oppOVW-2018-14240-cfda16.026-instructions..pdf

U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)

OVW Fiscal Year 2018 Research and Evaluation Solicitation

Release date: on or about January 11, 2018

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are limited to: states, units of local government, federally recognized Indian tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education.

(See Eligibility Information)

Deadlines

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET) on March 5, 2018.

(See Submission Dates and Times)

Registration information: To submit an application, all applicants must obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and register online with the System for Award Management (SAM) and with Grants.gov. To ensure sufficient time to complete the registration process, applicants must obtain a DUNS number and register with SAM and with Grants.gov immediately, and no later than February 13, 2018. (See Registration)

Letter of registration: Applicants are encouraged to submit a letter of registration to Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov by February 6, 2018. This will ensure that applicants are well-positioned to submit an application by the deadline. Submitting a letter of registration does not obligate potential applicants to submit an application. Interested applicants who do not submit a Letter of Registration are still eligible to apply. (See Letter of Registration)

Contact Information

For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, email Ginger Baran Lyons at Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov, or call (202) 305-2093.

Submission and Notification Information

Submission: Applications for the Research and Evaluation Initiative will be submitted through Grants.gov. For technical assistance with Grants.gov, contact the Customer Support Line at 1- 800-518-4726. The Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement is OVW-OVW-2018- 14240.

http://www.grants.gov/ mailto:Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov mailto:Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov http://www.grants.gov/

OMB Number – 1122-0020 Expiration Date: 12/31/2018 ii

Notification: OVW anticipates notifying all applicants of funding decisions by October 1, 2018.

iii

Contents A. Program Description

Overview About the OVW Research and Evaluation Initiative Scope and Priority Subjects

Areas of Study FY 2018 Priority Subjects for Research and Evaluation

Requirements Methodological Principles Confidentiality and Human Subjects Protection Expected Products

Activities that Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery and Undermine Offender Accountability Out-of-Scope Activities Unallowable Activities

B. Federal Award Information Availability of Funds Award Periods and Amounts

C. Eligibility Information Eligible Applicants

Nonprofit Organization Requirement – Offshore Accounts Cost Sharing or Match Requirement Limit on Number of Applications

D. Application and Submission Information Address to Request Application Package Content and Form of Application Submission Letter of Registration Application Contents Formatting and Technical Requirements Application Requirements Project Abstract Project Narrative Appendices Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative

Award Period and Amount Budget Requirements Funds for Travel

Additional Required Information Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424) Standard Assurances and Certifications Applicant Financial Capability Questionnaire Confidentiality Notice Form Disclosure of Process Related to Executive Compensation Financial Accounting Practices iv

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement Letter of Nonsupplanting

DUNS and SAM Submission Dates and Times OVW Policy on Duplicate Applications OVW Policy on Late Submissions

Process for Requesting Late Submission Intergovernmental Review - Single Point of Contact Review Funding Restrictions

Food and Beverage/Costs for Refreshments and Meals Conference Planning and Expenditure Limitations Pre-agreement Cost Approval

Other Submission Requirements E. Application Review Information

Technical Merit Criteria Review and Selection Process

Peer Review Programmatic Review High-risk Grantees

Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates F. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notices Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Information for All Federal Award Grantees Violence Against Women Act Non-Discrimination Provision Accessibility

Reporting G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) H. Other Information

Application Checklist APPENDIX A: Budget Guidance and Sample Budget Detail Worksheet APPENDIX B: Sample Letter of Registration APPENDIX C: Disclosures of Process Related to Executive Compensation APPENDIX D: Summary of Current and Recent Projects

OVW Research and Evaluation Initiative

(CFDA 16.026)

A. Program Description Overview The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is a component of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Created in 1995, OVW implements the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation and provides national leadership on issues of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Since its inception, OVW has supported a multifaceted approach to responding to these crimes through implementation of grant programs authorized by VAWA. By forging state, local, and tribal partnerships among police, prosecutors, judges, victim advocates, health care providers, faith leaders, organizations that serve culturally specific and underserved communities, and others, OVW grants help provide victims, across their life span, with the protection and services they need to pursue safe and healthy lives, while improving communities’ capacity to provide justice for victims and hold offenders accountable.

