U.S. Department of Justice OMB No. 1121-0329 

Office of Justice Programs 

National Institute of Justice 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), National Institute of 

Justice (NIJ) is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding for an evaluation 

of the State, Tribal, and Local Reentry Courts Program funded by the Bureau of Justice 

Assistance (BJA) in FY2010 under the Second Chance Act of 2007. The program goal is 

community safety through recidivism prevention among adult offenders reentering the 

community from jail or prison. Reentry courts coordinate monitoring, treatment assessment and 

services, community panels, housing, and other services under judicial oversight with graduated 

sanctions and incentives. This solicitation furthers the Department’s mission by sponsoring 

research to provide objective, independent, evidence-based knowledge and tools to meet the 

challenges of crime and justice, particularly at the State and local levels. 

Solicitation: Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice 

Assistance Second Chance Act FY2010 State, 

Tribal, and Local Reentry Courts Program 

Eligibility 

In general, NIJ is authorized to make grants to, or enter into contracts or cooperative 

agreements with, States (including territories), local governments (including federallyrecognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior and 

published in the Federal Register), nonprofit and profit organizations (including tribal nonprofit 

and profit organizations), institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher 

education), and certain qualified individuals. Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and 

foreign institutions of higher education are not eligible to apply. 

Deadline 

Registration with Grants.gov is required prior to application submission. 

(See “How to Apply,” page 7.) 

All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on June 14, 2010. 

(See “Deadlines: Registration and Application,” page 3.) 

Contact Information 

For technical assistance with submitting the application, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support 

Hotline at 1–800–518–4726 or via e-mail to support@grants.gov. 

Note: The Grants.gov Support Hotline hours of operation are 24 hours, seven days a week. 

except for Federal holidays. 

For assistance with any other requirement of this solicitation, contact Dr. Linda Truitt, Senior 

Social Science Analyst, at 202–353–9081 or by e-mail to Linda.Truitt@usdoj.gov. 

Grants.Gov number assigned to announcement: NIJ–2010–2594

SL# 000941 
CONTENTS 

Overview ........................................................................................................................... 3

Deadlines: Registration and Application ........................................................................... 3 

Eligibility ............................................................................................................................ 3 

Specific Information .......................................................................................................... 3 

Performance Measures ..................................................................................................... 7 

How to Apply ..................................................................................................................... 7 

What an Application Must Include ..................................................................................... 9 

Standard Form 424 ............................................................................................... 9 

Program Narrative ................................................................................................. 9 

Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative ................................................. 12 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) ...................................................... 12 

Tribal Authorizing Resolution (if applicable) ........................................................ 12 

Other Standard Forms ........................................................................................ 13 

Selection Criteria ............................................................................................................. 13 

Review Process .............................................................................................................. 14 

Additional Requirements ................................................................................................. 15 

Application Checklist ....................................................................................................... 17 

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Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance 

Second Chance Act FY2010 State, Tribal, and 

Local Reentry Courts Program 

CFDA No. 16.560 

Overview 

NIJ seeks applications for a multi-site process and outcome evaluation of the State, Tribal, and 

Local Reentry Courts Program to be funded by BJA in FY2010 under the Second Chance Act of 

2007 (SCA). The SCA supports a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people 

who are released from jail and prison into communities and the subsequent challenges 

communities face as offenders attempt to reintegrate into society. Section 111 of the SCA 

authorizes the Attorney General to award grants up to $500,000 to establish State, tribal, and 

local reentry courts that promote recidivism prevention by coordinating monitoring, treatment 

assessment and services, community panels, housing, and other services under judicial 

oversight with graduated sanctions and incentives. 

NIJ seeks to award an evaluation research grant to document the implementation of the reentry 

courts that receive BJA funding under the SCA in FY2010 and to examine program processes 

and outcomes observed during and after participation among adult offenders. 

Authorizing Legislation: The Second Chance Act of 2007 (Public Law 110-199) Sec 241. 

Deadlines: Registration and Application 

Registration is required prior to submission. OJP strongly encourages registering with 

Grants.gov several weeks before the deadline for application submission. The deadline for 

applying for funding under this announcement 11:59 p.m. eastern time on June 14, 2010. 

Please see the “How to Apply” section, page 7, for more details. 

Eligibility 

Please refer to the title page for eligibility information under this program. 

Specific Information—Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice 

Assistance Second Chance Act FY2010 State, Tribal, and 

Local Reentry Courts Program 

Under the SCA, OJP received program and funding authorization that supports prisoner reentry 

initiatives including BJA’s competitive grant program, State, Tribal, and Local Reentry Courts. 

