The New Year is off to a quick start in federal grant funding with the announcement of the 2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation (CTAS). The grant program is currently open with a two-part application deadline:
- Grants.gov deadline: March 10, 2022
- JustGrants Deadline: March 15, 2022
The Department of Justice (DOJ) launched CTAS in 2010 in direct response to concerns raised by tribal leaders that DOJ’s grant process did not provide the flexibility tribes needed to address their criminal justice and public safety needs. DOJ has awarded over 2,000 grants totaling more than $943 million in CTAS grant funds to date.
Through CTAS, the 574 federally recognized tribes and tribal consortia can submit a single application for most of DOJ’s tribal grant programs. DOJ designed this comprehensive approach to save time and allow tribes – as well as DOJ – to get a better understanding of the tribes’ overall public safety needs.
For the 2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation, a total of $64.7M in funding is available with the anticipated number of awards at 104. Following is a brief outline of the purpose areas, eligible applicants and types of costs that can be covered through this grant program.
2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Purpose Areas
CTAS groups competitive grant programs into nine Purpose Areas. In 2022, Purpose Areas 5 and 7, which refer to grants from the Office of Violence Against Women and the Office for Victims of Crime respectively, are not included. The nine Purpose Areas are:
- Public Safety and Community Policing: Approximately 40 awards with durations of five years for hiring and three years for equipment and training. Agencies with sworn forces of less than 10 officers can apply for up to $600,000; agencies with forces between 10 and 19 officers can apply for up to $700,000; and agencies with forces of 20 or more officers can apply for up to $900,000.
- Comprehensive Tribal Justice Systems Strategic Planning Program: Approximately 10 awards with durations of up to five years, up to $150,000 per award.
- Tribal Justice Systems: Approximately 25 to 33 awards with durations of up to five years, approximately $250,000 to $900,000 per award.
- Tribal Justice System Infrastructure Program: Awards for facility renovation or expansion or completion of existing construction projects. There will be two to four awards for single-jurisdiction facilities up to $1.3 million per award for five years and one to two awards for regional facilities (detention, multipurpose justice center, correctional alternative) up to $5.2 million per award for five years.
- Tribal Governments Program: This area is not included in the 2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation. The Office of Violence Against Women will be funding the Tribal Governments Program in FY 2022; however, it will be a separate solicitation not included in CTAS.
- Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities: Approximately seven awards up to a maximum of $450,000 per award for three years.
- Tribal Victim Services Program: This area is not included in the 2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation. OVC will be funding the Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Formula Grant program in FY 2022; however, it will be a separate solicitation not included in CTAS.
- Juvenile Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts: Approximately five awards of up to a maximum of $400,000 per award for five years.
- Tribal Youth Program: Approximately five awards up to a maximum of $100,000 per award. For Category 2 and Category 3, approximately 12 awards up to a maximum of $500,000 per award.
Costs Covered Through CTAS
Applicants for the 2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation may apply for funding to cover the following costs:
Strategic planning:
- Strategic planning activities related to community policing.
Hiring:
- Sworn: Funding can be requested for approved entry-level salaries and fringe benefits (including overtime) of newly hired or rehired full-time sworn career law enforcement officers, village public safety officers, and school resource officers. All newly hired, additional or rehired officers (or an equal number of redeployed officers) funded under Purpose Area 1 must engage in community policing activities. Applicants must budget for, and if awarded, complete background investigations and basic law enforcement officer training for all full-time career law enforcement officers funded by the grant.
- School Resource Officer (SRO): Applicants may request SRO positions. If awarded funding for an SRO position, the COPS Office requires a memorandum of understanding between the law enforcement agency and the school. In addition, the funded SRO must complete the Basic School Resource Officer Course conducted by an approved provider.
- Civilian: Salaries and fringe benefits for a full-time methamphetamine and/or anti-opioid coordinators are allowable costs. These positions will be awarded under TRGP-E/T grants.
Equipment:
- Eligible equipment includes uniforms; body armor; body-worn cameras; standard-issue equipment (handcuffs, ammunition carriers, flashlight, duty knife, conducted electrical weapon, etc.); vehicles needed for law enforcement purposes including anti-methamphetamine/opioid activities; and technology such as computer hardware and software, mobile data terminals, radios, communication systems, and Murdered and Missing Indigenous Persons databases.
- Applicants that do not already have an information-gathering system compatible with FBI Uniform Crime Reporting System are encouraged to request funds for National Incident-Based Reporting System/Uniform Crime Reporting-compliant systems. Applicants may also request hardware and software required to access national criminal justice related databases (e.g., National Crime Information Center).
Training:
- Applicable training includes basic training at a state academy or the Indian Police Academy in Artesia, N.M., as well as specialized police training, community policing training, crime reporting (e.g., NIBRS) training, and anti-methamphetamine, anti-opioid or human trafficking training.
Travel:
- Covered training includes airfare, lodging and mileage reimbursement for meeting or training costs related to Purpose Area 1 activities, including costs associated with any DOJ-required training.
Overtime:
- Overtime for sworn officers engaging in community policing-related activities is an allowable cost; however, any overtime expenses requested for sworn officer positions must be listed in the “Other Costs” section of your application’s budget. Overtime expenses must exceed the expenditures that your agency is obligated or funded to pay in its current budget.
- Overtime requests are limited as follows: sworn force of fewer than 10: No more than $25,000 total; sworn force of 10 to fewer than 20: No more than $50,000 total; sworn force of 20+: No more than $75,000 total.
Other Details and What’s New for FY22
Applications for the 2022 Coordinated Tribal Assistance Program will continue to be completed and submitted through Grants.gov and the Justice Grants system, JustGrants. Proposal abstracts will be completed in the JustGrants web-based form. Each tribe or tribal consortium may submit only one CTAS application. This application can include proposals for project funding under one or more purpose areas. As such, multiple awards may be made in response to a single application. In addition to applying for FY 2022 CTAS funding, federally recognized tribes are encouraged to submit separate applications to any DOJ grant program for which they may be eligible.
The DOJ has named several grant funding priorities for 2022, including promoting civil rights, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims, protecting the public from crime and evolving threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the community. For all FY 2022 solicitations, applicants should address these priorities within their applications.
Each purpose area has a separate narrative template (found on the DOJ solicitation page) designed to address its unique focus and requirements. Applicants must submit a separate narrative for each purpose area to which they are applying. For an example of the narrative template for Purpose Area 1, click here.
Finally, this is one of the first DOJ grants to be released under FY22 funding. We are anticipating a trend of quick release on federal grants for law enforcement this year. Stay tuned!