About the OVW Research and Evaluation Initiative The statutory provisions of VAWA addressing definitions and grant provisions—34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(7)—authorize OVW to set aside up to three percent of available funds from OVW programs to conduct evaluations of promising practices or problems emerging in the field or related research, to inform OVW as to which programs or projects are likely to be effective or responsive to needs in the field.

The purpose of the Research and Evaluation (R&E) Initiative is to research and evaluate approaches to combatting domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. By generating more knowledge about strategies for serving victims and holding offenders accountable, communities that benefit from VAWA funding will be better equipped to align their work with practices that are known to be effective, and they will be more capable of generating empirical knowledge on the efficacy of new and promising ways of doing things. R&E is designed to support researcher-practitioner partnerships and a broad range of research and evaluation methods, including qualitative, mixed-method, and quasi-experimental designs.

Because OVW has very limited funds to support research and evaluation, this initiative prioritizes topics for which a stronger evidence base would help OVW grantees use federal funds most effectively.

For a list of R&E awards made in Fiscal Years 2016 and 2017, see:

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/awards.

Scope and Priority Subjects Activities supported by R&E are determined by statute, federal regulations, and OVW policies. If an applicant receives an award, the funded project is bound by the provisions of this solicitation, the DOJ Financial Guide, including updates to the guide after an award is made, requirements related to confidentiality and human subjects research, and the conditions of the award.

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/awards https://www.justice.gov/ovw/file/892031/download

Areas of Study OVW is interested in funding research and evaluation to generate knowledge in the six areas of study listed below.

1. Victims’ needs. How victimization and its aftermath affect people’s lives, especially people who are marginalized (including but not limited to victims who are: people of color, immigrants, refugees, male, Deaf or hard of hearing, lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT); people with disabilities; in later life; members of cultural, linguistic, and/or religious minority groups; incarcerated or formerly incarcerated; and/or living in poverty); and what they need to cope, heal, and achieve safety and justice

2. Cultures, disparities, and access. Ways that cultural differences and social inequalities matter in terms of where and to whom people go for help, and whether people are able to access justice and get services that are useful to them

3. Justice. Ways the justice system can effectively pursue and achieve justice in cases involving domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; with justice broadly understood to include autonomy for victims, accountability for offenders, procedural fairness for all, and restorative justice

4. Impact. Short- and long-term impact of the justice system’s response, victim services, and other VAWA-funded interventions on victim safety and offender accountability

5. Indicators of success. What success looks like and how to measure it—for victims pursing safety and justice, for offenders being held accountable for their violence, and for people who work with victims and offenders

6. Reducing recidivism. How to prevent violence from recurring

FY 2018 Priority Subjects for Research and Evaluation In FY 2018, OVW specifically intends to support research and evaluation under the two subjects identified below. Applications proposing research that does not correspond to one of these two subjects will not be considered for FY 2018 R&E funding.

1. Implementation research on the SAFE Protocol. OVW led the development of the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams-Adult/Adolescent (SAFE Protocol, available at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ovw/241903.pdf), a guide for practitioners who respond to victims of sexual assault, including healthcare professionals, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, and advocates. First released in 2004 and updated in 2013, the SAFE Protocol is the Attorney General’s evidence-based guidance for communities aiming to respond effectively to sexual assault victims. OVW seeks applications to conduct implementation research1 related to the SAFE Protocol. In the broadest sense, OVW is interested in projects that study how, and the extent to which, the SAFE Protocol is adopted and integrated in particular settings and communities, including the role of the SAFE Protocol in shaping policy and practice.

OVW does not stipulate a specific conceptual model, but applicants are encouraged to refer to Proctor, et. al. (2010)’s implementation research taxonomy in developing their applications. Applicants proposing projects under this topic must:

o Provide an operationalized conceptual model that is linked to measureable items;

1 Implementation research is the study of the process of implementing evidence-based practices or programs, and incorporating evidence-based interventions into policy and practice.

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/ovw/241903.pdf https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3068522/table/Tab1/ o Include in the appendices to the application any measures, instruments, or constructs that are relevant to the project; and o Describe how the applicant will assemble and engage an interdisciplinary research team with expertise in forensic healthcare, criminal justice, and victim services.

