67600 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 218 / Thursday, November 9, 2000 / Notices

1Federally recognized Indian tribes include

Alaska Native tribal governments. Under current

law (Fiscal Year 2000 Consolidated Appropriations

Act), the term ‘‘Indian tribes,’’ ‘‘tribal,’’ or ‘‘tribe(s)’’

means: ‘‘any Indian tribe, band, nation or other

organized group or community, including Alaska

Native village or regional or village corporation as

defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska

Native Claims Settlement Act * * * , which is

recognized as eligible for the special programs and

services provided by the United States to Indians

because of their status as Indians.’’

2The BJS report includes Alaska Natives and

Aleuts under the term ‘‘American Indian.’’

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention

[OJP (OJJDP)–1305]

Program Announcement for the Tribal

Youth Field-Initiated Research and

Evaluation Program

AGENCY: Office of Justice Programs,

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention, Justice.

ACTION: Notice of solicitation.

SUMMARY: The Office of Juvenile Justice

and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) is

requesting applications for the Tribal

Youth Field-Initiated Research and

Evaluation Program to conduct research

and evaluation projects focusing on

youth from federally recognized tribes

in the areas of alcohol and substance

abuse, child abuse or neglect, or

indigenous approaches to juvenile

justice. Research findings will inform

prevention and intervention efforts with

offenders, high-risk youth, or juvenile

victims of crime.

DATES: Applications must be received

by January 23, 2001.

ADDRESSES: All application packages

should be mailed or delivered to the

Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention, c/o Juvenile

Justice Resource Center, 2277 Research

Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K, Rockville, MD

20850; 301–519–5535. Faxed or emailed applications will not be

accepted. Interested applicants can

obtain the OJJDP Application Kit from

the Juvenile Justice Clearinghouse at

800–638–8736. The Application kit is

also available at OJJDP’s Web site at

www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/

about.html#kit. (See ‘‘Format’’ in this

program announcement for instructions

on application standards.)

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Phelan Wyrick, Research and Program

Development Division, Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, 202–353–9254. [This is not

a toll-free number.]

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Purpose

The purpose of this program is to

generate high-quality research and

evaluation focusing on youth from

federally recognized tribes 1 that will

inform prevention and intervention

efforts with offenders, high-risk youth,

or juvenile victims of crime. Research

and evaluation will be supported in the

specific areas of alcohol and substance

abuse, child abuse or neglect, and

indigenous approaches to juvenile

justice. Further, OJJDP’s Tribal Youth

Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation

Program is intended to support the

development of innovative and

culturally appropriate research methods

and instruments for use with tribal

youth.

Authority

The Fiscal Year 2000 Consolidated

Appropriations Act, November 17, 1999

(Pub. L. 106–113), authorized the Tribal

Youth Program (TYP), providing $12.5

million to OJJDP to support and

enhance tribal comprehensive

delinquency prevention and control

activities and for tribal juvenile justice

system improvement. Ten percent of the

funds appropriated for TYP is set aside

to support program-related research,

evaluation, and statistics. Of that total,

$500,000 is being made available for

field-initiated research and evaluation.

Background

TYP funds support a joint U.S.

Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S.

Department of the Interior (DOI) Indian

Country Law Enforcement Initiative.

The purpose of the Initiative is to

address the compelling need to improve

the administration of tribal criminal and

juvenile justice. OJJDP has been charged

with sponsoring juvenile justice

research, evaluation, and statistics in

this effort.

In general, OJJDP funds research

activities that derive from express

congressional direction or address

specified statutory priority areas.

However, it is clear that many creative

and important research ideas deserving

support originate outside the Federal

Government. The Tribal Youth FieldInitiated Research and Evaluation

Program allows OJJDP to provide

flexible funding for innovative and

rigorous research that supports TYP and

the Indian Country Law Enforcement

Initiative.

At the beginning of the 21st century,

the tribal population faces myriad

challenges. Roughly 30 percent of all

tribal members and more than 50

percent of those on reservations live

below the poverty level (U.S. Census

Bureau, 1993). The median age of

American Indians, Eskimos, and Aleuts

is estimated to be under 27 years,

compared with the median age for all

races, estimated at about 35 years (U.S.

Census Bureau, 2000). Yet tribal youth

have few opportunities for social,

educational, or vocational development.

Findings from the Bureau of Justice

Statistics (BJS) 1999 report American

Indians and Crime highlight several

critical issues for tribal youth:

• Rates of violent victimization in

every age group are higher among

American Indians 2 than among all other

races.

• In 1995, American Indians had the

highest rate of abuse or neglect of

children under age 15 of any racial or

ethnic group, and they experienced the

greatest increase in this rate between

1992 and 1995.