Reentry court components required for BJA funding under this program are detailed in the 

FY2010 solicitation located at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/10SecondChanceCourtsSol.pdf. 

Modeled after drug courts, reentry courts are a therapeutic jurisprudence approach to address 

offender needs during their transition back into society, with the goal of reducing criminal 

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behavior and violations that often result in returns to incarceration. They promote partnerships 

among courts, corrections, and communities to leverage resources that support planning, case 

management, and other recidivism prevention measures. With judicial oversight, programs 

employ: 

• Monitoring of offenders reentering the community. 

• Alcohol and other drug testing, clinical assessment, and treatment services. 

• Mental and other health assessment and treatment services. 

• Aftercare and case management services associated with treatment services. 

• Community and victim panels and education. 

• Housing, education, job training, conflict resolution, batterer intervention and other social 

services. 

• Graduated sanctions and incentives. 

This NIJ solicitation is for proposals to conduct a multi-site process and outcome evaluation of 

State, tribal, and local reentry courts funded by BJA under the SCA in FY2010. The objective is 

to fully document the implementation of these reentry courts, and to describe program 

successes and failures in the context of local resources and challenges. At a minimum, the 

process evaluation should review: policies and procedures, staff and other resources, program 

caseflow, assessments, service delivery, and community activities. The outcome evaluation 

should measure the program’s influence on the adult offender and the community during and 

after program involvement. Offender outcomes to be measured must include arrests, violations, 

convictions, and incarcerations. Researchers will need to consider additional outcomes in the 

their analysis, as appropriate to the evaluation work proposed, dependent upon whether or not 

such additional outcomes – such as those related to housing, for example – have been 

addressed in an individual reentry court’s program objectives. 

Information gathered during the process and outcome evaluations must support assessment of 

the following program objectives: 

• Engage target populations and increase program retention. 

• Identify offender needs and respond with appropriate services. 

• Reduce offender alcohol and other drug use. 

• Improve offender housing, education, employment, and other circumstances. 

• Reduce offender recidivism during and after program participation. 

• Enhance community involvement and support. 

The number, location, and dollar amounts of the grants funded by BJA will be determined in 

FY2010. For the purposes of this NIJ solicitation, applicants may assume that BJA will fund a 

single cohort of FY2010 grants for 12 months with the possibility of no-cost extensions. BJA 

grantees may be eligible for continued funding for an additional 24 months contingent upon the 

availability of funds and demonstration of adequate progress toward meeting established goals 

of the reentry court program. NIJ applicants should propose an evaluation of 10 reentry courts. 

Since these sites will be selected later by BJA under its State, Tribal, and Local Reentry Courts 

competitive program, the successful applicant to this evaluation solicitation will be required to 

submit a revised evaluation plan, and proposed budget modifications as necessary, within 60 

days of acceptance of the NIJ grant award. A special condition will be attached to the award 

stipulating that the grantee may not obligate, expend, or drawdown more than $25,000 until NIJ 

approves the revised evaluation plan and issues a grant adjustment notice to remove or modify 

this special condition. 

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Evaluation plans should maximize the utility of available data and information resulting from BJA 

grant reporting requirements and other SCA-funded resources. Performance measure 

information will be reported quarterly by BJA grantees, as instructed in the “Performance 

Measures” section of BJA’s FY2010 solicitation (see www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/10Second

ChanceCourtsSol.pdf). Training and technical assistance will be provided by the National 

Reentry Resource Center (see http://www.nationalreentryresourcecenter.org), including monthly 

teleconferences with each BJA reentry court program. Finally, BJA plans to sponsor a two-day 

grantee orientation meeting for its BJA reentry court grantees; for the purposes of this NIJ 

solicitation, applicants may assume that this meeting will be held in February 2011. 

Section 5 of the SCA requires the Attorney General, not later than January 31 of each year, to 

submit all reports required by this Act during the preceding year to the Judiciary Committees of 

Congress. The NIJ grantee will be responsible for written material that will be incorporated into 

these annual reports to Congress. That should include a summary of activities carried out under 

the program, and an assessment of whether the activities are meeting the needs identified for 

the reentry court offenders and communities. 

The NIJ grantee will produce a paper summarizing interim findings for presentation at the NIJ 

Conference in June 2012, and a paper summarizing final findings for presentation at the NIJ 

Conference in June 2014. 

In their applications, researchers must: 

• State research questions that correspond clearly to proposed evaluation methods, data 

collection, analysis, and report plans. 

