ovw fiscal year 2011 services, training, education and policies to reduce sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in secondary schools grant program.pdf

OMB Number: 1122-0020

Expiration Date: 6/30/2013

U.S. Department of Justice

Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)

OVW Fiscal Year 2011

Services, Training, Education and

Policies to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking in Secondary Schools

Grant Program

Eligibility

Applicants are limited to: 1) Public, Charter, Tribal, or Nationally Accredited Private Middle or High Schools; 2) Schools administered by the Department of Defense; 3) Groups of middle and/or high schools (2 or more); or 4) School Districts.

(See “Eligibility,” page 8)

Deadline

To assist OVW in planning for the independent peer review process, letters of intent to apply should be submitted by March 23, 2011. Please note that letters of intent are optional.

Interested applicants who do not submit a letter of intent by the deadline are still eligible to apply. To ensure all applicants have ample time to complete the registration process through

Grants.Gov, applicants should register online with Grants.gov by March 23, 2011.

All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. E.T. on April 6, 2011.

(See “Deadline: Application,” page 7)

Contact Information

For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact OVW at (202) 307-6026.

In Fiscal Year 2011, OVW applications will be submitted through Grants.gov. For further information and assistance, please see the OVW Grant Program Solicitation Reference Guide at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/resource-guidebook.pdf.

http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/resource-guidebook.pdf http:Grants.gov http:Grants.gov http:Grants.Gov

Grants.gov Number assigned to announcement OVW-2011-2919

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications by September 30, 2011.

CONTENTS

Overview of the OVW STEP Program p. 5

Deadline: Letter of Intent p. 7

Deadline: Registration p. 7

Deadline: Application p. 7

Eligibility p. 8

OVW STEP Program Specific Information p. 9

Types of Applicants p. 9

Availability of Funds p. 9

Award Period p. 9

Award Amounts p. 10

Program Scope p. 10

How To Apply p. 15

What An Application Must Include: p. 15

Summary Data Sheet p. 16

Project Narrative p. 17

Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative p. 20

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) p. 22

Proposal Abstract p. 23

Summary of Current OVW Projects p. 23

Application for Federal Assistance p. 24

Standard Assurances and Certifications p. 24

Financial Accounting Practices p. 24

Letter of Nonsupplanting p. 24

Financial Capability Questionnaire p. 25

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement p. 25

Proof on Nonprofit Status p. 25

Certification of Eligibility p. 25

Letter of Designation p. 26

Selection Criteria p. 26

Review Process p. 27

Performance Measures p. 27

Notice of New Post-Award Reporting Requirements p. 28

Additional Requirements p. 28

Application Checklist p. 29

Pre-Application Information Calls

OVW will conduct four pre-application information calls to review the STEP Program solicitation, eligibility requirements and the application process.

Schedule:

Date Start Time Finish Time Registration Required

March 7, 2011 10 a.m. E.T. 12 p.m. E.T. Yes March 10, 2011 2 p.m. E.T. 4 p.m. E.T. Yes March 14, 2011 10 a.m. E.T. 12 p.m. E.T. Yes March 17, 2011 2 p.m. E.T. 4 p.m. E.T. Yes

Registration Instructions:

Anyone who is interested in submitting an application to the STEP Program may register to participate in the information calls. The total number of participants for each call is limited to 50.

To register email or call Mary Tate, OVW Program Assistant, at mary.tate@usdoj.gov or 202 305-1653.

The subject line should be titled, “STEP Program Information Call Registration.” Your registration request must be received two business days prior to the scheduled call date.

mailto:mary.tate@usdoj.gov

OVW Services, Training, Education and Policies to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking in Secondary Schools Grant Program

(CFDA 16.684)

Overview

This solicitation contains information on how to apply for the Services, Training, Education and Policies to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking in Secondary Schools Grant Program. For general information on applying for all OVW grant programs, please see the OVW Fiscal Year 2011 Grant Program Solicitation Reference Guide (Reference Guide) at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/resource-guidebook.pdf. All applicants should read carefully both this solicitation and the Reference Guide before beginning the application process.

