Competitive grant opportunity from US Department of Justice: STOP School Violence

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June 26, 2018

TO THE ADMINISTRATOR ADDRESSED:

SUBJECT: Competitive grant opportunity from US Department of Justice: STOP School Violence

This letter is to alert Texas local educational agencies (LEAs) regarding an upcoming national competitive federal grant opportunity.

The STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program grant is available through the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). The grant’s purpose is to support efforts to reduce and prevent school violence.

Another grant that is available through the BJA is the STOP School Violence Threat Assessment and Technology Reporting Program. TEA plans to apply for this grant; however, LEAs are not eligible to apply. Both grants are authorized by the STOP School Violence Act of 2018 (34 United States Code §10551).

Grant Announcement and TEA Information
The STOP School Violence competitive grant announcement, including instructions on how to submit the application, is posted on the BJA website.

TEA has prepared a STOP School Violence grant overview that includes summary information about the grant.

Eligible Applicants
TEA plans to apply for the STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program competitive grant for potential statewide services. Independent school districts (ISDs) are also eligible to apply directly to BJA for this grant. Unfortunately, according to grant guidelines, open-enrollment charter schools, education service centers (ESCs), and nonprofit organizations are not eligible to apply.

However, an ISD that receives STOP School Violence funding may make subawards to those organizations. Open-enrollment charter schools, ESCs, and nonprofits interested in the STOP School Violence grant are encouraged to coordinate with their local ISD.

Funding Categories
The STOP School Violence Act requires an equitable geographic distribution among regions of the United States and among urban, suburban, and rural areas. To fulfill this requirement, the following categories have been established for applicants applying for this grant:

Categories for Grant Awards

Number of Awards

Award
Amounts

Category 1-–A state with a population greater than 5,000,000

6 awards

up to $1,000,000

Category 2–A state with a population of less than 5,000,000

8 awards

up to $500,000

Category 3–An urban area/large county with a population greater than 500,000

18 awards

up to $500,000

Category 4–A suburban area/medium-sized county with a population between 100,000 and 500,000

16 awards

up to $250,000

Category 5–A rural area/small county with a population of less than 100,000

16 awards

up to $150,000

Category 6–A federally recognized Indian Tribe

6 awards

up to $100,000

An ISD applying for this grant will fall within Category 3, 4, or 5, depending on the population size of the county where it is located.

Application Deadline
ISDs must submit their STOP School Violence applications through grants.gov by July 23, 2018. Applicants must complete the grants.gov registration process before submitting their applications.

Funding Details
A 25% matching requirement applies to this grant. Grant funds may be used to cover no more than 75% of project costs. Applicants must fund the remaining 25% of project costs from a separate non-federal source, which must be identified in the grant application.

For Further Information
For questions about STOP School Violence Prevention and Mental Health Training Program requirements, contact the National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS) Response Center:

  • By phone at (800) 851–3420; TTY at (301) 240–6310 (hearing impaired only)
  • By email at grants@ncjrs.gov
  • By fax at (301) 240–5830
  • By web chat with the NCJRS Response Center

For technical assistance with submitting an application, visit the Grants.gov Customer Support Hotline, available by phone (800) 518–4726 and (606) 545–5035 or via email at support@grants.gov.

For information about TEA’s participation in this federal program, email GrantSupport@tea.texas.gov.

Sincerely,


Cory Green, Associate Commissioner
Department of Contracts, Grants and Financial Administration