• Propose to develop logic models that illustrate the inputs, activities, outputs, short- and 

long-term outcomes, and external factors associated with each program (see NIJ Web 

site for more information on program logic models at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/

topics/courts/drug-courts/measures-evaluation.htm). 

• Detail how qualitative and quantitative research methods will be applied, and how the 

information collected will be compiled and analyzed. 

• Describe potential data resources, and how those will be assessed to address potential 

validity and reliability concerns. 

• Demonstrate cultural competence in research protocol and capabilities that addresses 

geographic, racial/ethnic, language, and other relevant diversity issues. 

• Submit a 42 month project timeline beginning in January 2011 that notes milestones 

including: the BJA grantee meeting and the revised evaluation plan in February 2011; 

annual reports to Congress in January; NIJ Conference presentations in June 2012 and 

June 2014; and draft data and written work products in March 2014. 

Amount and length of awards: NIJ anticipates that up to a total of $3 million may become 

available for one award of 42 months made through this solicitation. All NIJ awards are 

subject to the availability of appropriated funds and to any modifications or additional 

requirements that may be imposed by law. 

A grant made by NIJ under this solicitation may account for up to 100 percent of the total cost of 

the project. See "Cofunding" under "What an Application Must Include." 

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Evaluation Research: Evaluations that include measurements of program fidelity and 

implementation as part of a thorough process assessment are desirable. Measurements of 

program fidelity should be included as part of an assessment of program processes and 

operations to ensure that policies, programs, and technologies are implemented as designed. 

As one aspect of a comprehensive evaluation, assessments of program processes should 

include objective measurements and qualitative observations of programs as they are actually 

implemented and services are delivered. These may include assessment of such aspects as 

adherence to program content and protocol, quantity and duration, quality of delivery, and 

participant responsiveness. 

Proposed evaluation research designs with multiple units of analysis and multiple 

measurements will also be given priority. Design aspects that contribute to the validity of results 

are necessary to effectively address issues of generalizability and representativeness of 

findings. 

Please note: All applicants under this solicitation must comply with Department of Justice 

regulations on confidentiality and human subjects protection. See “Other Requirements for OJP 

Applications” at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm. 

What will not be funded:

1. Provision of training or direct service. 

2. Proposals primarily to purchase equipment, materials, or supplies. (Your budget may 

include these items if they are necessary to conduct applied research, development, 

demonstration, evaluation, or analysis.) 

3. Work that will be funded under another specific solicitation. 

Budget Information 

Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation; Waiver: With respect to 

any award of more than $250,000 made under this solicitation, Federal funds may not be used 

to pay total cash compensation (salary plus bonuses) to any employee of the award recipient at 

a rate that exceeds 110% of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the Federal 

Government’s Senior Executive Service (SES) at an agency with a Certified SES Performance 

Appraisal System for that year. (The 2010 salary table for SES employees is available at 

http://www.opm.gov/oca/10tables/indexSES.asp.) Note: A recipient may compensate an 

employee at a higher rate, provided the amount in excess of this compensation limitation is paid 

with non-Federal funds. (Any such additional compensation will not be considered matching 

funds where match requirements apply.) 

The limitation on compensation rates allowable under an award may be waived on an individual 

basis at the discretion of the Director of the National Institute of Justice. An applicant that 

wishes to request a waiver must include a detailed justification in the budget narrative of its 

application. Unless the applicant submits a waiver request and justification with the application, 

the applicant should anticipate that OJP will request that the applicant adjust and resubmit its 

budget. 

The justification should include: the particular qualifications and expertise of the individual, the 

uniqueness of the service being provided, the individual’s specific knowledge of the program or 

project being undertaken with award funds, and a statement explaining that the individual’s 

salary is commensurate with the regular and customary rate for an individual with his/her 

qualifications and expertise, and for the work that is to be done. 

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Performance Measures 

To assist in fulfilling the Department’s responsibilities under the Government Performance and 

Results Act (GPRA), P.L. 103-62, applicants who receive funding under this solicitation must 

provide data that measure the results of their work. Applicants who receive funding under this 

solicitation are required to provide the data requested in the “Data Grantee Provides” column so 

that OJP can calculate values for the “Performance Measures” column. Performance measures 

for this solicitation are as follows: 

Objective Performance Measure(s) Data Grantee Provides 

Develop and analyze 

information and data 

having clear implications 

for criminal justice policy 

and practice in the United 

States. 

1. Relevance to the needs of the field 

as measured by whether the 

grantee’s substantive scope did not 

deviate from the funded proposal or 

any subsequent agency 

modifications to the scope. 

2. Quality of the research as assessed 

by peer reviewers. 

