FY 2022 Extreme Risk Protective Order and Firearm Crisis Intervention Training and Technical Assistance Initiative Webinar

DARYL FOX: Good afternoon, everyone. And welcome to today’s webinar, FY 2022 Extreme Risk Protective Order and Firearm Crisis Intervention Training and Technical Assistance Initiative, hosted by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. At this time, it’s my pleasure to introduce Tammy Brown, senior policy advisor with the Bureau of Justice Assistance, for some welcoming remarks and to begin the presentation. Tammy.

TAMMY BROWN: Thank you. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you so much for attending. We’re very excited about this solicitation. It is a brand-new program that we’re starting, so we’re looking forward to having a lot of interest and applications. So briefly, today’s agenda is going to include an overview of the program. We’ll let you know the eligibility requirements, the solicitation categories—this particular solicitation has three categories you can apply under—and then just some things to keep in mind as you’re completing your application as well as some frequently asked questions that we receive. And then we’ll be able to provide you some resources for grant applicants and then conclude with some questions and answers. So, just a little bit about the initiative and the overview. This solicitation is seeking training and technical assistance providers that will support grantees through our companion solicitation, which is our BJA FY 2022 Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program Formula Solicitation. So what that solicitation does is providing funding directly to states to create or implement state crisis intervention court proceedings, it could be extreme risk protection order programs, or anything really related to gun violence reduction initiatives. And then in addition to supporting that cohort of sites, this TTA program will also support recipients that receive funding under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistant Grant Program, which we call JAG. And the reason for that is because when they passed the Bipartisan Safety Communities Act in 2022, it modified the JAG program. So now they can include initiatives such as mental health courts, drug courts, veteran courts, extreme risk protective order programs. And they are also adding a component that those grantees are going to be required to do some reporting as well as an evaluation of their program. So this TTA provider would assist the JAG recipients that propose those various programs that I just outlined and also ensure that they’re collecting what they need to appropriately provide the reporting and the evaluations for those grants. The eligibility includes national nonprofit organizations as well as for-profit organizations and then any institutes of higher education that have expertise and experience in managing training and technical assistance. These are the three categories. And I’m going to go ahead and pass it over to Juliana, who’s a policy advisor that is going to be assisting with this program, to give you a little bit more in-depth information of the three categories. Juliana.

JULIANA PALMER: Thank you, Tammy. And good afternoon, everyone. My name is Juliana Palmer. I’m a policy advisor here at the Bureau of Justice Assistance. We wanted to talk a little bit more in-depth about the various categories outlined in the solicitation. As Tammy mentioned, there are three. So we’ll go to Category 1 to start. [And Tammy, you can go to the next slide.] So the first category: BJA seeks a training and technical assistance provider to support Byrne SCIP state grantees as well as their sub-recipients in implementing Extreme Risk Protective Order Programs. Activities in this category include ensuring that tools and resources are made available to the field as well as identifying and promoting national best practices and model programs, which includes the use of validated risk assessment tools. A complete list of activities for this category is outlined in the solicitation. $2,000,000 is available for Category 1 with a performance period of 48 months beginning in January 2023. It is important to note that BJA seeks a provider for this category who can provide online or virtual and in-person training and technical assistance in multiple locations concurrently. For Category 2, BJA seeks a training and technical assistance provider to support state, local, and tribal courts in examining the current capacity of courts to screen, assess, and assign individuals to appropriate case processing. Activities for this category should include assessments for services in programming for both individuals in crisis as well as the court’s capacity to meet the needs of those identified as at-risk of harm to themselves or others with a firearm. The complete list of activities for this category is outlined in the solicitation as well. $1,000,000 is available for this category with a performance period of 48 months beginning in January 2023. And the final category outlined in this solicitation is for implementing Safer Communities training and technical assistance. For this category, BJA seeks a training and technical assistance trainer to support both Byrne SCIP and Byrne JAG grantees who have received funding to implement crisis intervention programming. This TTA provider will support these programs, collect data, and prepare for evaluations on the effectiveness of those crisis intervention programs in preventing violence and suicide as well as connecting those grantees to other existing BJA programs and resources. The complete list of activities for this category is also outlined in the solicitation. $1,000,000 is available for this category with a performance period of 48 months, also beginning in January 2023. A couple of things for you to keep in mind as you’re working on your application. Applicants should include a list of subject-matter experts and resumes for key personnel with their application as well as a detailed project timeline outlining deliverables and milestones. The selected TTA providers for these categories will work closely with BJA, which includes regularly scheduled video or phone calls. In addition, there is a potential for time-sensitive data calls and requests from BJA as it relates to performance. And finally, in certain cases, continuation funding in future years may be provided for these activities and is subject to the availability of appropriate funds and program performance. A couple of frequently asked questions that we receive, we want to just highlight and go over. So the first one, can my organization apply under more than one category? The answer is yes. Entities may submit applications under more than one category. Please note that each application must specifically address that specific category’s activities as we outlined today. The second question: what should be included in my application? Please refer to the solicitation’s Application and Submission Information, which begins on page 16 in the solicitation. Items needed include an abstract, narrative, budget worksheet, budget narrative, the detailed timeline which I mentioned earlier, as well as resumes for key personnel and a list of SMEs. And the third question: can my organization propose to partner with other entities? Absolutely. Partnering with other entities is allowable. However, only one entity may submit the application and assume financial and management responsibility. When possible, we do encourage applications to identify those partner organizations. Now I will hand it back over to Tammy to review some references and resources ahead of our Q&A section.

