FY24 Enhancing Correctional Practices to Protect Vulnerable People: Technical Assistance and Microgrant Program

Transcript also available as PDF.

DARYL FOX: Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today's webinar, “FY 2024 Enhancing Correctional Practices to Protect Vulnerable People: Technical Assistance and Microgrant Program,” hosted by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. At this time, it's my pleasure to introduce Thomas Talbot, Senior Policy Advisor with BJA, to begin the presentation. Tom?

THOMAS TALBOT: Thanks so much, Daryl. And, Daryl, thanks to you for all your support and assistance in setting up this webinar and facilitating it today. I see there are 33 attendees from across the country already. Thank you all so much for being here to listen to and participate in, a conversation about this exciting new BJA program. I'm joined today by my wonderful colleague, Dee Halley, a Policy Advisor in BJA's PREA Management Office, and I'll just turn the baton over to her briefly to say hello.

DEBORAH HALLEY: Hi, everyone. Thanks for being here. I'm Dee Halley, and you'll notice that on the screen I'm Deborah, which is the legal name, but I go by Dee, so. And I'm a Policy Advisor with Tom in the PREA Management Office. Welcome.

THOMAS TALBOT: Thanks so much, Dee. And so, we're just going to not hesitate and dive right into the materials here, starting with the agenda. And so that you all out there across the country can focus on the slides and the material, I'm going to go off video and walk you through the first chunk of the material today, and then I'll pass the baton to Dee shortly.
So again, thanks so much for joining us today. In terms of our agenda today, Dee and I are going to do a brief introduction to DOJ's Office of Justice Programs and its components, including the Bureau of Justice Assistance where Dee and I work within the PREA Management Office. We'll also provide a fairly high level overview of this exciting new BJA program. We'll discuss the eligibility criteria related to it and run through the application requirements. And we'll highlight some key application resources that we want to be sure you all are aware of and understand. And then at the end, as Daryl mentioned, there'll be an opportunity for Q&A. So as Dee and I go through the slides, please jot down any questions that you have and we will be sure to address those at the end. We anticipate that we'll have plenty of time for Q&A at the end of these and my prepared remarks. Next slide, please, Daryl. Thanks.

So, that you all are on the same page about where exactly this new program is coming from within the Department of Justice, we want to begin by talking about DOJ's Office of Justice Programs and its components, including the Bureau of Justice Assistance, or BJA. Next slide.

The Office of Justice Programs, as you may know, provides grant funding, training, technical assistance, research, and statistical analysis to benefit and support the criminal and juvenile justice systems related to efforts, specifically at the state, local, and tribal level across the country. OJP is the largest grant-making component within DOJ, and in addition to OJP, the two other grant-making components are the Office on Violence Against Women and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services. OJP's grant-making research and statistical analysis work is spread across six program offices that are on the slide.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance, again, where Dee and I work, is the largest of the OJP components, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which is the statistical analysis arm of OJP and DOJ, the National Institute of Justice, which is the research arm of OJP and DOJ, the Office for Victims of Crime, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Again, the work of all six of these OJP Program Offices focuses primarily on supporting the criminal and juvenile justice work of state, local, and tribal agencies across the country. Next slide, please.

And the Bureau of Justice Assistance, or BJA, was created back in 1984 to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and reform our nation's criminal justice system. And BJA strengthens the nation's criminal justice system and helps America's state, local, and tribal jurisdictions to prevent crime, reduce recidivism, and promote a fair and safe criminal justice system. BJA focuses its programmatic and policy efforts on providing a very wide range of resources, including training and technical assistance to law enforcement, the courts, corrections agencies, the treatment community, those involved in reentry and an array of criminal community-based partners to address chronic and emerging criminal justice challenges nationwide.

Karhlton Moore is BJA's Director and I'm very grateful for his leadership and the leadership of OJP's Assistant Attorney General, Amy Solomon. I know that Director Moore and AG Solomon are very excited about the new program focusing on protecting vulnerable people in confinement settings that we're discussing today. For those of you who closely track funding opportunities that BJA makes available, you may have noticed that this solicitation is being made available for an extended period of time to ensure that all potential applicants have an opportunity to put together high quality, thoughtful, and comprehensive responses to the solicitation. Next slide, please.

This new vulnerable populations program really reflects how BJA continues to provide support to the criminal justice field. As we'll discuss during this webinar, this new program is investing in a competitive, cooperative agreement, and the organization that's selected will make funding available to the field in the form of competitive microgrants. In addition, the cooperative agreement recipient will provide training and technical assistance to support the microgrant recipients and other diverse agencies across the country to enhance their efforts to protect vulnerable people behind the walls. In addition, this program will focus on sharing knowledge about promising and innovative practices to protect vulnerable people. And we expect this sharing to occur between and among the selected cooperative agreement recipient, the agencies that are selected to receive microgrants, the larger field, and BJA. And as BJA Director Moore continually emphasizes a key role that BJA plays, and a key theme of this program is engagement. The work to be done under this program to enhance the safety of vulnerable people in confinement settings relies on meaningful engagement in the development of positive working relationships between and among the selected cooperative agreement recipient, the agencies that are identified to receive microgrants, the larger field in BJA. Next slide, please.

