U. S. Department of Homeland Security

Office for Domestic Preparedness 

Domestic Preparedness

Fact Sheet

 April 2004

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

FY 2004 Competitive Training Grants Program

Overview

The Office for Domestic Preparedness, United

States Department of Homeland Security, is pleased

to announce the FY 2004 Competitive Training

Grants Program (CGP). The CGP will provide

funding for training initiatives that further the

mission of ODP to prepare the nation to prevent,

deter, respond to and recover from incidents of

terrorism involving weapons of mass destruction. 

Eligibility

Entities eligible to receive funding under this

program include: national associations representing

public safety agencies and institutions of higher

education, institutions of higher education, private

corporations working in conjunction with the

nonprofit sector, and nonprofit organizations.

Proposal Elements

Applicants are invited to submit training proposals

that enhance state and local prevention,

preparedness, and response capabilities. Proposals

must include, but are not limited to, the following

elements:

• An element addressing how the proposed

project builds sustainable preparedness at

the state and local level

• A capacity-building component for state

and local jurisdictions which includes a

leave-behind capability for jurisdictions to

employ themselves (e.g. job aids, planning

tools, etc.)

• A process for identifying lessons learned

and best practices for inclusion in ongoing

Department of Homeland Security efforts. 

• Incorporation of a blended learning

approach

Application Process

Applicants must submit their proposals

electronically through the Grants Management

System (GMS). Only proposals filed through GMS

at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/fundopps.htm will be

accepted.

Amount and Length of Awards

The number of awards will be determined by the

number, quality, and requested funding levels of the

applications received; and the total amount of

money budgeted by ODP for this solicitation.

Awards will have a funding period not to exceed

twenty-four months. 
Timeline

The FY 2004 Competitive Grant Application Kit

will be available online through GMS in April

2004. Applications will be due no later than June 1,

2004 and will consist of:

• A 250-word Proposal Abstract describing the

need(s) addressed by the proposed project; the

project's goals and objectives; the proposed

methodology to be used to achieve the goals

and objectives; and the final product(s) and/or

services to be derived from the project.

• A Program Narrative, not exceeding 20 doublespaced pages, further describing the nature of

the problem(s) to be addressed, project goals

and objectives, the methodology or approach, a

task plan that specifies the various tasks to be

undertaken, and key milestones.

• Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative

Proposal Review Process

ODP is committed to a competitive process for

making these awards. All proposals are subject to

an independent peer-review panel evaluation. Peer

review panelists will consist of representatives from

academia, industry, or Federal Government

organizations, along with practitioners from

Federal, State, and local criminal justice and public

safety agencies. 

Selection Criteria

Grant applications will be judged according to the

following criteria:

• Identification of the problem(s) the proposal

addresses. (20 points)

• Description of goals and objectives, and plans to

accomplish those objectives. (25 points)

• Description of project’s strategies for training

significant numbers of public safety personnel

using a cross-disciplinary approach. Include a

description of proposed or existing partnerships.

(25 points) 

• Description of program performance measures

at regular intervals throughout the project

period. (10 points)

• Presentation of a project budget that is directly

related to activities in the proposal, and

categorized according to cost for personnel,

fringe benefits, travel, equipment, supplies,

contracts, and other direct and/or indirect costs.

(20 points)

Issue Areas

Applicants must designate a single issue area under

which they would like to be considered for grant

funding. Applications should address one of the

following issues (Note: preparedness is defined as

encompassing elements of incident prevention,

deterrence, response, and recovery)

• Training to Address Preparedness Challenges in

Rural Areas.

• Training to enhance prevention, deterrence,

response and recovery from Agricultural WMD

Incidents. 

• Initiatives Related to the Prevention of

Cyberterrorism and Increased Awareness of

Cybersecurity Issues. 

• Training for State and Local Law Enforcement

to Develop Capabilities for Terrorism

Prevention, to include Areas such as Detection,

Interdiction, Intelligence Analysis, Critical

Infrastructure Protection, and Information

Sharing.

• Training Initiatives to Develop and Enhance

Community Outreach Strategies for Local

Audiences through Existing Non-Governmental

and Volunteer Organizations.

• Addressing Training Gaps Related to Prevention

and Preparedness, to include Assistance for

Special Needs Populations.

Reference Areas

Applicants will ensure that their proposals adhere to

ODP Training, Exercise, and Evaluation protocols

to include:

• ODP Training Strategy

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/blendedlearning/

pdfs/t_s.pdf

• ODP Emergency Responder Guidelines

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/Emergency

RespGuidelinesRevB.pdf

• ODP Guidelines for Homeland Security -

Prevention and Deterrence 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/ODPPrev1.

pdf

• ODP Approach for Blended Learning

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/ta/training_bl.ht

m

• Homeland Security Exercise and Evaluation

Program

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/hseep.htm