The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP),Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) seeks applications for funding to prevent and reduce crime and enhance the criminal justice system through innovative approaches that accelerate justice by identifying, defining, and responding to emerging or chronic crime problems and systemic issues.
Donor Name: Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA)
State: All States
County: All Counties
U.S. Territories: American Samoa, Guam, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 06/08/2023
Size of the Grant: $1,000,000
Grant Duration: 36 months
Details:
With this solicitation, BJA seeks to support new and innovative strategies for preventing and reducing crime, improving community safety, and strengthening criminal justice system outcomes. BJA seeks to accomplish this by promoting collaborations with the field to identify, define, and respond to emerging or chronic crime problems or justice system challenges. BJA is looking for strategies that address these issues, including trying new approaches, addressing gaps in responses, building or translating research knowledge, or building capacity.
Applications are sought in two areas:
- Category 1: Applications that propose to test a strategy or theory of change at the state, local, tribal, or regional level working with a research partner to document the implementation and develop tools to support national replication. Regional projects must propose a model that is specific to a regional need or could be effectively implemented regionally and replicated elsewhere. In Category 1, applicants are required to formally partner with a research organization for project development, assessment, and/or evaluation activities, as well as the development of tools to support replication. No more than 20 percent of the total budget may be used to support research or evaluation services.
- Category 2: Applications that propose to develop targeted national strategies to advance or translate knowledge that will make an impact in addressing a critical need or gap in the field. In Category 2, applicants are required to work with a research partner to document the implementation and develop tools to support further implementation in the field. No more than 50 percent of the total budget may be used to support research or evaluation services.
Goals
Under this solicitation, BJA seeks to accelerate justice by inviting the field to identify, define, and test innovative or promising solutions to advance learning and knowledge that address one of the focus areas faced by one or more components of the criminal justice continuum (including, but not limited to, law enforcement, courts, and corrections, as well as collaborations with community or behavioral health stakeholders and entities) and propose a strategy to translate and enhance the capacity of the field overall to address one or more of the following goals:
- respond to a precipitous increase in crime or a particular type of crime;
- address substance use disorders and/or prevent or respond to drug overdoses and fatalities;
- improve outcomes for justice system-involved individuals, including those who are currently or formerly incarcerated; and
- respond to an increase in hate crimes and/or increase access to justice and supportive services.
Objectives
- Develop innovative, fair, and equitable responses to combat, address, or otherwise respond to precipitous or extraordinary increases in crime, or in a type or types of crime, such as homicides, assaults, and hate crimes.
- Address and prevent hate crimes by strengthening responses to these crimes and building relationships in communities between stakeholders including, but not limited to law enforcement, diverse racial and ethnic communities, victim services organizations, etc. through partnerships and innovative solutions or pilot programs.
- Ensure a capable and able criminal justice workforce to address the increases in crime and public heath challenges, study challenges related to recruitment, retention, and wellness of personnel in the criminal justice, first responder, community-based, and partner agencies.
- Enhance collaboration among criminal justice, behavioral health, and public health systems to reduce barriers to success for persons in the criminal justice system with substance use and/or mental health issues.
- Build alternative strategies and systems – such as restorative justice approaches, programs that deflect or divert persons from the justice system, community responder models and/or strategies for addressing other public order infractions – that enhance outcomes for those with criminal justice involvement and/or prevent unnecessary involvement in the criminal justice system. This may include efforts to expand access to services for individuals experiencing behavioral health needs, substance use disorders, and other crises, as well as supporting law enforcement and/or community-driven efforts to effectively resolve problems and reduce arrests.
- Accelerate justice through the creation of approaches and tools that build the capacity to gather and analyze data and information to understand key decision points and levers for change to reduce rates of incarceration, community correctional control, and racial disparities, including through reforming pretrial processes, sentencing practices, mandatory minimums, and collateral consequences.
Funding Information
Category 1: State, local, tribal, or regional field tests with a research partnership
- Dollar Amount for Award: $1,000,000
- Performance Duration (Months): 36
Category 2: National strategies to advance or translate knowledge
- Dollar Amount for Award: $1,000,000
- Performance Duration (Months): 36
Eligible Applicants
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
- City or township governments
- For profit organizations other than small businesses
- Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- Special district governments
- State governments
- Private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
- County governments
- Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities
For the purposes of this solicitation, “state” means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.