PKG00248691-instructions..pdf

OMB No. 1121-0329 Approval Expires 11/30/2020 U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications for funding to support national training and technical assistance (TTA) for jurisdictions engaged in comprehensive response system improvement related to the issue of unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs). This program supports the Department’s mission by improving: (1) state and local jurisdictions’ capacities to respond to violent crime; and (2) the functioning of the criminal justice system through the investigation and prosecution of cases resulting from SAK evidence and the collection of lawfully owed

DNA.

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative:

National Training and Technical Assistance Program FY 2019 Competitive Grant Announcement

Applications Due: April 30, 2019 Eligibility

Eligible applicants are for-profit organizations, nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit or for-profit organizations), faith-based and community organizations, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), and consortiums with demonstrated experience providing national and local-level training and technical assistance. All recipients and their subrecipients (including any for-profit organizations) must forgo any profit or management fee.

BJA welcomes applications under which two or more entities would carry out the federal award;

however, only one entity may be the applicant. Any others must be proposed as subrecipients (subgrantees).1 The applicant must be the entity that would have primary responsibility for carrying out the award, including administering the funding and managing the entire program.

BJA may elect to fund applications submitted under this fiscal year (FY) 2019 solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on, among other considerations, the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.

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

http://www.usdoj.gov/ https://ojp.gov/ http://www.bja.gov/ http://www.bja.gov/

BJA-2019-15229

Deadline

Applicants must register with Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html prior to submitting an application. All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 30, 2019.

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

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

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

Contact Information

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

An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the contact identified below within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline. Additional information on reporting technical issues appears under “Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues” in the How to Apply section.

For assistance with any unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond an applicant’s control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline, or any other requirement of this solicitation, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Response Center:

toll-free at 800–851–3420; via TTY at 301–240–6310 (hearing impaired only); email grants@ncjrs.gov; fax to 301–240–5830; or web chat at https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp. The NCJRS Response Center hours of operation are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, and 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. eastern time on the solicitation close date.

Grants.gov number assigned to this solicitation: BJA-2019-15229

Release date: February 28, 2019 http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/home.html https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Grants-govInfo.htm https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/support.html mailto:support@grants.gov mailto:grants@ncjrs.gov https://webcontact.ncjrs.gov/ncjchat/chat.jsp

Contents

A. Program Description

Overview

Program-specific Information

Objectives and Deliverables

Evidence-based Programs or Practices Information Regarding Potential Evaluation of Programs or Activities

B. Federal Award Information

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls

Budget Information

Cost Sharing or Match Requirement

Pre-award Costs (also known as Pre-agreement Costs)

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver

Costs Associated with Language Assistance (if applicable)

C. Eligibility Information

D. Application and Submission Information

What an Application Should Include

How to Apply

E. Application Review Information

Review Criteria

Review Process

F. Federal Award Administration Information

Federal Award Notices

Administrative, National Policy, and other Legal Requirements

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s)

H. Other Information

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

Provide Feedback to OJP

Appendix A: Peformance Measures Table Appendix B: Application Checklist

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative:

FY 2019 National Training and Technical Assistance Program

(CFDA #16.833)

A. Program Description

Overview The overall goal of the SAKI National TTA Program is to build state and local capacities to address violent crime associated with unsubmitted SAKs by supporting the needs of SAKI sites and, as resources allow, other jurisdictions engaged in community-based sexual assault reform.

The purpose of this announcement is to select one national TTA provider to deliver a wide range of TTA services to SAKI site-based grantees and to translate lessons to the field. Given the complexity and diversity of the tasks, applicants are strongly urged to partner with other relevant providers in developing the application. The TTA services should include, but are not limited to, training and educational sessions developed and conducted by relevant subject experts;

technical assistance on SAK-related issues, including inventorying, testing, and tracking SAKs;

onsite and remote assistance, including training related to investigation and prosecution of cases using the evidence in these SAKs; creation and reporting of performance metrics; TTA related to the collection of lawfully owed DNA; and supporting the SAKI sites to engage in multidisciplinary coordination, investigation, prosecution, and victim advocacy, engagement, and support in connection with evidence and cases resulting from the testing process.

