Opportunity Information: Apply for BJA 2019 15224
The BJA FY 19 Innovative Responses to Behavior in the Community: Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision opportunity (often referred to as the SCF Program) is a discretionary Department of Justice grant administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. It was designed to help state and local probation and parole agencies strengthen how they respond to people under community supervision, using an approach centered on three practical principles: swiftness (responding quickly to violations or concerning behavior), certainty (making sure responses are predictable and consistently applied), and fairness (ensuring responses are proportionate, transparent, and applied in an even-handed way). The underlying goal is to reduce recidivism and improve public safety by making supervision more effective and credible, rather than relying on slow, inconsistent, or overly severe reactions that can weaken accountability and outcomes.
This opportunity was structured as a cooperative agreement, which typically means the federal awarding agency expects to be more involved than in a standard grant. In practice, that often translates into closer coordination with BJA, participation in required reporting and learning activities, and engagement with training and technical assistance resources tied to the program. The grant emphasized not just funding for local operations, but also access to information, resources, and TTA so agencies could build or refine supervision practices in a way that aligns with the SCF framework and can be implemented with fidelity.
BJA intended to make multiple awards under this solicitation, with an expected total of four awards. The maximum funding amount per award (the award ceiling) was $750,000. The opportunity was posted on April 23, 2019, and the original application closing date was June 25, 2019. The funding opportunity number was BJA-2019-15224, and the associated CFDA number listed for the program was 16.828. The activity category was listed broadly under Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (as categorized in CFDA), and Law, Justice and Legal Services, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of community supervision work and its ties to justice system operations and community outcomes.
Eligible applicants covered a wide range of government entities, including state governments, county governments, city or township governments, special district governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments. The program focus, however, was specifically aimed at organizations responsible for parole and probation functions, or entities positioned to lead or support those agencies in developing, implementing, or enhancing an SCF supervision model.
Programmatically, the solicitation aimed to support jurisdictions that wanted to build an SCF model from the ground up, improve an existing model, or expand and strengthen a model already in place. The key theme was improving responses to offender behavior in the community in a way that is timely, consistent, and perceived as legitimate. In many jurisdictions, violations of supervision conditions can be handled slowly, unevenly, or with responses that are either too harsh or too lenient relative to the behavior. The SCF framework is meant to replace that uncertainty with a clearer system where expectations are understood, responses are prompt, and consequences or interventions are calibrated to the behavior, which can increase compliance and reduce the likelihood of new criminal activity.
Overall, this funding opportunity was about helping probation and parole agencies move toward a more structured, behavior-responsive supervision strategy that reduces crime by increasing accountability and improving the effectiveness of community supervision. It combined financial support with an emphasis on guidance and technical assistance, and it targeted practical implementation of an SCF model that jurisdictions could use to improve supervision outcomes and reduce recidivism.Apply for BJA 2019 15224
- The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance in the employment, labor and training, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "BJA FY 19 Innovative Responses to Behavior in the Community: Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.828.
- This funding opportunity was created on Apr 23, 2019.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 25, 2019. (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 $750,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 4 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized).
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the BJA FY 19 Innovative Responses to Behavior in the Community: Swift, Certain, and Fair Supervision opportunity?
This opportunity (often called the SCF Program) was a discretionary Department of Justice grant administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It was designed to help state and local probation and parole agencies strengthen how they respond to behavior and violations among people under community supervision, using a Swift, Certain, and Fair framework.
What does "Swift, Certain, and Fair" (SCF) mean in this program?
The SCF framework centered on three practical supervision principles:
- Swiftness: responding quickly to violations or concerning behavior
- Certainty: making sure responses are predictable and consistently applied
- Fairness: ensuring responses are proportionate, transparent, and applied in an even-handed way
What is the main goal of the SCF Program?
The underlying goal was to reduce recidivism and improve public safety by making community supervision more effective and credible. The solicitation emphasized improving accountability and outcomes by moving away from slow, inconsistent, or overly severe reactions to behavior on supervision.
Who administered and funded this opportunity?
The program was administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ).
Was this funding offered as a grant or a cooperative agreement?
It was structured as a cooperative agreement. This typically means the federal awarding agency expects more involvement than with a standard grant, such as closer coordination with BJA and participation in program-related activities.
What does BJA involvement typically look like under a cooperative agreement for this program?
Based on how the opportunity was described, BJA involvement often translated into closer coordination with BJA, participation in required reporting and learning activities, and engagement with training and technical assistance resources tied to the program.
What types of agencies or organizations were the focus of this solicitation?
The program focus was specifically aimed at organizations responsible for probation and parole functions, or entities positioned to lead or support those agencies in developing, implementing, or enhancing an SCF supervision model.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants included a wide range of government entities:
- State governments
- County governments
- City or township governments
- Special district governments
- Federally recognized Native American tribal governments
How many awards did BJA expect to make?
BJA intended to make multiple awards under the solicitation, with an expected total of four awards.
What was the maximum funding amount per award?
The award ceiling (maximum funding per award) was $750,000.
When was the opportunity posted and when was the application due?
The opportunity was posted on April 23, 2019. The original application closing date was June 25, 2019.
What is the funding opportunity number for this solicitation?
The funding opportunity number was BJA-2019-15224.
What CFDA number was associated with this program?
The associated CFDA number listed for the program was 16.828.
How was the activity category described for this opportunity?
The activity category was listed broadly under Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (as categorized in CFDA), and Law, Justice and Legal Services, reflecting the cross-cutting nature of community supervision work and its connections to justice system operations and community outcomes.
What kinds of projects was the solicitation intended to support?
The solicitation aimed to support jurisdictions that wanted to:
- Build an SCF model from the ground up
- Improve an existing SCF model
- Expand and strengthen a model already in place
What problem was the SCF framework trying to address in community supervision?
The opportunity highlighted that, in many jurisdictions, violations of supervision conditions can be handled slowly, unevenly, or with responses that are too harsh or too lenient relative to the behavior. The SCF framework was meant to replace that uncertainty with a clearer system where expectations are understood, responses are prompt, and consequences or interventions are calibrated to the behavior.
How was this program expected to improve supervision outcomes?
The program emphasized that timely, consistent, and legitimate (fair and transparent) responses can increase compliance and reduce the likelihood of new criminal activity, improving overall community supervision effectiveness and reducing recidivism.
Was training and technical assistance (TTA) part of the opportunity?
Yes. The grant emphasized not only funding for local operations, but also access to information, resources, and training and technical assistance (TTA) so agencies could build or refine supervision practices aligned with the SCF framework and implement them with fidelity.
What did "implement with fidelity" mean in the context of this solicitation?
In this context, it referred to implementing or refining supervision practices in a way that aligns with the SCF framework as intended, supported by guidance, resources, and technical assistance tied to the program.
What was the overall purpose of this funding opportunity?
Overall, the opportunity was about helping probation and parole agencies move toward a more structured, behavior-responsive supervision strategy that reduces crime by increasing accountability and improving the effectiveness of community supervision, combining financial support with guidance and technical assistance.
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| BJA FY 20 Second Chance Act Pay for Success Initiative: Outcomes-based Contracting To Lower Recidivism and Address Substance Use Disorders Through Reentry and Housing Services Apply for BJA 2020 17237 Funding Number: BJA 2020 17237 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $2,500,000 |
| BJA FY 20 Innovations in Community-Based Crime Reduction (CBCR) Program Apply for BJA 2020 17118 Funding Number: BJA 2020 17118 Agency: Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance Category: Employment, Labor and Training, Humanities (see Cultural Affairs in CFDA), Law, Justice and Legal Services Funding Amount: $1,000,000 |
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