About the OVW Services, Training, Education and Policies to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking in Secondary Schools Grant Program

The Services, Training, Education and Policies to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking in Secondary Schools Grant Program, hereafter referred to as the STEP Program, was created by the Violence Against Women Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005) to support middle and high schools to develop and implement effective training, services, prevention strategies, policies, and coordinated community responses for student victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

According to a study released in 2009 by the National Institute of Justice, dating violence incidents reached 5.6 % in the past year. Adolescents ages 14 to 17 were by far the most likely to be sexually victimized1. Nearly one in six adolescents were sexually victimized in the past year.2 The most common forms of sexual victimization included flashing or exposure by a peer and sexual assault.3 For youth, school is a place where not only educational learning occurs, but also a place where social and emotional cues are shaped. During this stage of development, youth are learning the social norms of their peer group; developing their identity;

navigating peer pressure and learning autonomy from their parents. Youth may also find it challenging to set appropriate boundaries; to be independent of social pressures; and to understand the difference between healthy and unhealthy relationships. Thus, school personnel are often challenged to adapt and effectively respond to the rapidly changing educational, social and emotional needs of the students.

1 Finkelhor, D., Turner, H., Ormrod, R., Hambly, S., Kracke, K. ( 2009). National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

2 Id 3 Id http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/resource-guidebook.pdf

Youth, unlike their adult counterparts, are often unable to access victim services including health care without parental consent. Additionally, youth who are victims of domestic and sexual violence, in particular, are subject to child protection mandates for reporting incidents and subsequent intervention depending on the severity of the crimes. Further, students victimized by other students often face additional challenges in a confined school environment.

For example, a victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking may continue to live in danger if the perpetrator attends the same classes. In a smaller school, a victim may wish to remain anonymous but may find this to be virtually impossible in such an insular environment. Similarly, stalking victims may find it difficult to escape their tormentors, because the stalker may have a seemingly “legitimate” reason for remaining in contact with or in proximity to the victim (e.g., studying in the library). In other cases, a victim may be harassed by classmates or by a perpetrator’s friends who claim that the victim “asked for it” or “provoked” the attack. Even changing class schedules may not eliminate the threat of encountering the perpetrator in school. The use of social networking sites has increased the danger for youth as perpetrators use this medium to monitor the victim’s whereabouts, as well as utilize it to further torment the victim by sharing nude pictures of the victim with friends or other peers at school; or excessively texting, emailing or instant messaging to follow and harass the victim. Many schools are not equipped to address various dynamics of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking among students; therefore, students are often left without the appropriate support for their diverse needs or a system that will hold perpetrators accountable for their actions. Thus, the prevalence of youth exposure to or victimization from sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking warrants comprehensive strategies to reduce its impact on students, provide appropriate victim services and enhance investigations of such crimes.

The STEP Program is designed to support projects that provide training to school administrators, faculty, and staff; develop policies and procedures for response; provide support services; develop effective prevention strategies; and collaborate with mentoring organizations to support middle and high school students who have experienced or are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

Civil Rights Compliance All recipients of Federal grant funds are required to comply with nondiscrimination requirements contained in various Federal laws. In the event that a court or administrative agency makes a finding of discrimination on grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or age against a recipient of funds after a due process hearing, the recipient must agree to forward a copy of the finding to the Office for Civil Rights of the Office of Justice Programs(OJP). All applicants should consult the Assurances required with the application funds to understand the applicable legal and administrative requirements.

Services to Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Persons:

National origin discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of limited English proficiency (LEP). To ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, recipients are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that LEP persons have meaningful access to their programs. Meaningful access may entail providing language assistance services, including interpretation and translation services, where necessary. Grantees are encouraged to consider the need for language services for LEP persons served or encountered both in developing their proposals and budgets and in conducting their programs and activities. Reasonable costs associated with providing meaningful access for LEP individuals are considered allowable program costs. The U.S.

