Section II. Application Kit—Instructions for Program Narrative

Program Abstract

Each application must include a program abstract that highlights the purposes, goals, methods, target group, proposed activities and anticipated benefits/products of the proposed project. The abstract should not exceed one side of one double-spaced, 8½ x 11-inch page.

Program Narrative

Submission Requirements. To justify and describe the proposed program, each applicant must submit a program narrative that may not exceed 30 pages and must be submitted on one side only of 8½ x 11-inch paper using double spacing, a minimum of 1-inch margins on all four sides, and a type no smaller than standard 12-point. Single-spaced and 1½-spaced narratives will not be accepted. Applications that do not conform with these requirements will not be forwarded for competitive review. The 30-page narrative limit does not include forms, the abstract, and appendixes.

The position descriptions, qualifications, and individual resumes may be submitted as appendixes to the application. OVC strongly discourages numerous and lengthy appendices and attachments not directly related to the project. OVC is unable to copy videotapes and lengthy publications that are sent as examples of the grant applicant's work. Consequently, peer reviewers will not receive these attachments as part of the review process. Do not bind or staple applications.

Required Elements. The program narrative should be numbered "Narrative page 1" and so forth. The narrative must include the following items in the sequence listed below

• Problem to be Addressed. The problem statement must discuss the need for the project and, where appropriate, discuss how the characteristics of the target population and community demonstrate the need for an effective program. Applicants must provide specific data (including source information) about the target population. Applicants must also identify the community in which the project will operate and provide documentation and data that reflect the community's need for a victims project. Examples could include: victimization rates, court cases, client caseloads and various indicators of risk factors.

The applicant must provide a clear statement of how the proposed program will be of value to the victims' field by meeting a stated goal. Applicants should use the goals stated in the specific solicitation. For example, if the solicitation states as its goal, "To increase and enhance services provided by prosecutors to crime victims," then the applicant should briefly explain how its particular proposal will achieve that goal.

• Project Strategy/Design. The applicant's strategy or design must include a description of project phases, tasks, activities, and clear descriptions of interim deliverables and final products. It must include a time-task plan that clearly identifies objectives, major activities and products. The project design will also be examined to determine how well the project/program can be accessed by diverse and underserved victims. The time-task plan presented in chart form will not be included as part of the 30-page narrative limitation.

The applicant must describe the following

• The strategy, tasks, and time-task line for developing the services and products. Applicants must develop a time-task plan that clearly identifies major activities and products for the duration of the project period. This plan must include the designation of organizational responsibility and a schedule for the completion of the activities and the submission of finished products. In preparing the time-task plan, the Gant chart, or schedule, applicants should make certain that all project activities will occur within the proposed project period. Applicants should keep in mind the OVC requirement that final drafts of all publications, including videos, are to be submitted 120 days prior to the end of the grant period. In most instances, the draft publication will undergo an external review by subject matter experts retained by OVC to provide written comments on the publication's accuracy, relevance, and readability and to provide suggestions to enhance the publication. In all instances, the publication will be reviewed internally by OVC and other agencies within the Department of Justice (DOJ). The plan also must provide for the submission of written progress reports. All recipients are required to submit semiannual progress reports. Refer to the OVC Publishing Guidelines Handbook (March 2002) for further guidance on the publication process.

• The project's intended services and deliverables or products, such as training and technical assistance, training curricula, promising practices compendia, symposia, and videotapes.

• Coordination of the project with other organizations, including victim services, criminal, and juvenile justice systems, and any joint or cooperative efforts.

• Any unusual features of the project such as design, technological innovations, reductions in cost or time, and extraordinary community, volunteer, or private sector involvement.

• Procedures for testing and evaluating the service or product or for obtaining feedback about its worth to the field.