This grant announcement does not solicit applications from individual jurisdictions to fund local SAKI projects.

Statutory Authority:

Any awards under this solicitation would be made under statutory authority provided by a full-year appropriations act for FY 2019. As of the writing of this solicitation, no full-year appropriation for the Department has been enacted for FY 2019.

Program-specific Information SAKI2 is a competitive grant program that provides funding to support multidisciplinary community response teams to inventory, track, and test previously unsubmitted SAKs (as defined below); produce necessary protocols and policies in support of improved coordination and collaboration among laboratories, police, prosecutors, and victim services providers to ehance the overall investigation and prosecution of cold, active, and future sexual assault cases; provide resources to address the sexual assault investigations and prosecutions that result from evidence and Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) hits produced by tested SAKs; enhance case outcomes by supporting the use of data through collection of lawfully owed DNA and entry of cases related to serial, violent offenders into the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) national database; and optimize victim notification protocols and services.

In addition to addressing unsubmitted SAKs, SAKI includes support to address partially tested SAKs (SAKs that have never been submitted to a forensic lab for testing with CODIS-eligible methodologies). This program is not directed at untested kits that have been submitted to forensic

2 https://www.bja.gov/funding/SAKI19.pdf https://www.bja.gov/funding/SAKI19.pdf labs for testing with CODIS-eligible DNA methodologies but are delayed for longer than 30 days, e.g., as a result of a backlog of work in the laboratory. These are separate and distinct issues, and a separate program supports laboratory backlogs and capacity.3

Under SAKI, BJA is finding that a significant number of violent serial offenders are linked to these SAKs. Not only are these offenders committing sexual assaults, they are also frequently responsible for homicides and other violent offenses. Many of these offenders are still actively committing violent crimes and pose a serious public safety threat. The overarching goal of SAKI TTA is to support law enforcement with the investigation of future, new, active, and old inactive cases in order to solve and reduce violent crimes. A resounding theme from law enforcement is that funding is critically needed to support cold case units at the state and local levels in order to achieve SAKI’s goal.

However, despite the overwhelming need, many law enforcement agencies (LEAs) are currently unable to sustain a cold case unit due to staffing and financial constraints. As a result, hundreds of thousands of cases are not investigated (the FBI estimates that there are over 240,000 unsolved homicides since the 1980s).

Law enforcement’s inability to work cold cases not only prevents solving these crimes and providing answers to families, but often means that the same perpetrators will go on to commit similar violent offenses. Therefore, effective in FY 2019, the scope of SAKI National TTA will be expanded to include all cold cases, especially homicides, to help meet the needs of the field. This expanded scope will build on existing infrastructure and momentum created under SAKI to address non-sexual assault cold cases, which currently have limited available resources. The inclusion of all violent crime cold cases under SAKI TTA will ensure that LEAs with cold case backlogs have access to forensic testing, crime analysis, subject experts, technical resources, training and education, and support to implement/sustain local or state cold case units.

Ultimately, this funding will help agencies resolve more cases (cold and active), thereby increasing both public safety by preventing future crimes and providing long-awaited answers for survivors and/or their families. SAKI site-based grantees will leverage the TTA to plan and implement strategies to inventory, test, and track unsubmitted SAKs; launch coordinated community-based sexual assault system enhancements; and engage relevant community stakeholders in the process.

The national TTA provider will leverage existing TTA resources available through BJA’s sakitta.org website, OJP, and DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), in addition to creating additional TTA tools to fill existing resource gaps.

There are currently 51 SAKI grantee sites, including 22 statewide sites, 1 multicounty site, 9 county-level sites, and 19 city-level sites. BJA will likely make competitive awards (through a separate solicitation) to approximately 24 local jurisdictions in FY 2019 (either to new or existing SAKI sites). Additional site-based awards may also be made in the future, dependent on the availability of appropriations.

