Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2015 4102
Apply for BJA 2015 4102
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 15 Smart Defense Initiative National Training and Technical Assistance" 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 Feb 23, 2015 and posted on Feb 23, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 8, 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 $500,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Private institutions of higher education For profit organizations other than small businesses Public and State controlled institutions of higher education Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Applicants are limited to for profit organizations, nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit or for profit organizations), faith based and community organizations, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), and consortiums with demonstrated experience providing national and local level training and technical assistance. For profit organizations must agree to waive any profit or fees for services.
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Opportunity Summary:
The BJA FY 15 Smart Defense Initiative National Training and Technical Assistance grant (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2015 4102) is a discretionary Bureau of Justice Assistance funding opportunity designed to select a single national provider to deliver training and technical assistance for the Smart Defense Initiative. Smart Defense sits within BJA's broader "Smart Suite" of criminal justice programs, alongside Smart Policing, Smart Pretrial, Smart Prosecution, and Smart Supervision. The common thread across the Smart Suite is a commitment to evidence-based, data-driven approaches that improve outcomes while also being practical and cost-conscious. In other words, the program emphasis is on bringing more "science" into everyday criminal justice operations through analysis, technology, and proven practices rather than relying on tradition or intuition alone.
The purpose of Smart Defense is to strengthen public defense delivery systems, with a specific focus on improving the quality of representation for indigent defendants. The program is explicitly grounded in the American Bar Association's Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System, released in 2002. Those principles are treated as the core framework for what a functioning, high-quality indigent defense system should look like, including fundamentals such as defender independence, manageable workloads, sufficient resources, effective supervision, and ongoing training and quality controls. The opportunity description notes that the Ten Principles have been recognized by the U.S. Attorney General as an important benchmark for making indigent defense both effective and efficient, which signals that BJA expects applicants to understand the principles and be able to translate them into practical guidance for jurisdictions.
A key point about this solicitation is what it does not fund. This grant announcement is not intended to provide direct awards to individual states, counties, or local jurisdictions to run their own Smart Defense projects. BJA separately released a competitive solicitation to fund state and local Smart Defense sites. The FY 15 opportunity summarized here is specifically for one national training and technical assistance provider that can support and build capacity among the jurisdictions chosen as Smart Defense sites, and also strengthen the broader field of public defense. That means the successful applicant would be expected to help multiple sites implement improvements aligned with the ABA Ten Principles, likely through structured training, targeted technical assistance, peer learning opportunities, and practical tools that jurisdictions can adopt.
In terms of funding and award structure, BJA anticipated making one award, with an award ceiling of $500,000 and no cost sharing or matching requirement. The award floor is listed as $0, which generally indicates flexibility in award sizing up to the ceiling, but the solicitation still expects a credible national scope of work. The program is funded under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015. The activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services, and the CFDA number listed is 16.817 (Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program).
Eligibility is oriented toward organizations that can credibly provide national- and local-level training and technical assistance. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), faith-based and community organizations, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions), and consortiums, provided they can demonstrate relevant experience delivering TTA. An important restriction applies to for-profit applicants: they must agree to waive any profit or fees for services, which effectively requires a cost-reimbursement approach without profit margin. The public listing also references private and public institutions of higher education and 501(c)(3) nonprofits as eligible applicant types.
Finally, the timeline reflects a posted and created date of February 23, 2015, with an original and current closing date of April 8, 2015, and an archive date of May 8, 2015. Application submission support is routed through Grants.gov, with a 24/7 customer support hotline (excluding federal holidays) and an email contact (support@grants.gov) for technical issues.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the BJA FY 15 Smart Defense Initiative National Training and Technical Assistance grant?
This is a discretionary Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) funding opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2015 4102) to select a single national provider to deliver training and technical assistance (TTA) for the Smart Defense Initiative.
What is the main purpose of the Smart Defense Initiative?
Smart Defense is intended to strengthen public defense delivery systems, with a specific focus on improving the quality of representation for indigent defendants.
How does Smart Defense fit within BJA's broader work?
Smart Defense is part of BJA's broader "Smart Suite" of criminal justice programs, which also includes Smart Policing, Smart Pretrial, Smart Prosecution, and Smart Supervision.