• The dissemination plan for the product or services. Applicants should provide recommendations for dissemination of any products. If those recommendations include nontraditional groups, such as organizations or agencies not likely to be included in a victim assistance or criminal justice mailing list, then applicants should be prepared to provide specific names and contact information. In most instances publications that have been reviewed, revised by the grantee, and subsequently approved for publication by OVC, will be printed by OVC and disseminated through the OVC Resource Center at the expense of OVC. Most publications also will be uploaded to the OVC Web page.

• Program Management and Organizational Capability. Applications must include a clear description of the applicant's management structure and previous experience with similar or related efforts. Applicants must include a description of the proposed professional staff members' unique qualifications that will enable them to fulfill their grant responsibilities.

  Applicants must describe how the program will be managed and include an organizational chart describing the roles and responsibilities of key organizational and functional components and personnel. Applicants must also include a list of personnel responsible for managing and implementing the major stages of the project, including detailed position. If additional staff will be hired to complete the project, the applicant should identify selection criteria. Applicants should also provide detailed information about staff who have committed to work on the project contingent upon receipt of funding.

  The proposed project director must have both the substantive expertise and experience to perform crucial leadership functions and sufficient time to devote to the project to provide the needed guidance and supervision. In addition to these items, the applicant may add, as attachments or appendices, resumes or other information that qualify the staff to work on the project.

• Program Evaluation. Evaluation is critical to ensuring that each OVC project is operating as designed and meeting its goals in terms of both the project's activities and impact. Accordingly, each application must provide a plan for assessing the project's effectiveness and evaluating the accomplishment of project objectives. Applicants should identify challenging, but achievable, outcomes in their proposals and describe how they plan to assess performance in attaining the identified outcomes. In order to develop such a plan, goals and objectives must be clearly stated, linkages established between program activities and objectives, and performance measures identified. Performance measures will include a mix of immediate and intermediate outcomes and, as appropriate and feasible, information on long term impact.

  Accordingly, applicants must describe the criteria and units of measurement that will be used to evaluate the project's effectiveness. Examples of effectiveness measures include (1) units of service provided such as number of individuals and/or agencies trained, number of victims receiving services, the number and type of agencies that received technical assistance, the number and type of products disseminated; and (2) cost-effectiveness of the program, service, or product such as cost per unit or savings achieved. The applicant must also include performance measures that do more than describe the delivered activity, service or product but measure the impact of the project. Examples of these kinds of measures include: (1) new capacities or improved responses to victims; (2) knowledge gained; (3) user satisfaction data; (4) changes in program development and implementation; (5) new policies and protocols; (6) impact on the victims' well being; and other measures of the program's benefit to the victims field. For all programs, applicants should develop a mechanism for gathering feedback from both the users and providers of the products and services.

  The plan should identify all resources that will be devoted to conducting the assessment including identification of staff members and staff time, use of outside consultants to assist with the assessment, and any other support costs associated with conducting an evaluation. Assessment information will be submitted as part of the semiannual progress report, as well as part of the final report that is due within 120 days of project completion.

  OVC is required to report its programmatic results annually, in accordance with the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA). OVC summarizes the individual results and outcomes of all discretionary grant programs, indicating whether the programs are successfully meeting their objectives. OVC depends on its grantees to provide accurate, timely and relevant information on grant progress and impact. Increasingly, these findings will provide justification for continuing OVC's discretionary grant program.

• Program Budget. The applicant will enter budgeted items and their costs on a budget detail worksheet with a thorough justification for all costs, including the basis for computing the costs. The budget must be complete, reasonable, and directly related to the activities proposed in the application. The Budget Detail Worksheet is located in the Forms Appendix of the application kit. Applicants must justify the costs of individual items, such as personnel and travel, showing how the costs were computed. Also, a Budget Narrative that justifies all costs must also be included. In addition, applications containing contracts must include detailed budgets for each organization's expenses. Applicants should plan to attend an OVC discretionary grantee meeting and, with the exception of local grantees, budget this at an annual cost of $1,000. OVC's VOCA funds cannot be used to cover construction costs, prevention activities, or costs relating to offender rehabilitation or counseling.

