It has come to BJA's attention that an increased number of grant applications submitted for the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) solicitations this year are being rejected by Grants.gov due to the use of special characters in the file names of attachments you may be attempting to upload with your grant application.  The BJA solicitation guidance states:

"Grants.gov only permits the use of specific characters in names of attachment files. Valid file names may only include the following characters: A-Z, a-z, 0-9, underscore (_), hyphen (-), space, and period…"

To clarify, files you upload to Grants.gov can only have these characters in their titles:

• The letters A through Z
• The letters a through z
• The numbers 0-9
• Underscore _
• Hypen -
• Space
• Period  .

If the file you are attempting to upload has any other special characters in its file name, Grants.gov will reject it.

For example, a file named this would be accepted: Policeplan_versionA.doc

A file named this would be rejected: Policeplan_version*.doc

If you attempt to upload a file with an unallowable character in its file name, the application will be rejected by Grants.gov and NOT be forwarded to the OJP Grants Management System to be considered for funding.

BJA recognizes that you and your stakeholders work very hard to put together the most competitive grant applications for your community.  BJA would not want this technical requirement to prevent your application from being considered.

Please be aware that Grants.gov sends out a notification immediately as an application is rejected; however, depending on when the application was submitted, the deadline to apply may have already passed by the time the rejection notice has been received. Please take special care to name your attachments in accordance with the above referenced instructions to prevent your application from being rejected and potentially missing the application deadline. If you receive a Grants.gov rejection notice for an unallowable character in a file name before the deadline has passed, we encourage you to fix the file name, reattach the file, and resubmit your application before the deadline so your application can be considered for funding.

For technical assistance with submitting files to Grants.gov, prior to the application deadline, call the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for federal holidays.

If you have other questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Justice Information Center at 877-927-5657 or via their web site at www.justiceinformationcenter.us/

And finally, please give yourself enough time to apply successfully.  These issues can be resolved and we do want to do everything we can to support these promising grant programs.

The PREA Resource Center received 109 applications for a total requested amount of more than $10 million.  Applications are under peer review and the PRC anticipates grant notifications to be released by April 2013.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP’s) National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) is offering a new online training for OJJDP grant recipients.

“Managing Your Grant Award” teaches grantees how to manage projects efficiently, meet progress and financial reporting requirements, and avoid common reporting and budgeting errors. Links to other grant management courses and relevant online resources are provided. Training can be completed in approximately 1 hour and is mandatory for new grantees.

Enroll for the course.

The PREA Resource Center is pleased to announce a grant opportunity to establish “Zero Tolerance” cultures for sexual abuse in locally and tribally operated adult and juvenile detention facilities; with awards of up to $100,000 for individual agencies; $300,000 for collaborative applications. Agencies that operate small (less than 100 beds) or medium (less than 500 beds) facilities are strongly encouraged to apply. See full announcement for details.

To learn more
PRC staff will provide a webinar on December 4th, 2012 from 1:00 – 2:30 pm EST to review grant eligibility requirements; allowable uses of funds; award amounts, including collaborative applications; and the application process and deadline.
Click here to register
Click here for more information.

To apply for the Competitive Grant to Establish “Zero Tolerance” Cultures for Sexual Abuse in Local Adult and Juvenile Detention Facilities, click the following link or copy and paste the following web address into your browser: http://zoomgrants.com/gprop.asp?donorid=2115&limited=342

Questions about any aspect of the solicitation must be submitted via email to Deirdre O’Connor.

Frequently asked questions regarding the grant opportunity and application will be posted to this page when available, no later than January 4, 2013.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) invites practitioners with expertise in juvenile mentoring programs, youth-focused policing, and the implementation and evaluation of tribal youth initiatives to apply to serve as peer reviewers for its fiscal year 2013 discretionary grant applications.

To apply, e-mail a current résumé or curriculum vitae to OJJDPConsultantPool@usdoj.gov by November 30, 2012. Note your areas of expertise in the message body. OJJDP will compensate peer reviewers for their time and effort. OJJDP anticipates using these peer reviewers in March/April 2013.

Peer reviewers have at least 2 weeks to evaluate and rate a set number of applications and to submit their assessments electronically in the Office of Justice Programs’ Grants Management System. OJJDP will conduct a conference call in which a panel of at least three reviewers reach consensus on the merits and shortcomings of each application. OJJDP is committed to ensuring a fair and open process for awarding grants. Peer reviews, which provide an independent assessment of applications, play an important advisory role to that end.

Peer reviewers must comply with the OJP conflict of interest rules and regulations. For example, a peer reviewer cannot have a financial relationship with an organization that submitted an application under the solicitation being peer reviewed.

Resources:

To apply, send a résumé or curriculum vitae to OJJDPConsultantPool@usdoj.gov.

For more information on OJJDP funding opportunities and awards, visit http://ojjdp.gov/funding/funding.html.

SAMHSA will not accept paper applications except when a waiver of this requirement is approved by SAMHSA.

Beginning in fiscal year (FY) 2013, SAMHSA discretionary grant applications, including new and continuation, must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov.

SAMHSA strongly encourages any organization intending to apply to a SAMHSA program to register now with Grants.gov. Registration is a one-time process, which is required before representatives of an organization can submit grant application packages electronically through Grants.gov.

The Organization Registration Checklist [PDF – 357 KB] provides registration guidance for a company; institution; state, local, or tribal government; or other types of organizations submitting for the first time through Grants.gov. Registration takes approximately 3–5 business days; however, Grants.gov recommends that applicants allow 4 weeks for completion of all steps in the registration process.
Any questions may be directed to the Division of Grant Review at 240-276-1199.

