Transcript Public Safety Practitioner’s Guide to Identifying, Writing

A Practical Guide to
Identifying, Writing,
and Managing Grants
Welcome and Overview
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Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Overview
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Identifying and Exploring Funding Sources
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Reviewing Project Design Strategies
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Developing Partnerships
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Writing Your Grant Proposal
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Understanding the Application Review Process
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Finding Opportunities and Submitting Applications: Grants.gov
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Managing Grant Awards
Bureau of Justice Assistance Overview
The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office
of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
Other Office of Justice Programs components:
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Bureau of Justice Statistics
National Institute of Justice
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
Office for Victims of Crime
Community Capacity Development Office
Office of Audit, Assessment, and Management
Bureau of Justice Assistance Mission
• To provide leadership and services in grant administration and
criminal justice policy development to support local, state, and
tribal justice strategies to achieve safer communities.
• To reduce and prevent crime, violence, and drug abuse and
improve the functioning of the criminal justice system. To achieve
these goals, BJA programs emphasize enhanced coordination and
cooperation of federal, state, and local efforts.
Bureau of Justice Assistance Overview
•Provide national leadership in criminal justice policy.
•Provide training, and technical assistance to state, local, and nonprofit organizations involved in any aspect of the administration of
justice for all areas of public safety.
•Act as a liaison to national organizations that partner with BJA to
establish policy and help disseminate information on best and
promising practices.
•Administer and manage $7.8 billion (11,021 grants) in federal grants
to state and local grant programs through 27 programs and initiatives.
Bureau of Justice Assistance Programs
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Public Safety Officers' Benefits (Death, Disability, Education)
Southwest Border Prosecution
Prescription Drug Monitoring
Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse
Tribal Courts Assistance
Problem Solving Courts
Residential Substance Abuse Treatment
Drug Courts
Sex Offender Management
Bureau of Justice Assistance Programs
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Gang Resistance Education And Training (G.R.E.A.T.)
Protecting Inmates and Safeguarding Communities
Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative
Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS)
Human Anti-Trafficking Task Forces
Bulletproof Vest Partnership
State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
Byrne Justice Assistance Grant (JAG)
Prison Industry Enhancement (PIE) Certification
Transfer of Surplus Federal Property Certification
What Resources are Available
• Private: corporations/foundations
• State funding
• Federal funding
Why Seek Funding
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Plan projects
Implement projects
Enhance projects
Pilot projects
Evaluate projects
Enhance staff capabilities
Purchase needed equipment
Good Reasons to Seek Funding
• Sincere desire to solve a problem/address an issue
• Strong belief that your agency is equipped to solve the problem
• Grant Announcement/RFP is aligned with your agency’s mission
Questionable Reasons to Seek Funding
• “Following” the money
• Funding to support “everyday” agency costs
• Sustainability of existing project
Private Funding Sources
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Distinctive (and sometimes quirky) rules and requirements
Ties between project goals and funding mission
Shorter proposals
Credibility factor
Competitive review optional
Community/partnerships focus
Identifying Private Funding Sources
• Foundation Center: http://fdncenter.org/
• Austin Community Foundation:
http://www.austincommunityfoundation.org/
• The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust:
http://www.pipertrust.org/grants-introduction/default.aspx
• Public Welfare Foundation: http://www.publicwelfare.org/
• BIG Online: http://www.bigdatabase.com/
Identifying State Funding Sources
• Funding from state legislature, specific to state
• Funding from federal formula grants to states
- Follows federal grant guidelines
- May have additional requirements
• Funding from local organizations for state use
Identifying Federal Funding Sources
• Budget appropriations process
• Discretionary vs. formula grants
• Grants vs. cooperative agreements
• Contracts
• Earmarks
Identifying Federal Funding Sources
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U.S. Government Portal (FirstGov): http://firstgov.gov/
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CFDA: http://12.46.245.173/cfda/cfda.html
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Grants.Gov: http://www.grants.gov/
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Federal Register: http://www.gpoaccess.gov/fr/index.html
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Federal Agency Web Sites
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Independently-Operated Consortium Web Sites:
http://www.capitolcitypublishers.com/pubs/crime/
Identifying Funding Resources
When in doubt...
GOOGLE
Project Strategy: Key Elements
• Carefully plan your project strategy and design
• Develop relationships and partnerships
Project Strategy
• What does it say
- States the vision of the project’s end result
- Describes how you intend to get there
• What are the mechanics
- Developed collaboratively
- Captured in a written project abstract
• What does it do
- Establishes project design
Project Strategy: Steps
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Project focus
Problem statement
Goals/objectives
Program activities
Performance indicators
Project logic
Time and task plan
Project Strategy: Focus
• Identify the specific target of the project
- Individuals/clients
- Situation
- Organization/culture
Project Strategy: Problem Statement
• Describes the problem to be addressed by the project
- Supported by data and information
- Establishes a baseline
• Describes what has been done, and where the gaps are
- Analyzes their cause
- Determines resources available and those needed
Project Strategy: Problem Statement
• What is the problem that requires a solution
• What will happen if the problem is not addressed
• What is the gap between what is and what ought to be
• Why should grant funds be used to solve the problem
Project Strategy: Problem Documentation
• Sources
- What do we need
- Where we will get it
- How will we gather it
- Who will get it
- How much will it cost
• Comparative data
- If available
• Security
- Confidentiality
Project Strategy: Objectives
(What Will We Do to Fix the Problem?)