TAMMY BROWN: Thank you, Juliana. As Daryl indicated, we will be posting this webinar on our BJA website. As attendees, you all should receive an email when it is posted, and there are various resources that will be listed in order for you to proceed. But the three main ones we want to make you aware of. If you’re having any kind of technical assistance issues with Grants.gov, here’s the contact information as well as our JustGrants technical assistance support. And then lastly, any technical assistance that you have with program requirements, this is the contact number and email address for the OJP Response Center. And with that, we’ll just go ahead and open it up to any questions that you may have. If you’d like, you can go ahead and place them in the chat.

DARYL FOX: Thanks, Tammy. Thanks, Juliana. Yes. So as Tammy mentioned, we’ll go ahead and enter the Q&A portion of the program. If you do, just enter into the Q&A box, it’s in the All Panelists. We’ll go ahead and queue those up and ask those in order as they come in. If you have anything, just go ahead and enter that in. We’ll hang on for a while and wait for those to be entered. And it was mentioned several times, the PowerPoint, recording, and transcript for today will be posted to the BJA website. You’ll be emailed that. Okay. So the first question is, when do the SCIP awardees begin their project?

TAMMY BROWN: So they are on the same timeline as this. So they will begin in January of 2023.

DARYL FOX: This is regarding eligibility. Is the person’s local sheriff’s department able to qualify to apply for this particular grant?

TAMMY BROWN: As a sheriff entity, I think you would be eligible, but you would need to be able to demonstrate that you are—you can provide training and technical assistance to the field. I think what you may be more interested in is potentially funding to create a program within your organization, and I would encourage you to look at the companion 4 solicitation to this that provides funding directly to law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies to get funding in order to implement one of these programs.

DARYL FOX: Are there any word or page limits and formatting requirements for the attachments, such as the resume, cover letters, job descriptions, letter of supports, etc.?

TAMMY BROWN: Yes. All of those are outlined specifically in the solicitation, and there is a page limit. I believe it is 12 pages. But that does not include—if you want to single space, you’re welcome to do that. And… But all of that is outlined in the requirements specifically listed in the solicitations.

DARYL FOX: Is the PMT questionnaire that’s posted in the Byrne SCIP measures PDF the final questions or is that going to change at all?

TAMMY BROWN: That should be the final.

DARYL FOX: Is this anticipated to be a program that will be funded in future years?

TAMMY BROWN: We do anticipate it being funded in future years. However, we have no way to definitively know that. But this is something that is of very much interest to our office as well as this administration.

DARYL FOX: Will there be expectations of TTA being provided to subawards under Category 3?

TAMMY BROWN: Yes, that is correct. They will be—I just reposted the slide, and then they will be to support both the Byrne SCIP and the JAG grantees that are proposing crisis intervention-related programs.

DARYL FOX: How is BJA defining "other programs and initiatives" trying to address risk factors for gun violence?

TAMMY BROWN: It would be a very broad category that would include anything that incorporates gun violence—or trying to eliminate gun violence—within their jurisdiction.

DARYL FOX: For the proposal narrative with page limit, are you able to include tables and graphs? And what is the best way to provide a reference list—is it with the narrative or is it a supporting document?

TAMMY BROWN: Yes, you’re welcome to incorporate tables or charts within your narrative. I would say whatever can clearly and concisely convey the activities that you’re proposing under your application. And they would be included in the page limit.

DARYL FOX: You mentioned the anticipated start date. Do you have an anticipated timeline for grant award process from submission to award?

TAMMY BROWN: I’m sorry. Could you repeat the question?

DARYL FOX: What’s the anticipated...

TAMMY BROWN: So all of the deadlines are listed directly in the solicitation on the first page. Is that the question, Daryl?

DARYL FOX: It partially is. And basically what—from there, what’s the anticipated timeline for peer review and then actual award? Is that known yet?

