To develop a demonstration initiative to prevent and
reduce the impact of family and community violence on young children
(primarily from birth to six years of age) by helping communities to expand
existing partnerships between service providers (such as law enforcement,
mental health, health, early childhood education and others) to create a
comprehensive service delivery system.
TYPES OF ASSISTANCE:
Project Grants. Place Cursor Here for Definition
USES AND USE RESTRICTIONS:
Applicant selected to receive Safe Start cooperative agreements may use funds
to establish and enhance a broad range of local prevention, intervention and
treatment services for young children who have been exposed and are at risk of
being exposed to violence; develop effective multi-agency protocols;
coordinate services to develop a community-wide system for responding to the
needs of children exposed or at risk of exposure to violence.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Applicant Eligibility: To be eligible for a Safe
Start cooperative agreement, an applicant must be a public agency applying on
behalf of a collaborative group of agencies working to prevent and address the
impact of exposure to violence on children. Private agencies and organizations
may apply as co-applicants as long as the lead applicant is a public agency.
Beneficiary Eligibility: Eligible applicants for
the Safe Start Demonstration Project are communities that have formed a strong
collaborative group (or shown the ability and commitment to expand
coordination with key partners such as courts, law enforcement, early
childhood development and domestic violence agencies, and mental health
services) to prevent and address the impact that exposure to violence has on
young children. Only public agencies (including State agencies, units of local
government, and tribal governments) may apply as lead applicants. Applicants
for the evaluation are public and private agencies (private, for-profit
organizations must agree to waive any profit for fee), organizations,
institutions, or individuals that have demonstrated experience in evaluating
broad-based community initiatives and whose experience includes the design of
studies capable of analyzing process and measuring impact across multiple
communities and the development and delivery of evaluation-based training and
technical assistance.
Credentials/Documentation: Costs will be
determined in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-87 for State and local
governments, Circular No. A-21 for educational institutions, and Circular No.
A-122 for nonprofit organizations.
Pre-application Coordination: None. This program is
excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.
Application Procedure: The applicant submits an
original and two copies of proposals on Standard Form 424 in response to a
specific solicitation published by OJJDP. Applicants are expected to address
each concern or requirement in the solicitation as clearly and specifically as
possible, giving particular attention to goal and objective statements,
methodology and data requirements. A peer review group is established as
mandated in Section 262(d)(1)(A) of JJDP Act and applications are rated and
ranked in relation to pre-defined selection criteria. This program is subject
to the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110 and the Common Rule.
Award Procedure: Cooperative agreements are
awarded directly to selected applicants, who are notified of a pending award.
Deadlines: Published in the program
announcement/solicitation for proposals.
Range of Approval/Disapproval Time: From 1 to 3
months.
Appeals: None.
Renewals: Continuation grant and/or supplemental
award.
ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:
Formula and Matching Requirements: Grants awarded
under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act do not require a
cash match; except for construction projects, where the match is 50 percent on
community based facilities of 20 beds or less.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance: An Initial
Award will be made for 18 months, with four subsequent awards of 12 months
each, contingent upon grantee performance and availability of funds. Drawdowns
are possible under a Letter of Credit.
POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:
Reports: Biannual progress reports and quarterly
financial reports are required.
Audits: All organizations that expend financial
assistance of $300,000 or more in any fiscal year must have a single audit for
that year in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-133, as amended, unless the
audit condition on the award says otherwise. These audits are due to the
cognizant Federal agency not later than 9 months after the end of the
grantee's fiscal year. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No.
A- 133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments,
and Non-Profit Organizations, nonfederal entities that expend financial
assistance of $300,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a
program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that
expend less than $300,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal
audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.
Records: Grantee must keep complete records on
the disposition of funds, and records related to the grant must be retained
for 3 years after the date of the final report.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION:
Account Identification: 15-0404-0-1-754.
Obligations: (Grants) FY 01 $10,592,636; FY 02
est $14,603,793; and FY 03 est $10,000,000.
Range and Average of Financial Assistance: Not
available.
In fiscal year 2001, nine demonstration sites continued and completed
strategic planning efforts, including sites in Baltimore, MD; Bridgeport, CT;
Chatham County, NC; Chicago, IL; Pinellas County, FL; Rochester, NY; San
Francisco, CA; Spokane, WA; and Washington County, ME. These sites have
completed 5-year strategic plans and are now in early implementation. In
addition, three program sites continued to implement programmatic enhancements
and service integration. These sites include Newark, NJ; Miami, FL; and New
Orleans, LA. Two tribal sites were selected in FY 2001 - Pueblo of Zuni, New
Mexico and Sitka Tribe of Alaska.
REGULATIONS, GUIDELINES, AND LITERATURE:
The Safe Start solicitation/guideline is published in the Federal Register and
awards are governed by the OJP Financial Guide, which is available upon
request. Reports and studies developed through the OJJDP National Institute
are available and can be secured by contacting OJJDP in Washington, DC.
INFORMATION CONTACTS:
Regional or Local Office: None.
Headquarters Office: Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention, National Institute for Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, Washington, DC, 20531. Contact: Jeff Slowikowski,
Deputy Director, Research and Program Development Division. Telephone: (202)
307-5929. Use the same number for FTS. Contact: Ron Laney, Director, Child
Protection Division, (202) 616-7323. Use the same number for FTS.
Web Site Address: http://www.usdoj.gov.
EXAMPLES OF FUNDED PROJECTS:
In fiscal year 2001, nine 5-1/2 year demonstration sites and three 2-year
program sites continued and completed strategic planning efforts and OJJDP
selected an additional two demonstration sites in tribal communities were
awarded. The National Center for Children Exposed to Violence continues to
provide training and technical assistance to Safe Start communities and serves
as a clearinghouse for information about violent traumatization and successful
approaches to intervention, while further promoting public and professional
awareness of the effects of violence on Children.
CRITERIA FOR SELECTING PROPOSALS:
Applications are judged according to their consistency with the policies and
program priorities established by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention Act. Specific criteria are published in the Federal Register as
part of the individual program announcement. Applications undergo a
competitive peer review process as outlined in the OJJDP Competition and Peer
Review Policy, 28 CFR Part 34.
