BJA FY 19 Public Safety Partnership National Training and Technical Assistance Program | BJA 2019 16069

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the BJA FY 19 Public Safety Partnership (PSP) National Training and Technical Assistance Program?

It is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), to fund national training and technical assistance (TTA) that supports Public Safety Partnership (PSP) sites. The goal is to strengthen how law enforcement agencies and prosecutors respond when a community experiences a sharp rise in violent crime.

2) What problem is PSP designed to address?

PSP is designed for jurisdictions dealing with a sudden spike in violent crime. It emphasizes a structured, hands-on collaboration model so participating jurisdictions receive coordinated support rather than disconnected or piecemeal assistance.

3) What does this grant actually fund?

This opportunity funds national-level TTA capacity. In other words, it supports the organization(s) selected to deliver coordinated training, tools, expertise, and ongoing technical assistance to PSP participating jurisdictions over time.

4) Who is the primary audience or beneficiary of the funded work?

The funded provider(s) support PSP sites (participating jurisdictions) by helping local, tribal, and state partners improve their operational capacity and implementation in response to violent crime increases.

5) How long is the PSP engagement for participating jurisdictions?

PSP is described as a three-year engagement for participating jurisdictions.

6) What is the core approach behind PSP?

The program is built around coordinated, hands-on federal and local collaboration. It aims to accelerate access to DOJ resources and align those resources around practical implementation needs at PSP sites.

7) What are the seven core TTA areas supported under PSP?

The TTA is organized into seven core areas: illegal gun violence, federal partnerships, crime analysis, technology, criminal justice collaboration, investigations, and community engagement.

8) What types of improvements are PSP sites expected to make with this support?

Based on the program description, the TTA is intended to help PSP sites improve both strategy and execution across enforcement and prevention-oriented functions. Examples mentioned include better gun violence interventions, stronger coordination with federal partners, improved analytical targeting of hotspots and repeat offenders, improved use of tools and systems, more unified collaboration among police and prosecutors and other justice stakeholders, stronger investigative practices, and more credible community engagement to support legitimacy and cooperation.

9) What makes this program different from one-time training or disconnected assistance?

PSP is framed as sustained, coordinated support delivered over a multi-year period, with resources aligned around implementation needs instead of stand-alone or piecemeal assistance.

10) What is the award mechanism for this opportunity?

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement.

11) What does a cooperative agreement imply in this context?

A cooperative agreement typically indicates substantial involvement by DOJ in guiding the work, aligning deliverables to PSP priorities, and coordinating federal resources across participating sites.

12) When was this opportunity released, and what was the original application deadline?

The opportunity was released on March 19, 2019, with an original application deadline of May 7, 2019.

13) How many awards did BJA anticipate making?

BJA anticipated making up to two awards under this solicitation.

14) What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?

The award ceiling was $3,000,000.

15) What does the award ceiling suggest about the expected scale of work?

The $3,000,000 ceiling and the expectation of up to two awards suggest a high-capacity, national scope for the organization(s) selected to provide training and technical assistance.

16) Who is eligible to apply for this grant opportunity?

Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), and for-profit organizations other than small businesses.

17) Are institutions of higher education eligible?

Yes. Both public/state-controlled and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.

18) Are tribal governments eligible?

Yes. Federally recognized Native American tribal governments are listed as eligible applicants.

19) Are nonprofit organizations eligible?

Yes. Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education) are listed as eligible applicants.

20) Are for-profit organizations eligible?

Yes, for-profit organizations other than small businesses are listed as eligible applicants.

21) What types of activities or disciplines does this program touch?

The funding activity categories associated with the opportunity reflect a cross-cutting focus that includes law, justice and legal services, information and statistics, community development, and workforce/training elements commonly associated with capacity-building initiatives.

22) In practical terms, what is the funded provider expected to deliver to PSP sites?

The funded provider(s) are expected to deliver coordinated TTA that supports implementation across the seven core areas. This includes deploying expertise and tools and helping sites strengthen partnership structures, analysis, investigations, technology use, and community engagement, while aligning local strategies with DOJ resources through the PSP framework.

23) Is the focus only on enforcement, or does it include prevention and community trust?

The description includes both enforcement and prevention-oriented functions. It specifically references community engagement and building legitimacy and cooperation, alongside investigations, gun violence intervention, and coordination among justice partners.

24) What is the overall purpose of investing in national TTA capacity for PSP?

The overall purpose is to ensure jurisdictions facing escalating violence can access sustained, coordinated assistance that helps them build durable systems for partnership, analysis, investigations, technology use, and community trust, while aligning local strategies with federal resources.