Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2016 8986
The "Encouraging Innovation: Field-Initiated Programs Concept Paper" grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2016 8986) is a discretionary grant program offered by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It is designed to support organizations that want to develop and put into practice new, creative, and strategic approaches that help local criminal justice systems prevent crime and respond more effectively to both emerging threats and long-running, chronic problems affecting communities across the United States. The core idea is to move beyond routine or well-established practices and instead test approaches that represent a meaningful improvement in how jurisdictions address crime challenges.
A central requirement of this opportunity is that proposed projects must address a recognized gap in the existing knowledge base on crime prevention and crime response. In other words, applicants are expected to identify what is currently not well understood, not well tested, or not adequately implemented in the field, then propose a solution that helps fill that void. The program also places strong emphasis on learning and replication: projects should be designed and implemented in a way that produces insights, tools, or methods other jurisdictions can learn from and potentially adopt. This means the work should not be a one-off local activity with limited value outside a single community; it should be structured so that its results, lessons learned, and practical takeaways can be shared and used elsewhere.
The opportunity is categorized under Law, Justice, and Legal Services, with CFDA number 16.817, and uses a grant funding instrument. The listed award ceiling is $400,000, meaning awards are not expected to exceed that amount. The original closing date for submission was March 29, 2016, and the opportunity record indicates a creation date of February 12, 2016. While the source data lists "ExpectedAwards: 0," the intent of the program description is clearly to solicit concept papers and proposals that can lead to funded innovation projects, so applicants would typically treat the ceiling and requirements as the guiding parameters for what could be supported.
Eligibility is divided into two categories, each with distinct applicant pools. Under Category 1, eligible applicants include public agencies that perform criminal justice functions, such as states, units of local government, and Indian tribes that perform law enforcement functions as determined by the Secretary of the Interior. This category also allows a wide range of public or private entities to apply, including for-profit companies, nonprofit organizations, tribal for-profit and nonprofit organizations, faith-based and community organizations, and institutions of higher education, including tribal colleges and universities. Under Category 2, eligibility is narrower and focuses on public or private entities such as institutions of higher education (again including tribal institutions) and national-level for-profit or nonprofit organizations, including tribal for-profit and nonprofit organizations. In both categories, for-profit organizations are permitted to apply, but they must agree to forgo any profit or management fee, which is an important condition for budgeting and contracting.
Overall, the opportunity is aimed at catalyzing practical innovation in the criminal justice field by funding projects that propose strategic, original solutions to real crime problems, generate knowledge that the field can use, and produce approaches that can be adapted and replicated by other communities. The emphasis on innovation, closing knowledge gaps, and producing transferable lessons suggests that competitive submissions would clearly define the problem, explain why existing approaches are insufficient, outline a novel strategy, and show how outcomes and learning will be captured and shared to benefit the broader criminal justice community.Apply for BJA 2016 8986
- The Bureau of Justice Assistance in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Encouraging Innovation: Field-Initiated Programs Concept Paper" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.817.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2016-02-12.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-03-29. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $400,000.00 in funding.
- Eligible applicants include: Others.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the "Encouraging Innovation: Field-Initiated Programs Concept Paper" opportunity?
It is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), titled "Encouraging Innovation: Field-Initiated Programs Concept Paper" (Funding Opportunity Number BJA 2016 8986). It supports the development and real-world implementation of innovative approaches that help local criminal justice systems prevent crime and respond more effectively to both emerging threats and long-standing community problems.
Which federal agency is offering this grant?
The grant is offered by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA).
What is the main purpose of this funding?
The purpose is to catalyze practical innovation in the criminal justice field by funding projects that propose new, creative, and strategic solutions to crime challenges, particularly approaches that go beyond routine or well-established practices and represent a meaningful improvement in how jurisdictions address crime.
What types of problems is this program meant to address?
The program is intended to help local criminal justice systems prevent crime and respond more effectively to both emerging threats and chronic, long-running problems affecting communities across the United States.
What makes a project a good fit for this opportunity?
Projects are expected to be innovative, address a recognized gap in the knowledge base on crime prevention or response, and be designed so that lessons learned, tools, or methods can be shared and potentially replicated by other jurisdictions.
What does "field-initiated" mean in this context?
Based on the program description, "field-initiated" indicates that applicants propose ideas originating from the field (practitioners, organizations, and institutions working in criminal justice), rather than simply implementing a pre-defined program model.
Is there a requirement to address a knowledge gap?
Yes. A central requirement is that proposed projects must address a recognized gap in the existing knowledge base related to crime prevention and crime response. Applicants are expected to identify what is not well understood, not well tested, or not adequately implemented, and propose a solution to help fill that gap.
What does it mean to "move beyond routine or well-established practices"?
It means the project should not be a standard or commonly used approach. Instead, it should test or implement a new strategy that represents a meaningful improvement in how crime problems are addressed.
Does the program require that results be useful beyond one community?
Yes. The program places strong emphasis on learning and replication. Projects should not be one-off local activities with limited value outside a single community; they should be structured to produce insights and practical takeaways that can be shared and used elsewhere.