• American Indians under age 18 are

arrested for alcohol-related violations at

a rate twice the national average.

These findings only begin to express

the difficulties faced by tribal youth and

communities, yet they clearly

demonstrate the need for effective

prevention and intervention approaches

with offenders, high-risk youth, and

juvenile victims of crime. OJJDP

encourages the pursuit of new avenues

of inquiry and innovative approaches to

the problem of tribal juvenile

delinquency. Support for innovative

programming for Indian tribes is a

priority objective under OJJDP’s Tribal

Youth Program.

Goals

The goal of this field-initiated

research and evaluation program is to

foster original, rigorous, and scientific

research focusing on tribal youth

populations in one or more of the

following areas: Alcohol and substance

abuse, child abuse or neglect, or

indigenous approaches to juvenile

justice. Research under this program

will have direct practical implications

for improving juvenile justice policy

and practice.

Objectives

• Conceptualize and investigate

research questions dealing specifically

with alcohol and substance abuse, child

abuse or neglect, or indigenous

approaches to juvenile justice for tribal

youth.

• Develop data collection approaches

that are both scientifically rigorous and

culturally appropriate.

• Expand and validate hypotheses on

juvenile delinquency as they relate to

tribal youth.

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 218 / Thursday, November 9, 2000 / Notices 67601

• Develop knowledge that will inform

new hypotheses, techniques, or

approaches to improve tribal juvenile

justice and delinquency prevention

programming.

Program Strategy [L1]

All too frequently, studies addressing

tribal juvenile justice and delinquency

prevention reflect limited knowledge of

local cultures and indigenous justice

systems. To address this gap, the Office

of Justice Programs has sought guidance

from tribal practitioners and researchers

around the country on such issues as

tribal crime and justice research,

Alaskan tribal justice policies and

practices, youth gangs, and suicide

among tribal youth. Research

recommendations that emerged from

these consultations include the

following: (1) Investigators should make

greater efforts to involve indigenous

people in the design and

implementation of their research, (2)

research findings should have clear

practical implications for the

community in which the study was

conducted and for tribal communities in

general, and (3) methods of inquiry

should be based on and sensitive to

local customs and values.

These recommendations apply to

projects funded under the Tribal Youth

Field-Initiated Research and Evaluation

Program. Thus, applications submitted

under this program should reflect efforts

to involve tribal members in the design

and implementation of any research or

evaluation to be conducted. Projects

should use culturally appropriate

methods of inquiry and should offer

practical implications with relevance to

both the local community and broader

audiences. OJJDP expects to use the

results of these projects to provide

empirically based guidance regarding

tribal juvenile justice and delinquency

prevention policies and practices.

Tribal Support

Applicants must demonstrate that

they will be able to conduct the

proposed research or evaluation with

appropriate tribal approval. While it is

not necessary to have a tribal resolution

in support of this application, such a

resolution may be necessary before the

project begins. Applications must

include a memorandum of

understanding (MOU) or letter of

support from at least one tribal leader

with authority related to the proposed

research or program evaluation (for

example, a tribal council member or a

program administrator). The MOU(s) or

letter(s) should be included in appendix

C of the application.

Special Considerations for Program

Evaluations

Funding available through this

solicitation is intended to support

research and program evaluation efforts

only. Applications proposing program

evaluations should not request funds for

service delivery, program materials,

facility costs, or any other programmatic

expenses that are not directly related to

the evaluation. Further, because of the

time and difficulty involved in

launching youth service programs, it is

strongly recommended that evaluations

address programs that are already in

place and operational.

Products

Proposals should contain a

description of all products that will

originate from the project. At a

minimum, each grantee will be required

to produce a final report that provides

an overview of the research project. This

overview should contain the following:

(1) The theory and hypotheses guiding

the work, (2) a description of the

research or evaluation methods, (3) a

full accounting of research and

evaluation results, (4) practical or policy

implications of the results, and (5)

recommendations for future study.

Grantees should indicate in their final

report how their work will contribute to

defining and/or implementing best

practices in the field of juvenile justice

for the target population. This final

report should be publishable as an

OJJDP research report. Applicants are

also strongly encouraged to consider

submitting their results for publication

in a refereed journal.

Applicants must also indicate their

willingness to provide at least one

additional report suitable for

publication as an OJJDP Bulletin or Fact

Sheet. This report generally consists of

excerpts or a summary of the final

report and should be completed within

60 days of the grant’s closing date.

