Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program FY2015 Competitive Grant Announcement
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is seeking applications from eligible entities to plan and implement place-based, community-oriented strategies to address targeted crime issues within a neighborhood as a part of a broader neighborhood revitalization initiative. Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) resources will target hot spots of crime where a significant proportion of crime occurs as compared to the overall jurisdiction.
Eligibility
Eligible entities to serve as fiscal agent include states, units of local governments, non-profit organizations (including tribal non-profit organizations), and federally recognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. For this solicitation, community is defined broadly as a geographic area that has social meaning to residents.
Application Overview
BJA solicits applications in two categories: 1) Planning, and 2) Implementation. Under Category 1, BJA estimates that it will make up to 15 awards of up to $175,000 each for up to an 18-month project period, beginning on October 1, 2015. Under Category 2, BJA estimates that it will make up to 3 awards of up $1,000,000 for up to a 36-month project period, beginning on October 1, 2015.
The BCJI application requires a consortium of partners (hereinafter referred to as “cross-sector partnership”) to plan or implement a targeted strategy addressing crime in a specific community. The cross-sector partnership must designate one eligible entity to serve as the fiscal agent.1 The fiscal agent must ensure that the cross-sector partnership is committed to and can successfully oversee key enforcement, prevention, intervention, and community engagement strategies AND access and analyze key data (crime and other) with regular input from the research and law enforcement agency partners.
Due Date
Applicants must register with Grants.gov prior to submitting an application. All applications are due to be submitted and in receipt of a successful validation message in Grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on April 20, 2015.
Click here for the full solicitation: https://www.bja.gov/Funding/15BCJIsol.pdf
The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) supports programs that prevent crime, drug abuse, and violence at the national, state, and local levels. For example, the Buffalo City Court was awarded a $198,000 grant in 2010 to enhance their adult drug court program, which assists non-violent offenders undergo rehabilitation. Apply for BJA grants via grants.gov.
The BJA also has created a “Grant Writing and Management Academy” that provides grantee eligibility information, help with the grant application process, and budget development tools. The Academy also has a film series to walk potential applicants through the BJA grant process. Browse before applying for a BJA grant to learn what is required.
BJA Grant Writing and Management Academy
The BJA also provides a downloadable list of “Standard Forms and Instructions” in PDF format for the grant planning and writing process.
Standard Forms and Instructions
The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) provides a listing of current discretionary (competitive grants) as well as a searchable table of prior grants that have been awarded. Grants are primarily awarded to prevent and raise awareness of victimization. For example, five $75,000 grants were awarded across the country in 2009 to raise awareness of underserved victim populations. New York State automatically receives formula funding from the OVC to help support local victim assistance and compensation programs. Apply for OVC grants via grants.gov.
Other helpful resources are also provided such as information about crime victims of culturally specific populations, different types of possible victimization, and a grant writing tutorial from the Office of Justice Programs (OJP).
Link to OJP grants 101 step-by-step tutorial
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) awards formula grants but also has a listing of discretionary grants that can be applied for through grants.gov. In 2011, over $287 million was awarded for discretionary grant programs. Funding of up to $1,325,000 was awarded to municipal governments for the implementation of drug court programs.
The OJJDP’s tools include performance measure tools, juvenile crime statistics, a glossary of terms, and a thorough FAQ. Contact information regarding State representatives and organizations that administer OJJDP formula programs is available on the site as well.
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) funds activities designed to prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking. The office coordinates 18 distinct discretionary grant programs relating to education and training, policy development, and legal assistance for victims. Apply for OVW grants via grants.gov.
Monroe County was awarded a $650,000 grant by OVW in 2012 that was aimed at encouraging their court system to prosecute domestic, dating, and sexual violence as serious violations against criminal law and providing comprehensive victim services.
Culturally and linguistically specific grants also exist for victims of sexual, domestic, and dating violence, and stalking. Browse the main grant page to easily browse all discretionary grant funding available through OVW.
Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS) prioritizes funding for the programs dealing with public safety issues such as crime, social disorder, and fear of crime. In 2012, COPS awarded over $111 million for an officer hiring program, which paid entry level salaries and fringe benefits for new and returning police officers. Apply for COPS grants via grants.gov.
Self assessment tools are also provided by COPS including example reports and review rubrics. All of the forms needed to ensure compliance and closeout procedures are followed are provided as well.
Link to COPS self assessment tools and resources
The U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is useful for justice related discretionary grant programs that require specific information on crime, delinquency, violence, etc. Analysis tools, datasets, and publications spanning a wide breadth of topics exist to help find the information needed to complete such grants.
National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) provides many resources for criminal justice research as well. Publications from all of the OJP divisions and departments can be found in a comprehensive “A-Z” list. If a grant application needs information from anywhere across the criminal justice field, NCJRS is a good place to look.
The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) has a library resource that provides publications on a range of topics including: correctional institution administration, facilities, funding, offender management and services, personnel, reentry, and statistics. These publications can be very useful when writing a grant proposal to help understand the language to use when discussing corrections topics as well as to obtain statistics and facts to use in your proposal.
Click here to return to the Federal Grants by Departments and Divisions page