3. Quality of management as 

measured by whether significant 

interim project milestones were 

achieved, final deadlines were met, 

and costs remained within 

approved limits. 

4. If applicable, number of NIJ final 

grant reports, NIJ research 

documents, and grantee research 

documents published. 

1. A final report providing a 

comprehensive overview of the 

project and a detailed description of 

the project design, data, and 

methods; a full presentation of 

scientific findings; and a thorough 

discussion of the implications of the 

project findings for criminal justice 

practice and policy in the United 

States. 

2. Quarterly financial reports, semiannual progress reports, and a final 

progress report. 

3. If applicable, each data set that was 

collected, acquired, or modified in 

conjunction with the project. 

4. If applicable, citation to 

report(s)/document(s). 

How to Apply 

Applications will be submitted through Grants.gov. Grants.gov is a “one-stop storefront” that 

provides a unified process for all customers of Federal grants to find funding opportunities and 

apply for funding. Complete instructions on how to register and submit an application can be 

found at www.grants.gov. If you experience difficulties at any point during this process, please 

call the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline at 1–800–518–4726, 24 hours, seven days a 

week, except for Federal holidays. Registering with Grants.gov is a one-time process; however, 

processing delays may occur and it can take up to several weeks for first-time registrants 

to receive confirmation and a user password. OJP highly recommends that applicants start the 

registration process as early as possible to prevent delays in submitting an application package 

by the application deadline specified. 

All applicants are required to complete the following steps.

1. Acquire a DUNS Number. A DUNS number is required for Grants.gov registration. The 

Office of Management and Budget requires that all businesses and nonprofit applicants 

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for Federal funds include a DUNS (Data Universal Numbering System) number in their 

applications for a new award or renewal of an existing award. A DUNS number is a 

unique nine-digit sequence recognized as the universal standard for identifying and 

keeping track of entities receiving Federal funds. The identifier is used for tracking 

purposes and to validate address and point-of-contact information for Federal assistance 

applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. The DUNS number will be used throughout the 

grant life cycle. Obtaining a DUNS number is a free, one-time activity. Obtain a DUNS 

number by calling 1–866–705–5711 or by applying online at 

www.dunandbradstreet.com. Individuals are exempt from this requirement. 

2. Acquire or Renew Registration With the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) 

Database. OJP requires that all applicants (other than individuals) for Federal financial 

assistance maintain current registrations in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) 

database. An applicant must be registered in the CCR to successfully register in 

Grants.gov. The CCR database is the repository for standard information about Federal 

financial assistance applicants, recipients, and subrecipients. Organizations that have 

previously submitted applications via Grants.gov are already registered with CCR, as it 

is a requirement for Grants.gov registration. Please note, however, that applicants must 

update or renew their CCR registration at least once per year to maintain an active 

status. Information about CCR registration procedures can be accessed at www.ccr.gov. 

3. Acquire an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and a Grants.gov 

Username and Password. Complete your AOR profile on Grants.gov and create your 

username and password. You will need to use your organization’s DUNS Number to 

complete this step. For more information about the registration process, go to 

www.grants.gov/applicants/get_registered.jsp. 

4. Acquire Authorization for Your AOR From the E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz 

POC). The E-Biz POC at your organization must login to Grants.gov to confirm you as 

an AOR. Please note that there can be more than one AOR for your organization. 

5. Search for the Funding Opportunity on Grants.gov. Please use the following 

identifying information when searching for the funding opportunity on Grants.gov. The 

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) number for this solicitation is 16.560, 

titled “National Institute of Justice Research, Evaluation, and Development Projects 

Grants,” and the funding opportunity number is NIJ–2010–2594.

6. Submit an Application Consistent With This Solicitation. Within 24–48 hours after 

submitting your electronic application, you should receive an e-mail validation message 

from Grants.gov. The validation message will tell you whether the application has been 

received and validated or rejected, with an explanation. Important: You are urged to 

submit your application at least 72 hours prior to the due date of the application to allow 

time to receive the validation message and to correct any problems that may have 

caused a rejection notification. 

Note: Grants.gov will forward the application to OJP’s Grants Management System 

(GMS). GMS does not accept executable file types as application attachments. These 

disallowed file types include, but are not limited to, the following extensions: ".com," ".bat," 

".exe," ".vbs," ".cfg," ".dat," ".db," ".dbf," ".dll," ".ini," ".log," ".ora," ".sys," and ".zip."