  The applicant must explain how budget items are computed and why they are vital to the project, clearly relating the items to identified tasks described in the narrative. For example, if the applicant has planned an extensive survey, the budget should reflect the staff time necessary to identify the sample, make follow-up calls, and conduct other activities to collect information. If an applicant proposes distributing a large number of training manuals, the budget should allocate sufficient funds for printing documents needed for pilot testing and postage. Applicants should not include items that are not fully necessary to the project, such as a computer for developing a small, printed product (for example, brochures). Applicants must show cost effective and efficient use of grant resources, demonstrating that all grant-related expenses are necessary for project completion. Tasks and activities described in the narrative should parallel the budget. All identified costs should accurately reflect the tasks, staff time, supplies, and (if applicable) travel necessary to accomplish the grant-related work.

The OVC staff review applications for completeness and basic responsiveness to the individual solicitation. Responsive applications will be forwarded to peer review panels of individuals with expertise in the respective topic areas. The peer review panelists will score each application using specific selection criteria. The peer review panel will then, as a group, generate an average score and rank for each application and make recommendations for awards to the Director of OVC and the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. Final selection will be based upon the scoring system and other considerations like previous performance on Federal grants. The Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs has the ultimate authority to select applications for funding.

Selection Criteria

Applications for each program described in Section I. will be evaluated and rated based on the extent to which the program meets the selection criteria listed below.

1. Problem(s) to be Addressed and Goals and Objectives (15 points). The problem statement must provide a strong rationale for the project with the needs of the target population and community being well identified. Data must be specific to the target community and population being served. The overall goal of the project must be clearly defined and linked to the target population and target community.

2. Project Strategy/Design (40 points). The program strategy/methodology must include sufficient detail so that the reader can understand what will be accomplished, how it will accomplished, and who will accomplish it. All proposed tasks should be presented in a way that allows a reviewer to see the logical progression of tasks and to be able to relate the tasks directly to the accomplishment of the project goals(s). Projected activities should be realistic and reflect the project's allocated time, staff, and funding. A clear picture of the contents or components of the product or training is important, as is a detailed plan for packaging and disseminating the product to user groups. In the past, reviewers have given higher scores to applications that describe how they will introduce the products to the field and encourage their use than to applications without this information. Detailed procedures for pilot testing and refining the products have also resulted in more competitive applications. The project design must support the purpose and goals of the grant program.

3. Program Management and Organizational Capability (25 points). Applicants must demonstrate how their resources, capabilities, and experience will enable them to achieve the goals and accomplish the tasks of the program for which they are applying. Points will be awarded based on the applicant's stated capability to undertake and complete a national-scope, federally funded project, including evidence that the applicant possesses the requisite staff and expertise. Organizational capability will be assessed on the basis of (1) the applicant's described management structure, previous experience with similar or related efforts, and financial capability (15 points), and (2) the applicant's project management plan and documentation of the professional staff members' unique qualifications to perform their assigned tasks (15 points). Applicants must clearly establish that their experience and resources enable them to achieve the goals and objectives of the grant for which they are applying.

4. Program Evaluation (10 points). This criterion assigns points to the applicant's plan for measuring project progress and success. All applications must contain a plan for evaluating the accomplishment of project objectives. Applicants must describe how the evaluation data will be gathered and analyzed and the resources that are being committed for this purpose. In determining the quality of the evaluation plan, the following factors will be considered
   • Extent to which the evaluation plan provides detailed information for increasing the effectiveness of management and administration of the project, documents that objectives have been met and determines the overall effectiveness of the project.

   • Extent to which the proposed methods of evaluation are thorough, feasible and appropriate to the goals, objectives and outcomes of the proposed project.
   • Adequacy of the identified performance measures to demonstrate whether and to what extent the proposed strategy is meeting its short-term, intermediate, and long-term objectives.