TAMMY BROWN: I mean, we are hoping to be able to provide the award in January. So we’re hoping to have a very quick turnaround for the peer review process, but it will be contingent on how many applications we receive.

DARYL FOX: And then regarding the timeline and goals, objectives, and deliverables, are those all web-based forms?

TAMMY BROWN: Yes.

DARYL FOX: Does Category 1 provide support to JAG recipients as well as Byrne SCIP grantees?

TAMMY BROWN: No. Category 1 will only be supporting the SCIP grantees.

DARYL FOX: For Category 1, the website noted in deliverable nine, would this be for the main ERPO resource center? What is the purpose of the project management system specifically from deliverable nine? I don’t know if that’s clear.

TAMMY BROWN: Yeah.

DARYL FOX: For the person that did ask that question, if you can just clarify that a little bit. What you meant as far as Category 1, deliverable nine. And then just generally, for those—there are some new applicants on the call today—when you say technical assistance, what specifically is that? Is it support, administrative, technology? Can you just elaborate a little more on what that pertains to in relation to this?

TAMMY BROWN: Sure. So, when we’re alluding to training and technical assistance, it would be working with the grantees that are receiving funding and, you know, helping them make sure they’re appropriately implementing their programs. It could be that they’re seeking research on a particular way on how to do something. It could be providing them another site that is doing something similar and, you know, putting them in touch with that site for a peer-to-peer exchange. It could be, you know, answering their questions as it pertains to the reporting requirements for the grant. Anything that’s going to help the grantee be successful in the implementation of their project. Typically, the TTA provider would host regular, ongoing calls to support them, do checkins, make sure they’re keeping on track with what they proposed in their timeline for their project. There could also be specific training needs, where you could provide them training as it pertains to their project. So all of those are examples of what we mean when we say training and technical assistance.

DARYL FOX: How are extreme risks defined under Category 1 in your definition?

TAMMY BROWN: So when we’re—Extreme Risk Protection Order Programs are really those that pertain to—some states have implemented laws where if an individual owns a gun legally but is found to be a risk to themselves or to someone else, the judge is able to implement an order that those guns are removed. So these programs could either, if they have existing laws in place, they could be proposing trainings or other things to help ensure that the law is being implemented. If the state does not have that law in place, it could be media campaigns or public service announcements that would encourage the state to incorporate that type of law. So it’s really assisting those grantees that are looking at either improving implementation of their existing law or educating to potentially create that law within their state.

DARYL FOX: Is there an expectation that Category 1 TTA provider assess the sites, SCIP and Bryne? Or is that just for Category 3?

TAMMY BROWN: That’s really just for Category 3. Category 1 is just providing that support and technical assistance.

DARYL FOX: Are nonfederal funds to be reported in the budget? And if so, are they subject to audit? Do the sources of nonfederal funds need to be listed anywhere in the application?

TAMMY BROWN: They don’t need to be listed in the application, but if it’s something that will make your application stronger because it exemplifies that you’ve already invested in this particular type of work, that could be helpful. But no, it does not need to be included.

DARYL FOX: For jurisdictions that have failed to substantially implement SORNA/AWA, will the SCIP grants be subject to the same 10% reduction reallocation as standard for JAG grants?

TAMMY BROWN: Can you repeat that one for me?

DARYL FOX: For jurisdictions that have failed to substantially implement SORNA/AWA, will the SCIP grants be subject to the same 10% reduction as standard JAG grants?

TAMMY BROWN: So are you asking if the sites will—I guess I’m unclear. Are they asking if the sites will receive that? That wouldn’t impact any funding that we would be providing under this particular solicitation for a TTA provider.

DARYL FOX: Is there any expectation that any income be generated from any training and TA services, or should all TTA services be provided at no cost? TAMMY BROWN: Yes, this funding would be paying for you to provide those services, so you wouldn’t be making an addition—you would be expected to provide those services for free using this funding. DARYL FOX: Do we need to meet the needs of each numbered part of a category, or can the support be targeted to one or more goals of each category?

TAMMY BROWN: Your application should reflect all of the requirements within each of the categories.

DARYL FOX: And if a national training is hosted, would we be expected to pay for the grant recipients to attend?

TAMMY BROWN: If you’re proposing that, I would recommend that you budget to pay for them to attend. If they happen to already have funding within their grant to participate in that, that’s a possibility. But I wouldn’t make that assumption.

DARYL FOX: Are references that are provided to support the proposal narrative be uploaded as supporting documents so it doesn’t address the narrative page limit?

TAMMY BROWN: Yes. You may provide supporting documents as attachments.

DARYL FOX: And then back to that Category 1, deliverable nine question, it’s saying that “it’s a website and project management system. Is this a main website resource center type platform?”