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Experiencing Unforeseen Grants.gov Technical Issues 

If you experience unforeseen Grants.gov technical issues beyond your control that prevent you 

from submitting your application by the deadline, you must contact the NIJ staff member listed 

on the title page within 24 hours after the deadline and request approval to submit your 

application. At that time, NIJ staff will require you to e-mail the complete grant application, your 

DUNS number, and provide a Grants.gov Help Desk tracking number(s). After the program 

office reviews all of the information submitted, and contacts the Grants.gov Help Desk to 

validate the technical issues you reported, OJP will contact you to either approve or deny your 

request to submit a late application. If the technical issues you reported cannot be validated, 

your application will be rejected as untimely. 

To ensure a fair competition for limited discretionary funds, the following conditions are not valid 

reasons to permit late submissions: (1) failure to begin the registration process in sufficient time; 

(2) failure to follow Grants.gov instructions on how to register and apply as posted on its Web 

site; (3) failure to follow all of the instructions in the OJP solicitation; and (4) technical issues 

experienced with the applicant’s computer or information technology (IT) environment. 

Notifications regarding known technical problems with Grants.gov are posted on the OJP 

funding Web page, www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/solicitations.htm. 

What an Application Must Include 

This section describes what an application is expected to include and sets out a number of 

elements. Applicants should anticipate that failure to submit an application that contains all of 

the specified elements may negatively affect the review of the application and, should a decision 

nevertheless be made to make an award, may result in the inclusion of special conditions that 

preclude access to or use of award funds pending satisfaction of the conditions. 

Moreover, applicants should anticipate that applications that are not responsive to the scope of 

the solicitation, or do not include a program narrative, budget detail worksheet, budget narrative, 

tribal resolution (if applicable), and resumes/curriculum vitae of key personnel will not proceed 

to peer review and will not receive further consideration. 

OJP strongly recommends use of appropriately descriptive file names (e.g., “Program 

Narrative,” “Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative,” “Timelines,” “Memoranda of 

Understanding,” “Resumes”) for all attachments. OJP recommends that resumes be included in 

a single file. 

Standard Form 424 

Please see www07.grants.gov/assets/SF424Instructions.pdf for instructions on how to 

complete your SF424. When selecting "type of applicant," if the applicant is a for-profit 

entity, please select "For-Profit Organization" or "Small Business" (as applicable) in the 

Type of Applicant 1 data field. For-profit applicants also may select additional applicable 

categories (e.g., "Private Institution of Higher Education"). 

 Program Narrative 

Program Narrative Guidelines: 

a. Title Page (not counted against the 30-page program narrative limit). 

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The title page should include the title of the project, submission date, funding 

opportunity number, and the applicant’s name and complete contact information 

(i.e., name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address).

b. Project Abstract (not counted against the 30-page program narrative limit). 

The 400 to 600-word abstract should state the problem under investigation 

(including research goals and objectives) and the anticipated relevance of the 

project to criminal justice public policy, practice, or theory. It should describe the 

proposed method and/or research design, including data to be used in 

addressing research questions, data collection procedures and instrumentation, 

access to data, and other methods or procedures of the proposed study. It 

should also describe procedures for data analysis and all expected products, 

including interim and final reports, instrumentation, and devices. If applicable, it 

should describe the subjects who will be involved in the proposed project, 

including the number of participants; participants’ age, gender, and race/ethnicity; 

and other pertinent characteristics, such as methods used to gain access to 

subjects. 

c. Resubmit Response (if applicable). If an applicant is resubmitting a proposal 

that was presented previously to NIJ, but not funded, the applicant must indicate 

this. A two-page document addressing the previous consensus review must be 

provided that covers the following: (1) the title, submission date, and NIJassigned application number of the previous proposal, and (2) a brief summary of 

responses to the peer review and/or revisions to the proposal. This document 

should be inserted after the abstract. This document will not be counted against 

the 30-page program narrative limit. 

d. Table of Contents and Figures (not counted against the 30-page program 

narrative limit). 

e. Main body. The main body of the Program Narrative should describe the project 

in depth and include the following sections: 

• Purpose, goals, and objectives. 

• Review of relevant literature. 

• Detailed description of research design and methods to include: 

research questions, hypotheses, description of sample, analysis plan, 

etc. 

• Research independence and integrity (see “Selection Criteria,” 

below). 

• Implications for criminal justice policy and practice in the United 

States. 

• Management plan and organization. 

• Dissemination strategy. 

The program narrative section of your application must not exceed 30 doublespaced pages in 12-point font with 1-inch margins. Abstract, table of contents, 

charts, figures, appendices, and government forms do not count toward the 30-

page limit for the narrative section. 