The SAKI National TTA Program will provide direct assistance to the SAKI grantee sites. It will also provide targeted TTA in support of their initiatives and to other non-SAKI-funded jurisdictions engaged in system improvement efforts as resources allow. Given the complex, multidisciplinary nature of the TTA required to support SAKI projects (i.e., expertise in health care, forensic science, policing, prosecution, and victim services), applicants are encouraged to establish formalized partnerships or consortia with one or more qualified expert

3 For more information on resources related to untested kits, see:

http://nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/dna/pages/welcome.aspx.

http://nij.gov/topics/forensics/evidence/dna/pages/welcome.aspx organizations in support of a comprehensive TTA program. Such partnerships should provide ready access to high quality TTA in all the areas covered by this solicitation and SAKI, and applicants should leverage the expertise of these experts in their approaches.

New Purpose Areas:

Other violent crimes

Under this award, funds are also allocated to funding for DNA testing of violent cold case crime evidence (including homicides, attempted homicides, kidnappings, and missing and unidentified persons associated with suspicious circumstances). The SAKI national TTA provider would work directly with the more advanced SAKI sites (approximately 7–10 sites) that have tested the majority of their previously unsubmitted SAKs, have received CODIS hits, and have entered cases into ViCAP.

This new TTA purpose area will allow these advanced sites to expand their efforts to combat additional violent crimes and identify serial offenders. The national TTA provider will make a subaward or contract to a forensic DNA vendor via a competitive request for proposal process for at least $250,000. SAKI sites receiving TTA under this purpose area can submit requests for DNA testing using this funding source. All requests must be reviewed and approved by BJA.

SAKI sites receiving TTA under this new purpose area will have to complete an inventory of backlogged cold case evidence, track said evidence, and develop a comprehensive approach to addressing the resolution of all cases in the backlog. The SAKI national TTA provider will ensure the sites receive training on cold case investigations, and conduct research on the outcomes in cold cases.

Objectives and Deliverables

The objectives of the SAKI National TTA Program are to:

• Assist SAKI sites in implementing evidence-based activities to address existing challenges related to unsubmitted SAKs and to enhance the sexual assault response.4

• Engage proactively with SAKI grantees to monitor their progress toward achieving program goals by addressing challenges and identifying solutions.

• Communicate regularly with BJA to assess the impact of TTA services on SAKI program goals and individual sites’ progress.

• Provide TTA to other jurisdictions interested in improving their response to sexual assault through evidence-based practices.

• In collaboration with OJP and stakeholder organizations, assist in the development, implementation, and dissemination of best practices, policies, and protocols for addressing systemic failures that lead to large numbers of untested kits and preventing those failures from reoccurring in the future. This includes customized sustainability plans for each SAKI site.

• Assist advanced SAKI sites with the investigation of other violent cold case crimes as outlined above.

4 The TTA provider will be expected to provide assistance to all SAKI sites regardless of the fiscal year in which the awards were made.

Forensic Training to Ensure Conviction Integrity Effective FY 2019, the SAKI TTA provider will also be required to develop and deliver forensic-based training for attorneys (prosecution and defense) in an effort to ensure prosecutors and defense counsel trying violent crime cases, including death penalty cases, have the knowledge and tools to effectively understand and present forensic evidence in the cases. The training should also seek to ensure conviction integrity and prevent wrongful convictions related to forensic evidence.

Trainings are to be made readily available to attorneys working death penalty cases, as well as those working other violent crime cases.

Funding in the amount of up to $600,000 is to be allocated towards delivering a combination of annual regional in-person trainings and webinars on the following topics:

• Crime scene to court room basics for attorneys- optimal evidence collection and preservation, chain of custody issues.

• DNA 101- sources of DNA, mixture analysis, statistics, methodologies- STRs, Y-STRs, familial DNA searches, phenotyping, genealogy.