OVW welcomes retrospective and prospective studies under the priority topic, as well as single-site or multi-site/multi-jurisdiction projects.

2. Evaluations of VAWA-funded interventions. “VAWA-funded intervention” refers to any activity that is currently funded, or could potentially be funded, through OVW grant programs, to address domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. OVW is especially interested in studying the effectiveness of interventions that cut across multiple grant programs, as well as interventions that are culturally specific.2 Outcome/effectiveness and impact evaluations are preferred, as are evaluations that include measurements of program fidelity and implementation. Applications for evaluation research may include descriptive research to inform the development, refinement, and evaluation of a particular intervention.

Requirements This section describes the requirements of R&E, including methodological principles to which grantees must adhere, regulations regarding confidentiality and human subjects protection, and expected products.

Methodological Principles Any project funded under this solicitation must adhere to the methodological principles listed below.

OVW will only support research methods that:

• Are well-matched to the purpose of the research and build on existing evidence

• Uphold victim safety as the paramount objective, with the understanding that scientific progress is always subordinate to that objective

• Are likely to yield findings that have practical utility for victim services providers and the justice system

• Are developed collaboratively between researchers and practitioners3

• Place as minimal a burden as possible on crime victims, offenders, and systems

• Operate from a cogent theoretical framework

• Have been approved by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) if they involve human subjects research

2 For information on interventions funded by OVW programs, see the 2016 Biennial Report to Congress on the Effectiveness of VAWA Programs at: https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/933886/download.

3 Researcher-practitioner partnerships should be a learning experience for both researchers and practitioners, with researchers and practitioners holding equal status on the project and both standing to benefit comparably from the work.

http://www.justice.gov/ovw/grant-programs http://www.justice.gov/ovw/grant-programs https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/933886/download

OVW will not support research that:

• Prioritizes scientific rigor over practical value or ethics, ethics being broadly defined and not limited to published standards

• Is minimally useful to practitioners

• Offers minimal benefit relative to cost

• Lacks a clear theoretical foundation

• Is designed to generate descriptive findings that emphasize vulnerabilities and neglect strengths of specific populations. (For instance, a study that examines risk-taking behavior among members of a certain population, without testing any strategies for serving the target population, is not of value to OVW.)

Confidentiality and Human Subjects Protection 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, at:

http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequireme nts.htm.

Expected Products OVW expects products to result from each award under this solicitation, taking the form of all of the following:

• One or more scholarly products, meaning published, peer-reviewed, scientific journal articles, and/or (if appropriate) law review journal articles, book chapter(s) or book(s) in the academic press;

• One or more products written in layperson’s terms and intended for practitioners and/or the general public; and

• One or more interactive presentations made via webinar or conferences.

Activities that Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery and Undermine Offender Accountability The following activities may jeopardize victim safety, deter or prevent physical or emotional healing for victims, or allow offenders to escape responsibility for their actions:

• Procedures or policies that exclude victims from receiving safe shelter, advocacy services, counseling, and other assistance based on their actual or perceived sex, age, immigration status, race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, mental health condition, physical health condition, criminal record, work in the sex industry, or the age and/or gender of their children;4

4 If an award is made, the recipient will also be subject to statutory prohibitions on discrimination. For further information on these civil rights requirements, see the section Violence Against Women Act Non- Discrimination Provision under F. Federal Award Administration Information.

http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequirements.htm http://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/SolicitationRequirements/EvidenceResearchEvaluationRequirements.htm

• Study designs, interventions, recruitment and assignment methods, privacy and confidentiality procedures, and data management and reporting strategies that do not fully account for the safety needs of participants;

• Procedures or policies that compromise the confidentiality of information and/or privacy of persons receiving OVW-funded services; and

• Failure to account—in the project design and budget—for the access needs of participants with disabilities and participants who have limited English proficiency or are Deaf or hard of hearing. (See Accessibility)

This list is not exhaustive. Applications that propose any activities that compromise victim safety and recovery or undermine offender accountability may receive a deduction in points during the review process or may be eliminated from consideration entirely.

