2021 Fostering Resilience and Hope: Bridging Gap Between Law Enforcement and the Community (US)

Deadline: 6-Jul-21

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is seeking applications to support the development, implementation, and dissemination of a train-the-trainer trauma-informed, hope-centered framework to assist law enforcement officers with addressing trauma and adversity in order to repair and rebuild relationships within the community.

• mitigate the negative effects of trauma and increase the well-being of law enforcement officers by increasing their hope;
• provide a conceptual framework for relationships between communities and law enforcement agencies; and
• increase collective hope to enhance safety and well-being, leadership, and promote relationship building with the community. Ultimately, this initiative will disseminate lessons learned to the field and contribute to systemic change in law enforcement culture.

• Work with the other demonstration sites and the technical assistance provider to develop a train-the-trainer curriculum to foster a law enforcement culture rooted in Hope Theory.
• Develop a detailed plan for implementation and dissemination throughout the entire agency. This should include a tiered training system from the top down.
• Develop a strategic plan for the agency that incorporates tangible goals and objectives for implementing a hope-centered agency framework and practice that responds to the needs of officers.
• Develop new or expand existing policies and best practices that operationalize a common language of hope tailored for law enforcement that promote safety, wellbeing, and community oriented policing practices.
• Create and implement a cohesive and actionable plan, using the hope-centered practices and policies, to respond and transform traumatic stress throughout the agency.
• Develop a hope-centered community advisory council that will be charged with helping law enforcement implement a hope-centered approach by creating and maintaining community relationships and coordinated outreach. The council should include diverse stakeholders (for example: local citizens including youth and families, law enforcement, school staff, social service organizations, faith-based organizations, etc.).
• Document and disseminate best practices and lessons learned through local analysis, and in coordination with national research conducted by the technical assistance provider.

• Purpose Area #1 – Demonstration Site Activities and Deliverables
  • Work with the TA provider and other sites to develop and implement a hope-centered framework throughout the law enforcement agency.
  • Work with the TA provider and other demonstration sites to develop a train-the-trainer toolkit uniquely designed for use by law enforcement agencies that includes a certification program for trainers/hope navigators within each agency for sustainability.
  • Hire a full-time project coordinator to lead the initiative. This individual should have a strong relationship with law enforcement leadership and officers and be connected in the community.
  • Hire a full-time community/hope navigator to be the liaison between the law enforcement department and the community. This individual should have a thorough understanding of the community’s complexity and historic trauma within the community.
  • Plan and deliver one Community and Law Enforcement Hope Summit each year of the initiative.
  • Partner with a research entity to collect data and conduct a project process evaluation to meet the stated goals and objectives.
  • Produce a final report describing the methodology, findings, and recommendations of the local project process evaluation, to be shared with the field.
• Purpose Area #2 – Technical Assistance Provider Activities and Deliverables
  • Develop (with OVC and the demonstration sites), pilot, and implement a train-the-trainer curriculum. This curriculum should include a facilitator guide and will be published by OVC.
  • Develop a toolkit that explains how to establish a hope-centered framework within a law enforcement agency and the community.
  • Plan and execute regular site meetings that focus on exchanging ideas, lessons learned, networking and strategic development of future goals, and project implementation.
  • Develop and implement a sustainability plan to start from project inception with each site to be added to the facilitator’s guide.
  • Create a train-the-trainer model to build capacity.
  • Develop a cadre of certified trainers who have been schooled under the train-the-trainer framework, and are a resource for OVC.
  • Develop and implement a marketing dissemination plan.
  • Partner with a research entity to conduct a national program evaluation. This evaluation should identify clear metrics and indicators at the local level, which will then be aggregated and analyzed at the national level. The TA provider should develop a clear theory of change and work with the demonstration sites and their local researchers for implementation and analysis.
  • Develop a cadre of partnerships to assist with the initiative including but not limited to: implementation science; sustainability; collaboration; etc.
  • Plan and deliver at least one all-sites meeting for each year of the demonstration initiative.
  • Share findings to advance knowledge and practice in the field by identifying strategic and collaborative opportunities for sharing information. This includes but is not limited to delivering webinars, producing publications, and presenting at conferences.
  • Deliver a robust program evaluation report for dissemination to the field.

• Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation: $4,000,000.00
• Purpose Area 1: Demonstration Sites- $750,000.00
• Purpose Area 2: Training and Technical Assistance- $1,000,000.00
• Period of Performance Start Date: 10/1/21 12:00 AM
• Period of Performance Duration (Months): 36

• City or township governments, County governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have 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, Other.
• For purposes of this solicitation, “state” means any state of the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
• To advance Executive Order Safe Policing for Safe Communities, the Attorney General determined that all state, local, and university or college law enforcement agencies must be certified by an approved independent credentialing body or have started the certification process to be allocated FY 2021 DOJ discretionary grant funding, as either a recipient or a subrecipient.
• All recipients and subrecipients (including any for-profit organization) must forgo any profit or management fee.

For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=333683