• Working with state and/or private labs- understanding forensic testing capabilities, workflows, importance of triaging evidence and testing requests.

• DNA report interpretation and expert witness testimony

• Eye witness testimony

• Ballistics

• Fingerprints

• Blood spatter analysis

Specifically, the TTA provider will be expected to:

• Complete three annual in-person regional trainings.

• Complete 6 webinars annually.

• Host additional webinars on emerging topics related to capital case litigation and forensics as requested by BJA.

• Create an online toolkit module of forensic resources for practitioners.

• Develop a standard training curriculum that more thoroughly supports take-home resources and consistent content in core forensic disciplines.

The overall goal of this training is to assist the field in addressing violent crime, particularly capital litigation, and to mitigate the risk of error and wrongful conviction by enabling attorneys to fully understand and apply the forensic evidence, with a particular focus on areas where forensic science is not clear or has been improperly applied.

Applicants should clearly address how they will provide the following deliverables:

• Provide ongoing TTA (both remote and onsite) to the SAKI site-based grantees throughout the duration of their BJA grant awards, and, as resources allow, provide SAKI TTA to non-grantee jurisdictions when requested. Specifically, BJA seeks:

o Instruction for law enforcement personnel regarding the benefits and use of forensic evidence, including protocols for sending cases to the lab for analysis and receiving and handling the forensic evidence results.

o Training for law enforcement, first responders, victim advocates, and other relevant stakeholders in relation to sexual assault evidence collection, DNA technology, victim and trauma response, and other related topics to improve the quality and outcomes of sexual assault investigations, prosecutions, and victim experiences.

o Training to improve investigative and prosecutorial practices when forensic sexual assault evidence is available.

o Training to optimize victim notification protocols and techniques as well as follow-up support for victims.

o Development and delivery of an academy-style training specifically for police chiefs and other senior level officials within the criminal justice system who will ultimately be responsible for the overall success of SAKI in their jurisdictions and the sustainability of improved policies and procedures once their grant periods end. This training should focus on the importance and value of testing SAKs and investigating sexual assault cases in a timely manner, the violent and serial nature of associated offenders and public safety considerations, and the economic impact of unsubmitted SAKs.

o Technical assistance to identify challenges related to outsourcing, reviewing technical data and CODIS uploads of results produced by private labs, current in-house standard operating procedures that contribute to deficiencies in the DNA screening and testing process, and identifying solutions to promote greater efficiency. Such assistance should include support for public labs’ implementation of sustainable, automated, and streamlined SAK processing procedures to ensure long-term capacity and efficiency.

o Training and technical assistance related to the collection and entry of lawfully owed DNA into CODIS and the related investigation and prosecution of cases identified through these efforts.

o Technical assistance to identify additional funding resources that can be leveraged to further reduce or eliminate the number of untested SAKs in a jurisdiction.

o TTA to enable or enhance the SAK inventory, testing, tracking, and case management processes, to include technical assistance in accessing and implementing evidence tracking and case management technology.

o Technical assistance to establish specialized cold case or sexual assault investigation units, or response teams, focused on the coordinated community response to unsubmitted SAKs and the investigations resulting from increased testing.

o Model protocols, policies, and memoranda of understanding templates that assist sites in establishing and sustaining effective management structures and partnerships in support of their SAKI projects, and proactive dissemination of these model guidance to grantees, other stakeholders, and the criminal justice field at large.

o Special assessments of the sexual assault units (SAUs) in SAKI sites. A SAU assessment is a review of the sexual assault investigative process within and outside a law enforcement agency’s domain. Assessments are to be carried out by SAKI national TTA staff with significant experience in sexual assault investigations, both as supervisors and as investigators of current and cold case sexual assaults. The assessment method is to have three components: (1) a review of sexual assault policies and procedures, (2) in-person interviews with key staff including all sexual assault investigators, and (3) a systematic review of sexual assault cases. A final report must be produced that provides recommendations for law enforcement leadership and identifies available resources to address specific needs. The TTA provider should plan to complete at least three special assessments each year of the grant period.