TAMMY BROWN: Yeah. So it’s basically just to ensure that, you know, there’s some kind of website or tool that is created that the grantees could benefit and use. But it doesn’t need to be—I mean, we would work with the TTA provider on what type of platform and what that looks like.

DARYL FOX: A lot of good questions. If you do have any more, we still have some time today, we’ll be able to address those, so go ahead and enter those in. In the meantime, I’m going to just put up this slide, which references some of the important contacts if you do have questions along the way. If anything related to Grants.gov or JustGrants, their information’s here. Anything programmatic relating to the solicitation, sort of questions you’re asking on today’s webinar, the OJP Response Center is a wonderful resource. They’re at 1-800-851-3420 or at the email listed here at [email protected]. So if you do have any questions once we adjourn today, feel free to contact them directly. Should any of the 10 deliverables from Category 1 be prioritized for earlier in the grant period? Or is it up to the application based on what the deliverables are proposed to be launched and rolled out?

TAMMY BROWN: There are specific deliverables listed for each of the categories within the solicitation, so I would encourage you to look at those and then include them within your proposal.

DARYL FOX: What does BJA mean when it said that “gun violence reduction options relevant to risk assessment”?

TAMMY BROWN: The risk assessment is just one example of something that the sites could be proposing to use their funding for. But again, it could be various projects that they’re proposing as it relates to decreasing or eliminating gun violence.

DARYL FOX: Regarding specific deliverables expected of the TTA provider under Category 3, who defines what is an acceptable work plan?

TAMMY BROWN: It would be the policy advisor working with the training and technical assistance provider would be working with you to approve your work plan.

DARYL FOX: And generally, is there a way to explain or provide examples of the types of TTA that is to be provided?

TAMMY BROWN: I would encourage you to look at other grant programs that we have that provide TTA and technical assistance. If you go onto our website, we have a number of resources. And you can find them there and look at some of the examples of what they do and how they provide and create their technical assistance program.

DARYL FOX: I went ahead and entered the hyperlink in the chat for everybody, the training and technical assistance weblet of the BJA website. So you can go in there and definitely research a little bit more. Does anywhere in the application ask for details on financial sustainability of the initiative after the grant period ends? Is it an expectation that this program would continue after the full period of performance?

TAMMY BROWN: No. I mean, while we do have expectations for sustainability for site-based funding that we provide, there isn’t an expectation that the technical assistance because it’s specifically related to serving the grantees. However, if there are any tools or websites or resources that are created, they will then likely be transferred over and considered BJA materials, because they were funded through BJA, so we would then try and host them and ensure that they were still available to the field.

DARYL FOX: That’s the end of the questions at this time. We can just hang on a few more moments. If you do have one, please go ahead and enter that in. Are there any examples on how BJA would collaborate directly with the TTA providers in this cooperative agreement? 

TAMMY BROWN: So all of our grants have a policy advisor that are assigned to them, so you would work with your policy advisor on their expectations and, you know, what they were looking for them to do. You’d also likely have regular check-ins with that individual and able to provide any brainstorming or, you know, we would—we definitely work closely with our TTA providers to make sure that the expectations are clear.

DARYL FOX: And then, just to clarify, on the post-grant period support, all training and support materials become an ongoing resource for BJA to deliver after the period of performance? Does this include the website?

TAMMY BROWN: We obviously wouldn’t be able to take over the website, but any content that was listed on the website, we would try and then post on our BJA site just so it continues to be a resource for the field.

DARYL FOX: And it’s just a follow up to that other question regarding the SORNA and the 10% reduction. This has to be referred to the response center. But basically, the state has failed to substantially implement SORNA, so they’re Byrne JAG grants are reduced by 10% each year. Would the Byrne SCIP award to the state under Category 2 be subject to that same 10% reduction?

TAMMY BROWN: I’m not sure the answer to that question. But if you want to go ahead and put your contact information in the chat, we can follow up with you directly.

DARYL FOX: Is the expectation that the SMEs brought on board for Category 1 will be paid through these funds for the services they provide?

TAMMY BROWN: Yes.

DARYL FOX: And are resumes of staff with misdemeanors on their record acceptable?

TAMMY BROWN: I mean, we would defer to the TTA provider to ensure that they are soliciting appropriate staff and staff that have those subject matter expertise.

DARYL FOX: Okay. That seems to be the end of the questions in the queue at this time. Is there anything in closing you want to mention before we close the program out?

TAMMY BROWN: Nope. Just thank you all for joining and we look forward to your application. DARYL FOX: Great. So on behalf of the Bureau of Justice Assistance and our panelists, we want to thank you for joining today’s webinar. This will end today’s presentation.