performance data reporting requirements for this grant program and detail how the applicant will gather the required data should it receive funding.

Applicants are not required to submit performance data with the application. Performance measures information is included as an alert that successful applicants will be required to submit performance data as part of the reporting requirements under an award.

Objective Catalog ID Performance Measure(s)

Description Data Recipient Provides

To generate knowledge with practical implications for policy and practice by conducting research and evaluation efforts related to interactions between law enforcement and youth. These efforts will help to identify and develop strategies that ensure officer, youth, and community safety.

54 Number of deliverables that met the expectations of the project.

List of deliverables, including citation(s) to all scholarly products, that resulted in whole or in part from work funded under the OJJDP award.

Identified gaps that can be addressed by the proposed research as demonstrated by the scholarly products that result in whole or in part from work funded under the OJJDP award (published, peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles, technical reports, and/or (as appropriate for the funded project) law review journal articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press, or similar scientific products).

Quarterly financial reports, semi-annual https://www.ojp.gov/performance and final progress reports, a final technical report, and a plain language executive summary of the work performed under the OJJDP award.

Evaluation Research

If an application includes an evaluation research component (or consists entirely of evaluation research), the application is expected to propose the most rigorous evaluation design appropriate for the research questions to be addressed. If the primary purpose of the evaluation is to determine the effectiveness or impact of an intervention (e.g., program, practice, or policy), the most rigorous evaluation designs may include random selection and assignment of participants (or other appropriate units of analysis) to experimental and control conditions. In cases where randomization is not feasible, applicants should propose a strong quasi-experimental design that can address the risk of selection bias.

Applications that include evaluation research should consider the feasibility of including cost/benefit analysis. In cases where evaluations find that interventions have produced the intended benefit, cost/benefit analysis provides valuable and practical information for practitioners and policymakers that aids decisionmaking.

Evaluation research projects may also address a wide range of research questions beyond those focused on the effectiveness or impact of an intervention. Different research designs may be more appropriate for different research questions and at different stages of program development. The intervention strategies, setting, other contextual factors, and resources should be taken into account when selecting an evaluation design. In all cases, applications are expected to propose the most rigorous evaluation design appropriate for the research questions to be addressed.

Randomized controlled trial (RCT) studies are a powerful, much-needed tool for building scientific evidence about what works. Therefore, studies employing RCT methods to assess the effectiveness of programs and practices will be given higher priority consideration. RCT applications with strong designs measuring outcomes of self-evident policy importance are strongly encouraged. A strong RCT design should include low sample attrition, sufficient sample size, close adherence to random assignment, valid outcome measures, and statistical analyses.

Taking RCT costs into consideration, applicants may want to consider studies using privacy-protected administrative data that are already being collected or implementing an intervention into a program already funded.

Applicants are encouraged to review evidence rating criteria at https://www.crimesolutions.gov/about_starttofinish.aspx for further information on high-quality evaluation design elements.

https://www.crimesolutions.gov/about_starttofinish.aspx

B. Federal Award Information

OJJDP expects to make one to two award(s) of up to $1 million for up to a 5-year period of performance, to begin on October 1, 2018.

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 Award

OJJDP expects to make any award under this solicitation in the form of a grant. See Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements, under Section F. Federal Award Administration Information, for a brief discussion of important statutes, regulations, and award conditions that apply to many (or in some cases, all) OJP grants.

Note: Any recipient of an award under this solicitation will be required to comply with DOJ regulations on confidentiality and protection of human subjects. See “Requirements related to Research” under “Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP Grants and Cooperative Agreements - FY 2018 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center at https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm.

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Award recipients and subrecipients (including recipients or subrecipients that are pass-through entities11) must, as described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements12 as set out at 2 C.F.R.

200.303:

(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that [the recipient (and any subrecipient)] 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 recipient’s (and any subrecipient’s)] compliance with statutes, regulations and the terms and conditions of Federal awards.

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

11 For purposes of this solicitation, the phrase “pass-through entity” includes any recipient or subrecipient that provides a subaward (“subgrant”) to carry out part of the funded award or program.

12 The "Part 200 Uniform Requirements” means the DOJ regulation at 2 C.F.R. Part 2800, which adopts (with certain modifications) the provisions of 2 C.F.R. Part 200.

https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/LegalOverview/index.htm https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm

(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 recipient (or any subrecipient)] considers sensitive consistent with applicable Federal, state, local, and tribal laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality.

