BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION FUNDING
FY 2017
Notification of Potential Applicants of Posted Requests for Applications
The Criminal Justice Division (CJD) of the Governor’s Office has a variety of funding
sources available for juvenile justice, criminal justice, crime prevention, and victim
services grants. CJD and the Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG) are
seeking applications for fiscal year 2017 local, regional, and statewide grant projects
aimed at making Texas a safer place. CJD and BVCOG administer the following funds
and programs:
General Victim Assistance - Direct Services Program Solicitation (GVA)
CJD awards these funds to state and local applicants to provide assistance and
services directly to victims of crime. The goal of these projects is to help speed the
victim’s recovery from a criminal act and aid them through the criminal justice process.
Violent Crimes Against Women Criminal Justice and Training Projects - Domestic
Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence and Stalking Solicitation. (VCAW)
CJD awards these funds to state and local applicants to reduce and prevent violence
against women. Programs applying to operate either training projects or projects within
the criminal justice system (i.e. law enforcement, prosecution, or courts) focused on
violent crimes against women including: domestic violence, sexual assault, dating
violence or stalking.
Juvenile Services Projects Solicitation (JSS)
CJD awards these funds to state and local applicants for programs that improve the
juvenile justice system and develop effective education, training, research, prevention,
diversion, treatment and rehabilitation programs in the area of juvenile delinquency.
Justice Assistance Grant Programs Solicitation (JAG)
CJD awards these funds to state and local applicants to operate programs geared
towards reducing crime and improving the criminal justice system. Units of local
government providing law enforcement services must be current on reporting Part I
Crime Report (UCR) and have been current in reporting UCR data for the three
preceding years to be eligible to apply.
BVCOG will notify potential applicants regarding grant application submission deadlines
by sending out letters, emails and posting information on the BVCOG website.
Submission of Applications and tentative CJD Deadlines
All applicants must register in order to access all grant applications via the CJD eGrants
website at https://cjdonline.governor.state.tx.us and submitted directly to CJD. For a list
of application opening and due dates please refer to the website and click on ‘Calendar’.
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BVCOG Request for Applications FY 2017
BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION FUNDING
FY 2017
APPLICATIONS OPEN FOR SOLICITATION ON EGRANTS
 GVA, VCAW, JSS and JAG ………...……………………..Mid December 2015
GRANT WRITING WORKSHOPS
 All grantees welcome ………….………………………..…1/7/2016 at 9:30 AM
 All grantees welcome …………………………………....1/11/2015 at 9:30 AM
APPLICATIONS DUE TO CJD
 GVA, VCAW, JSS and JAG
……………………………………..... 2/29/2016
CJAC SUBCOMMITTEE MEETINGS
 GVA, VCAW, JSS and JAG
……..…………………………………..3/25/2016
CJAC MEETINGS
 GVA, VCAW, JSS and JAG
………..………………………………..3/25/2016
BVCOG BOARD MEETINGS
 GVA, VCAW, JSS and JAG
…………..………………………..…….4/13/2016
Applications will not be accepted past the deadline.
Application Submission to BVCOG
All applicants must send an electronic copy of all grant applications submitted on
eGrants to CJ Planner by:
*3/2/2016 for GVA, VCAW, JSS and JAG
Please contact CJ Planner / Rebecca Hill at (979) 595-2801 ext 2041 or
rebecca.hill@bvcog.org with any questions on how to submit electronic copy of grant.
BVCOG Strategic Plan
The BVCOG Strategic Plan identifies criminal justice priorities and needs for the Brazos
Valley. Applications are scored based on how well the project addresses a current
priority identified in the plan. To receive a copy of the strategic plan or to get additional
information, contact Rebecca Hill at (979) 595-2801 ext 2041 or
rebecca.hill@bvcog.org.
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BVCOG Request for Applications FY 2017
BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION FUNDING
FY 2017
Definition of Regional
A project is considered regional if it involves four counties of the Brazos Valley in the
planning and implementation stages. Bonus points are awarded on the score sheet for
GVA, VCAW and JAG projects that are regional. There are no bonus points for JSS
projects that are regional.
Technical Assistance and Grant Application Workshop
During the application process, the BVCOG CJ Planner will, on request, assist
applicants with questions or problems they may encounter. Grant application
workshops will be held on January 7th and 11th at 9:30 am. It is required that all new
applicants attend a grant application workshop or schedule a one-on-one training
session to review the e-Grants website and recommendations from the OOG. Please
contact Rebecca Hill to reserve your space at a workshop or schedule a one-on-one
training session.
Application Review Process
The Criminal Justice Division (CJD) staff will review the applications for eligibility then
forward the applications to the BVCOG planner for verifying application submissions.
Applicants must also submit their applications to the BVCOG Planner by March 2, 2016
to allow packet development for CJAC Scoring Sub-Committee scoring. Application
packets will be electronically sent to the scoring sub-committee for preview and prescore if applicable. The BVCOG Planner distributes the applications to the Criminal
Justice Advisory Committee (CJAC) Scoring Sub-Committee 10 business days prior to
application scoring.