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Does the solution address the problem
- Have you created a sense of urgency
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Is your solution a means to an end, rather than the end
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Do you know if the solution will work
- Will it pass a reality check
- What are the constraints
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How do you know your solution is the right one
- Was more than one solution considered
- Did you prioritize solutions
- Did you do a cost-benefit analysis
Project Strategy: Goals and Objectives
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Broad statement
End toward which effort is directed
States the unexpected outcome
Communication device
OBJECTIVE 1
GOAL
OBJECTIVE 2
OBJECTIVE 3
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Explains how goal will be accomplished
Short-term and specific in action and time
Measurable and achievable
Implementation vs. outcome objectives
Project Strategy: Objectives
• Relates to the operation of the program
• Examples:
- 10 new staff will be hired within 6 months of start up
- Vocational training curriculum will be developed within 9
months of start up
- 50 released offenders will have completed vocational
training within 12 months of start up
Project Strategy: Objectives Outcomes
• Results expected from program’s operation
- Knowledge/attitude/skill change (short term)
90% of all released offenders will pass a proficiency test for job application
skills within 60 days of release
- Behavior/performance change (long term)
75% of all released offenders will be employed one year after release
- Situational change (short and long term)
50% of identified drug houses will be rehabilitated within one year
Project Strategy: Program Activities
• Specific tasks expected to produce results to meet goal
and objective
- Description of specific activity
- Intensity and duration
- Who will perform activity
- What will the activity impact
- Clear and concise deliverables
Project Strategy: Performance Measures
• Explicit measure of effect or results
• Used to compare actual with expected performance
• Signals whether objectives are being met
• Types of measures (quantitative preferred)
- Quantitative: number or degree of change
- Qualitative: non-numeric like photos, field observations
Project Strategy: Performance Measures
• Process: Type or level of project activities put in place to
achieve objectives
• Outputs: Direct products and services delivered by a project;
accounting of how much of an activity has taken place
• Outcomes: Results of products and services; effect and
changes in knowledge, skills, attitude, behavior, or conditions
• Impact: Results beyond the project; unintended ways the
project impacted the community and overall problem
Project Strategy: Performance Measures
• Informs decisions
• Monitors progress
• Documents activities and accomplishments
• Highlights project benefits
• Supports partners and stakeholders
Project Strategy: Performance Measures
• Builds case for funding
• Adds value to project and deliverables
Project Strategy: Project Logic
• Helps make the necessary connections between
what you plan to do and how you plan to determine
your success
• Helps work through the cause and effect of project
activities
Project Strategy: Logic Model
Condition
(need or
problem)
Headache
Activity
Outcome
(short-term)
Take aspirin
Headache
cured
Impact
(long-term)
More
productive
Project Strategy: Time and Task Plan
• For each objective, identify a “list of activities” outline
- Responsible party
- Time frame
- Sequence
- Resource needs
- End product
Project Strategy: Recap
Work through each step below to successfully develop a project:
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Identify the problem
Design a problem statement
Document goals and objectives
Create program activities
Draft performance measures
Work through a project logic model
Develop a time and task plan
Why Develop Partnerships
• Expands potential funding sources
• Sustains projects after funding concludes
• Creates long-lasting changes in community
• Builds ownership of problems and solutions
• Maximizes the effectiveness of solutions and outcomes
Identifying Partners
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Public safety
Government
Private sector
Faith-based
Community
Elected officials
Non-profit
Media
Developing Partnerships
• What Is their role?
• What will they contribute?
• Will you need them for project sustainment?
• Is there a downside to being partners?
Structuring Partnerships
Roles
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Policy making
Decision making
Funding
Advisory
Operational
Technical
Management
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Participation
Logistics
Leadership
Materials/products
Principles of Effective Grant Writing
An effective writer keeps these
elements in mind at all times:
Purpose
Audience
Message
Principles of Clear (Grant) Writing
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Keep sentences short
Draft simple vs. complex expressions
Use familiar words
Put action in your verbs
Write the way you talk
Use words your reader can “picture”
Tie in to your reader’s experiences
Use variety
Write to express, not impress
Application Review Process: Discretionary
• Reviewed by peers and related disciplines
• Assures no conflicts of interest
• Scoring criteria established in the solicitation
• Scoring is numeric and narrative
• Selections based on scores and available funding
• Request application scoring and comments
Managing Grant Funds
You’ve received the
funding…what next?
Managing Grant Funds
• Most challenging part of the grant process
• Grants Management System (GMS):
https://grants.ojp.usdoj.gov/
• GMS On-Line Training: http://www.ojp.gov/gmscbt/
• Reporting requirements:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/finguide2006.pdf
-Programmatic/Return on Investment
-Financial
Grant Help
• BJA State Policy Advisors:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/resource/stcont.htm
• [email protected]
• OJP Office of the Chief Financial Officer: [email protected]
or 1-800-458-0786