o Assisting SAKI sites that have research or analysis capabilities or are interested in adding these functions. Activities will include hosting forums, developing recommended practices and guidelines, compiling and disseminating results and papers on SAK-related topics, and conducting webinars and meetings that showcase the role of research and analysis in SAKI.

o Ensuring that advanced SAKI sites with cold case backlogs have access to forensic testing, crime analysis, subject experts, technical resources, training and education, and support to implement/sustain local or state cold case units.

• Recruit, maintain, and use a cadre of subject experts to assist agencies with technical assistance needs; schedule and organize training venues; market trainings and recruit participants; administer and oversee implementation of the trainings; and coordinate TTA and subject expert activities with BJA’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) and other TTA resources housed within OJP and OVW. The subject experts should have experience in the following areas:

o Law enforcement: Identifying investigative steps to take after a CODIS hit, prioritizing multiple CODIS hits, writing policy and procedure on investigative standards, collecting and handling evidence, suspect interview/interrogation skills, and managing investigations.

o Prosecution: Overcoming challenges associated with cold case prosecutions, training on witness preparation and questioning, and presenting sexual assault evidence at trial.

o Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE): Identifying needs, gaps, and challenges in the local SANE program and identifying the role of a SANE in sexual assault cases.

o Crime laboratory: Linking criminal laboratory information management systems with investigations and prosecutions, understanding serological and DNA analysis and emerging DNA technologies (including phenotyping and forensic genealogy), knowledge of lean six sigma principals to help improve laboratory efficiency, and prioritizing cold case evidence.

o Victim advocacy: Support and training on cold case notification policy, advocacy training programs, and the roles and responsibilities of the victim advocate.

o Attorneys/Legal Experts who can assist sites with the collection of lawfully owed DNA samples from convicted offenders/arrestees.

• Have a process or strategy to leverage the expertise and experience needed to best meet SAKI site-based grantees’ needs when said expertise is not present within the SAKI national TTA provider’s organization.

• Ensure each SAKI site-based grantee’s (and, as resources allow, other jurisdictions’) accountability and transparency as it relates to sexual assault response, evidence collection, and analysis by providing guidance on how to properly account for the number of SAKs that remain in their possession; track the processing of SAKs through the criminal justice system; and produce best practices and model policies for inventorying, tracking, and maintaining accountability for SAKs.

• Develop uniform TTA request and response protocols for all active SAKI grantees as well as non-grantee agencies seeking assistance. Provide education and proactive, comprehensive, user-friendly TTA via teleconferencing, peer-to-peer consultations, onsite assistance, web-based assistance, and follow-up TTA as required by phone and/or e-mail.

• Assist BJA with ongoing assessments of SAKI sites’ progress and outcomes by holding monthly calls with grantee agencies; assisting them with the development, validation, and submission of performance metrics to BJA; and producing in-depth and ongoing analysis of data related to SAKI grantee performance measures and programmatic activity that provides information on the initiative’s strengths and weaknesses, changes in policies and protocols, and resulting effect on practice; identified perpetrators; patterns of serial sexual offenses;

victim participation; and other elements as required by BJA.

• Assign at least one subject expert liaison to each SAKI grantee to monitor and report on TTA needs, including a summary of the findings for the grantee and recommended next steps to improve program performance. The awarded SAKI national TTA provider must provide follow-up information to BJA regarding the grantee’s implementation of the recommendations that were provided.

• Support and routinely update the official SAKI TTA website (sakitta.org) which houses model policies, protocols, research, publications, best practices, training materials, and other relevant web-based resources. The website serves as a one-stop-shop for information on SAK collection, storage, inventorying, testing, tracking, and best practices in terms of investigation, prosecution, victim advocacy, victim notification and support, and related topics as agreed to by the SAKI national TTA provider and BJA. The applicant should plan to build on the existing tool versus creating a new website.