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Applicants should anticipate that if the program narrative fails to comply with 

these length-related restrictions, such that it provides a significant competitive 

advantage, the failure to comply may be considered in peer review and in final 

award decisions. 

f. Appendices (not counted against program narrative page limit) include: 

• Bibliography/references. 

• Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps 

pertaining to the proposed study. 

• Curriculum vitae, resumes or biographical sketches of all key 

personnel. 

• Project timeline and research calendar with expected milestones. 

• Human Subjects Protection Paperwork including Institutional Review 

Board (IRB) documentation and forms (see 

http://www.ojp.gov/nij/funding/humansubjects/human-subjects.htm). 

• Privacy Certificate (for further guidance go to 

http://www.ojp.gov/nij/funding/humansubjects/privacy-certificateguidance.htm). 

• List of previous and current NIJ awards to applicant organization and 

investigator(s). 

• Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from 

organizations collaborating in the project, such as law enforcement 

and correctional agencies (if applicable). 

• List of other agencies, organizations, or funding sources to which you 

have submitted this proposal (if applicable). 

• Other materials specified by the solicitation. 

• Data Archiving Strategy (see descriptive paragraph below).

Data Archiving Strategy: NIJ requires that each data set resulting from funded 

research be submitted as a grant product or deliverable for archiving with the 

National Archive of Criminal Justice Data. (Data sets are to be submitted 90 days 

before the end of the project period.) Applications for NIJ research grants must 

include a brief (one- or two-page) data archiving strategy. For purposes of 

research replication and extension, the inclusion of only the final data set often 

prevents other researchers from replicating or extending the study because there 

are no original data, intermediate data, or documentation detailing how the data 

changed throughout the project. This data archiving strategy therefore must 

briefly describe the— 

• Anticipated manipulations of original, intermediate, and final data sets (as 

applicable). 

• Methods of documentation of such manipulations. 

• Preparation of original, intermediate, and final data sets for archive 

submission. 

The data archiving strategy should be submitted as an appendix to the 

application and will not count toward the 30-page limit. Please label this appendix 

“Data Archiving Strategy.” 

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Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative 

a. Budget Detail Worksheet

A sample Budget Detail Worksheet can be found at 

www.ojp.gov/funding/forms/budget_detail.pdf. If the budget is submitted in a different 

format, the budget categories listed in the sample budget worksheet must be 

included. 

For questions pertaining to budget and examples of allowable and unallowable costs, 

please see the OJP Financial Guide at www.ojp.gov/financialguide/index.htm. 

b. Budget Narrative 

The Budget Narrative should thoroughly and clearly describe every category of 

expense listed in the Budget Detail Worksheet. The narrative should be 

mathematically sound and correspond with the information and figures provided in 

the Budget Detail Worksheet. The narrative should explain how all costs were 

estimated and calculated and how they are relevant to the completion of the 

proposed project. The narrative may include tables for clarification purposes and can 

be provided in a Microsoft Office Word document. As with the Budget Detail 

Worksheet, the Budget Narrative must be broken down by year. 

Cofunding: A grant made by NIJ under this solicitation may account for up to 100 

percent of the total cost of the project. You must indicate whether you believe it is 

feasible for you to contribute cash, facilities, or services as non-Federal support for the 

project. Your application should identify generally any such contributions that you expect 

to make and your proposed budget should indicate in detail which items, if any, will be 

supported with non-Federal contributions. 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) 

Applicants that do not have a federally negotiated indirect cost rate and wish to establish 

one can submit a proposal to their “cognizant” Federal agency. Generally, the cognizant 

Federal agency is the agency that provides the preponderance of direct Federal funding. 

This can be determined by reviewing an organization’s schedule of Federal financial 

assistance. If DOJ is your cognizant Federal agency, obtain information needed to 

submit an indirect cost rate proposal at 

http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/part3/part3chap17.htm.

Tribal Authorizing Resolution 

If an application is being submitted by either (1) a tribe or tribal organization, or (2) by a 

third party proposing to provide direct services or assistance to residents on tribal lands, 

then a current authorizing resolution of the governing body of the tribal entity or other 

enactment of the tribal council or comparable governing body authorizing the inclusion of 

the tribe or tribal organization and its residents must be included with the application. In 

those instances when an organization or consortium of tribes proposes to apply for a 

grant on behalf of a tribe or multiple specific tribes, then the application must include a 

resolution from all tribes that will be included as a part of the services/assistance 

provided under the grant. 

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Other Standard Forms 

Additional forms that may be required in connection with an award are available on 

OJP’s funding page at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/forms.htm. Please note in 

particular the following forms. 