Department of Justice has issued guidance for grantees to assist them in complying with Title VI requirements. The guidance document can be accessed on the Internet at www.lep.gov or by contacting the OJP’s Office for Civil Rights at (202) 307-0690, or by writing to the following address:

Office for Civil Rights Office of Justice Programs U.S. Department of Justice 810 7th Street, N.W., 8th Floor Washington, DC 20531

Deadline: Letter of Intent

If you intend to apply for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 funding under this program, we encourage you to submit a letter stating that you intend to apply for funding. The letter will not obligate you to submit an application. Please see http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/sample_letter_of_intent.pdf for a sample letter. The letter should be submitted to OVW by March 23, 2011. You may send the letter to OVW at OVW.STEP@usdoj.gov. OVW will use these letters to predict the number of peer review panels needed to review the applications. You may still submit an application for funding if you do not submit a Letter of Intent.

Deadline: Registration

The Grants.gov registration deadline is March 23, 2011. For more information on the process of registering and applying in Grants.gov, please see the Reference Guide at pages 15-19.

Deadline: Application

An application submission is complete if (a) a hard copy of the entire application, with original signatures, has been submitted via overnight delivery on or before the deadline and (b) the application has been submitted through Grants.gov. Both electronic and hard copy submissions are required.

The deadline for applying for funding under this announcement is April 6, 2011, 11:59 p.m. E.T.

A hard copy must be sent via an overnight delivery method, date stamped by the shipping company on or before April 6, 2011 to:

The Office on Violence Against Women c/o Lockheed Martin Aspen Systems Corporation OVW STEP Program Mail Stop 2K 2277 Research Boulevard Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 519-5000

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications well in advance of the deadline to ensure a successful submission through Grants.gov. For information on OVW’s policy for late applications, please see the Reference Guide at pages 17-19.

http:Grants.gov http:Grants.gov mailto:OVW.STEP@usdoj.gov http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/sample_letter_of_intent.pdf http:www.lep.gov

Eligibility

It is very important that you review this information carefully. Applications that are submitted by non-eligible entities will be screened out during an initial basic minimum review process and omitted from further review.

By statute, eligible entities for this program are:

Public, Charter, Tribal or Nationally Accredited Private Middle or High School;

Schools Administered by the Department of Defense;

Groups of middle and/or high schools (2 or more); or

School Districts.

Note: For clarification purposes for the STEP Program eligibility, the following terms apply:

school meets one of the previously listed criteria for eligible entities; and Independent, alternative, and faith-based schools are eligible as long as they qualify as a public school, charter school, or Tribal school; or have national accreditation.

Certification of Eligibility

The following applicants are required to certify by letter or certificate:

1) Nationally Accredited Private Schools must submit documentation demonstrating current accreditation status from a national education accreditation body. The letter or certificate must state the name of the school, the period of accreditation, and the accredited grades.

2) Schools administered by the Department of Defense must submit documentation that the school operates on an active military base and is within the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense Domestic Dependent Elementary and Secondary Schools (DDESS).

3) Tribal Schools must either: A) submit the Tribal charter if the school is governed by the tribe or B) be included in the list of schools recognized by the Department of Interior’s Bureau of Indian Education.

Required Partnerships:

Pursuant to the statute, all applicants must partner with:

A non-profit nongovernmental sexual assault victim service provider/organization, such as a rape crisis center, a program serving tribal victims of sexual assault, or a coalition or other non-profit nongovernmental organization carrying out a community based sexual assault program, that has a history of effective work concerning sexual assault and the impact that sexual assault has on children and youth;

A non-profit non-governmental domestic violence victim services provider/organization or coalition that has a history of working on domestic violence and the impact that domestic violence and dating violence have on children and youth; and, A local law enforcement agency or relevant State, Tribal, Territorial or local court (i.e.

dependency or juvenile court).

Please note: An applicant that partners with a dual sexual assault and domestic violence organization does not have to partner with another victim services agency to meet this requirement.

OVW STEP Program– Specific Information

Types of Applicants OVW will accept applications from:

1) An individual applicant that is a single school that independently or as designated by the school district or board, proposes to develop and implement activities on its own school grounds;

2) A community consortium project that involves two or more schools that independently or as designated by the school district or board, are working together to implement project activities. This consortium focuses on impacting a specific community, neighborhood or catchment area with the goal of developing a school and community-based response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; or

3) A scattered site consortium project that involves two or more schools that are designated by the school district to work together to develop and implement consistent practices, policies, and products for each of their respective schools that could be replicated district-wide.