5. Budget (10 points). Reviewers will examine the identified project tasks, milestones, and assignment of staff resources within the framework of the proposed budget. The applicant must demonstrate that there is sufficient staff and time to accomplish the proposed tasks in a cost-effective manner. Applicants must show cost effective and efficient use of grant resources, demonstrating that all grant-related expenses are necessary for project completion. Tasks and activities described in the narrative should parallel the budget. All identified costs should accurately reflect the tasks, staff time, supplies, and (if applicable) travel necessary to accomplish the grant-related work.

Prior to making final selections for funding specific applicants, the Director of OVC and the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs will consider information about the performance of the applicants on previous grants awarded by OVC, OJP, or other Federal agencies. Emphasis will be placed on the delivery of complete, responsive products that produced tangible benefits. Applicants who failed to meet grant deadlines, did not comply with OJP financial requirements, or did not adjust to difficulties by setting revised time/task lines will not be favorably considered for funding.

Administrative Requirements

Single Points of Contact Review

Executive Order No. 12372 requires applicants from state and local units of government or other organizations providing services within a state to submit a copy of the application to the state single point of contact (POC), if one exists, and if this program has been selected for review by the state. Applicants must contact the state POC to determine if the program has been selected for state review. The date that the application was sent to the POC or the reason such submission is not required should be entered in block 16 on the Application for Federal Assistance, SF-424. You can find the listing of the state POC online.

Assurances

This package includes a list of assurances that the applicant must comply with to receive Federal funds under this program. It is the responsibility of the recipient of the Federal funds to fully understand and comply with these requirements. Failure to comply may result in the withholding of funds, termination of the award, or other sanctions.

Prohibition of Supplanting

Federal funds must be used to supplement existing funds for program activities and may not replace (supplant) nonfederal funds that have been appropriated for the same purpose. Potential supplanting will be the subject of monitoring and auditing. Violations can result in a range of penalties, including suspension of future funds under this program, suspension or debarment from Federal grants, recoupment of monies provided under this grant, and civil and/or criminal penalties.

Purchase of American-Made Equipment and Products

Congress conveyed through the FY 1997 Appropriation Act that, to the greatest extent practicable, all equipment and products purchased with grant funds should be American made.

Human Subject Research and Confidentiality Compliance

Generally, OVC does not fund projects that conduct research. DOJ is a signatory to the Federal policy on protection of human subjects of research, the "Common Rule." DOJ's incorporation of the Common Rule is set forth in 28 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 46, Protection of Human Subjects, which requires that research involving human subjects be submitted to an independent review board for approval and that informed consent procedures be followed. The policies set forth in 28 CFR Part 46 apply to all research involving human subjects conducted, supported, or otherwise subject to regulation by any Federal department or agency that has adopted the Common Rule. Federal Funds may not be expended for research involving human subjects unless the requirements of this policy have been satisfied, if the research is not covered by an exemption set forth in 28 CFR section 46.101(b)(1).

The applicant must indicate in its application whether the project or activity includes research that may involve human subjects, as defined in 28 CFR Part 46.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) Compliance

All Federal grant funds recipients are required to assist the sponsoring Federal agency to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and with other related Federal environmental impact analysis requirements. Victims of Crime funds may not be used for construction costs; however, grantees may be planning building construction or renovations with its funds or monies from third parties that relate to the use of the requested funds from OVC. In submitting an application for funding, applicants understand and agree tat the assistance they may have to provide includes submitting specific information about any site proposed for construction or renovation and any activities subject to an environmental impact review. OVC and OJP will work with an applicant to meet all assessment requirements. To accomplish this, the applicant is required to inform OVC if the applicant must perform for any of its proposed activities an environmental impact analysis under a state or local requirement, or if a Federal agency is conducting an environment impact analysis. Additionally, if the applicant is anticipating any related new construction, renovation, or remodeling of a property that (1) is listed on or eligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places; (2) is located within a 100-year flood plain; or (3) would undergo a change in its basic prior use or a significant change in size, then the applicant should contact Diane Wells, OVC's NEPA Coordinator at 202-616-1860 or e-mail diane@ojp.usdoj.gov to determine what additional information OVC requires.