So, now we're going to dive in and talk a little bit about this exciting new program. We want to emphasize that all of the information that Dee and I provide today is available in the solicitation and in the other resources that are referenced in the solicitation, such as the DOJ Grants Financial Guide. The next slide, please, Daryl.

As stated clearly in the solicitation, BJA anticipates making one competitive award under this program, as I mentioned in the form of a cooperative agreement in the amount of $2.5 million. The duration of this award will be 48 months. And as described in the solicitation on page nine, under the subheading entitled Continuation Funding Intent, OJP and BJA may, in certain cases, provide additional funding in future years to awards made under this funding opportunity through continuation awards. OJP will consider, among other factors, OJP's strategic priorities, a recipient's overall management of the award, and the progress of the work funded under the award when making continuation award decisions.

So, practically speaking, what this means from my point of view is that assuming protecting vulnerable people in confinement settings remains a high priority for BJA, OJP, and DOJ, and assuming the selected cooperative agreement recipient meets or exceeds BJA's expectations as defined in the solicitation, supplemental funding is definitely a possibility in future fiscal years in order to maximize the important opportunity this program provides to BJA and to the field to invest in innovative and promising strategies that keep vulnerable people who are confined safe and to provide targeted training and technical assistance to those agencies in receipt of microgrants and to the field at large. The next slide, please.

Now, in terms of program goals, this new program has three primary ones, which are first to support state, local, and tribal agencies to protect vulnerable people in their confinement facilities and to reduce the use of overly punitive or restrictive measures to keep them safe. BJA remains interested in reducing the use of restrictive housing and segregation overall and as a method or strategy to keep vulnerable populations safe from abuse. As I've already mentioned, a key component of this program is the selection and administration of microgrants to state, local, and tribal agencies. And BJA anticipates that each microgrant will not exceed $50,000. Some of you may be aware that the PREA statute includes a provision that requires a 50% match for state, local, and tribal agencies in receipt of PREA funding. This match requirement does apply to the microgrants to be supported under this program. However, Dee and I double-checked with OJP's Office of General Counsel and the FY '24 Appropriations Act under which OJP and BJA are now operating allows this match requirement to be waived for microgrant recipients if the agency has a demonstrable fiscal hardship that makes it difficult for them to comply with the match requirements. I should also clarify that for cooperative agreement recipients that are applying for this funding, the full $2.5 million, there is no match requirements. So be aware of that. So, the match requirement only applies to the microgrants to be awarded and administered under this program.

So, given what we know about the tight budgets and fiscal constraints in state, local, and tribal criminal justice agencies, we at BJA anticipate working with the selected cooperative agreement recipient to accommodate match waiver requests from the agencies selected to again, receive those microgrants. And put another way, we at BJA do not want fiscal hardships and challenges related to the match requirement to get in the way of a given agency's efforts to enhance the safety of vulnerable people in their facilities. And then moving on to goal number three, a key part of this program is to deliver training and technical assistance to the agencies in receipt of microgrants and to the field at large. Of course, the TTA to be provided to the selected microgrants is a high priority and will likely be more time and labor-intensive than the TTA to be provided to the larger field. But nonetheless, BJA also envisions that this program will be able to respond to and address at least to a degree of the TTA needs of the larger field. Next slide.

In regards to the target population for this exciting new program, BJA has deliberately and intentionally included a fairly broad definition of vulnerable people in the solicitation. As stated in the solicitation under this program, vulnerable people include, but are not limited to, those with one or more physical disability, severe or persistent mental illness, or who are LGBTQ+, youth who are confined in adult facilities, blind, deaf, or non-English speaking. BJA included the not limited to language because we recognize that there are other types of vulnerable people that applicants may want to focus on. In addition, I want to note that this program focuses on adult confinement facilities specifically, given resource limitations in the fact that BJA's partners at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention fund and support work in juvenile confinement facilities. The work under this program will include adult confinement facilities only. Of course, we recognize that youths may be confined in adult facilities, and these youths are, for a host of reasons, vulnerable in these settings, which is why we included them in our broad definition of vulnerable people. Next slide.

You all may be aware that OJP and BJA continue to work to enable diverse state, local, and tribal agencies to access federal funding in a number of different ways, and we continue to make use of microgrants as one important strategy to do this. For more information about the microgrants to be funded under this program, Dee and I encourage you to review the solicitation and reference information about microgrants, also referred to as subawards, in the DOJ Grants Financial Guide.

As I stated, the successful applicant under this program will enter into a cooperative agreement with BJA. And this cooperative agreement recipient will then, in coordination and partnership with BJA, select and administer subawards for pass-through funding to agencies that are operating confinement facilities to carry out parts of this federal award. As I mentioned, we do not anticipate that these microgrants or subawards will exceed $50,000 each. And as I will emphasize in a minute, at least 50% of the total or overall award or $1.25 million, $1,250,000 must be used for and awarded as microgrants. The agency selected to receive microgrants or subawards must adhere to any applicable laws in their jurisdiction and to the rules defined in the DOJ Grants Financial Guide. In consultation with BJA, the selected cooperative agreement holder can impose additional financial and administrative requirements on the subawards or microgrants that go beyond what the DOJ Grants Financial Guide requires. And as I emphasized already, eligible microgrant or subaward recipients are state, local, and tribal agencies working to protect vulnerable people in their confinement facilities. Next slide, please.

I want to briefly highlight here the specific program objectives under this new initiative. They're consistent with the information I've already discussed, such as the program goals and included developing a microgrant program, marketing the availability of microgrants, receiving and reviewing applications to receive microgrants from state, local, and tribal agencies and administering those microgrants. In addition, providing training and technical assistance to those agencies in receipt of microgrants, providing TTA in response to requests from other confinement facilities and agencies, and developing and delivering targeted cost-effective training and other resources to the field. And Dee will talk about specific deliverables under this program in a few minutes, including what this targeted cost-effective, high-quality training and other resources are and look like. Next slide.

I mentioned this already, but I want to emphasize and underscore again that at least 50% of this total cooperative agreement award must be used for and awarded as microgrants. The total award again is $2.5 million and 50% of this is $1,250,000. So $1.25 million of the total $2.5 million award must be used for and awarded as microgrants. And given BJA's strong interest in stretching the available funding as far as possible and supporting more as opposed to fewer agencies in their efforts to protect those who are vulnerable behind the walls, we anticipate that each microgram will not exceed $50,000. Next slide.

I also want to draw your attention to the two broader program priorities that are included in this solicitation and in most other BJA solicitations in fiscal year 2024. These priorities are described in detail on pages 8 and 9 of the solicitation, and they reflect larger very important priorities of DOJ in the current administration. So under this program, BJA and OJP will provide priority consideration to applications that propose projects that are designed to meaningfully advance equity and remove barriers to access to services and opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization. In addition, priority consideration will be given to applicants that demonstrate that their capabilities and competencies for implementing their proposed projects are enhanced because they, or at least one proposed partner or sub-recipient that will receive at least 40% of the requested award or funding, are population-specific organization that serves communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization. Once again, for more information about these very important program priorities, please see pages 8 and 9 of the solicitation. Next slide, please.

On this slide in the following one, we've included a few examples of the kinds of innovations that can or may be funded under this new program via microgrants. Dee and I want to emphasize that the examples here in the slides and in the solicitation on pages 6 and 7 are intended to be illustrative of the kinds of work that may be supported and funded via microgrants. They're definitely not requirements. So examples include promoting positive changes in the cultures in agencies and confinement facilities that prioritize the safety of vulnerable people, and that reflect a zero tolerance for abuse. Improving the intake screening and assessment process using validated research supported tools to identify individuals who are at higher risk of being victimized and those who are more likely to victimize others and increasing the use of this screening and assessment information to guide housing and programming placements and other decisions behind the walls that enhance the safety of those who are vulnerable. Next slide, please, Daryl.

In addition, and as I already mentioned briefly, another area of focus under this program is reducing the use of restrictive housing or segregation to protect vulnerable people and then creating viable, less restrictive and less punitive alternatives to house those who are vulnerable. Microgrants may also be used on partnering with external victim advocates and service providers to support survivors of abuse and confinement settings. And in addition, microgrants may create or expand ways for people who are victimized behind the walls to confidentially or anonymously report incidents of abuse and to educate them about these reporting options so that they are more likely to make use of them. Again, I want to emphasize that these innovations here on the slides and the others included in the solicitation are simply examples of the kinds of things that may be funded using the microgrants under this new program. They're not requirements, and we strongly encourage applicants to think about and include in their submissions additional examples of innovations that they would like to support to keep vulnerable people who are confined safe from abuse and harassment. With that, I'm going to pass the baton to my wonderful colleague, Dee Halley, who will talk about eligibility considerations and application requirements under this new program. Thanks, Dee. Take it away.

DEBORAH HALLEY: Thank you, Tom. Thanks, Tom, and good afternoon again. In this section, we'll talk a little bit about who's eligible that's up on the next slide you'll see. And we're also going to talk about application requirements, or as I like to call them component parts of your application. As you can see on the slide, eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, nonprofits having a 501 (c)(3) status for the IRS, other than institutions of higher education. Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education. Private institutions of higher education. For-profit organizations other than small businesses. And small businesses. Next slide.

Applicants must be able to demonstrate in their applications the ability and the capacity to manage a microgrant program. That may sound relatively simple, but there's a lot behind the word administer. The applicant will need to show that they can stand up, that is design a program from start to finish. I think many training and technical assistance providers are more accustomed to large grants that fund projects with broad and sweeping goals. But in this case, the applicant will be working with numerous sub-recipient grantees who are working to achieve goals and objectives that are narrower and often less complex. In consultation with BJA, standing up the program will entail developing information and announcement, designing a marketing strategy, developing a competitive but relatively simple application process, and ensuring an equitable selection process. Some microgrant recipients may be used to managing and implementing grants. However, some may not be as adept at grant administration reporting and organizing grant activities. It will be important for the applicant to be able to guide selected sub-recipients as they develop and refine their goals, objectives, and project activities that are achievable and aligned with those in the solicitation. In addition, they may need to provide guidance on financial and administrative requirements laid out in the DOJ Grants Financial Guide, as well as other requirements the provider needed to ensure sub-recipient grants are successfully administered.

In terms of experience, it would be great for the applicant provider to have some experience with or access to people with direct experience developing, implementing, assessing, and revising policies and practices to reduce victimization and the overly restrictive and punitive methods as a way of reaching this overall goal. This may include practices towards moving vulnerable populations into less restrictive housing areas where they can participate in more general activities available to everyone, but with continuous monitoring to ensure they are not victimized.

Providing training and technical assistance on a national scale is something often seen in solicitation. But again, looking behind the curtain, what does this mean? It will mean establishing an efficient but applicant-centered method to receive and triage requests and develop a targeted and appropriate response to requests for training and technical assistance. Applicants should have the capacity to communicate with individuals from a range of facility sizes and types, large and small, urban and rural, as well as communicate with individuals from various levels within an agency to help them craft and refine their assistance requests. Next slide, please.

In addition to the qualities and topics just mentioned, the critical component of microgrant administration is to ensure that funding recipients or sub-recipients stay within the guardrails of the sub-recipient monitoring guidance in the DOJ Grants Financial Guide. Generally, this will mean ensuring that grant funding are used for authorized purposes and follow federal law and regulations, plus any terms and requirements included in their sub-recipient agreements and are written into those agreements to achieve help the sub-recipients achieve their outlined goals. Applicants should review the discussion on sub-recipient monitoring in the DOJ Grants Financial Guide on page 102 of that guide. Next slide.

The application requirements are, again as I like to call them, have four component parts. These include the Proposal Abstract, the Proposal Narrative, a Budget Worksheet and a Budget Narrative, and the SF-424 forms. The budget documents and the 424 standard forms are on web-based and mostly self-explanatory. However, if you do have issues filling these out, there are resources available to help you navigate these waters. We have a slide at the end of the presentation which Tom will go over with email addresses and hotline numbers to assist you if needed. This information is also, of course, included in the solicitation. Next slide.

The Project Abstract should contain a summary of the purpose of the project, the expected outcome, and the intended beneficiary. Since this will be a publicly available document, it should be written in the third person. In addition, a description in the solicitation will give you specific instructions regarding the length of the abstract, the composition including the word count and formal format instructions. Next slide.

The Proposal Narrative is really the heart of the application. This slide shows you the component part of that narrative. A description of the issue, the applicant's project and design implementation plan, a description of the applicant's capabilities and competencies, a plan for collecting the required data on performance measures, and a timeline to achieve the goals, objectives, and deliverables. In describing the issue, this section should generally include why the proposed activities are necessary, and how they will address the need, as well as the size and scope of the problem, and the effects it has on vulnerable population in confinement. 

As noted on the slide, the applicant's project design can say first the applicant's strategy to address the needs or problems in protecting vulnerable populations. Second, the applicant's approach to select and administer microgrants. And third, develop and deliver training and technical assistance to the microgrant recipients, as well as the field at large. Applicants sometimes describe their capabilities and competencies in general terms and relay them to past projects. While this is helpful, and certainly nothing wrong with it to reviewers, it is also important to point out how those competencies and capabilities will support the work of accomplishing the goals, objectives, and ultimately protect vulnerable populations. The solicitation also details what is expected in terms of data collection and reporting, plus the OJP for Performance Measurement page provides additional guidance. The link to this page is on page 27 of the solicitation. Like the budget materials, the timeline is completed as a web-based form. Because the solicitation is established the overall role in key objectives to enable reaching this goal, connecting points on the timeline since goal or goals, to object and subjective, to present the reviewers with an integrated picture of your overall project. Next slide.

The applicant's component part as discussed should be designed and written to result in clearly articulated deliverables posted in the solicitation. You'll see these on the slide and include the comprehensive competitive process to make microgrants and training and technical assistance available to state, local, and tribal consignment agencies and facilities, provision of training and technical assistance, the selected microgrant recipients, a process to market and deliver training and technical assistance to those who do not receive microgrants, online virtual webinars, in-person training and workshops at national conferences, and a practical user-friendly program summary, or brief, for wide distribution. The only thing I would add to that, first, use the terms practical and user-friendly is logical when developing your proposal and serving your grantees. And second, present additional ideas and strategies regarding consigned populations who may be vulnerable, and who must be protected. And housing the least restrictive and punitive manner possible. As well as innovation for marketing, connecting and assisting sub-recipient grantees, and reaching out to and serving of field at large. Next slide.
Program Deliverables. This component part just discussed should be designed and written to result…I'm sorry. I've already covered that slide. I'm sorry. Can you go to the next slide?

DARYL FOX: No worries. We're good.

DEBORAH HALLEY: The next slide. Review Criteria. Thank you. This slide shows you the weight that's given to the component parts of the application and assessing the application. The application reviewers will evaluate the factors below. In the Description of the Issue, they'll look for an understanding of the issue or problem being address. In the Project Design and Implementation section, they will assess the strength of the proposal to include looking at your goals, objectives, timelines, and deliverables. In terms of Capabilities and Competencies, they'll look at an applicant's administrative and technical capacity to achieve the goals and objectives. In the Plan for Collecting Data, they'll want to see a real clear understanding of the performance data reporting requirements in a relatively-detailed plan for collecting that data. In reviewing Budgets, they're going to look for costs that are fully described, complete, exactly if necessary, and allowable. And again, this is all available in solicitation. So I think with that, I'll fumble my way back over to Tom.

THOMAS TALBOT: Perfect. That was great, Dee. Thank you so much. So application resources. We're in the home stretch here, and then I see that there are already three questions in the Q&A which is great, so someone put three questions already there, and they're excellent questions, so we'll get to those in just a minute. But before we get to the Q&A portion, I want to quickly highlight just a few application resources and just full transparency with you all, we at BJA are of course required to work in the JustGrants system. So Dee and I and our colleagues at BJA are keenly aware of the ongoing challenges associated with using JustGrants, both from an internal and an external users' point of view. So any pain that you're experiencing related to JustGrants or have in the past, we feel that as well, and we're with you and we try and make resources available as possible to support work in JustGrants.

And, there are just two quick takeaways that I want to most convey here. And the first is that if you're having trouble with registering in Grants.gov, which is the first step in the application process, or using JustGrants, there is help out here, out there for you. We are here to help, our colleagues are here to help you. And the second is that if you're planning to submit an application for funding under this exciting new program, and we very, very much hope that you are, please start early and don't wait until the very last minute. I'm a procrastinator, full disclosure at heart, so I totally understand the tendency to wait until the last minute to pull together an application to register in Grants.gov and just submit an application in JustGrants. And I strongly encourage you all to set aside any and all procrastination tendencies that you may have, and to start and finish early, and to seek help and guidance if using all the resources that I'll go on through briefly in this final section.

So, up on the slide right now, which is impossible to read given the tiny, tiny font, sorry about that, but I want to emphasize what the point here is that OJP has on this website a really helpful grant application resource guide. And this guide applies to both site-based grants and cooperative agreement. So again, a cooperative agreement is the focus of the funding available under this program that we're discussing today. And I would encourage you to familiarize yourself with the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide. The contents of the guide, and there are many, are listed in tiny print on the right side of the slide. But the nice thing about this guide is that you can click through it online and then download and print whatever section you're most interested in. Or, if you like paper, like Dee and I do, you can print out the whole thing and take it home with you. One word of warning, it's not terribly exciting reading, but it does do a great job of walking readers through every step of OJP's and BJA, since BJA, again, is under the OJP umbrella application funding process.

So, next slide, please. I want to also draw your attention to the JustGrants website, which includes an overview of DOJs grants and payment management systems, particularly I think relevant to, well, everyone, but particularly relevant to applicants that may be relatively new and haven't submitted a lot. There are many applications to OJP or its components including BJA. And the resources available here on the JustGrants website include virtual training, there are up-to-date relevant FAQs, there's user support immediately available if you have specific questions, other resources, and relevant news, and updates. Next slide, please.

In terms of the specifics of applications that are submitted under this new program, and as emphasized and reiterated in the solicitation, including on page five of the solicitation, all applicants must register for this funding opportunity in Grants.gov and submit by the Grants.gov deadline of June 13th, 2024, 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time, the required application for federal assistance standard form, which is known as the SF-424 form, and the required disclosure of lobby activities, which is known as the SF-LLL, or LLL form. That's a lot of mumbo-jumbo, my apologies for that, but two-step process, Grants.gov is the first process, and Grant.gov by June 13th of 2024 at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time, applicants must submit again the SF-424 form and the SF-LLL form. And again, all of this information is spelled out in the solicitation. And then, after the Grants.gov deadline, step two is the deadline for full applications in JustGrants, which is a week after the Grants.gov deadline, on June 20th of 2024 at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time. On this slide, and in the solicitation, I will note that there's contact information for support and assistance related to both the Grants.gov deadline on June 13th and the full application deadline in JustGrants on June 20th. Again, please don't wait until the last minute to meet these two deadlines, and please use the customer support hotlines and emails on the screen if you have questions or if you encounter difficulties with either deadline. Again, they're both available if you need it. Next slide, please.

And then, more broadly, to receive email updates from OJP about funding opportunities that may be of interest to you all and to receive OJP's twice-monthly newsletter information and updates related to JustGrants, please don't hesitate to text your email address to the number on the screen, which is 468-311. Again, 468-311 to subscribe. Just provide your email address to us if you're still inclined. And even if you decide not to pursue funding under the new program that we're discussing today, we at OJP and BJA really want to be a part of your network, and so please consider texting us your email address so that we can stay in regular touch with you. Next slide, please.

And then you can, of course, also stay connected to OJP and BJA via social media. BJA's Facebook, X, which is formerly Twitter, and YouTube information is on the screen and you can use the QR code that we included to subscribe to BJA's Justice Matters and News from BJA publications so that, again, you can stay up to speed on BJA's work, as well as funding in training and technical assistance opportunities and new BJA resources that may be relevant to you. And of course, BJA's website can be accessed using the link on the screen and it's also a great place to go for more information about our work. Next slide.

And then, I want to really emphasize the questions about the specific programmatic requirements related to the solicitation that we're talking about today must be sent to the OJP Response Center. Even if it's your inclination, please do not send questions about the solicitation to Dee or me. All questions that she and I received must be sent in through the OJP Response Center so that responses to the questions can be provided to the broader field. This process exists to ensure that all potential applicants have the same access to responses of the questions that are submitted and to help ensure that the competitive process is fair and open. And again, please be in touch with the OJP Response Center and not Dee or me, although we'd love to hear from you with questions about the programmatic requirements related to this new funding opportunity. The OJP Response Center will, as needed, consult with Dee and me before issuing responses to the questions they receive. Next slide, please.

And then finally, as we close up here and pivot to questions, I just want to reemphasize that there are two or dual deadlines related to this new solicitation. Again, the first deadline is on June 13th of 2024, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time when all applicants must submit the SF-424 and the SF-LLL form in Grants.gov. And the second deadline, step two, is June 20th, 2024, at 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time when full applications, including all the attachments that are required and described in the solicitation, must be submitted in JustGrants. And again, please note that both solicitation deadline times are 8:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Please also read the solicitation carefully for further guidance about these two deadlines and what's required to be submitted for each of them. And finally, next slide.

Here's a summary of the important contacts that I just went through for Grants.gov, for JustGrants, and for questions related to the programmatic requirements in the vulnerable population solicitation that were discussing. I want to emphasize again that, first and foremost, that there’s help out there if you need it. Please don't hesitate to use the contact information on this slide to ask for assistance. And second, if you're going to apply for funding under this solicitation, and we hope that you are, please start early and leave yourself sufficient time in case you encounter questions related to any of these steps, the Grants.gov steps, the JustGrants steps, or for specific requirements defined in the solicitation. You still have plenty of time to apply for funding under this solicitation, and Dee and I sincerely hope that we receive many high-quality comprehensive applications that respond fully to the requirements defined in the solicitation and that we discussed today.

To reiterate, Dee and I, like BJA Director Moore, and OJP AAG Solomon. are very excited about this new program and we have high expectations that it will result in innovative and effective work in agencies across the country to enhance the safety of vulnerable people behind the walls. I want to thank you on behalf of Dee as well, and on behalf of Daryl, I want to thank you for your interest in this new program and for taking time out of your very busy schedules to be with us today. We'll now pivot to questions.

And I see just to go there right now, again, please use the Q&A function that can be accessed via the three little dots in the lower right-hand corner of your screens to ask questions in the Q&A function. And I see three questions there right now while Dee was speaking and they're good ones. I jotted down a few notes about them.

So, what I'd like to do is I'll read each question and then I'll provide a response and turn to Dee in case she has anything to add. And so the first question is, “Is there a timeframe for when we may expect the microgrants components of this opportunity to be announced for solicitation/funding?” And I think Dee and I—this question was submitted at 1:08, so just at the beginning of our remarks—and I hope that we answered it, but let me just go over it again. So the way that we've structured this program is that the competitively selected cooperative agreement recipient will administer the microgrant program under the direction of us at BJA and in collaboration with us from start to finish. So it's actually the cooperative agreement recipient that we select who will, in coordination with us at BJA, announce the microgrant program, market it, receive and review applications, and then make recommendations for funding to BJA. So the microgrant work is not going to come via a solicitation from BJA. It will come from the cooperative agreement recipient that is selected and we anticipate that that cooperative agreement recipient that we select will come up with a small and succinct package of materials or a document that describes the microgrant opportunity and what agencies can do to apply for funding under that opportunity. Dee, anything to add?

DEBORAH HALLEY: The award date is September…

THOMAS TALBOT: Yeah, we anticipate making awards under this cooperative agreement by the end of the fiscal year, so by September or December. So the fiscal year ends on September…

DEBORAH HALLEY: 30.

THOMAS TALBOT: …30th. And so, on or around October 1st, or maybe a little bit before that, we anticipate that the award for this cooperative agreement will be made.

DEBORAH HALLEY: Right. And so I would just add that just remember that the cooperative agreement recipient will still have to stand up that program like I spoke about. And that's going to be designing the program working with BJA. So they'll have to put together announcements, informational materials, an application, put together an application process, announce that process, and allow time for those applications to come in. So it'll be a little while after October 1st, but not too long because we want to get this project moving for sure.

THOMAS TALBOT: Yup. And Dee, it's a perfect segue, Dee. I think you actually responded to the next question, which is, “What will the process look like for the microgrant solicitation?” And as you just said, you used the word process, Dee. We encourage applicants under this opportunity, cooperative agreement applicants, to explain and describe to us what that microgrant application process and solicitation or request for proposals will look like. And so, we really want to hear from applicants about how the applicants would set up a microgrant program, market it, what kinds of materials would be developed, and what the overarching process will look like.

DEBORAH HALLEY: And I think it's key to remember here, and if you haven't done this kind of a project before, it's going to be really critically important to stay connected to those subrecipients. Some may be large agencies who are used to grants and federal monies, others just may not be, and they may need a little bit more guidance and a little bit more help. And it's going to be an incumbent on the cooperative agreement recipient to provide that guidance. And so that's going to mean probably several phone calls back and forth, and being available for questions from those subrecipients, and maybe even developing additional materials for everyone that gets the award.

THOMAS TALBOT: Thanks, Dee. And then, the next question, related question, “Can a microgrant solicitor/applicant via health center, or FQHC, or must they operate a confinement facility?” And so the way that this is structured is the applicants for microgrants must be state, local, or tribal agencies, public agencies that operate adult confinement facilities. However, they, the microgrant applicants or recipients, may partner with other agencies and organizations. One of the examples I provided as an innovation that could be supported under the microgrant program is to partner with local or state-based victim advocacy, rape crisis organizations. It may not be public organization, they're not organizations that confine individuals, but certainly under the microgrant program or process, an agency that confines individuals may want to partner with such an organization. So microgrant recipients, applicants, again, need to be state, local, or tribal agencies that operate adult confinement facilities, but they can partner with others. Anything to add to that, Dee?

DEBORAH HALLEY: No, I would just reiterate that, and as cooperative agreement applicants, make sure you build that partnership, the ability to partner with others into your project plan.

THOMAS TALBOT: Yup. And, Dee, you have, once again, segued beautifully into the next question. “Can we apply as partnership between different organizations? For example, one to manage the administrative process of microgrants and one who brings the substantive topic expertise.” And the answer is, yes, absolutely. There's information about this in the solicitation, so please review the solicitation. And I guess the one thing that I would add to that is that there needs to be one organization that is the lead, and then others can be subrecipients or subawardees under the lead applicant. So you have to have one applicant that meets the eligibility criteria that Dee reviewed and then there can be additional partners brought on. And one way to think about it is reflected in this question where one manages the administrative process of the microgrants, and one brings the subject matter or substantive topic expertise. That's one of many ways to think about how to organize an application that includes partners. Let me just scroll down here. Okay. Next question.

“A nonprofit that specializes in working with a specific vulnerable population like severe mental illness, be competitive if they have a plan for equitably reviewing microgrant submissions that serve vulnerable populations outside of the nonprofit's specialization?” I think that I would refer this question back to the solicitation. One, I would review the eligibility criteria, nonprofits here. and would they be competitive if they have a plan for equitably reviewing microgrant submissions that serve vulnerable populations outside of the nonprofit's specialization. I'm just thinking about this. I think that I can't comment on kind of how competitive an applicant would necessarily be given one issue or another but I think equitably and objectively reviewing microgrant submissions or applications is certainly a key part of what we expect and what's defined in the solicitation related to the overall management of the microgrant process.

DEBORAH HALLEY: And don't forget, specialty organizations can certainly sign on as partners with the cooperative agreement recipient.

THOMAS TALBOT: Right. And, yeah, referring back to the prior question, there may be organizations that bring pieces of this work, like expertise within particularly vulnerable population, but maybe not expertise in the management and administration of microgrants. And so, I think this solicitation offers fertile ground and lots of opportunity for unique partnerships related to administration of smaller awards, and new expertise related to protecting vulnerable people.

DEBORAH HALLEY: I would almost expect to see the variety of expertise just because there's a variety of vulnerable populations and their needs are different.

THOMAS TALBOT: Yup. And depending on how broad or how narrow an applicant wants to focus in on a vulnerable population of one kind or multiple kinds, again, all of that is permitted under the solicitation. As Dee and I were preparing for this yesterday, one phrase that came to mind to us was, we really want you all to tell us how you want to approach work related to one or more vulnerable populations as we define broadly in the solicitation.

Let's see. One more question. To be clear, this process only applies to NGO state college who wish to create and distribute the subgrants. If so, how would those interested in the subgrant process know of where or how to apply when that process begins? So you reviewed the eligibility criteria for applicants under this cooperative agreement opportunity, and we at BJA would expect that cooperative agreement recipient to come up with and to carry out a robust marketing plan to educate agencies and facilities across the country that house adults about the opportunity to apply for microgrants to address issues related to protecting vulnerable people. So, which is why in the solicitation, and Dee may have mentioned that we expect that organizations that apply for this opportunity to receive this cooperative agreement will have experience addressing issues related to protecting vulnerable people, and experience delivering training and technical assistance, and supporting site-based work on criminal justice issues across the country.

“Are recipients, subrecipients, prohibited from providing TTA using funds from the microgrants themselves, i.e., can a microgrant recipient use some of the microgrant to pay for additional TTA from a grant recipient or subrecipient?” And that's a good question, and it's one that we receive and consistent with our current practice, sort of, look at that as potentially like double-dipping, for lack of a better way of describing it. And so, no, this is consistent with how we at BJA have delivered TTA in the past. And so, the cooperative agreement recipient that is selected is going to issue competitive microgrants in consultation with BJA to state, local, and tribal agencies. And those microgrants can support training and technical assistance, for example, training staff about X, Y, or Z, but that training or technical assistance cannot be provided by the original cooperative agreement recipient. So that money can't then get sloshed back to the cooperative agreement recipient after it's been awarded to the subgrantee to pay for additional services. So I think that answers the question. This is an issue that's come up before and the rules remain the same per guidance that we've gotten from our general counsel's office. And for the person who asked that question, if that's not clear, would encourage you to resend it to the OJP Response Center and we can issue a written response that is clearer than what I've provided. But again, the question was, “Are recipients or subrecipients prohibited from providing TTA using the funds from the microgrants themselves, i.e., can a microgrant recipient use some of the microgrant to pay for additional TTA from a grant recipient or subrecipient?” And the answer is no.

Next question, “How should we incorporate potential supplemental funding into a program plan? Can we reference what we would do with supplemental funds? And would supplemental funding be used to extend the project or could it be used to augment the program activities during the four-year period?” We don't know for sure if supplemental funding will be available. Certainly for programs like this there is precedent at BJA for providing supplemental funding assuming that it's available and assuming that the cooperative agreement recipient meets or exceeds the expectations that we've defined in the solicitation. My guidance to applicants would be that you do the best you can to define how you would use the available funding over the 48-month period and articulate in the solicitation what you might do if there was supplemental funding available. But since it's not available, we're not in a position to say, "Yes, it's available. Please let us know how it would be used," because it's not currently available. And if it were to be available, fingers crossed, we don't know how much that supplemental funding would be, so…

DEBORAH HALLEY: And the timing, so they do it, what, during 48 months?

THOMAS TALBOT: The 40—Dee and I are having a sidebar here.

DEBORAH HALLEY: Sorry.

THOMAS TALBOT: So, I would say articulate how you would best use the funding over the 48-month…

DEBORAH HALLEY: And when.

THOMAS TALBOT: …project period and when. Right. And highlight if you are so inclined, if the need for potentially supplemental funding and explain kind of what that would look like. But again, I can't make any commitments now about the availability of supplemental funding. We hope this goes as well as we have defined in the solicitation. We hope it goes consistent with the solicitation and that there will be supplemental funding available. So sorry, I can't be more clear and more definitive about supplemental funding here, but again, do the best you can to define how the resources that are available will be deployed over the 48-month period and when and highlight the need for supplemental funding if you're so inclined to do so, if you reached the conclusion that supplemental funding is needed to fully carry out that golden objectives defined in the solicitation.

Question here is, “Interest in workforce development program.” I'm not sure what exactly that's referring to but if there's a connection between a workforce development program and vulnerable people who are confined, then certainly, yes. And I think overall BJA has significant interest in workforce development programs as a viable component of reentry beyond this program. So the nexus here is protecting vulnerable people, and so if there is a nexus between a workforce development program and protecting vulnerable people, then it may be relevant in the context of an application under this solicitation.

“Grant duration.” Forty-eight months is the grant duration. And as we discussed earlier in just a moment ago, pending the availability of appropriations and ongoing commitment on the part of BJA, OJP, and DOJ to protecting vulnerable people behind the walls, I would hope that there would be supplemental funding available in future fiscal years.

“Can county governments that run an adult detention center apply?” And there are lots and lots of BJA programs that county governments that run adult detention centers can apply for. As Dee mentioned, the eligibility requirements here preclude county governments from applying for funding under this solicitation. Thank you, Daryl. Daryl just popped up that eligible applicants. Now with that, a county government that runs an adult detention center can absolutely apply for a microgrant under this program, and so that's the connection. So I would encourage the person who asked this good question to keep an eye out, stay in touch with us at BJA and we can let you know when the microgrant program to be supported under this solicitation becomes available, and the county government that runs an adult detention center can absolutely apply for a microgrant.

DEBORAH HALLEY: In fact, that's almost a perfect applicant in a way for a microgrant because a lot of times if you get a grant from the government and it's like a $100,000 or $250,000, that's a lot of money to spend well. And yeah, that's what these microgrants are targeted to do. Just have a problem that's relatively narrow, doesn't take a lot of effort, but it does take a plan, it does take people coaching you and getting you through it. And this is exactly what we're trying to do. It doesn't have to be a big production. It can be a small problem with a small solution.

THOMAS TALBOT: Thanks, Dee. We're a little bit over, apologies. If you have to drop off, please do that. I see one more question and then we'll end it there. The follow-up, “Would a nonprofit only be eligible if they specialize in a broad range of vulnerable populations or would a nonprofit with specialization in specific vulnerable population be eligible if they have the other administrative expertise?” Nonprofits, as Dee mentioned, are eligible to apply. And so, that I want to just reiterate for sure. And then beyond that, I would encourage potential applicants who are part of nonprofits to review the solicitation and determine if your nonprofit is well-positioned and equipped to apply either as the primary applicant or as a partner under a solicitation with more than one applicant.

And, “Is that $250,000 annually for four years or $250,000 for the entire four years?” That's a really good question. So there's $2.5 million available for this cooperative agreement. And it's a four-year project with the possibility of supplemental funding in future fiscal years. We would ask applicants to explain and describe how they would propose to best and most effectively utilize the resources available during that 48-month project period.

DEBORAH HALLEY: And remember the amount that has to go to the microgrant grant.

THOMAS TALBOT: Correct. At least fifty percent, so $1.75 million has to go out the door in the form of microgrants to state, local, and tribal agencies that are working to increase the safety of vulnerable people behind the walls.

And with that, I think we're going to end it there. I think we've answered all the questions that have come in the Q&A. For those remaining, sorry to go over time a few minutes, but figured we would just take the opportunity to try to answer all the questions. Again, thank you so much for your time and attention and we look forward to reviewing many high-quality comprehensive applications under this exciting new program. Thanks so much. Have a good day and enjoy your upcoming weekend.

DARYL FOX: And for reference, the PowerPoint transcript and recording for today's webinar will be posted to BJA's website. So everybody that registered today will be receiving an email when and where to access that. So on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and our panelists, we want to thank you for joining today's webinar. This will end today's presentation.