1. Certifications Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension and Other 

Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (required to be 

submitted in GMS prior to the receipt of any award funds) 

2. Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (required for any applicant that expends any 

funds for lobbying activities) 

3. Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (required for any 

applicant that is a nongovernmental entity and that has not received any award 

from OJP within the past 3 years) 

4. Standard Assurances (required to be submitted in GMS prior to the receipt of any 

award funds) 

Note: Attachments to the application should be included in one of the following four 

categories: 1) Program Narrative; 2) Budget Detail Worksheet and Budget Narrative; 

3) Appendices; and 4) Other. 

Selection Criteria 

Statement of the Problem (Understanding of the problem and its importance)—15%

Project/Program Design and Implementation (Quality and technical merit)—25%

1. Awareness of the state of current research or technology. 

2. Soundness of methodology and analytic and technical approach. 

3. Feasibility of proposed project and awareness of pitfalls. 

4. Innovation and creativity (when appropriate). 

Capabilities/Competencies (Capabilities, demonstrated productivity, and experience of 

applicants)—25%

1. Qualifications and experience of proposed staff. 

 2. Demonstrated ability of proposed staff and organization to manage the effort. 

 3. Adequacy of the plan to manage the project, including how various tasks are subdivided 

and resources are used. 

 4. Successful past performance on NIJ grants and contracts (when applicable). 

Budget—15% 

1. Total cost of the project relative to the perceived benefit. 

 2. Appropriateness of the budget relative to the level of effort. 

 3. Use of existing resources to conserve costs. 

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Impact/Outcomes and Evaluation (Relevance to policy and practice)—15% 

1. Potential for significant advances in scientific or technical understanding of the problem. 

2. Potential for significant advances in the field. 

3. Relevance for improving the policy and practice of criminal justice and related agencies 

in the United States and improving public safety, security, and quality of life. 

4. Affordability and cost-effectiveness of proposed end products, when applicable (e.g., 

purchase price and maintenance costs for a new technology or cost of training to use the 

technology). 

5. Perceived potential for commercialization and/or implementation of a new technology 

(when applicable). 

Relevance of the project for policy and practice in the United States

Higher quality applications clearly explain the practical implications of the project. They 

connect technical expertise with criminal justice policy and practice. To ensure that the 

project has strong relevance for policy and practice, some researchers and technologists 

collaborate with practitioners and policymakers. You may include letters showing support 

from practitioners, but they carry less weight than clear evidence that you understand why 

policymakers and practitioners would benefit from your work and how they would use it. 

While a partnership may affect State or local activities, it should also have broader 

implications for others across the country. 

Dissemination Strategy—5% 

1. Well-defined plan for the grant recipient to disseminate results to appropriate audiences, 

including researchers, practitioners, and policymakers. 

 2. Suggestions for print and electronic products NIJ might develop for practitioners and 

policymakers. 

Research Independence and Integrity 

Regardless of a proposal’s rating under the criteria outlined above, in order to receive funds, the 

applicant’s proposal must demonstrate research independence, including appropriate 

safeguards to ensure research objectivity and integrity. 

Considerations in evaluating research independence and integrity will include, but may not be 

limited to, the adequacy of the applicant’s efforts to identify factors that could affect the 

objectivity/integrity of the proposed staff and/or the organization in carrying out the research, 

development, or evaluation activity; and the adequacy of the applicant’s existing or proposed 

remedies to control any such factors. 

Review Process 

OJP is committed to ensuring a fair and open process for awarding grants. NIJ reviews the 

application to make sure that the information presented is reasonable, understandable, 

measurable, and achievable, as well as consistent with the solicitation. 

Peer reviewers will be reviewing the applications submitted under this solicitation that meet 

basic minimum requirements. NIJ may use either internal peer reviewers, external peer 

reviewers, or a combination to review the applications under this solicitation. An external peer 

reviewer is an expert in the field of the subject matter of a given solicitation who is NOT a 

current U.S. Department of Justice employee. An internal reviewer is a current U.S. Department 

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of Justice employee who is well-versed or has expertise in the subject matter of this solicitation. 

Eligible applications will be evaluated, scored, and rated by a peer review panel. Peer 

reviewers’ ratings and any resulting recommendations are advisory only. In addition to peer 

review ratings, considerations for award recommendations and decisions may include, but are 

not limited to, underserved populations, geographic diversity, strategic priorities, past 

performance, and available funding. 

The Office of the Chief Financial Officer (OCFO), in consultation with NIJ, conducts a financial 

review of applications for potential discretionary awards and cooperative agreements to 

evaluate the fiscal integrity and financial capability of applicants; examines proposed costs to 

determine if the budget and budget narrative accurately explain project costs; and determines 

whether costs are reasonable, necessary, and allowable under applicable Federal cost 

principles and agency regulations. 

