Second Chance Act Training and Technical Assistance Program – US

Deadline: 25-Jul-23

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance seeks applications for funding to deliver training and technical assistance to SCA grantees and the field.

Categories

Up to four organizations will be funded, one for each of the following categories:

• National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC)
• Corrections and Community Engagement
• Health and Housing
• Education and Employment

Goals, Objectives and Deliverables

• Category 1: National Reentry Resource Center
  • Goal
    • The primary goal of the NRRC is to advance knowledge and practice of the reentry field by identifying and promoting evidence-based practices and supporting innovation, serve as the centralized coordinator of the SCA TTA providers and grantees, and educate correctional leaders, service providers, and the public about reentry issues.
  • Objectives
    • The objectives of the NRRC are the following:
      • Serve as a centralized online location for reentry information for dissemination to the field that includes a mechanism for online technical assistance (TA).
      • Provide overall education and other reentry and recidivism reduction resources to various audiences that include tribes, state and local government agencies, U.S. territories, service providers, nonprofit organizations (including faith-based and community organizations), corrections institutions, people returning home to their communities from incarceration, and other stakeholder groups.
      • Support BJA, SCA TTA providers, and federal interagency initiatives by translating their products and initiatives to the field.
  • Deliverables
    • The NRRC provider will complete the following deliverables in coordination with BJA:
      • Coordinate across the SCA TTA providers:
        • Coordinate all SCA TTA activities with each TTA provider and BJA to ensure coordinated delivery of services. Develop a communication strategy to market TTA learning opportunities and showcase the TTA work and the grantees’ activities and achievements.
        • Collect, distribute, and maintain project-specific communication, articles of interest, reports, and other information from and relevant to SCA TTA providers.
        • Coordinate quarterly collaborative TTA conference calls, including preparing agendas and briefing materials, and develop and distribute meeting summaries.
        • Collaborate with BJA and other TTA providers to establish a protocol for collecting appropriate performance measures data from SCA grantees to determine the effectiveness of the policies and programs implemented with SCA TTA and sitebased funding. Produce an annual report summarizing the performance data.
      • Serve as a thought-leader to drive the reentry field forward and further the adoption of effective and evidence-based reentry practices. Serve as trainer and information clearing house for relevant research and best practices.
        • Create knowledge diffusion products (e.g., fact sheets, webinars) and disseminate them through BJA networks.
        • Disseminate best practices and lessons learned by attending and presenting at relevant national, state, local, tribal, or other conferences and events.
        • Proactively build field knowledge and capacity by disseminating best practices and lessons learned. This includes TTA strategies and specific topics.
        • Strengthen the network of state reentry coordinators and regularly convene a State Reentry Coordinators’ College.
        • Plan and host in-person reentry national annual conference for up to 1,000 people, to include BJA and other federal partner, SCA TTA providers, and reentry grantees, that advances evidence-based practices and features innovations in the reentry field. Activities may include, but are not limited to, developing agendas, identifying speakers, serving as speakers/staff at the event, and developing materials.
• Category 2: Corrections and Community Engagement TTA
  • Goals
    • This awardee will serve as the TTA provider to SCA grantees for the following BJA programs and advance the field at large on related topics:
      • Smart Reentry: Expanding Jail Programs and Services
      • Community-based Reentry
      • Community-based Reentry Incubator Initiative
  • Objectives
    • Corrections: Work with BJA to develop and provide tools, training, and resources aimed at helping jails and prisons and their correctional leadership, agency supervisors, and staff to implement proposed projects; make decisions and allocate resources; operate and scale programs; and manage individuals and reentry processes with the goal of reducing recidivism. This includes testing and developing strategies to identify people at high risk for violent recidivism and referring to supervision and community-based violence intervention initiatives as appropriate.
    • Communities: Work with BJA to develop and provide tools, training, and resources aimed at helping community-based organizations to engage with departments of correction and local justice partners, as well as implement or expand evidence-based programs with the goal of reducing recidivism. Provide community-based organizations with tailored resources and tips for partnering with correctional agencies on reentry grants, including strategies for leveraging organizational expertise to meet the needs of underserved and historically marginalized and underserved communities.
• Category 3: Health and Housing TTA
  • Goals
    • This awardee will serve as the TTA provider to SCA grantees for the following BJA programs and advance the field at large on related topics:
      • Improving Reentry for Adults with Co-occurring Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders
      • Adult Reentry, Education, Employment, Treatment, and Recovery Program (Treatment category only)
      • Improving Substance Use Disorder Treatment and Recovery Outcomes for Adults in Reentry