To help ensure that applicants understand applicable administrative requirements and cost principles, OJP encourages prospective applicants to enroll, at no charge, in the DOJ Grants Financial Management Online Training, available at https://ojpfgm.webfirst.com/. (This training is required for all OJP recipients.)

Also, applicants should be aware that OJP collects information from applicants on their financial management and systems of internal controls (among other information), which is used to make award decisions. Under Section D. Application and Submission Information, applicants may access and review the OJP Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Questionnaire (https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/FinancialCapability.pdf) that OJP requires all applicants (other than an individual applying in his/her personal capacity) to download, complete, and submit as part of the application.

Budget Information

What will not be funded:

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

Applications that are not responsive to this specific solicitation.

OJJDP funds may not be used to support biomedical or behavior control experimentation on individuals or any research involving such experimentation.

Award recipients are to use all funds under this program in direct support of research and evaluation expenses. Grantees cannot use funds to support training, program development, or the provision of services (i.e., program implementation). However, they may use funds to evaluate training, prevention, and intervention programs.

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

For additional cost sharing and match information, see the DOJ Grants Financial Guide at https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm.

Preagreement Costs (also known as Preaward Costs) Preagreement costs are costs incurred by the applicant prior to the start date of the period of performance of the federal award.

OJP does not typically approve preagreement costs; an applicant must request and obtain the https://ojpfgm.webfirst.com/ https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/FinancialCapability.pdf https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm prior written approval of OJP for all such costs. All such costs incurred prior to award and prior to approval of the costs are incurred at the sole risk of the applicant. (Generally, no applicant should incur project costs before submitting an application requesting federal funding for those costs.) Should there be extenuating circumstances that make it appropriate for OJP to consider approving preagreement costs, the applicant may contact the point of contact listed on the title page of this solicitation for the requirements concerning written requests for approval. If approved in advance by OJP, award funds may be used for preagreement costs, consistent with the recipient’s approved budget and applicable cost principles. See the section on “Costs Requiring Prior Approval” in the DOJ Grants Financial Guide at https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm 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, a recipient may not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any employee of the 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.13 The 2018 salary table for SES employees is available at the Office of Personnel Management website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/18Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx. Note: A recipient may compensate an employee at a greater rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is paid with nonfederal funds. (Nonfederal funds used for any such additional compensation will not be considered matching funds, where match requirements apply.) If only a portion of an employee’s time is charged to an OJP award, the maximum allowable compensation is equal to the percentage of time worked times the maximum salary limitation.

The OJJDP Administrator may exercise discretion to waive, on an individual basis, this limitation on compensation rates allowable under an award. An applicant that requests a waiver should include a detailed justification in the budget narrative of its application. An applicant that does not submit a waiver request and justification with its application should anticipate that OJP will require the applicant to adjust and resubmit the budget.

The justification should address—in the context of the work the individual would do under the award—the particular qualifications and expertise of the individual, the uniqueness of a service the individual will provide, the individual’s specific knowledge of the proposed program or project, and a statement that explains whether and how the individual’s salary under the award would be commensurate with the regular and customary rate for an individual with his/her qualifications and expertise, and for the work he/she would do under the award.

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs OJP strongly encourages every applicant that proposes to use award funds for any conference-, meeting-, or training-related activity (or similar event) to review carefully—before submitting an application—the OJP and DOJ policy and guidance on approval, planning, and reporting of such events, available at www.ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.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 conference, meeting, and

13 OJP does not apply this limitation on the use of award funds to the nonprofit organizations listed in Appendix VIII to

2 C.F.R. Part 200.

https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/18Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/18Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm training costs for cooperative agreement recipients and of some conference, meeting, and training costs for grant recipients; and (3) set cost limits, which include 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 “Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP Grants and Cooperative Agreements - FY 2018 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center at https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm.

C. Eligibility Information

For eligibility information, see the title page.

For information on cost sharing or match requirements, see Section B. Federal Award Information.

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

This section describes in detail what an application should include. An applicant should anticipate that if it fails to submit an application that contains all of the specified elements, it may negatively affect the review of its application; and, should a decision be made to make an award, it may result in the inclusion of award conditions that preclude the recipient from accessing or using award funds until the recipient satisfies the conditions and OJP makes the funds available.