All final award decisions will be made by the Director of the National Institute of Justice, who 

also may give consideration to factors including, but not limited to, underserved populations, 

geographic diversity, strategic priorities, past performance, and available funding when making 

awards. 

Additional Requirements 

Applicants selected for awards must agree to comply with additional legal requirements upon 

acceptance of an award. We strongly encourage you to review the information pertaining to 

these additional requirements prior to submitting your application. Additional information for 

each can be found at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/other_requirements.htm. 

• Civil Rights Compliance 

• Faith-Based and Other Community Organizations 

• Confidentiality and Human Subjects Protection (if applicable) 

• Anti-Lobbying Act 

• Financial and Government Audit Requirements 

• National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (if applicable) 

• DOJ Information Technology Standards (if applicable) 

• Single Point of Contact Review 

• Nonsupplanting of State or Local Funds 

• Criminal Penalty for False Statements 

• Compliance with Office of Justice Programs Financial Guide

• Suspension or Termination of Funding 

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• Nonprofit Organizations 

• For-Profit Organizations 

• Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) 

• Rights in Intellectual Property 

• Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act (FFATA) of 2006 

• Awards in excess of $5,000,000 – Federal taxes certification requirement 

If your proposal is funded, you will be required to submit several reports and other materials, 

including: 

Final substantive report: The final report should be a comprehensive overview of the project 

and should include a detailed description of the project design, data, and methods; a full 

presentation of scientific findings; a thorough discussion of the implications of the project 

findings for criminal justice practice and policy in the United States; etc. It must contain an 

abstract of no more than 600 words and an executive summary of 2,500 to 4,000 words. 

A draft of the final report, abstract, and executive summary must be submitted 90 days before 

the end date of the grant. The draft final report will be peer reviewed upon submission. The 

reviews will be forwarded to the principal investigator with suggestions for revisions. The author 

must then submit the revised final report, abstract, and executive summary by the end date of 

the grant. The abstract, executive summary, and final report must be submitted in both paper 

and electronic formats. 

For program evaluation studies, the final report should include a section on measuring program 

performance. This section should outline the measures used to evaluate program effectiveness, 

modifications made to those measures as a result of the evaluation, and recommendations 

regarding these and other potential performance measures for similar programs. (This 

information will be particularly valuable to NIJ and other Federal program agencies in 

implementing performance measures for federally funded criminal justice programs.) 

Interim reports: Grantees must submit quarterly financial reports, semi-annual progress 

reports, a final progress report, and, if applicable, an annual audit report in accordance with 

Office of Management and Budget Circular A–133. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be 

withheld if reports are delinquent. 

Data sets: NIJ requires submission of all data sets (original, intermediate, and final) produced 

or collected for the funded project, and any artifact associated with the project data. Included 

with the final sets of data should be the plan outlined in the Data Archiving Strategy section of 

the proposal. 

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Application Checklist 

Evaluation of the Bureau of Justice Assistance Second Chance Act 

FY2010 State, Tribal, and Local Reentry Courts Program 

The application checklist has been created to aid you in developing your application. 

Eligibility Requirement:

_____ Tribal authorizing resolution (if applicable) 

Application Components: 

_____ Program Narrative (see pages 9–11 and “Selection Criteria,” pages 13–14) 

_____ Appendices to the Program Narrative 

_____ Bibliography/references 

_____ Any tools/instruments, questionnaires, tables/charts/graphs, or maps 

pertaining to the proposed study 

_____ Curriculum vitae, resumes or biographical sketches of all key personnel 

_____ Project timeline and research calendar with expected milestones 

_____ Human Subjects Protection Paperwork 

_____ Privacy Certificate 

_____ List of previous and current NIJ awards to applicant organization and 

investigators 

_____ Letters of cooperation/support or administrative agreements from 

organizations collaborating in the project (if applicable) 

_____ List of other agencies, organizations, or funding sources to which you 

have submitted this proposal (if applicable) 

_____ Data Archiving Strategy 

_____ Budget Narrative 

_____ Budget Detail Worksheet 

_____ Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) 

Program Narrative/Abstract Format:

_____ Double-spaced 

_____ 12-point standard font 

_____ 1” standard margins 

_____ Narrative is 30 pages or less 

Other: 

_____ Standard Form 424 

_____ DUNS number 

_____ Other standard forms as applicable (see page 13), including 

_____ Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable) 

_____ Accounting System and Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable)