Instructions When a government agency or private organization has money they wan

Instructions
When a government agency or private organization has money they want to distribute as grants, they
will release a request for proposals (RFP) describing how much money is available, what they want done
with it, and how to apply for it. To make this assignment as realistic as possible, I have adjusted the RFPs
from actual grant programs conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance. Assume you are a
member of a local law enforcement agency that is applying for one of the grants.
Bureau of Justice Assistance Request for Proposals
Reducing Crime and Increasing Safety
BJA expects to make up to several awards of up to $500,000 each. The goal of these grant is to select
several law enforcement agencies to design and implement an evidence-based crime prevention
program. According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, millions of serious crimes occur each year.
These crimes affect our communities and our nation in many ways – economically, physically, and
emotionally. An inability to feel safe and secure can have a detrimental effect on the health of our
communities and our law enforcement. Applicants may propose programs and activities such as (but not
limited to) community engagement, policing tactics and strategies, justice reinvestment, and situational
crime prevention. See section #8 below for a more detailed list of possible programs. Grant applications
which are chosen for funding must be based on the latest research, data, and best practices and clearly
describe an appropriate method for evaluating the program’s success. The page numbers refer to a
standard font size and 1” margins; see your instructor if you have questions.
Applications must include the following elements:
1. Introduction (1 page, 30 points)
a. Makes convincing argument/statement about why the topic is important, establishes
scope of the problem, etc.
b. Provides an overview of the purpose and organization of the paper – a general
statement of what and why
2. Proposed action(s) (2 pages, 30 points)
a. Clearly describes actions to be taken with the funding, which may include
i. Policy changes within the agency
ii. Interventions to change employee behavior
iii. Interventions to change citizen behavior
iv. Other interventions likely to accomplish goals aligned with the overall
purpose of this grant
v. Applications are not required to include every element listed above in i, ii,
iii, and iv.
3. Supporting Evidence (3 pages, 60 points)
a. Presents at least 10 existing research studies supporting that the activities proposed
in Section 2 are likely to be successful
b. Is organized around key themes/topics and designates them with sub-headers, rather
than describing one study after another without comparison and analysis
c. For each key area, provides a summary of the main conclusions
d. When relevant, notes key limitations of the studies
e. For each key area, provides accurate documentation and citation
4. Evaluation Plan (2 pages, 60 points)
a. Provides details of the research methodology to be used to determine the
effectiveness of the actions proposed in Section 2 – that is, how will you test if the
intervention worked
b. If applicable, may include
i. Research design and methods (surveys? existing data? other?)
ii. Sample
iii. Definitions and measurement of variables
iv. Limitations of the evaluation plan
5. Conclusion (1 page, 30 points)
a. Provides a final summary/overview of the application
b. Makes convincing argument/statement about why the topic is important, establishes
scope of the problem, etc.
6. References (30 points)
a. Uses required number of sources
b. Citations provided for all non-original material
c. Citations in the style of APA reference list
7. Writing Quality (60 points)
a. Part of the overall score, but is not a distinct section (you don’t need to write about
how good your writing is)
b. Formal, professional tone – avoid slang/idioms/cliches
c. Avoids grammatical, punctuation, syntax, and word choice errors.
d. Word choice: no misused (affect v. effect) or overly vague (stuff, some, things)
words
e. Organization is clear both between and within paragraphs