Note: For clarification purposes of the STEP Program, the following terms apply:

For consortia projects, the participating schools can be a mix of middle and high schools;

and Scattered Site Consortium projects can include schools located across the school district that have diverse populations and needs.

Letter of Designation All applicants must submit a letter from the school district superintendent or board of directors/trustees certifying that the individual school or group of schools is designated to administer federal funds and implement the grant program activities.

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. Funding is not guaranteed. Requests should be tied to a specific project or proposal.

Award Period The award period for these cooperative agreements4 will be 36 months. Budgets must reflect 36 months of project activity, and the total “estimated funding” (block 15) on the SF-424 must reflect 36 months.

4 Recipients of Cooperative Agreements will have more on-going OVW involvement over project activities than grant recipients.

Award Amounts Applicants should carefully consider the resources needed to successfully implement the project proposed and present a realistic budget that accurately reflects project costs. OVW has the discretion to make awards for greater or lesser amounts than requested and to negotiate the scope of work and budget with applicants prior to awarding a cooperative agreement. FY 2011 STEP Program funds will be awarded based on the following guidelines:

Individual Applicants: up to $350,000 over a 36 month period Consortia Projects: up to $550,000 over a 36 month period

Awards will be made as cooperative agreements for a 36 month period. However, all award recipients must engage in a one year planning and development phase and an implementation phase. Award recipients should be aware that they will be required to receive and to participate actively in technical assistance throughout the project.

Program Scope The scope of the STEP Program is defined by the following “statutory purpose areas” and

“minimum requirements.” Proposed projects must implement activities consistent with the statutory program purpose areas and must address at least one purpose area.

During the OVW internal review, applications that are partially out of scope will receive up to a

25 point deduction. Applicants that propose projects that are substantially outside the scope of the STEP Program statutory purpose areas will be disqualified from further funding consideration.

Statutory Program Purposes

By statute, funds under the STEP Program may be used for the following purposes:

1. To provide training to school administrators, faculty, counselors, coaches, healthcare providers, security personnel, and other staff on the needs and concerns of students who experience domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, and the impact of such violence on students;

2. To develop and implement policies in middle and high schools regarding appropriate, safe responses to, and identification and referral procedures for, students who are experiencing or perpetrating domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking, including procedures for handling the requirements of court protective orders issued to or against students or school personnel, in a manner that ensures that safety of the victim and holds the perpetrators accountable;

3. To provide support services for students and school personnel, such as a resource person who is either on-site or on-call, and who is an employee from the victim services partner(s) of the applicant(s), for the purpose of developing and strengthening effective prevention and intervention strategies for students and school personnel experiencing domestic violence, dating violence, and sexual assault or stalking;

4. To provide developmentally appropriate educational programming to students regarding sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, and the impact of experiencing sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking on children and youth by adapting existing curricula activities to the relevant student population;

5. To work with existing mentoring programs and develop strong mentoring programs for students, including student athletes, to help them understand and recognize violence and violent behavior, how to prevent it and how to appropriately address their feelings; and,

6. To conduct evaluations to assess the impact of programs and policies assisted under this section in order to enhance the development of the program.

For further clarification of the STEP Program, the following terms apply:

If applicants are proposing to address statutory purpose areas 4, 5 and/or 6, a total of 15% of the budget can be used for all of these purposes.

Proposed educational programming must utilize existing curricula that are: 1) evidenced based; 2) research supported ; 3) based on well known theories of change; or 4) supported by program specific evaluation.

Program Special Interest Areas In Fiscal Year 2011, OVW is interested in projects that address one or more of the following special interest areas:

Develop or enhance culturally- and linguistically-specific intervention strategies and victim services for communities of color such as African American, Asian, and Latino, as well as traditionally underserved populations like lesbian, gay, transgender, questioning and intersex (LGBTQI) youth and Deaf communities;

Conduct educational programming that equitably addresses dating and sexual violence including sexual coercion;

Implement student-driven prevention strategies that focus on bystander or peer education approaches;

Establish a collaboration with a local college or university that has implemented an effective violence against women prevention and intervention program;

Develop specialized intervention services for students who have been exposed to domestic and/or sexual violence;

Develop or enhance victim service programs that provide sexual assault specific services for students;

Develop or enhance direct services to students to address the intersection of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking with other youth issues (i.e., teen pregnancy, health concerns, gang violence, bullying); and

Incorporate strategies to involve youth in the development and implementation of youth centered victim services.