Moreover, an applicant should anticipate that an application that OJP determines is nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, including the funding limit, or that OJP determines does not include the application elements that OJJDP has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review nor receive further consideration. For this solicitation, OJJDP has designated the following application elements as critical: Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative, and résumés/curriculum vitae of key personnel. (For purposes of this solicitation, “key personnel” means the principal investigator and any and all coprincipal investigators.)

NOTE: OJP has combined the Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative in a single document collectively referred to as the Budget Detail Worksheet. See “Budget Information and Associated Documentation” below for more information about the Budget Detail Worksheet and where it can be accessed.

OJP strongly recommends that applicants use appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., “Program Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet,” “Timelines,” “Memoranda of Understanding,” https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/LegalOverview/index.htm https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/LegalOverview/index.htm https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm

“Résumés”) for all attachments. Also, OJP recommends that applicants include résumés in a single file.

Please review the “Note on File Names and File Types” under How To Apply to be sure applications are submitted in permitted formats.

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 preapplications, 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).

To avoid processing delays, an applicant must include an accurate legal name on its SF-

424. On the SF-424, current OJP award recipients, when completing the field for “Legal Name” (box 8a), should use the same legal name that appears on the prior year award document (which is also the legal name stored in OJP’s financial system). Also, current recipients should enter the Employer Identification Number (EIN) in box 8b exactly as it appears on the prior year award document. An applicant with a current, active award(s) must ensure that its GMS profile is current. If the profile is not current, the applicant should submit a Grant Adjustment Notice (GAN) updating the information on its GMS profile prior to applying under this solicitation.

A new applicant entity should enter its official legal name in box 8a, its address in box 8d, its EIN in box 8b, and its Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in box 8c of the SF-424. A new applicant entity should attach official legal documents to its application (e.g., articles of incorporation, 501(c)(3) status documentation, organizational letterhead) to confirm the legal name, address, and EIN entered into the SF-424. OJP will use the System for Award Management (SAM) to confirm the legal name and DUNS number entered in the SF-424; therefore, an applicant should ensure that the information entered in the SF-424 matches its current registration in SAM. See the How To Apply section for more information on SAM and DUNS numbers.

Intergovernmental Review: This solicitation ("funding opportunity") is not subject to Executive Order 12372. (In completing the SF-424, an applicant is to answer question 19 by selecting the response 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. OJJDP uses the project abstract for a number of purposes, including assignment of the application to an appropriate review panel. If the application is funded, the project abstract typically will become public information and be used to describe the project.

Applications should include a high-quality project abstract that summarizes the proposed project in 250–400 words. Project abstracts not submitted in the template below should be—

Written for a general public audience.

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

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

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

The abstract should describe—

The purpose of the project, the problem to be investigated, and the anticipated relevance to juvenile justice policy, practice, and theory.

The jurisdiction(s) and relevant agencies the project will partner with to facilitate the acquisition of data required to support the proposed research or evaluation effort.

The proposed approach to conducting the proposed research or evaluation project and disseminating findings to the public, and addressing each of the key activities identified in the “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products” section on pages 7–9.

The expected key deliverables identified in the “Goals, Objectives, Deliverables, and Expected Scholarly Products” section on pages 7–9.

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 available at ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf. Formatting cannot be altered in this template; therefore, the above formatting requirements do not apply.

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 section of the application should not exceed 30 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 30-page limit for the narrative section. The project abstract, table of contents, appendices, and government forms do not count toward the 30-page 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.

Program Narrative Guidelines:

a. Title Page (not counted against the 30-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 (i.e., address, telephone number, and email address) for both the applicant and the principal investigator.

https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ProjectAbstractTemplate.pdf

b. Resubmit Response (if applicable) (not counted against the 30-page program narrative limit).

If an applicant is resubmitting an application presented previously to OJJDP, 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 OJJDP-assigned application number of the previous application and (2) a brief summary of revisions to the application, including responses to previous feedback received from OJJDP.

c. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the 30-page program narrative limit).

d. Main Body.

The main body of the program narrative should describe the proposed project in depth. This proposal should be responsive to the presentation of program-specific information (pages 5–7). The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative:

Statement of the Problem and Research Questions. The statement of the problem should address the need for research in this area. Applicants should discuss current gaps in data, research, and knowledge, including those for particular justice sectors, for certain populations, and to answer…