2023 SMART Fellowship Program in the US

Deadline: 31-Jul-23

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) seek applications for funding under the SMART FY 2023 Fellowship Program.

Categories

• The program has two categories:
  • Sex Offender Registry Law Enforcement Liaison: This fellow will assist SMART Office staff in providing SORNA jurisdictions with the guidance needed to either obtain or maintain substantial implementation of SORNA, specifically working with state and local jurisdictions. This fellow will work to enhance the capacity of applicable jurisdictions to substantially implement SORNA, support the SMART Office’s efforts to increase substantial implementation of SORNA overall, and raise public awareness of SORNA, sex offender registration and community notification by conducting outreach and engagement activities with the field.
  • Sexual Violence Prevention fellowships: The purpose of this fellowship is to support the SMART Office’s activities that help to address the prevention of sexual violence and improve management of those convicted of sexual offenses through research and practice. This fellow will examine sexual violence prevention efforts, victim assistance programming and sex offender management practices to help identify the needs of the field and potential best practices, and bring this information to the SMART Office. The fellow will collaborate with SMART Office staff and practitioners in the field to provide critical outreach and subject matter expertise to help translate this information into practice. The fellow will identify programs and policies focused on addressing the needs of victims of sexual violence to enhance coordination with other law enforcement and criminal justice programming and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Note: Applications should only address one category per application. Applications that propose to work in more than one category will not be considered. Applicants may submit separate applications for each category but will only be selected for one award.

Goals, Objectives and Deliverables

• Sex Offender Registry Law Enforcement Liaison
  • Goals
    • Enhance the capacity of states and the District of Columbia to effectively substantially implement SORNA.
    • Support SMART Office efforts to increase substantial implementation of SORNA. Raise public awareness of SORNA and the importance of sex offender registration and notification.
  • Objectives
    • Conduct outreach to law enforcement and other stakeholders to assess and address ongoing and emerging needs of jurisdictions related to SORNA implementation.
    • Conduct outreach and engagement activities with law enforcement and other stakeholders to increase awareness of SMART resources.
    • Strengthen information-sharing and collaboration among law enforcement and jurisdictions to promote communication.
    • Conduct public awareness activities to promote SORNA and its benefits.
  • Deliverables
    • In conjunction with the SMART Office, develop, plan, and implement strategies to engage in regular dialogue with the field and plan project deliverables.
    • Plan and conduct in-person and virtual meetings with jurisdictions to discuss needs related to SORNA implementation.
    • Develop strategies and assist in translating findings to practitioners in the field, including through the SMART Office.
    • Participate in professional development and training activities in consultation with the SMART Office to enhance expertise related to the fellowship’s focus area.
    • Prepare regular and ad-hoc reports and presentations for the SMART Office, detailing accomplishments, challenges, and recommendations.
    • Submit a final report to the SMART Office on the fellowship project, including accomplishments, challenges, and recommendations for improving the fellowship program.
• Sexual Violence Prevention Fellow
  • Goals
    • Enhance and broaden programming designed to improve the prevention of, and education about, sexual violence and victimization in communities.
    • Assist with SMART Office efforts in supporting sexual violence prevention and victimcentered programming in sex offender registration and notification.
    • Provide guidance to SORNA jurisdictions on enhancing sexual violence prevention and education efforts.
  • Objectives
    • Identify effective programs and policies for sexual violence prevention, victim assistance, and sex offender management practices and research to share information with the SMART Office and promote effective programming.
    • Assist in assessing programs or initiatives that are implementing promising practices, models, or resources in the areas of sexual violence prevention, victim assistance, and sex offender management to share with the field. Promote promising practices in the field to encourage implementation in jurisdictions.
    • Collaborate with staff in other DOJ offices that develop and manage such programs to share information and promote effective programming.
    • Participate in internal and external stakeholder meetings, forums, workshops, and other initiatives related to sexual violence prevention and education and sex offender management for the purposes of informing the SMART Office and OJP about promising and effective programs and practices.
  • Deliverables
    • Draft and present an assessment of programming focused on preventing sexual violence and sex offending, victim service delivery strategies, and recommendations for promoting promising practices to law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals.
    • Make recommendations and suggestions as to how the SMART Office can broaden its scope in the area of supporting sexual violence prevention, victim services, and education and awareness programming.
    • Develop outreach strategies and recommendations for the design and development of public and targeted outreach materials and efforts on sexual violence prevention issues.
    • Participate in professional development and training activities in consultation with the SMART Office to enhance expertise related to the fellowship’s focus area.
    • Develop reports, presentations, and other materials at the request of the SMART Office to promote sexual violence prevention efforts, and detail challenges and successes of these efforts.
    • Submit final report to the SMART Office on the fellowship project, including accomplishments, challenges, and recommendations for improving the fellowship program.

Funding Information

• Anticipated Number of Awards: 2
• Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount of Awards $150,000 per fellowship
• Period of Performance Start Date: 10/1/23
• Period of Performance Duration (Months): 12
• Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation $300,000

Eligibility Criteria

• City or township governments, County governments, Individuals, Nonprofits having a 501 (c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, State governments
• The SMART Office may, in certain cases, provide additional funding in future years to awards made under this solicitation through continuation awards. OJP will consider, among other factors, OJP’s strategic priorities, a recipient’s overall management of the award, the award funded work’s progress, and the availability of appropriated funding when making continuation award decisions.
• Sex Offender Registry Law Enforcement Liaison
  • Eligible applicants are limited to individuals who have worked in law enforcement or other criminal justice setting (such as criminal courts, prosecution, corrections, probation, or a partner agency, including a social service provider). Organizations are also eligible to apply but
    must identify an individual.
  • Organizations are also eligible to apply but must identify an individual as the proposed “fellow” in the application. Individuals should have at least five years of criminal justice experience in sex offender registration or sex offender management. Criminal justice experience includes working in a policy or criminal justice setting. Applicants should have knowledge of sex offender registry systems and the Sex Offender Registration Notification Act (SORNA).
• Sexual Violence Prevention Fellow
  • Eligible applicants are limited to individuals, academic institutions, and nonprofit organizations.
    Academic institutions and nonprofit organizations must identify an individuals.
  • Individuals must demonstrate knowledge of and familiarity with SORNA, sex offender registration and notification legislation and policy; have extensive experience with sex offender management, victims’ issues, sexual violence prevention and educational programming; and be able to support technical assistance activities, training, and other needs of the SMART Office.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.