Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2015 4159
Apply for BJA 2015 4159
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 15 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Training and Technical Assistance Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.817 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program.
- This funding opportunity was created on Mar 18, 2015 and posted on Mar 18, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by May 4, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education Public and State controlled institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification) Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
- Eligible applicants are limited to any national nonprofit organization, for profit (commercial) organization (including tribal nonprofit or for profit organizations), or institution of higher learning (including tribal institutions of higher education) that have expertise and experience in managing training and technical assistance for multifaceted place based, community oriented, problem solving justice programs that improve outcomes in distressed communities. In addition, the applicant must show the capacity to provide technical expertise in implementing action research partnerships between local criminal justice researchers and practitioners. For profit organizations must agree to waive any profit or fees for services. BJA welcomes applications that involve two or more entities however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the BCJI Training and Technical Assistance Program. Only one application per lead applicant will be considered however, subrecipients may be part of multiple proposals.
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Opportunity Summary:
The BJA FY 15 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Training and Technical Assistance Program was a competitive Bureau of Justice Assistance grant designed to fund a single national provider to deliver broad, hands-on training and technical assistance (TTA) to communities already participating in the BCJI Program. The core idea was to strengthen local capacity to reduce crime and violence in the specific places where it concentrates most, while also helping neighborhoods build longer-term resilience by improving underlying community conditions. Rather than funding direct local enforcement or services through many separate awards, this opportunity focused on resourcing one highly qualified organization to support multiple BCJI sites with structured guidance, tools, coaching, and coordination.
The TTA provider was expected to help neighborhoods form and sustain cross-sector partnerships that bring together law enforcement, local government, residents, community-based organizations, service providers, and other stakeholders. A major emphasis was on resident engagement, treating community members as equal and essential partners in diagnosing problems and shaping solutions, and on efforts to build and increase trust between communities and the police. The provider also needed to support communities in designing and implementing data-driven and innovative place-based revitalization strategies, meaning approaches that use local crime and community data to target interventions geographically and adjust tactics over time based on results.
A key deliverable embedded in the program design was support for action research partnerships. Applicants had to demonstrate the capacity to connect local practitioners with research partners and to help sites collect, analyze, and use data on an ongoing basis. This included practical assistance with performance measurement, program management, and learning cycles so that strategies could be refined while implementation was underway. The intent was not just evaluation for reporting purposes, but continuous use of data to strengthen decision-making and improve outcomes, and to help communities sustain effective strategies after the period of intensive federal support.
BCJI as a model is intentionally multi-faceted: it targets crime at high-impact locations while also building neighborhood capacity to deter future crime by addressing conditions that commonly correlate with crime. The announcement highlighted three broad drivers BCJI seeks to influence: physical disorder, social and economic status and resources, and collective efficacy (the ability of residents and local institutions to work together to maintain informal social control and shared norms). The TTA provider therefore needed enough breadth to advise on criminal justice tactics, community partnership development, problem-solving methods, and place-based revitalization strategies, all while keeping activities grounded in evidence-based or clearly testable innovative approaches.
The opportunity also required alignment with broader federal place-based initiatives. BCJI was described as part of the Administration's larger place-based programming portfolio, including Promise Zones and the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI). The selected TTA provider would be expected to coordinate with other federal interagency efforts and existing technical assistance streams across agencies such as DOJ, Education, HHS, HUD, USDA, Interior, and Treasury, so local efforts could be reinforced rather than duplicated. In addition, a limited portion of the TTA capacity was set aside to support jurisdictions with a Promise Zones designation, specifically to advance public safety priorities within those designated communities.
In practical terms, the program aimed to create scalable lessons. Beyond helping BCJI sites implement strategies to reduce crime and violence, the provider was expected to capture and share results and promising practices widely so other communities could learn from the work. This reflects a broader goal of building a national knowledge base around place-based, community-oriented crime reduction approaches, especially important during periods of constrained local budgets when leaders need reliable tools to interpret crime trends, allocate resources effectively, and choose interventions likely to produce measurable impact.
Administratively, this was a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BJA-2015-4159) under CFDA 16.817, with an expected single award. The award ceiling was $2,000,000, there was no stated award floor, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement. The solicitation was posted March 18, 2015, and closed May 4, 2015 (archived June 3, 2015). Eligible lead applicants were limited to national nonprofit organizations, for-profit (commercial) organizations (including tribal nonprofit or for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions), as long as they could demonstrate strong expertise managing TTA for multi-faceted, place-based, community-oriented justice initiatives in distressed communities and show capacity to support action research partnerships. For-profit applicants had to agree to waive any profit or fees for services. Partnerships were encouraged, but one eligible organization had to serve as the lead applicant with primary responsibility for administering funds and managing the overall TTA program; only one application per lead applicant would be considered, though subrecipients could participate in multiple proposals.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is the BJA FY 15 Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Training and Technical Assistance Program?
It was a competitive Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) discretionary grant designed to fund one national training and technical assistance (TTA) provider to support communities already participating in the BCJI Program. The purpose was to strengthen local capacity to reduce crime and violence in the specific places where crime concentrates, while helping neighborhoods build longer-term resilience by improving underlying community conditions.
2. What problem was this grant designed to address?
The program was designed to help BCJI sites reduce crime and violence at high-impact locations and, at the same time, improve neighborhood conditions associated with crime. The model focuses on place-based strategies and longer-term neighborhood capacity so communities can sustain effective approaches beyond the period of intensive federal support.
3. Who would this funding go to: individual communities or one national organization?
This opportunity focused on making a single award to one highly qualified national provider. Rather than issuing many separate awards for direct local enforcement or services, BJA intended to resource one organization to deliver structured guidance, tools, coaching, and coordination across multiple BCJI sites.