Out-of-Scope Activities OVW has determined the activities listed below to be out-of-scope, and they will not be supported by R&E funding:

• Proposals to conduct needs assessment activities exclusively for the purpose of program improvement, as opposed to research;5

• Proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies—a budget may include these items if they are necessary to conduct research, development, demonstration, evaluation, or analysis;

• Proposals that are not responsive to this specific solicitation;

• Programs or services unrelated to the scope of the research project or the intervention being evaluated; and

• Training in support of programs or direct services unrelated to or, unassociated with, the proposed research project.

Applications proposing activities that are substantially out-of-scope may receive a deduction in points during the review process, or may be eliminated from consideration.

Unallowable Activities OVW has determined the activities listed below to be unallowable, and they will not be supported by R&E funding.

• Lobbying;

• Fundraising;

• Purchase of real property;

• Physical modifications to buildings, including minor renovations (such as painting or carpeting); and

• Construction.

5 Use the research decision tree, at http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ResearchDecisionTree.pdf, to determine that the proposed project qualifies as research.

http://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/ResearchDecisionTree.pdf

Applicants proposing unallowable activities may receive a deduction in points during the review process or may be eliminated from consideration.

B. Federal Award Information Availability of Funds All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law. There is no guarantee that funds will be available in the future. Approximately $2.4 million is available in FY 2018 for awards made under this solicitation. Also, please note that OVW may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years.

OVW may share R&E application information and peer review outcomes with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Both OVW and NIJ have FY 2018 funding for violence against women research, but each office must consider program scope, current priorities, and availability of funds in making final funding decisions. In the event that an application fares well in peer review but cannot be funded this year by OVW, and that the application aligns closely with NIJ’s current priorities, OVW may give NIJ the option of funding it. If NIJ elects to fund an application initially submitted under the OVW FY 2018 R&E solicitation, the applicant will be contacted before an award is made, to give the applicant the option of accepting or declining funding from a source other than the one to which the applicant applied.

Award Periods and Amounts Applicants addressing the first priority subject on page 5, implementation research on the SAFE Protocol, may request between $100,000 and $650,000 for an award period ranging from a minimum of 12 months to a maximum of 36 months. Applicants addressing the second priority subject on page 6, evaluations of VAWA-funded interventions, may request between $100,000 and $450,000 for a project period ranging from a minimum of 12 months to a maximum of 36 months. Generally, the award period will start on November 1, 2018.

Award Period Award Floor Award Ceiling Subject 1: SAFE Protocol implementation research

Between 12 and 36 months $100,000 $650,000

Subject 2: Evaluations of VAWA-funded interventions

Between 12 and 36 months $100,000 $450,000

OVW has the discretion to award grants for greater or lesser amounts and longer or shorter durations than requested, and to negotiate the scope of work and budget with applicants before awarding a grant.

Applicants should not exceed the award amounts listed in this solicitation and should carefully consider the resources needed to successfully implement the proposed project. Awards made in 2016 and 2017 generally ranged in amount from $300,000 to $400,000.

Awards will be made as grants.

C. Eligibility Information Eligible Applicants It is very important that applicants review this information carefully. Applications that are submitted by ineligible entities, or that do not meet all eligibility requirements, will not be considered for funding.

Eligible entities for this initiative are:

• States (including territories);

• Units of local government;

• Federally recognized Indian tribal governments;

• Nonprofit organizations; and

• Institutions of higher education.

Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign institutions of higher education are not eligible to apply.

OVW welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the other(s) must be proposed as the subrecipient(s). The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for conducting and leading the research. If successful, the applicant will be responsible for monitoring and appropriately managing any subrecipients or, as applicable, for administering any procurement subcontracts that would receive federal program funds from the applicant under the award.

Nonprofit Organization Requirement – Offshore Accounts Any nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code is not eligible for an R&E grant.

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement This initiative has no match or cost sharing requirement.

Limit on Number of Applications An eligible applicant may submit more than one application, as long as each application proposes a different project in response to the solicitation. (If an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, OVW will review only the most recent system-validated version submitted.) Subrecipients may be part of multiple proposals.

Applicants should be aware that FY 2018 R&E applications will most likely be reviewed through the same peer review mechanism as NIJ’s Violence Against Women Research applications.

OVW’s and NIJ’s FY 2018 solicitations stipulate different research priorities and funding caps;

however, if an applicant submits the same application under both OVW’s and NIJ’s solicitations, the application will be reviewed and scored only once, and against the scoring criteria of the solicitation with which the application appears to be most aligned in terms of scope.

D. Application and Submission Information Address to Request Application Package The complete application package is available on Grants.gov or at the OVW website. Applicants who need a paper copy of the application materials should contact Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov.

Content and Form of Application Submission The information below (Letter of Registration through Additional Required Information) describes the full content and form of application submission.

Letter of Registration Applicants intending to apply for FY 2018 funding under R&E are strongly encouraged to submit a letter of registration. The letter should state that the applying organization is registered and current with SAM and with Grants.gov. The letter should be submitted to Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov by February 6, 2018. This will ensure that the applicant is well-positioned to successfully submit a proposal by the application deadline. This letter will not obligate the applicant to submit an application. See Appendix B for a sample Letter of Registration.

Application Contents This section describes what is included in a complete application package. Applicants should anticipate that failure to submit an application that contains all of the specified elements will negatively affect the review of the application and may result in the application not being considered for funding. Should a decision be made to make an award, the award may include special conditions that preclude access to or use of award funds pending satisfaction of the conditions. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that a complete application is submitted by the deadline.

Applicants should not submit documents that are not asked for in this solicitation. Providing information that is not requested will not increase the likelihood that an application will be selected for funding. All materials submitted as part of an application may be released pursuant to a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Formatting and Technical Requirements Applications must follow the requirements below. Points may be deducted for applications that do not adhere to the following requirements:

• Double-spaced text (abstract, appended documents, and charts may be single-spaced)

• 8½ x 11 inch pages

• One-inch margins

• Type no smaller than 12-point, Times New Roman font

• Correctly numbered pages

• No more than 30 pages for the Project Narrative (excludes the title page and table of contents and figures)

• Word documents in the following formats: Microsoft Word (.doc), PDF files (.pdf), or text documents (.txt) http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.justice.gov/ovw/open-solicitations mailto:Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov mailto:Virginia.Baran@usdoj.gov

• Headings and subheadings that correspond to the sections identified in this section of the solicitation

Application Requirements Applications must be responsive to the scope and criteria of this solicitation, and must include the following required documents.6 Applications that do not include items 1 through 4 below will be considered substantially incomplete and will not be considered for funding:

1. Project Abstract

2. Project Narrative

3. Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative

4. Appendices (While an application missing any of the required appendices will not automatically be removed from consideration, OVW has the discretion to deem an application unresponsive if it is missing significant required items.)

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

The project abstract is an important part of the application, and serves as an introduction to the proposed project. OVW 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.

The abstract should summarize the proposed project in 250-400 words. It should be:

• Written for a general public audience;

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

• Single-spaced, using a standard 12-point font with one-inch margins.

The project abstract will not count against the page limit for the project narrative.

Project Narrative The project narrative section of the application should not exceed 30 double-spaced pages in 12-point font with one-inch margins. The Project Narrative should have a title page (including project title, submission date, and name and contact information for the applicant’s authorizing official and principal investigator), as well as a table of contents and figures. If included in the main body of the Project Narrative rather than in the appendices, the tables, charts, figures, and other illustrations will count toward the 30-page limit for the narrative section. The title page, project abstract, appendices (including appended tables, charts, and figures), and government forms do not count toward the 30-page limit.

Following the title page and table of contents and figures, the project narrative should include the following five sections:

6 Note: Some of the forms that OVW requires R&E applicants to submit are standard forms used by the Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Links are provided as appropriate.

http://nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-abstract-template.pdf

1. Statement of the problem, weighted at 10%, should include:

• The FY 2018 Priority Subject the proposed project will address (see pages 5-6);

• Purpose, goals, and objectives for the proposed project;

• A review of relevant literature; and

• Statement as to how the study is expected to contribute to one or more of the six

Areas of Study listed on page 6.