What is the unifying theme across the Smart Suite programs?
The Smart Suite emphasizes evidence-based, data-driven approaches that improve outcomes while remaining practical and cost-conscious. The focus is on bringing more analysis, technology, and proven practices into day-to-day operations rather than relying on tradition or intuition alone.
What framework guides the Smart Defense Initiative?
The Smart Defense Initiative is explicitly grounded in the American Bar Association's Ten Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System (released in 2002), which are treated as the core framework for a functioning, high-quality indigent defense system.
What kinds of system elements are reflected in the ABA Ten Principles (as referenced in the opportunity summary)?
The opportunity summary highlights core elements such as defender independence, manageable workloads, sufficient resources, effective supervision, and ongoing training and quality controls.
Are the ABA Ten Principles recognized at the federal level?
Yes. The opportunity summary notes that the Ten Principles have been recognized by the U.S. Attorney General as an important benchmark for making indigent defense both effective and efficient.
Does this grant provide direct funding to states, counties, or local jurisdictions to run their own Smart Defense projects?
No. This solicitation is not intended to provide direct awards to individual states, counties, or local jurisdictions to run their own Smart Defense projects.
So what exactly does this solicitation fund?
It funds one national training and technical assistance provider that can support the jurisdictions selected as Smart Defense sites and help strengthen the broader field of public defense.
How many awards does BJA anticipate making under this opportunity?
BJA anticipated making one award.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $500,000.
Is there a minimum award amount (award floor)?
The award floor is listed as $0, which indicates flexibility in award sizing up to the $500,000 ceiling.
Is there a cost share or matching requirement?
No. The opportunity states there is no cost sharing or matching requirement.
What is the expected scope of work, given the national nature of the award?
While the award floor is listed as $0, the opportunity summary indicates the solicitation still expects a credible national scope of work, consistent with supporting multiple Smart Defense sites and building broader capacity in the public defense field.
What kinds of activities would the national provider likely deliver?
Based on the opportunity summary, the national provider would be expected to support multiple sites implementing improvements aligned with the ABA Ten Principles, likely through structured training, targeted technical assistance, peer learning opportunities, and practical tools that jurisdictions can adopt.
What is the CFDA number listed for this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed is 16.817 (Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program).
What is the activity category for this grant?
The activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services.
What legislation funds this program (as noted in the summary)?
The program is funded under the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligibility is oriented toward organizations that can credibly provide national- and local-level training and technical assistance. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), faith-based and community organizations, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions), and consortiums, as long as they can demonstrate relevant TTA experience.
Are both public and private institutions of higher education eligible?
Yes. The opportunity listing references both private and public institutions of higher education as eligible applicant types.
Are 501(c)(3) nonprofits eligible?
Yes. The opportunity listing references 501(c)(3) nonprofits as eligible applicant types.
Can for-profit organizations apply?
Yes, for-profit organizations are listed as eligible, including tribal for-profit organizations.
Are there special conditions for for-profit applicants?
Yes. For-profit applicants must agree to waive any profit or fees for services, which effectively requires a cost-reimbursement approach without a profit margin.
Can a consortium apply?
Yes. Consortiums are listed as eligible, provided they can demonstrate relevant experience delivering training and technical assistance.
Does the opportunity specify a focus on training and technical assistance experience?
Yes. The eligibility description emphasizes applicants that can credibly provide national- and local-level training and technical assistance and demonstrate relevant experience delivering TTA.
What are the key dates for this opportunity?
The opportunity was created and posted on February 23, 2015. The original and current closing date is April 8, 2015. The archive date is May 8, 2015.
Where are applications submitted?
Application submission support is routed through Grants.gov.
Is there technical help available for Grants.gov submission issues?
Yes. The listing notes a Grants.gov customer support hotline available 24/7 (excluding federal holidays) and an email contact for technical issues: support@grants.gov.
Is this opportunity focused on improving indigent defense specifically?
Yes. The purpose statement in the opportunity summary specifically focuses on improving the quality of representation for indigent defendants through strengthening public defense delivery systems.
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