Minimum Requirements

All applicants must address ALL four minimum requirements:

1) Establish a coordinated community response including creating a coordinated community response taskforce whose primary purpose is to develop and implement comprehensive school strategies to address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. The team must review policies and procedures to ensure victim safety/recovery and offender accountability. At a minimum, the team must be comprised of:

a) A non-profit nongovernmental sexual assault victim service provider/organization, such as a rape crisis center, a program serving tribal victims of sexual assault, or a coalition or other non-profit governmental organization carrying out a community based sexual assault program, that has a history of effective work concerning sexual assault and the impact that sexual assault has on children and youth;

b) A non-profit non-governmental domestic violence victim services provider/organization or a coalition that has a history of working on domestic violence and the impact that domestic violence and dating violence have on children and youth;

c) A local law enforcement agency or relevant State, Tribal, Territorial or local court (i.e., dependency or juvenile court);

d) A school Principal or Administrator;

e) A Teacher; and

f) A Parent Representative.

Note: If the school resource officer is an active sworn law enforcement officer from the local jurisdiction, then the applicant is not required to partner with another local jurisdiction.

Additionally, applicants should develop a broad spectrum of school and community based partners such as one or more of the following:

Guidance Counselors Student groups Community youth organizations School District representatives School Resource Officers Social Workers Pupil Personnel Workers Special Education teachers and coordinators Coaches Culturally Specific community organizations Title V and IX Coordinators School and community health professionals ROTC Clergy School administrative office staff

2) Develop a Prevention and Education Program about sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in collaboration with community based victim service organizations. This program can include but is not limited to educational programming, prevention and education campaigns, awareness events, public service announcements, etc. The program must focus on targeting:

a. Students: must include the development of a youth advisory committee to shape the strategies proposed and an ongoing multi-pronged approach that could include social emotional learning strategies; bystander intervention; peer education; men’s programming; and culturally and linguistically specific approaches; and

b. School Personnel: must develop an ongoing training for school personnel including administrators, teachers, coaches, guidance counselors, school resource officers, and school nurses.

Note: There is no requirement for the prevention and education program to be evidenced based or supported by research; however, if one of the proposed strategies is educational programming, then the curriculum used must be 1) evidenced based; 2) research supported; 3) based on well known theories of change; or 4) supported by program specific evaluation.

3) Strengthen the School Disciplinary Process to provide a fair, balanced process that maintains victim safety/recovery while also holding offenders accountable. Applicants should propose activities such as developing and/or revising school policies; enhancing protocols for notification of students and parents; more effectively addressing confidentiality/privacy and mandated reporting; creating appropriate sanctions for students found to be responsible for violating the school policy; and developing specific training for all school personnel involved in the disciplinary process.

4) Establish a Parent Outreach and Engagement Program that provides ongoing outreach, training, and information to parents about the dynamics of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking among youth. This program should also develop ways that parents can receive information about the school’s policies, the range of services offered to students, as well as the community resources available. Additionally, the program should find ways to utilize parents in developing comprehensive school strategies that will address the needs of students who experience sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

Note: For further clarification of the STEP program, the following issues are considered within program scope:

Addressing middle and high school students exposed to domestic violence in their homes;

Addressing child sex abuse by a parent, guardian, or caretaker;

Sexual assault not in the context of a dating relationship; and

Bullying activities as a strategy to further address and provide connections with the dynamics of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. Applications that propose significant activities on bullying will be considered out of scope.

Other Program Requirements In addition to the aforementioned Program Requirements, applicants must engage in the following required activities:

Applicants are required to complete a one-year planning and development phase:

A. Planning Phase: Successful applicants will work with OVW and Technical Assistance providers to establish the groundwork for developing or enhancing comprehensive responses for secondary students who experience sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. The planning phase will be for 12 months. The planning phase must include, but is not limited to, the following activities:

conducting a school and/or community needs assessment;

reviewing school policies and protocols for responding to the aforementioned crimes;

utilizing the coordinated community response team to develop the strategic plan;

participation in new grantee orientation and at minimum two technical assistance trainings; and developing a strategic plan outlining the implementation activities to be conducted during the remainder of the grant period that will be submitted to OVW for review and approval.