2. Project design and implementation, weighted at 50%, should include:

• An explanation of the theoretical foundation on which the proposed study is based;

• A description of a sound research design and appropriate analytic methods, including research questions, hypotheses, description of sample,7 and analysis plan, all of which should align with the Methodological Principles on pages 6-7;

and

• A discussion of potential pitfalls of the proposed project design and how the applicant will minimize and/or mitigate them.

3. Potential impact, weighted at 15%, should include:

• Implications for practice and policy in victim services and the justice system response to domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking.

4. Capabilities and competencies, weighted at 20%, should include:

• Description of the applicant’s qualifications and the qualifications of key staff and partners; and

• An approach and a management plan that reflect a strong researcher-practitioner partnership.8

5. Dissemination plan, weighted at 5%, should include:

• A brief description of a plan to produce at least one scholarly product (see page 7 for Expected Products) and make findings available to broader audiences, including practitioners, through written material and interactive formats, such as conferences or webinars.

Appendices The following appendices are not counted against the page limit for the Project Narrative.

7 If the applicant is proposing an experimental or quasi-experimental design, a power analysis should be included.

8 As previously stated, researcher-practitioner partnerships should be a learning experience for both researchers and practitioners, with researchers and practitioners holding equal status on the project and both standing to benefit comparably from the work.

1. Summary data sheet,9 which should include:

a. Statement as to whether the applicant (i.e., the organization whose DUNS number is being used for the application) will serve as a fiscal agent/sponsor for an entity or entities that will ultimately implement the project, and that the applicant itself will not be involved with implementation of the project beyond issuing a subaward or subawards to other entities. If this is the case, the applicant must include a statement acknowledging that, should an award be made, the applicant will be responsible for all applicable statutory, fiscal, and programmatic requirements, including those of 2 CFR Part 200, as well as all project deliverables. The applicant must also list all of the entities with which it will enter into agreements to implement the project, and should include a description of how these entities intend to accomplish the purposes of the award (if such a description is not already provided in a Memorandum of Understanding submitted as part of the application). Note that, in such situations, the fiscal agent/sponsor must be an eligible applicant for the program.

b. Statement as to whether the applicant has expended $750,000 in federal funds in the applicant’s past fiscal year. If so, specify the end date of the applicant’s fiscal year.

c. Statement as to whether the applicant is a nonprofit organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code.

d. Statement as to whether the applicant is a nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

e. Statement as to whether the applicant is a nonprofit organization that uses the Internal Revenue Service's three-step safe-harbor procedure to establish a rebuttable presumption that its executives' compensation is reasonable. If the applicant is not a nonprofit organization or is a nonprofit that does not use the safe-harbor procedure, provide a statement to that effect. For additional information about the safe-harbor procedure, see "Disclosures Related to Executive Compensation" in the Additional Required Information section.

2. Bibliography/references.

3. 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.

4. Curriculum vitae or resumes of the principal investigator and any and all co-principal investigators and key project partners.

5. Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles Form, for the purposes of avoiding any conflicts of interest during the peer review process. Provide a list (to the extent known) of all proposed project staff members, including those affiliated with the applicant organization or any proposed subrecipient organization(s), any proposed consultant(s)

9 Note to applicants who have familiarized themselves with earlier R&E solicitations: The summary data sheet is a new required appendix in FY 2018. If you are revising an R&E application with the intention of resubmitting it in FY 2018, be sure not to overlook this requirement.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl and contractors (whether individuals or organizations), and any proposed members of an advisory board for the project (if applicable). The list should include, for each individual and organization: name, title (if applicable), employer or other organizational affiliation, and roles and responsibilities proposed for the project. Applicants should use the “Proposed Project Staff, Affiliation, and Roles” form available at www.nij.gov/funding/documents/nij-project-staff-template.xlsx to provide this listing.

6. Proposed project timeline and expected milestones.

7. 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.

8. Privacy Certificate (for further guidance and a model privacy certificate, see:

nij.gov/funding/humansubjects/pages/confidentiality.aspx).

9. Letters of commitment from organizations or agencies serving as partner entities and/or collaborating on the project, such as victim services organizations, law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, etc. Letters of commitment should be dated and signed by the partnering entity’s Authorized Representative.