What kind of outputs or takeaways does BJA expect from funded work?
Based on the emphasis on learning and replication, projects should be designed to generate insights, tools, or methods that other jurisdictions can learn from and potentially adopt, along with documented results and lessons learned.
What is the CFDA number for this opportunity?
The CFDA number listed for this opportunity is 16.817.
How is this opportunity categorized?
It is categorized under Law, Justice, and Legal Services.
What type of funding instrument is used?
The opportunity uses a grant funding instrument.
What is the maximum award amount?
The listed award ceiling is $400,000, meaning awards are not expected to exceed $400,000.
When was the opportunity created?
The opportunity record indicates a creation date of February 12, 2016.
What was the application closing date?
The original closing date for submission was March 29, 2016.
Who is eligible to apply under Category 1?
Category 1 eligibility includes public agencies that perform criminal justice functions (such as states, units of local government, and Indian tribes that perform law enforcement functions as determined by the Secretary of the Interior). It also allows a broad range of public or private entities, including for-profit companies, nonprofit organizations, tribal for-profit and nonprofit organizations, faith-based and community organizations, and institutions of higher education, including tribal colleges and universities.
Who is eligible to apply under Category 2?
Category 2 eligibility is narrower and focuses on public or private entities such as institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions) and national-level for-profit or nonprofit organizations, including tribal for-profit and nonprofit organizations.
Are for-profit organizations eligible to apply?
Yes. For-profit organizations are permitted to apply under both categories, but they must agree to forgo any profit or management fee.
What does it mean that for-profit applicants must forgo profit or a management fee?
It means that while for-profit entities can apply, they must agree not to include profit or a management fee in the project budget, which affects how costs can be proposed and recovered under the award.
Does this program focus on local criminal justice systems?
Yes. The program is designed to support approaches that help local criminal justice systems prevent crime and respond more effectively to various crime problems.
Is replication by other jurisdictions an explicit expectation?
Yes. The opportunity emphasizes learning and replication, meaning the project should be planned so that other jurisdictions can potentially adapt and replicate the approach.
What should a competitive concept focus on, based on the description?
Competitive submissions would be expected to clearly define the crime problem, explain why existing approaches are insufficient, propose a novel strategy, and describe how outcomes and learning will be captured and shared so the broader criminal justice community can benefit.
The record shows "ExpectedAwards: 0." Should applicants assume no awards will be made?
The source data lists "ExpectedAwards: 0," but the program description indicates the intent to solicit concept papers and proposals that can lead to funded innovation projects. Applicants would typically rely on the stated award ceiling and program requirements as the practical guidance for what could be supported.
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| Violent Gang And Gun Crime Reduction Program (PSN) Apply for BJA 2016 9202 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9202 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| Smart Policing Initiative Apply for BJA 2016 9208 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9208 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $700,000 |
| Smart Policing Training and Technical Assistance Apply for BJA 2016 9110 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9110 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Second Chance Act Comprehensive Community-Based Adult Reentry Program Utilizing Mentors Apply for BJA 2016 8990 Funding Number: BJA 2016 8990 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant Program Apply for BJA 2016 9197 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9197 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Second Chance Act Technology-Based Career Training Program for Incarcerated Adults and Juveniles Apply for BJA 2016 9074 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9074 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $750,000 |
| Enhancing Researcher-Practitioner Partnerships: Smart Suite Training & Technical Assistance Apply for BJA 2016 9080 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9080 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| Police-Prosecution Partnership Initiative Apply for BJA 2016 9324 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9324 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Apply for BJA 2016 8989 Funding Number: BJA 2016 8989 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $2,000,000 |
| OJJDP FY 16 Mentoring Opportunities Apply for OJJDP 2016 9179 Funding Number: OJJDP 2016 9179 Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: Case Dependent |
| Technology Innovation for Public Safety (TIPS) Apply for BJA 2016 8994 Funding Number: BJA 2016 8994 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| National Initiatives: Reaching Criminal Justice Policymakers Apply for BJA 2016 9098 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9098 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $375,000 |
| Violence Reduction Network: National Training and Technical Assistance Program Apply for BJA 2016 9113 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9113 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $3,000,000 |
| Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking Apply for BJA 2016 9114 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9114 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,500,000 |
| Harold Rogers Prescription Drug Monitoring Program Apply for BJA 2016 9201 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9201 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $600,000 |
| OJJDP FY 16 Defending Childhood State Policy Initiative Apply for OJJDP 2016 9154 Funding Number: OJJDP 2016 9154 Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| The Price of Justice: Rethinking the Consequences of Justice Fines and Fees Apply for BJA 2016 9144 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9144 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $500,000 |
| National Gun Crime Intelligence Center Initiative Apply for BJA 2016 9325 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9325 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program (BCJI) Apply for BJA 2016 9200 Funding Number: BJA 2016 9200 Agency: Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
| OJJDP FY24 Juvenile Justice Evidence Translation Project Apply for O OJJDP 2024 172085 Funding Number: O OJJDP 2024 172085 Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
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