• Support and update the official SAKI TTA social media accounts, including Facebook and Twitter pages. The social media pages are intended to highlight the latest SAKI news and resources and to drive traffic to sakitta.org. The SAKI social media pages will also increase the reach and influence of the initiative by bringing SAKI to a wider audience of practitioners and stakeholders.

• Develop publications and a comprehensive resource kit for jurisdictions interested in implementing evidence-based activities to inventory and reduce the number of unsubmitted SAKs in their possession, and engage in comprehensive community-based sexual assault response reform to improve the overall investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases. These information resources must identify common obstacles and lessons learned by sites in this process, provide guidance to overcoming such challenges to comprehensive reform, and be actively disseminated to SAKI sites and (as resources allow) other jurisdictions as requested. Specific information may include, but is not limited to:

o Primary reasons for untested SAKs at the sites o Information about the criminal behavior of sexual assault perpetrators indicated by testing results from sites o Cost estimates for SAKI activities based on experiences of the sites o Types of protocols previously absent and subsequently developed through the initiative o The SAK testing and follow-up investigation process, including case outcomes o Model approaches to victim notification, victim advocacy, and engagement in cases involving previously unsubmitted SAKs

• Assist BJA in conducting national and/or regional meetings or other educational sessions for existing grantees and other agencies during the 36-month project period, and attend national meetings, conferences, and other events to highlight the initiative and disseminate available resources. Annual trainings must include:

o The SAKI Assembly of Cities o SAKI State Wide Working Group Meeting o Advanced Cold Case Investigation and Prosecution Workshop

• Review site inventory results and certifications, and provide assistance to BJA and

SAKI sites as needed in relation to the SAK inventory and certification process.

• Provide guidance on addressing statute of limitations issues; testing protocols;

investigation practices; policies and procedures related to previously closed cases that are subsequently reopened as a result of new evidence obtained through the SAK testing process; and other issues as required by BJA and the SAKI sites.

The SAKI national TTA provider also will be required to participate in BJA’s GrantStat for specified grantees. Through GrantStat, BJA management and staff examine the performance of the grant programs funded by BJA by tracking grantee or program performance along several key indicators. GrantStat calls for the collection and analysis of performance data and other relevant grant-level information that enables BJA as well as our partners to be held accountable for the grantees and programs performance as measured against the program’s goals and objectives.

The Objectives and Deliverables are directly related to the performance measures that demonstrate the results of the work completed, as discussed in Section D. Application and Submission Information, under Program Narrative.

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

• Improving the quantity and quality of evidence OJP generates.

• Integrating evidence into program, practice, and policy decisions within OJP and the field.

• Improving the translation of evidence into practice.

OJP considers programs and practices to be evidence-based when their effectiveness has been demonstrated by causal evidence, generally obtained through one or more outcome evaluations.

Causal evidence documents a relationship between an activity or intervention (including technology) and its intended outcome, including measuring the direction and size of a change, and the extent to which a change may be attributed to the activity or intervention. Causal evidence depends on the use of scientific methods to rule out, to the extent possible, alternative explanations for the documented change. The strength of causal evidence, based on the factors described above, will influence the degree to which OJP considers a program or practice to be evidence-based.

The OJP CrimeSolutions.gov website at https://www.crimesolutions.gov is one resource that applicants may use to find information about evidence-based programs in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.