Budget note regarding partner entities: In general, partners that will be receiving funds to carry out a portion of the award should be treated as subrecipients in the proposed budget, not contractors. For more information see 2 C.F.R. § 200.330, Appendix A, and the Solicitation Companion Guide.

10. Data archiving plan. Applicants should anticipate that OVW 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 OVW (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.

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.

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 https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1007726/download#Solicitation 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

11. Applicant disclosure of pending applications.10 Applicants are to disclose whether they have pending applications for federally funded grants or subgrants (including cooperative agreements) that include requests for funding to support the same project being proposed under this solicitation and will cover the identical cost items outlined in the budget narrative and worksheet in the application under this solicitation. The disclosure should include both direct applications for federal funding (e.g., applications to federal agencies) and indirect applications for such funding (e.g., applications to state agencies that will subaward federal funds).

OVW seeks this information to help avoid any inappropriate duplication of funding.

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

Applicants that have pending applications as described above are to provide the following information about pending applications submitted within the last 12 months: the federal or state funding agency, the solicitation name/project name, and the point of contact information at the applicable funding agency.

Applicants should include this information as a separate attachment, in a table format, with the file name “Disclosure of Pending Applications,” to their application. Applicants that do not have pending applications as described above are to include a statement to this effect in the separate attachment page (e.g., “[Applicant Name on SF-424] does not have pending applications submitted within the last 12 months for federally funded grants or subgrants (including cooperative agreements) that include requests for funding to support the same project being proposed under this solicitation and will cover the identical cost items outlined in the budget narrative and worksheet in the application under this solicitation.”).

12. Documentation of Research and Evaluation Independence and Integrity. In order to receive funds, the applicant must demonstrate research/evaluation independence, including appropriate safeguards to ensure research/evaluation objectivity and integrity, both in this proposal and as it may relate to the applicant’s other current or prior related projects. This documentation may be included as an attachment to the application which addresses BOTH i. and ii. below.

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

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

OR

10 The applicant is not the principal investigator; rather, the applicant is usually the institution or organization at which the principal investigator is employed.

b. A specific listing of actual or perceived conflicts of interest that the applicant has identified in relation to this proposal. These conflicts could be either personal (related to specific staff, consultants, and/or sub-recipients) or organizational (related to the applicant or any subgrantee organization).

Examples of potential investigator (or other personal) conflict situations may include, but are not limited to, those in which an investigator would be in a position to evaluate a spouse’s work product (actual conflict), or an investigator would be in a position to evaluate the work of a former or current colleague (potential apparent conflict). With regard to potential organizational conflicts of interest, as one example, generally an organization could not be given a grant to evaluate a project if that organization had itself provided substantial prior technical assistance to that specific project or a location implementing the project (whether funded by OVW or other sources), as the organization in such an instance would appear to be evaluating the effectiveness of its own prior work. The key is whether a reasonable person understanding all of the facts would be able to have confidence that the results of any research or evaluation project are objective and reliable. Any outside personal or financial interest that casts doubt on that objectivity and reliability of an evaluation or research product is a problem and must be disclosed.

ii. In addition, for purposes of this solicitation applicants must address the issue of possible mitigation of research integrity concerns by including, at a minimum, one of the following two items:

a. If an applicant reasonably believes that no potential personal or organizational conflicts of interest exist, then the applicant should provide a brief narrative explanation of how and why it reached that conclusion.

Applicants MUST also include an explanation of the specific processes and procedures that the applicant will put in place to identify and eliminate (or, at the very least, mitigate) potential personal or financial conflicts of interest on the part of its staff, consultants, and/or sub-recipients for this particular project, should that be necessary during the grant period. Documentation that may be helpful in this regard could include organizational codes of ethics/conduct or policies regarding organizational, personal, and financial conflicts of interest.

OR

b. If the applicant has identified specific personal or organizational conflicts of interest in its proposal during this review, the applicant must propose a specific and robust mitigation plan to address conflicts noted above. At a minimum, the plan must include specific processes and procedures that the applicant will put in place to eliminate (or, at the very least, mitigate) potential personal or financial conflicts of interest on the part of its staff, consultants, and/or sub-recipients for this particular project, should that be necessary during the grant period. Documentation that may be helpful in this regard could include organizational codes of ethics/conduct or policies regarding organizational, personal, and financial conflicts of interest. There is no guarantee that the plan will be accepted as proposed.