      • Pay for Success Initiatives
      • Improving Adult and Youth Crisis Stabilization and Community Reentry Programs
  • Objectives
    • Health Service Financing: Provide technical assistance to states and facilities that, through expanded state Medicaid plans, are able to be reimbursed for Medicaid-eligible services provided to approved Medicaid-eligible individuals for some period prior to release.
    • Behavioral Health: Increase adoption of evidence-based practices to improve access to health services and treatment for people both prerelease and in reentry with substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.
    • Housing: Address the challenges that people in reentry face in securing stable, affordable housing. For example, identify model programs and/or policies that have been successfully implemented and develop resources for people in the field to adopt according to their local circumstances.
    • Family Support: Help corrections and partners translate knowledge about the value of family connections and support into expanded opportunities for adults to maintain, establish, or otherwise address connections and improve family engagement and reintegration post release.
• Category 4: Education and Employment TTA
  • Goals
    • This awardee will serve as the TTA provider to SCA grantees for the following BJA programs and advance the field at large on related topics:
      • Adult Reentry and Employment Strategic Planning and Implementation Program.
      • Comprehensive Adult Reentry, Education, and Employment to Reduce Recidivism Strategies Program.
      • Improving Reentry Education and Employment Outcomes Program.
  • Objectives
    • Education: Improve correctional education, prepare adults for meaningful careers, and increase their employability. For example, identify effective strategies to earn high school diplomas and their equivalents, provide postsecondary education, and/or provide career and technical credentialing prior to release. Assist correctional systems and facilities to build partnerships with colleges and universities and expand access to education via Federal Pell Grants.
    • Employment: Improve employment by increasing the number of individuals who are work ready and improving fair chance hiring practices to receive them. For example, reduce barriers to occupational licensing, ensure training programs align with local employment opportunities, and conduct an industry analysis of career opportunities that are viable and of value to adults in reentry. Assist jurisdictions to understand labor market needs and create prerelease and post-release education, employment preparation, and training opportunities to increase success for reentrants in both first chance and second chance jobs and economic mobility.
• Categories 2–4 Deliverables
  • The TTA providers will work with BJA staff to provide knowledge, resources, and project management guidance to all BJA-awarded SCA program grantees to meet the objectives and deliverables of their projects. Specifically, the TTA providers will be expected to deliver the following:
    • Identify and maintain a list of TTA consultants/subject matter experts whose qualifications, subject matter expertise, and experience can best meet grantees’ needs.
    • Following approval from BJA, assign a subject matter expert/consultant to each grantee to help them complete their proposed grant activities and align operations with evidence-based best practices relevant to the grant program. Report on and monitor the TTA assistance provided.
    • Host webinars related to SCA site-based grant programs, including orientation webinars for each grant program to onboard new grantees within 60 days of their receiving SCA awards, and field-wide webinars to market new funding opportunities.
    • Assist grantees during the initial 6 months of the project period to develop an action plan that is updated by the grantees and approved by BJA.
    • Work with BJA to develop individualized TTA plans for each grantee based on its project, state of readiness, and other grantee-specific considerations (e.g., staffing).
    • Assist grantees with collecting and reporting on performance measures and identify and explain trends resulting from the performance measure data submissions.
    • Assess grantee capacity for data collection reporting during site visits and phone calls and make recommendations for improvement.
    • Use a dashboard to capture TTA contacts and progress; grant BJA staff access to the dashboard.
    • Participate in BJA-led grant performance reviews that track grantee or program performance along several key indicators.
    • Assist grantees in disseminating information and updates about their projects within their departments or agencies throughout the life of their projects.
    • Collaborate and coordinate with the NRRC TTA provider to do the following: Identify and address grantee evaluation and TTA needs; document and promote evaluation findings.
    • Collect and document lessons learned and other useful examples from the grantees, for the field at large.
    • Disseminate them via publications, media, and conference presentations in collaboration with the NRRC.

Funding Information

• Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount of Awards: $2,000,000 – $3,000,000, based on category of competition.
• Period of Performance Start Date: 10/1/23
• Period of Performance Duration (Months): 36
• Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation: $9,750,000
• Categories
  • NRRC: $3,000,000
  • Corrections and Community Engagement: $2,000,000
  • Health and Housing: $2,750,000
  • Education and Employment: $2,000,000

Eligibility Criteria

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education.
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.
• For profit organizations other than small businesses.
• Private institutions of higher education.
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.