The Brazos Valley CJAC’s Scoring Sub-Committee will convene 9:30 Friday, March 25,
2016 in the BVCOG Board Room to score, prioritize, and recommend funding amounts
to FY 2017 grant applications. Members of the scoring subcommittee must attend a
mandatory scoring class to become eligible for scoring grants. The scoring
subcommittee is comprised of eligible CJAC members who do not have a conflict of
interest with any applications in the applicable solicitation and who have attended the
mandatory grant scoring training. Each county may submit up to three (3) scores for
each solicitation. In the case where there are more than (3) eligible scorers in a county,
those eligible in attendance will decide which committee members will score. Eligible
Sub-Committee scorers will use the “Office of the Governor, Criminal Justice Division
CJAC Application Score Sheet” to score each grant application. The form is a tool for
assessing each project to enable each individual scorer to prioritize projects. The
maximum number of points allowed per project is determined by the state and local
priorities addressed by each application. Sub-Committee scorers are ineligible to score
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BVCOG Request for Applications FY 2017
BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION FUNDING
FY 2017
projects that have a conflict of interest and will not be considered in scoring averages.
Ineligible scorers must abstain from voting or scoring competing grant applications.
BVCOG staff collect score sheets from each eligible scorer. The individual scores are
added together and divided by the total number of eligible scorers to get an average
score. Two scores will be eliminated. One highest and one lowest score for each
application are not counted in the total average. The scores are ranked in order with #1
being the highest score and the lowest score being listed last. If a tie occurs between
two or more scores, the sub-committee scorers will take an ordinal vote without the
chair participating in the vote. If the ordinal vote results in a tie, then the CJAC
Chairperson will break the tie.
Conflict of Interest and Ties
A CJAC member must abstain from scoring and voting on any grant application during
the prioritization process if the member or an individual related to the member within the
third degree by consanguinity (blood) or within the second degree by affinity (marriage):
a. Is employed by the applicant agency and works for the unit or division that
would administer the grant, if awarded;
b. Serves on any board that oversees the unit or division that would administer
the grant, if awarded;
c. Owns or controls any interest in a business entity or other non-governmental
organization that benefits, directly or indirectly, from activities with the
applicant agency;
d. Receives any funds from the applicant agency as a result of the grant, if
awarded; or
e. Uses or receives a substantial amount of tangible goods, services, or funds
from the applicant agency.
If a member must abstain from scoring and voting on any grant application, the member
must also abstain from scoring and voting on any competing grant applications within
that funding opportunity during the prioritization process.
Members who would otherwise have a conflict of interest may answer direct questions
when requested.
The CJAC Chairperson will determine if a conflict of interest exists with a voting
member of the committee. If a tie occurs between two or more scores, the committee
members will take an ordinal vote without the chair participating in the vote. If the
ordinal vote results in a tie, then the CJAC Chairperson will break the tie.
The CJ Planner is not a voting member of the CJAC.
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BVCOG Request for Applications FY 2017
BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION FUNDING
FY 2017
Decreasing Funding Ratio Policy
The following funds have a decreasing funding ratio over five years:


Juvenile Services
Criminal Justice Programs
The decreasing funding ratio provides for CJD funding of 100% of costs the first year.
The first year grant award sets a benchmark for the funding levels of any subsequent
award:




In the second year, the grantee is eligible for 100% of the benchmark
In the third year, the grantee is eligible for 75% of the benchmark
In the fourth year, the grantee is eligible for 50% of the benchmark
In the fifth year, the grantee is eligible for 25% of the benchmark
Exceptions to the Decreasing Funding Ratio and Maximum Years of Funding policies
are BVCOG’s regional coordination project, BVCOG’s law enforcement training project,
and BVCOG’s regional juvenile justice alternatives project.
Requests for additional years of funding (beyond five years) will be treated as a new
application and compete as such. Cities and counties receiving “421 Funds” must
assume all costs of the grant in at least five years, according to Chapter 772 of the
Government Code.
The minimum grant request is $5,000. There is no maximum. The CJAC or CJD may
grant exceptions to the minimum grant request rule.
Appeal Process
CJD will not accept appeals; therefore, appeals can only be made at the COG level.
Appeals must be based on a verifiable error made during the prioritization or review
process, and the applicant must be able to show that the error actually caused the
application to not be funded. The applicant should submit written documentation in
support of the appeal within 10 days of receiving notification of the CJAC’s funding
recommendation or the BVCOG Board of Directors funding decision.
Notification of Funding Decisions
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BVCOG Request for Applications FY 2017
BRAZOS VALLEY COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS
REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS
CRIMINAL JUSTICE DIVISION FUNDING
FY 2017
The BVCOG CJ Planner will notify applicants of funding recommendations made by the
CJAC within the following 10 business days of the CJAC meeting. The CJ Planner will
also inform applicants of funding decisions made by the BVCOG Board of Directors
within the following 10 business days of the board meeting.
Pursuant to the provisions of the Texas Administrative Code, based upon the COG’s
priority listing, CJD will verify the eligibility, reasonableness and cost-effectiveness of
the proposed project, and the availability of funding, and will render final funding
decisions on the grant applications. The COG will notify grantees of any changes in the
funding or prioritization within ten business days.
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BVCOG Request for Applications FY 2017