Eligibility Requirements

OJJDP invites applications from

public and private agencies,

organizations, institutions, federally

recognized tribes, and individuals, or

any combination of the above. Private,

for-profit organizations must agree to

waive any profit or fee. In the case of

joint applications, one applicant must

be clearly indicated as primary (for

correspondence and award purposes)

and the other(s) listed as coapplicant(s).

OJJDP encourages collaborative

relationships among researchers,

practitioners, and tribal entities.

Collaborative applications with

programs currently receiving TYP

funding are encouraged. If the research

is of a collaborative nature, written

assurances of participation from each of

the collaborating entities should be

provided. Similarly, when specific

programs or agencies are the subject of

an applicant’s research or evaluation,

the application should include letters of

commitment or cooperation from the

relevant program or agency. Applicants

are encouraged to identify existing or

potential funding partners for the

proposed work and indicate whether the

proposed project has been submitted to

any other funding sources.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be evaluated and

rated by a peer review panel according

to the criteria outlined below. In

addition, the extent to which the project

narrative makes clear and logical

connections among the components

listed below will be considered in

assessing a project’s merits.

Problem(s) To Be Addressed (20 points)

The proposed research will be judged

on its ability to contribute to knowledge

and practice in the field of juvenile

justice and delinquency prevention.

Applicants must include in the project

narrative a clear statement of the

research questions to be addressed.

Applicants should discuss how

previous research supports and shapes

these questions and should identify the

relevance of these questions for the field

of juvenile justice and for tribal youth.

Goals and Objectives (10 points)

The application must include project

goals and objectives that are clearly

stated and relevant to the field of

juvenile justice. Goals should reflect the

mission of the project and they should

derive directly from the statement of

problems to be addressed. Objectives

should consist of clearly defined,

realistic, and measurable tasks and

outcomes that will enable the applicant

to achieve the goals of the project.

Objectives should be framed to answer

the proposed research questions.

Project Design (40 points)

The application should include a

detailed description of the proposed

project design and research or

evaluation methods. Design elements

should follow directly from the project’s

goals and objectives. The data to be

collected and/or analyzed should

clearly support the project’s goals and

objectives. Any instruments or data to

be used should be identified and

discussed with regard to validity and

cultural sensitivity to the target

population.

67602 Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 218 / Thursday, November 9, 2000 / Notices

The application must include a

timeline that indicates when specific

tasks will be initiated and completed.

The timeline should be referenced as

appropriate in the narrative but should

be placed in appendix A of the

application.

Program evaluation applications

should include enough descriptive

program information in this section to

make the evaluation design

comprehensible. However, more

detailed program information may be

necessary to assess the quality of the

application. This should be included as

necessary in appendix D.

Management and Organizational

Capability (20 points)

Applicants must demonstrate that

they have experience or ability related

to the type of research or evaluation

being proposed. This includes

knowledge of juvenile justice issues

specific to tribal youth and evidence of

the applicant’s ability to work

collaboratively with tribal juvenile

justice system practitioners, service

providers, or tribal members. This

section must include the names of

responsible individuals and key

consultants, their time commitments,

and their major tasks. In particular,

applicants must ensure that the tasks

delineated in the project timeline (see

‘‘Project Design’’ above) are adequately

staffed. Re ́sume ́s for key staff members

should be included in appendix B.

Applicants must demonstrate

organizational capacity and the

existence of a management structure

that will support the achievement of the

project’s goals and objectives in an

efficient and cost-effective manner.

Applicants should include a description

of any similar projects undertaken

previously. Memorandums of

cooperation or appropriate letters of

support from tribal leaders must be

included in appendix C.

Budget (10 points)

Applicants must provide a proposed

budget that is complete, detailed,

reasonable, allowable, and cost-effective

in relation to the activities to be

undertaken. All budgeted costs should

be directly related to the achievement of

project goals and objectives. A brief

budget narrative should be included in

this section. As stated above, the budget

should not include support for service

delivery or any other programmatic

expenses that are unrelated to research

or evaluation.

Format

Applications must include a program

narrative of no more than 30 pages. The

page limit does not include the budget

narrative, appendixes, application

forms, or assurances. At the end of the

program narrative, applicants must

indicate the author(s) responsible for

each of the narrative sections. Appendix

A should contain the project’s timeline

with dates for initiation and completion

of critical project tasks. Appendix B

should contain the re ́sume ́s for the

principal investigator and key staff

members. Appendix C should include

all necessary letters of cooperation or

support. Appendix D should include

any additional program descriptions

necessary to assess the quality of

proposed program evaluation projects.

The narrative portion of the

application must be submitted on 81⁄2-

by 11-inch paper using a standard 12-

point font. The application should be

double spaced and printed on one side

of the paper only. The narrative should

be preceded by an abstract with a

maximum length of 300 words.