Considerations in assessing research and evaluation independence and integrity will include, but are not be limited to, the adequacy of the applicant’s efforts to identify factors that could affect the objectivity or integrity of the proposed staff and/or the organization in carrying out the research, development, or evaluation activity; and the adequacy of the applicant’s existing or proposed remedies to control any such factors.

13. Summary of Current and Recent OVW Projects, and Pending Applications for

OVW Funding (if applicable). If the applicant has another application pending with OVW as of the closing date of this solicitation, or is a direct recipient (not a subrecipient) of a current grant or cooperative agreement under any OVW program, or of an award that has been closed within the last 12 months from the date this solicitation closes, information about those awards and pending applications must be provided in a table using the format found in Appendix D. The table must:

• Identify all grants by OVW program, award number and project period (if current or recent).

• Specify the total funding amount for each current grant (initial and supplemental amounts, if applicable).

• Specify the total funds remaining in each current grant as of the date of application.

• State whether an extension will be needed to complete a current project.

• Briefly explain the nexus, if any, between any current or pending OVW project and the proposed research project.

Note that R&E applications are reviewed separately from applications to any other OVW grant program. Any nexus between the proposed research project and a pending application with another OVW grant program may factor into OVW’s funding decisions.

Applicants should consider that project feasibility is a criterion considered by peer reviewers in assessing the Project Narrative.

Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative All applications must include a detailed budget and budget narrative. A sample Budget Detail Worksheet is available in Appendix A. When preparing the Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative, please use the Sample Budget Detail Worksheet as a guide and be sure to include all necessary budget categories as outlined in the Worksheet. Also, keep in mind that budgetary requirements vary slightly among programs. Budgets must adhere to the guidelines contained in the DOJ Financial Guide.

Award Period and Amount OVW estimates that it will make up to six awards. Applicants proposing implementation research on the SAFE Protocol (priority subject 1) may request up to $650,000, and applicants proposing evaluations of VAWA-funded interventions (priority subject 2) may request up to $450,000. Award periods can range from a minimum of 12 months to a maximum of 36 months.

OVW has the discretion to award grants for greater or lesser amounts than requested, and for longer or shorter durations than requested. Applicants should propose an award start date of November 1, 2018.

Budget Requirements Applicants must submit reasonable budgets based on the resources needed to implement their projects. The budget should display a clear link between project activities and proposed budget items. It should not contain any items that are not detailed in the project narrative. The budget narrative must support all costs included in the budget and explain how the costs of goods and services are determined and how they will fulfill the objective of the project.

In some circumstances, the budget and budget narrative will be reviewed separately from the proposed project narrative. Therefore, it is important that the budget narrative be as comprehensive as possible and describe, in a narrative format, each line item requested in the budget.

The budget must:

• Include funds or other resources necessary to ensure access for persons with disabilities, persons who are Deaf/hard of hearing, and persons with limited English proficiency. See Accessibility for more information.

• Compensate project partners appropriately. See Appendix A for additional information on compensating project partners.

• Distinguish clearly between subawards and contracts in allocating any grant funds to other entities. Pursuant to 2 C.F.R. § 200.330, a subaward is for the purpose of carrying out a portion of the federal award, and a contract is for the purpose of obtaining goods and services for the grantee’s own use. The substance of the relationship is more important than the form of the agreement in determining whether the recipient of the pass-through funds is a subrecipient or a contractor. Keep in mind that the awarding and monitoring of contracts must follow documented procurement procedures, including full and open competition, pursuant to the procurement standards in 2 C.F.R. §§ 200.317- 200.329, and the issuance of subawards must meet the requirements of 2 C.F.R. §

200.331. See Appendix A and the Solicitation Companion Guide for more information.

For additional guidance, go to the Funding Restrictions section of this solicitation.

Funds for Travel If the applicant anticipates presenting on the proposed project at conferences, the budget should allot funds to support associated travel…