The school and/or community needs assessment that will be developed in the planning phase should include but is not limited to:

Identifying the conditions in the school and community that contribute to and/or perpetuate sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking;

Assessing the school and/ or community assets and resilience factors that need to be promoted or sustained;

Identifying the current school policies, procedures, resources and services for students who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking;

Identifying and reducing the gaps and barriers in policies, procedures and services; and Identifying school and community resources available to students.

B. Implementation Phase: Upon successfully completing the planning phase and upon OVW approval of the strategic plan, successful applicants will begin implementing the proposed school based responses to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

During the implementation phase, successful applicants will continue working with OVW and the identified Technical Assistance providers to successfully execute their strategic plan and should expect to engage in intensive proactive technical assistance for the duration of the cooperative agreement. Successful applicants are also required to participate in two additional OVW technical assistance trainings over the remaining two years.

Out-of-Scope Activities OVW has determined that the following activities are out of scope of this program and cannot be supported by the STEP Program grant funding:

dating violence and stalking;

counseling, batterer intervention, and anger management;

dating violence, and stalking issues; and Providing legal representation in civil and criminal matters, such as family law cases

(custody, visitation and child support), housing cases, and others.

Unallowable Activities

Grant funds under the STEP Program may not be used for any unauthorized purposes, including but not limited to the following activities:

carpeting)

Activities That May Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery

The following activities have been found to jeopardize victim safety, deter or prevent physical and emotional healing for victims, or allow offenders to escape responsibility for their actions.

OVW strongly encourages you not to include these activities in your application for funding:

a protection order or file criminal charges against their abuser as a condition of receiving services;

Sharing confidential victim information with outside organizations and/or individuals without the documented consent of the victim;

Referring victims to Child Protection Services solely for failure to protect their minor child when witnessing domestic violence, except if required under state law;

Developing prevention programs that focus primarily on victim behavior which may reinforce the myth that victims somehow provoke or cause the violence they experience;

Implementing programs that focus primarily on alcohol and substance abuse;

Failing to provide student victims the option of making the final decision to modify their class schedule and/or other arrangements (such as locker locations or living arrangements for boarding schools);

Developing products and/or materials that are not specifically tailored to youth and towards the dynamics of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking;

Implementing policies that require the victim to report the sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking to law enforcement;

Failing to conduct safety planning with victims; and Failing to develop policies regarding confidentiality, parental involvement/consent, mandatory reporting duties, and working with other ancillary service providers.

Confidentiality Applicants should be cognizant of victims’ confidentiality. Please see Reference Guide p. 7 for more information.

How To Apply

See the Reference Guide at pages 15-19 for instructions on “how to apply.”

What An Application Must Include

Applicants must complete each of the following sections as part of their response to this solicitation. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that its application is complete by the deadline. OVW may remove an application from consideration prior to peer review if the application is substantially incomplete or received after the deadline without prior permission as described in the Reference Guide at pages 17-19. For each section listed below, please note the corresponding maximum point value that may be assigned during the peer review scoring process. The application should use headings and subheadings in the order below for ease of review. Peer reviewers may not receive any additional materials submitted beyond those required. For example, if an application includes a narrative that is 25 pages the last five pages may be removed prior to peer review.

Applications must follow the following requirements:

Double spaced (except that any included graphs and charts may be single-spaced) 8½ x 11 inch paper One inch margins Type no smaller than 12 point, Times New Roman font Include a brief Summary Data Sheet Include a Project Abstract (please limit to one page) Include a list of all current OVW projects as described below (if applicable) No more than 20 pages for the Project Narrative (item VII below) Word processing documents must be in the following formats: Microsoft Word (.doc), PDF files (.pdf), or Text Documents (.txt).

Your application will be scored on the following sections:

Summary Data Sheet Project Narrative Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

We reserve the right to deduct points if the following materials are missing:

Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (Form 4061/6)

Sections I through XV below describe the specific elements of a complete application.