Certification Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements

The applicant must agree to the Certification Regarding Lobbying; Debarment, Suspension, and Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements forms. The applicant must agree to comply with the following requirements:

• Lobbying. The applicant and its subgrantees, contractors, and subcontractors will not use Federal funds for lobbying and will disclose any lobbying activities.

• Debarment. The applicant and its principals have not been debarred or suspended from Federal benefits and/or no such proceedings have been initiated against them; have not been convicted of, indicted for, or criminally or civilly charged by a government entity for fraud, violation of antitrust statutes, embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, falsification, destruction of records, making false statements, or receiving stolen property; and, have not had a public transaction terminated for cause or default.

• Drug-Free Workplace. The applicant will or will continue to provide a drug-free workplace. Signing this form commits the applicant to compliance with the certification requirements under 28 CFR Part 69, New Restrictions on Lobbying, and 28 CFR Part 67, Government-Wide Debarment and Suspension (Nonprocurement) and Government-Wide Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants). The certification will be treated as a material representation of the fact on which the U.S. Department of Justice will rely in making award.

All recipients of Federal grant funds are required to comply with nondiscrimination requirements contained in various Federal laws. If a court or administrative agency makes a finding of discrimination on grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or age against a recipient of funds after a due process hearing, the recipient must agree to forward a copy of the finding to the Office of Civil Rights, Office of Justice Programs. To understand applicable legal and administrative requirements, all applicants should consult the Assurances contained in the appendix.

Program Access

OVC is committed to ensuring the equal access of diverse and underserved populations to the criminal justice system and victim services "Underserved" victims may be defined not just by the types of crimes committed, but by their age; gender, level of English proficiency; disability status; sexual orientation; national origin or ethnicity; race; or residence in an inner city, rural, or remote area. OVC requires applicants for discretionary funding to consider victims' individual needs, and design project proposals that ensure that resulting products and services are appropriate, accessible, and respectful of victims' autonomy and dignity.

Publications

OVC has developed an OVC Publishing Guidelines Handbook (March 2002) to guide grantees in developing products for publication through OVC's discretionary grant program. Review the guide online or call Yvonne Jones at 202-616-3566 for a copy.

Applicants should note that final drafts of all publications developed under grant funding must be submitted to OVC 120 days prior to the end of their grant period. This allows OVC time to submit the publication to an internal review, an external review, and a review by other Department of Justice components. If the grantee fails to provide final drafts within this time period, the OVC Director will consider requests for no-cost extensions to the grant period on a case-by-case basis, but no additional funds will be made available to the grantee if OVC requires the grantee to make substantive changes to the publication.

In most instances final publications will be printed by OVC and disseminated through the OVC Resource Center. Only a small printing budget will be approved for grantees who develop materials that must be "pilot tested" prior to the completion of the grant. Applicants should build the 120 days publication review period deadline into their grant time/task lines.

In cases where grantees disseminate their findings through a variety of media, such as books, professional journals, and conferences, the grantee should send copies of such publications to the Program Manager as they become available, even if they appear well after a project expires. OVC imposes no restriction on these types of publications and their dissemination other than the following mandatory acknowledgment and disclaimer on the product:

This project publication was supported by grant number ______ from the Office for Victims of Crime. Points of view are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the position, of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Grants Versus Cooperative Agreements

For certain solicitations, OVC chooses to award cooperative agreements instead of grants. Cooperative agreements are used when substantial collaboration is anticipated between OVC and the award recipient during performance of the proposed activities. For example, OVC's involvement might include participating as advisory group members, identifying and recommending resources to support project goals and objectives, and editing draft materials.