Information Regarding Potential Evaluation of Programs and Activities The Department of Justice has prioritized the use of evidence-based programming and deems it critical to continue to build and expand the evidence informing criminal and juvenile justice programs to reach the highest level of rigor possible. Therefore, applicants should note that the Office of Justice Programs may conduct or support an evaluation of the programs and activities funded under this solicitation. Recipients and sub-recipients will be expected to cooperate with program-related assessments or evaluation efforts, including through the collection and provision of information or data requested by OJP (or its designee) for the assessment or evaluation of any activities and/or outcomes of those activities funded under this solicitation. The information or data requested may be in addition to any other financial or performance data already required under this program.

https://www.crimesolutions.gov/

B. Federal Award Information

BJA expects to make up to one award of up to $6,600,000 for a 36-month period of performance, to begin on October 1, 2019. Of this amount, $1,000,000 will focus on cold case investigations related to other violent crime cold cases and making DNA testing available. $600,000 will focus on Forensic Training to Ensure Conviction Integrity

BJA may, in certain cases, provide additional funding in future years to the award made under this solicitation, through a continuation award. In making decisions regarding continuation awards, OJP will consider, among other factors, the availability of appropriations, when the program or project was last competed, OJP’s strategic priorities, and OJP’s assessment of both the management of the award (for example, timeliness and quality of progress reports), and the progress of the work funded under the award.

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

Type of Award

BJA expects to make any award under this solicitation in the form of a cooperative agreement, which is a type of award that provides for OJP to have substantial involvement in carrying out award activities. See Administrative, National Policy, and Other Legal Requirements, under Section F.

Federal Award Administration Information, for a brief discussion of what may constitute substantial federal involvement.

Financial Management and System of Internal Controls Award recipients and subrecipients (including recipients or subrecipients that are pass-through entities5) must, as described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements6 as set out at 2 C.F.R.

200.303:

(a) Establish and maintain effective internal control over the Federal award that provides reasonable assurance that [the recipient (and any subrecipient)] is managing the Federal award in compliance with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal award. These internal controls should be in compliance with guidance in “Standards for Internal Control in the Federal Government” issued by the Comptroller General of the United States and the “Internal Control Integrated Framework”, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (COSO).

(b) Comply with Federal statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of the Federal awards.

(c) Evaluate and monitor [the recipient’s (and any subrecipient’s)] compliance with statutes, regulations, and the terms and conditions of Federal awards.

5 For purposes of this solicitation, the phrase “pass-through entity” includes any recipient or subrecipient that provides a subaward ("subgrant”) to a subrecipient (subgrantee) to carry out part of the funded award or program. Additional information on proposed subawards is listed under What an Application Should Include.

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

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

(e) Take reasonable measures to safeguard protected personally identifiable information and other information the Federal awarding agency or pass-through entity designates as sensitive or [the recipient (or any subrecipient)] considers sensitive consistent with applicable Federal, state, local, and tribal laws regarding privacy and obligations of confidentiality.

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

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

Budget Information

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

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

OJP does not typically approve pre-agreement costs; an applicant must request and obtain the prior written approval of OJP for all such costs. All such costs incurred prior to award and prior to approval of the costs are incurred at the sole risk of the applicant. (Generally, no applicant should incur project costs before submitting an application requesting federal funding for those costs.)

Should there be extenuating circumstances that make it appropriate for OJP to consider approving pre-agreement costs, the applicant may contact the point of contact listed on the title page of this solicitation for the requirements concerning written requests for approval. If approved in advance by OJP, award funds may be used for pre-agreement costs, consistent with the recipient’s approved budget and applicable cost principles. See the section on Costs Requiring Prior Approval in the DOJ Grants Financial Guide at https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm for more information.

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver With respect to any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation, a recipient may not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation (salary plus cash bonuses) to any employee of the recipient at a rate that exceeds 110 percent of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the federal government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES https://onlinegfmt.training.ojp.gov/ https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/FinancialCapability.pdf https://ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/FinancialCapability.pdf https://ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/index.htm

Performance Appraisal System for that year.7 The 2019 salary table for SES employees is available on the Office of Personnel Management website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/19Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx. Note: A recipient may compensate an employee at a greater rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is paid with non-federal funds. (Non-federal funds used for any such additional compensation will not be considered matching funds, where match requirements apply.) If only a portion of an employee's time is charged to an OJP award, the maximum allowable compensation is equal to the percentage of time worked times the maximum salary limitation.