I. Summary Data Sheet (5 Points)

Please list the following information on a single page. The Summary Data Sheet should be a separate attachment to the application in Grants.gov and a separate section in the hard copy.

Name, title, address, phone number, and e-mail address for the authorized representative.

(Please see the Reference Guide at page 8 for more information on who can be an authorized representative.)

fiscal year for the applicant. Please specify the end date of the fiscal year.

Identifies the name of the school and type of school applying for funding (e.g., private, public, charter, military, tribal, school district, faith-based, independent, alternative, etc.);

agencies collaborating on this project;

project. If consortium, the applicant must list the participating schools;

implemented;

whether more than 25% of the student population is Native American;

Identifies the STEP Program Statutory Purpose Areas addressed by this proposal (it is sufficient to simply list the number (e.g.,1, 3 and 4); and

Identifies the OVW special interest areas addressed by this proposal.

II. Project Narrative (Total 60 Points) The following narrative should be a separate attachment to the application in Grants.gov and a separate section in the hard copy. The Project Narrative may not exceed 20 pages in length, double-spaced. Please number the pages of your narrative.

A. Purpose of Application (10 points)

1. Demonstrate the need for the project and how proposed services and activities will meet the need that exists;

2. Describe the problem of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking within your school and/or local community including students that are exposed to these crimes within their homes;

3. Describe the location, population, and demographic information of the school and the surrounding community;

4. In the event the applicant identifies a specific population including culturally specific populations to address, describe the needs of this population and how the proposed project will meet those needs;

5. Describe the school’s current response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking including prevention and intervention services and gaps;

6. If the applicant has applied or is applying for multiple OVW grants, describe how this project complements such other projects without duplicating efforts; and

7. Describe how the proposed project complements the State’s STOP Violence Against Women Implementation Plan (this is not required for applications from Tribal Governments or non-profit organizations).

Consortia Projects must also:

Estimate the number of students that will be impacted by the implementation of the project; and, Detail how the consortia project will align or enhance current community or school district efforts to address these issues.

This section will be rated on the detail with which the applicant provides the above information as well as the quality of the proposed activities.

B. What Will Be Done (35 points)

objective;

3. Explain how the applicant will meet the four minimum requirements of the STEP

Program:

a) create a coordinated community response to violence against women;

b) establish a prevention and education program about sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking for students and school personnel;

c) establish or strengthen school disciplinary process to respond effectively to charges of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; and,

d) establish a parent outreach and engagement program on the school’s response to violence against women;

brochure, a curriculum);

6. If proposing evaluation activities, briefly describe the changes in the school and/or community that will be measured during the grant period;

7. If applicable, describe in detail the culturally and linguistically tailored services to be provided;

applicants are proposing to use any technology (including, but not limited to, security systems, GPS, hotlines, and databases), they should explain how they plan to address any victim safety concerns that may arise from the use of the technology, such as confidentiality, safety planning, and informed consent.

For Consortia Projects:

Community consortium projects must also:

Describe how coordination and implementation will work among the different schools within the consortium to develop consistent messages, strategies, services, and policies; and

Detail how the project will utilize community partners to develop comprehensive school and community specific responses to student victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

Scattered site consortium projects must also:

Describe how coordination and implementation will work among the different schools within the consortium to develop consistent messages, strategies, services, and policies;

Describe how the project would be implemented at each of the respective schools;

and

Describe how the proposed strategies, products, policies and services developed with this funding would be used by the school district to enhance its responses to these crimes.

For further clarification of the STEP Program, the following terms apply:

Any project proposing to utilize a specific curriculum must specify the curriculum that will be used and how it matches the needs of the school and/or community identified in the application.

This section will be rated on the detail with which the applicant provides the above information as well as the quality of the proposed activities plus the following criteria:

How well the goals and objectives defined directly link to the need described within the Purpose of the Application;

How well the specific tasks and activities described relate to successfully meeting the goals and objectives described;

How well the timeline of the specific tasks and activities delineates the planning and implementation phases of the project as well as indicates that the project will be successfully implemented and completed within the timeline provided;

How well the proposed activities protect victim safety and confidentiality; and How measurable are the described goals and objectives.

C. Who Will Implement the Project (10 points)

All applicants must identify the agency(ies) or office(s) responsible for carrying out the project. This section should outline the expertise, experience, roles and responsibilities of key staff.