Grantee Responsibilities

Award recipients and project directors assume certain responsibilities as part of their participation in Government-sponsored grant programs. Designed to help grantees meet these responsibilities, OVC's monitoring activities are based on good communication and open dialogue conducted amicably with mutual respect. Some elements of this dialogue follows:

• Frequent, open communication with OVC in the early stages of the grant as the project design develops and becomes operational.

• Timely communication with OVC regarding developments that might affect the project's compliance with schedules, activities, and products set forth in the proposal.

• Communication with other OVC grantees who are conducting related training, technical assistance, and demonstration projects. The applicant should anticipate either a postaward meeting with the OVC program monitor or an OVC meeting for discretionary grantee. For these meeting costs, applicants outside the Washington, DC, metropolitan area should budget $1,000 for each year of the grant.

• Compliance with OVC requests for brief descriptions of the project and its activities whenever OVC needs such information to report to Congress. OVC will provide as much advance notification of these requests as possible, but will expect a timely response from grantees. OVC will accept such requested information through electronic media.

• Provision of project information to OVC at conferences, meetings, and elsewhere.

• Provide OVC prepublication copies of articles; provide OVC notice of interviews based on the project that will appear in print or other media, either during or after the life of the grant.

• Meet OVC staff and present up-to-date reports on project activities. If this is anticipated, include relevant travel costs in the budget.

Grantees are expected to complete award products within the time frames agreed upon by OVC and the grantee. OVC recognizes legitimate reasons for project extensions. However, OVC does not consider legitimate time delays that occur because the grantee assumed additional projects that impinge upon previously committed time. Any grantee who anticipates a delay must contact the assigned OVC Program Manager to negotiate a new due date. The grantee must submit a revised time/task line for the extended project. Projects with unreasonable delays may be terminated administratively, which may result in withdrawal of any remaining funds from the grantee. Thereafter, application for funds from the project director or the recipient institution will be subject to strict scrutiny and may be denied based on partial failure to meet minimum standards.

Reporting Requirements

Reports

• The Financial Status Report (SF 269-A) is due quarterly, no later than the 45^th day following the end of each calendar quarter. A report must be submitted every quarter in which the award is active, even if these has been no financial activity during the reporting period. The final report is due 120 days after the end date of the award. Future awards and fund drawdowns will be withheld if the financial status reports are delinquent.

• The Single Audit Report is an organization-wide financial and compliance audit report that must be filed by recipients who expend $300,000 or more of Federal funds during their fiscal year. The audit must be performed in accordance with the U.S. General Accounting Office Government Auditing Standards.

• The Semiannual Progress Report must be submitted by recipients of funding. The progress reports describe activities during the reporting period and the status or accomplishment of objectives as set forth in the approved application for funding. Progress reports must be submitted within 30 days after the end of the reporting periods, which are January 1 through June 30 and July 1 through December 31 for the life of the award. A final report, which provides a summary of progress toward achieving the goals and objectives of the award, the significant results, and any products developed under the award, is due 120 days after the end date of the award. Report format will be provided to the recipient by the Office of Justice Programs. Future awards and fund drawdowns may be withheld if the progress reports are delinquent.

The Office of Justice Programs may suspend funding in whole or in part, terminate funding, or impose another sanction on a recipient for the following reasons:

• Failure to comply substantially with the requirements or statutory objectives of the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, as amended, or other provisions of Federal Law.

• Failure to make satisfactory progress toward the goals and strategies set forth in this application.

• Failure to adhere to the agreement's requirements, standard conditions, and special conditions.

• Proposing or implementing substantial plan changes to the extent that, if originally submitted, the application would not have been selected for funding.

• Filing a false certification in this application or other report or document.

• Other good cause shown.

Before imposing sanctions, the Office of Justice Programs will provide reasonable notice to the recipient of its intent to impose sanctions and will attempt informally to resolve the problems. Hearing and appeal procedures will follow those in Department of Justice regulations described in 29 CFR Part 18.