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

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

Prior Approval, Planning, and Reporting of Conference/Meeting/Training Costs OJP strongly encourages every applicant that proposes to use award funds for any conference-, meeting-, or training-related activity (or similar event) to review carefully—before submitting an application—the OJP and DOJ policy and guidance on approval, planning, and reporting of such events, available at https://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm. OJP policy and guidance (1) encourage minimization of conference, meeting, and training costs; (2) require prior written approval (which may affect project timelines) of most conference, meeting, and training costs for cooperative agreement recipients, as well as some conference, meeting, and training costs for grant recipients; and (3) set cost limits, which include a general prohibition of all food and beverage costs.

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

For additional information, see the "Civil Rights Compliance" section under “Overview of Legal Requirements Generally Applicable to OJP Grants and Cooperative Agreements - FY 2018 Awards” in the OJP Funding Resource Center at https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm.

7 OJP does not apply this limitation on the use of award funds to the nonprofit organizations listed in Appendix VIII to 2 C.F.R. Part 200.

https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/19Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pay-leave/salaries-wages/salary-tables/19Tables/exec/html/ES.aspx https://www.ojp.gov/financialguide/DOJ/PostawardRequirements/chapter3.10a.htm https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/LegalOverview/index.htm https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/LegalOverview/index.htm https://ojp.gov/funding/Explore/LegalOverview/index.htm https://ojp.gov/funding/index.htm

C. Eligibility Information

For eligibility information, see title page.

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

D. Application and Submission Information

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

Moreover, an applicant should anticipate that an application that OJP determines is nonresponsive to the scope of the solicitation, or that OJP determines does not include the application elements that BJA has designated to be critical, will neither proceed to peer review, nor receive further consideration. For this solicitation, BJA has designated the following application elements as critical:

Program Narrative, Budget Detail Worksheet, Budget Narrative, and Time and Task Plan.

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

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

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

1. Application for Federal Assistance (SF-424)

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

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

A new applicant entity should enter its official legal name in box 8a, its address in box 8d, its EIN in box 8b, and its Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number in box 8c of the SF-424. A new applicant entity should attach official legal documents to its application (e.g., articles of incorporation, 501(c)(3) status documentation, organizational letterhead) to confirm the legal name, address, and EIN entered into the SF-424. OJP will use the System for Award Management (SAM) to confirm the legal name and DUNS number entered in the SF-424;

therefore, an applicant should ensure that the information entered in the SF-424 matches its current registration in SAM. See the How To Apply section for more information on SAM and DUNS numbers.

Intergovernmental Review: This solicitation (“funding opportunity”) is not subject to Executive Order 12372. (In completing the SF-424, an applicant is to answer question 19 by selecting the response that the “Program is not covered by E.O. 12372.”)

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

• Written for a general public audience.

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

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

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

3. Program Narrative The program narrative must respond to the Review Criteria in the order given. Applications are peer reviewed and scored on answers to the Review Criteria.

The program narrative should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font (Times New Roman is preferred) with 1-inch margins, and should not exceed 15 pages. Number pages “1 of 15,” “2 of 15,” etc.

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

The following sections should be included as part of the program narrative8:

a. Statement of the Problem

b. Project Design and Implementation

c. Capabilities and Competencies

d. Plan for Collecting the Data Required for this Solicitation’s Performance Measures

8 For information on subawards (including the details on proposed subawards that should be included in the application), see "Budget and Associated Documentation" under Section D. Application and Submission Information.

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

OJP will require each successful applicant to submit regular performance data that demonstrate the results of the work carried out under the award (see “General Information about Post-federal Award Reporting Requirements” in Section F. Federal Award Administration Information). The performance data directly relate to the objectives and deliverables identified under "Objectives and Deliverables" in Section A. Program Description.

Performance measures for this solicitation are listed in Appendix A: Performance Measures Table.

Applicants should visit OJP’s performance measurement page at…