These requirements are necessary to

maintain a fair and uniform set of

standards among all applicants. If the

application fails to conform to these

standards, it will not be eligible for

consideration.

Award Period

This program will be funded for a

single budget and project period not to

exceed 2 years.

Award Amount

Up to $500,000 is available for this

program of field-initiated research and

evaluation. Individual grant amounts,

which will be subject to negotiation,

may range from $100,000 to $200,000

per project.

Confidentiality and Human Subjects

U.S. Department of Justice regulations

require that projects involving research

or statistics must maintain the

confidentiality of information

identifiable to a private person and that

human research subjects must be

protected from unreasonable risks and

properly informed of the potential

harms and benefits from their

participation in research. Applicants

must comply with the confidentiality

requirements of 42 U.S.C. 3789g and 28

CFR part 22 by submitting a Privacy

Certificate in accordance with 28 CFR

22.23 as part of the application package.

(See appendix B, ‘‘Privacy Certificate

Guidelines and Statement,’’ in the

OJJDP Application Kit.)

If the project involves research using

human subjects, the applicant must

comply with Department of Justice

regulations at 28 CFR part 46. This part

generally requires that an Institutional

Review Board (IRB) review and approve

such projects unless the project is

determined to be exempt from the

regulatory requirements. IRB review is

not required prior to submission of the

application. However, if an award is

made and the project involves research

using human subjects, OJJDP will place

a special condition on the award

requiring that the project be approved

by an appropriate IRB before Federal

funds can be expended on activities

involving human research subjects.

Applicants should include plans for IRB

review, where applicable, in the project

timeline submitted with the proposal.

As sovereign nations, Indian tribes

may have specific requirements for

confidentiality and approval of research

and evaluation projects. Tribal policies

and procedures for reviewing and

approving research apply to this

program and must be met before Federal

funds can be expended on activities

involving human research subjects.

Tribal review and approval should also

be considered in the project timeline

submitted with the proposal.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

(CFDA) Number

The CFDA number, required on

Standard Form 424, ‘‘Application for

Federal Assistance,’’ is 16.731. Standard

Form 424 is included in the OJJDP

Application Kit, which can be obtained

by contacting the Juvenile Justice

Clearinghouse at 800–638–8736 or

sending an e-mail request to

puborder@ncjrs.org. The Application Kit

is also available online at

www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/grants/

about.html#kit.

Coordination of Federal Efforts

To encourage better coordination

among Federal agencies in addressing

State and local needs, the U.S.

Department of Justice is requesting

applicants to provide information on the

following: (1) Active Federal grant

awards supporting this project or related

efforts, including other awards from the

Department of Justice; (2) any pending

applications for Federal funds for this or

related efforts; and (3) plans for

coordinating any funds described in

items (1) and (2) with the funding

requested in this application. For each

Federal award, applicants must include

the program or project title, the Federal

granting agency, the amount of the

award, and a brief description of its

purpose.

The term ‘‘related efforts’’ is defined

for these purposes as one of the

following:

• Efforts for the same purpose (i.e.,

the proposed project would supplement,

Federal Register / Vol. 65, No. 218 / Thursday, November 9, 2000 / Notices 67603

expand, complement, or continue

activities funded with other Federal

grants).

• Another phase or component of the

same program or project (e.g., to

implement a planning effort funded by

other Federal monies or to provide a

substance abuse treatment or

educational component within an

existing juvenile justice project).

• Services of some kind (e.g.,

technical assistance, research, or

evaluation) to the program or project

described in the application.

Delivery Instructions

All application packages should be

mailed or delivered to the Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention, c/o Juvenile Justice

Resource Center, 2277 Research

Boulevard, Mail Stop 2K, Rockville, MD

20850; 301–519–5535.

Note: In the lower left-hand corner of the

envelope, the applicant must clearly write

‘‘Tribal Youth Field-Initiated Research and

Evaluation Program.’’

Due Date

Applicants are responsible for

ensuring that the original and five

copies of the application package are

received by 5 p.m. ET on January 23,

2001.

Contact

For further information, contact

Phelan Wyrick, Program Manager,

Research and Program Development

Division, Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention, at 202–353–

9254. Alternatively, e-mail inquiries can

be sent to wyrickp@ojp.usdoj.gov.

References

Bureau of Justice Statistics. 1999.

American Indians and Crime.

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of

Justice, Office of Justice Programs,

Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Dated: October 31, 2000.

John J. Wilson,

Acting Administrator, Office of Juvenile

Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

[FR Doc. 00–28763 Filed 11–8–00; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4410–18–P