4. How many awards were expected under this solicitation?
An expected single award was stated.
5. What was the maximum award amount?
The award ceiling was $2,000,000.
6. Was there a minimum (floor) award amount?
No award floor was stated.
7. Was a match or cost sharing required?
No. The solicitation stated there was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
8. What was the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA number?
Funding Opportunity Number: BJA-2015-4159. CFDA: 16.817.
9. When was the solicitation posted and when did it close?
The solicitation was posted March 18, 2015, and closed May 4, 2015. It was archived June 3, 2015.
10. Who was eligible to apply as the lead applicant?
Eligible lead applicants were limited to national nonprofit organizations, for-profit (commercial) organizations (including tribal nonprofit or for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions). Applicants needed to demonstrate strong expertise managing TTA for multi-faceted, place-based, community-oriented justice initiatives in distressed communities and show capacity to support action research partnerships.
11. Were tribal organizations and tribal institutions eligible?
Yes. The eligibility description explicitly included tribal nonprofit or for-profit organizations and tribal institutions of higher education.
12. Were local governments or police departments eligible to apply as the lead applicant?
Not as lead applicants under the categories listed. Lead eligibility was limited to national nonprofits, for-profit organizations, and institutions of higher education (including tribal). (Partnerships could involve many stakeholders, but one eligible organization had to be the lead.)
13. Could a for-profit organization apply?
Yes, for-profit (commercial) organizations were eligible, including tribal for-profit entities. However, for-profit applicants had to agree to waive any profit or fees for services.
14. What did BJA mean by "training and technical assistance (TTA)" in this program?
TTA in this context was described as broad, hands-on support delivered to BCJI participating communities. It included structured guidance, tools, coaching, and coordination to help sites form partnerships, engage residents, implement data-driven place-based strategies, build trust between police and communities, and use data continuously to improve performance and outcomes.
15. What kinds of partnerships was the TTA provider expected to support?
The provider was expected to help neighborhoods form and sustain cross-sector partnerships involving law enforcement, local government, residents, community-based organizations, service providers, and other stakeholders. A major emphasis was resident engagement, with community members treated as equal and essential partners.
16. What was the emphasis on resident engagement and police-community trust?
The solicitation highlighted resident engagement as a major emphasis, framing residents as equal and essential partners in diagnosing problems and shaping solutions. It also emphasized efforts to build and increase trust between communities and the police.
17. What does "place-based" mean in the context of this opportunity?
Place-based strategies were described as approaches that target interventions geographically in the specific locations where crime and violence concentrate, using local crime and community data to focus efforts and adjust tactics over time based on results.
18. What is meant by "data-driven and innovative" strategies here?
The provider was expected to support communities in designing and implementing strategies grounded in local data and in evidence-based or clearly testable innovative approaches. The intent was for sites to use data not only for reporting, but also to refine tactics during implementation.
19. What were the key community conditions BCJI aimed to influence?
The announcement highlighted three broad drivers: physical disorder; social and economic status and resources; and collective efficacy (the ability of residents and local institutions to work together to maintain informal social control and shared norms).
20. What is "collective efficacy" as used in the solicitation?
Collective efficacy was described as the ability of residents and local institutions to work together to maintain informal social control and shared norms.
21. What were "action research partnerships" and why were they important?
Action research partnerships were a key deliverable in the program design. Applicants needed to show they could connect local practitioners with research partners and help sites collect, analyze, and use data on an ongoing basis. The goal was continuous learning and improvement while implementation was underway, not evaluation solely for reporting.
22. What kinds of data support and performance work were expected from the TTA provider?
The provider was expected to assist with performance measurement, program management, and learning cycles so that strategies could be refined during implementation. The emphasis was on ongoing collection, analysis, and practical use of data for decision-making and improved outcomes.
23. Did the solicitation focus on direct enforcement or direct local services?
No. It explicitly contrasted this approach with funding many separate local awards for direct enforcement or services. This opportunity focused on funding one national provider to support multiple BCJI sites through TTA.
24. What level of expertise was the lead applicant expected to demonstrate?
The lead applicant needed to demonstrate strong expertise managing TTA for multi-faceted, place-based, community-oriented justice initiatives in distressed communities, along with capacity to support action research partnerships.
25. How did this opportunity relate to other federal place-based initiatives?
BCJI was described as part of the Administration's broader place-based programming portfolio, including Promise Zones and the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative (NRI). The selected provider was expected to coordinate with interagency efforts and existing technical assistance streams across federal agencies so local work could be reinforced rather than duplicated.
26. Which federal agencies were mentioned as part of the coordination expectation?
The solicitation referenced coordination across agencies such as DOJ, Education, HHS, HUD, USDA, Interior, and Treasury.
27. What was the Promise Zones-related requirement?
A limited portion of the TTA capacity was set aside to support jurisdictions with a Promise Zones designation, specifically to advance public safety priorities within those designated communities.
28. Were partnerships allowed or encouraged in the application?
Yes. Partnerships were encouraged. However, one eligible organization had to serve as the lead applicant and hold primary responsibility for administering funds and managing the overall TTA program.
29. How many applications could a lead applicant submit?
Only one application per lead applicant would be considered.
30. Could subrecipients participate in more than one proposal?
Yes. While only one application per lead applicant would be considered, subrecipients could participate in multiple proposals.
31. What was the intended outcome beyond helping current BCJI sites?
The program aimed to create scalable lessons. The provider was expected to capture and share results and promising practices widely so other communities could learn from the work and so leaders could better interpret crime trends, allocate resources effectively, and choose interventions likely to produce measurable impact.
32. What type of grant was this (administratively)?
It was described as a discretionary grant opportunity.
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