Request a Waiver
Individual applicants may request a waiver of electronic submission, for instance, if they do not have the technological means or if their physical location receives poor-quality or intermittent connection to the Internet. More information about a waiver and the process to apply will be forthcoming on the SAMHSA website in November and also in each Funding Announcement.

Fiscal Year 2011 Grant Awards: Office of Justice Programs' program grants funded through the Omnibus Appropriations Act, 2010, Public Law 111-117.

• Click here to view the awards ordered by state
• Click here to view the awards ordered by solicitation title
• Click here to use the Advanced Search tool

WASHINGTON – The Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) today announced it awarded $27 million under the Drug Court Program and the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JMHCP) in Fiscal Year 2012. These two BJA programs provide assistance and support for states, tribes and localities offering specialized services for individuals within the justice system who have substance abuse and mental health disorders.

“People with mental illnesses often cycle repeatedly through courtrooms, jails, and prisons that are ill-equipped to address their needs and, in particular, to provide adequate treatment. BJA has been exploring new ways of responding to these individuals to break this costly and damaging cycle,” said BJA Director Denise E. O’Donnell. “BJA has an entire portfolio dedicated to addressing the revolving door of justice for individuals with behavioral health needs.”

Click here for the full BJA announcing FY12 awards for drug courts and Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program.

The Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) conducts a semi-annual survey of its membership to identify the current issues faced by correctional agencies and their relative priority.  In June and July 2012, ASCA conducted a survey of members to identify and rate the level of importance of the top four issues facing their agencies and to rate issues identified in previous surveys to determine the continuing relevance of these issues for their agencies.  Thirty-one agencies responded to the survey.  Click here for the report of the June 2012 Current Issues in Corrections Survey.

At the NIJ Conference this June, NIJ Director John Laub announced NIJ's plans to pilot standing peer review panels for five substantive areas in NIJ. NIJ's Scientific Review Panels (SRPs) will replace the smaller "ad hoc" review panels that have been NIJ's primary review mechanism in the past. This effort signals several important changes to strengthen NIJ's peer review of grant applications. For example, the new SRPs will be larger than the panels NIJ currently uses — 15 scientific reviewers and three practitioner reviewers will serve on each SRP, providing greater quality and breadth to the review process. Since the members of the SRP will be appointed for overlapping 3-year terms, a greater level of consistency will be maintained from year to year. Finally, a new scoring procedure will bring greater transparency to the peer review process.

NIJ anticipates that pilot SRPs will support grant application peer review in five specific research areas within crime control and prevention, violence and victimization, justice systems research, physical science and technology, and forensic research. The specific research topics within these research areas are still being finalized. The balance of NIJ's research programs will review grant applications using customary review panels.

For additional information about how the SRPs will operate, see the presentation from the 2011 NIJ Conference.

The ASCA Clearinghouse Committee oversees the planning and development and advises ASCA staff on the ASCA Grants Network web pages.  Click here to download the minutes from the August meeting in Nashville, TN.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is pleased to announce the launch of a new online training program—the BJA Grant Writing and Management Academy. The Academy is designed to assist criminal justice practitioners and state, local, and tribal jurisdictions, including community and faith-based organizations, through the grant-writing process and project management activities. Through self-paced modules, the user will learn about:

• Issues and requirements to consider before applying for BJA funds.
• Steps and development required to submit a well-rounded application.
• Management and administration necessary for a successful project.
• Supplemental information focusing on strategic planning and budget development.

Through the BJA Grant Writing and Management Academy, the grant writing process is broken down into five easy to follow, self paced modules:

Module 1: Before Applying for BJA Funds
This first module provides an overview of BJA, its funding opportunities, and the purpose of and the rules associated with grant funds. Here, applicant responsibilities are clarified so that applicants will know what is expected of them should they decide to apply for grant funds.

Module 2: Applying for BJA Funds
In the second module, viewers review pre-application activities, such as registration with www.grants.gov and solicitation format requirements. In addition, the module covers the application process, how applications are reviewed, and the timing of award announcements.

Module 3: Managing Your BJA Funds
Module 3 offers viewers an overview of various administrative and financial requirements associated with managing a federal grant project, provides suggestions and methods to help manage daily project activities, and discusses the importance of ensuring accountability in all project operations.

Modules 4: Strategic Planning
In module 4, viewers learn how to undertake sound project planning, helping projects run more effectively and efficiently in their operation.

Module 5: Budget Development
The fifth module is supplemental and provides in-depth information on budget development, budget categories, and how to construct a grant application budget narrative.

Click here to start your grant writing and management training today and prepare for the Fiscal Year 2011 season.

 

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) has posted it's FY 2011 Budget Request at a glace.  The narrative summarizes the priorities of the Office of Justice Programs for FY 2011.  Click here to download the Budget Summary.

Grants.gov now offers you even more help with finding and applying for federal grants. The self-help web portal (iPortal) is yet another entry point to live 24-hour assistance for Grants.gov. Visit the Grants.gov homepage or Contact Us page to access the self-help portal. This new feature includes the top 10 requested help topics, a searchable knowledge base (400 answers to common issues), self-service help ticket generation, live one-on-one help via web chat as well as alerts and important updates.  Click here to visit the Grants.gov iPortal.

The Bureau of Justice Assistanceprovides assistance at the National Training and Technical Assistance Center. The center provides training opportunities, information, and other resources for the criminal justice community. BJA has created a one-stop-shop where you can learn more about BJA’s resources and services.  Access BJA's newly designed training and technical assistance website here.