Consortia projects must identify the key staff at each school who are responsible for implementation. These projects must fully describe the relationship among the various entities represented in the application.

All applicants should provide details on the collaborative relationship with:

the nonprofit, nongovernmental sexual assault and domestic victim services partners

AND

the local law enforcement agency and/or relevant Federal, State, Tribal or local court.

This section should include their partners’ participation in drafting the application, as well as their role in the development and implementation of the project. In this section, applicants only need to identify the nonprofit, nongovernmental victim services partners and the law enforcement and/or relevant court partner. All partners to the MOU only need to be set forth in the MOU.

For further clarification of the STEP Program, victim service organizations should meet all of the following criteria:

Provide services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking as one of their primary purposes and have a demonstrated history of effective work in this field;

Address a demonstrated need in their communities by providing services that promote the dignity and self-sufficiency of victims, improve their access to resources, and create options for victims seeking safety from perpetrator violence; and

Do not engage in or promote activities that compromise victim safety.

This section will be rated on the detail with which you provide the above information as well as the quality of the proposed activities plus the following criteria:

A clear link is provided to ensure that all specific activities and tasks are linked to a specific agency or organization to ensure that there is accountability;

A description of the experience and expertise of all key personnel is included;

Key personnel have expertise relevant to the project; and Organizations necessary for successful project implementation are project partners.

D. Sustainability Plan (5 points) As this is a competitive, discretionary program, there is no guarantee of continuation funding. Applicants are required to include:

A plan describing their commitment and capacity to continue the project if Federal funding through the STEP Program were no longer available; and A description of at least one locally, privately, State, or Federally funded project that the applicant has sustained in the past.

Note: Continuation or supplemental funding is not guaranteed and applicants are always encouraged to seek additional means of support to sustain their current projects.

This section will be rated on the feasibility of the plan and the extent to which the applicant provides concrete strategies to demonstrate its commitment to continue the project if funds are no longer available.

III. Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative (Total 15 Points)

For more information and samples, please see the Reference Guide at pages 11-14. The Budget Worksheet and Narrative should be one attachment to the application in Grants.gov and a separate section in the hard copy.

In developing the budget, applicants should financially compensate all project partners for their participation in any project-related activities, including, but not limited to, compensation for time and travel expenses to participate in project development, training, and implementation. The budget must include compensation for all services rendered by project partners, including nonprofit, nongovernmental sexual assault and/or domestic violence victim services programs and State and Tribal sexual assault and/or domestic violence coalitions. If a partner is a state or local governmental agency and the partnership duties are conducted within the course of the agency’s “regular” scope of work, the applicant does not need to compensate the partner if the partner a) offers this arrangement; and b) an explanation of this arrangement is included in the application.

Budget Limits Individual Applicants: up to $350,000 over a 36 month period Consortia Projects: up to $550,000 over a 36 month period

OVW has the discretion to award grants for greater or lesser amounts than requested and to negotiate the scope of work and budget with applicants prior to award of a grant.

Budget Requirements For budget guidelines, see the Reference Guide at pages 11-14. Additional guidance specific to this program is as follows:

Purpose Areas: If applicants are proposing to address statutory purpose areas 4, 5 and/or 6, a total of 15% of the budget can be used for all of these purposes; and

Needs Assessment: Applicants are required to allocate $50,000 for the completion of the needs assessment to support consultants, travel and other costs associated with its development.

Training and Technical Assistance All applicants are required to allocate funds in the amount of $15,000 for individual projects and $33,600 for consortia projects to support travel costs associated with technical assistance and capacity-building activities sponsored by OVW-designated technical assistance providers. Applicants from Alaska, Hawaii, and United States Territories can exceed the budget cap by $5,000 to account for higher travel costs. Please see the Reference Guide at pages 11 12 for more information on this requirement.

Individual applicants are required to bring two team members to each of the technical assistance trainings. Consortium applicants are required to bring a minimum of four team members to each of the technical assistance trainings.

Please note that additional team members may be allowed to attend the technical assistance trainings; however, this is contingent upon the number of schools participating in the project.

The required allocation amount for consortia…