BJA FY 21 Project Safe Neighborhoods Training and Technical Assistance Program | O BJA 2021 24001

FAQs: BJA FY 21 Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program

1) What is the BJA FY 21 PSN Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Program?

It is a competitive, discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), focused on providing training, guidance, and hands-on technical support to strengthen Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) efforts nationwide.

2) What is the main purpose of this grant opportunity?

The overall purpose is to strengthen PSN across the country by delivering consistent, high-quality training and technical assistance that helps communities and law enforcement partners reduce violent crime in a sustained way, while reinforcing priorities such as civil rights, access to justice, victim support, public safety, and trust between law enforcement and communities.

3) What is Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN)?

PSN is described as a nationwide violence reduction strategy built around coordination and partnership. It operates in all 94 federal judicial districts and is coordinated by the local U.S. Attorney.

4) How is PSN organized and who coordinates it locally?

A defining feature of PSN is that it is organized in all 94 federal judicial districts and coordinated by the local U.S. Attorney, with an emphasis on aligning local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement efforts with community organizations and residents.

5) What does it mean that the award is a cooperative agreement?

A cooperative agreement means the selected awardee would receive federal funding and would also work closely with DOJ/BJA in carrying out the project, rather than operating fully independently.

6) Is this grant intended to fund direct enforcement operations in a single community?

Based on the description, this is a training and technical assistance (TTA) focused award. The recipient would typically serve as a national or multi-jurisdictional support provider to help PSN stakeholders improve strategy, implementation, and collaboration, rather than directly funding on-the-ground enforcement operations in one location.

7) What kinds of activities would the funded TTA provider be expected to support?

The funded provider would be positioned to deliver training, guidance, and hands-on technical support that helps PSN teams and stakeholders strengthen collaboration, adopt effective violence reduction practices, improve coordination under U.S. Attorney leadership, and ensure efforts align with DOJ priorities (including civil rights, access to justice, community trust, and victim-centered responses).

8) What outcomes is the program trying to achieve?

The opportunity emphasizes sustained reductions in violent crime nationwide, achieved through coordinated approaches and meaningful partnerships, while also promoting civil rights, access to justice, victim support, public safety, and increased trust between law enforcement and the communities they serve.

9) Why does the program emphasize coordination and partnership?

The program’s underlying theory is that long-term reductions in violent crime are more likely when agencies and community partners align their efforts using a unified approach, rather than operating through fragmented, agency-by-agency initiatives.

10) How does the program address community trust and civil rights?

The description highlights that violence reduction should be pursued in ways that reinforce civil rights, expand access to justice, support victims, and build legitimacy and trust between law enforcement and communities.

11) How does this opportunity align with broader Administration goals?

The opportunity aligns PSN work with the Administration’s goals of reducing violence and supporting survivors of violence, while also emphasizing how violence reduction strategies should be carried out (through cooperation, community partnership, and approaches that promote rights and trust).

12) What is the Funding Opportunity Number and CFDA for this program?

Funding Opportunity Number: O-BJA-2021-24001. CFDA: 16.609.

13) How many awards does BJA anticipate making under this opportunity?

The opportunity anticipates making a single award.

14) What is the maximum funding amount available?

The award ceiling is up to $2,000,000.

15) When was the opportunity posted and what was the original closing date?

The posted timeline shows the opportunity was created on May 21, 2021, with an original closing date of June 22, 2021.

16) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3)), Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and other entities as clarified in the solicitation’s additional eligibility language.

17) Are universities and colleges eligible applicants?

Yes. Both public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are included in the eligible applicant categories.

18) Are nonprofit organizations eligible, and does 501(c)(3) status matter?

Yes. The eligibility list includes nonprofit organizations that are 501(c)(3) as well as nonprofits that are non-501(c)(3).

19) Are tribal organizations eligible to apply?

Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments) are listed as eligible applicants.

20) Can a for-profit entity apply?

Yes. The eligibility list includes for-profit organizations other than small businesses.

21) Why are so many different organization types eligible?

The opportunity notes that training and technical assistance can be delivered effectively by many types of organizations, including universities with research and training capacity, specialized nonprofits with practitioner networks, and firms with expertise in curriculum development, implementation support, and performance improvement.

22) What is the intended scope of the TTA work (local vs. national)?

The description indicates the recipient would typically function as a national or multi-jurisdictional support provider, helping the PSN network apply consistent training and support across districts while remaining responsive to local needs.

23) What role do U.S. Attorneys play in PSN work supported by this program?

PSN is coordinated in each federal judicial district by the local U.S. Attorney, and the TTA provider would support PSN stakeholders in improving coordination under U.S. Attorney leadership.

24) What does "hands-on technical support" imply in this context?

The opportunity describes assistance that goes beyond general guidance, aiming to help PSN stakeholders strengthen strategy, implementation, and collaboration in practical ways across jurisdictions.

25) What kinds of partners are expected to be involved in PSN strategies?

The PSN model emphasizes alignment among local, state, tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies together with community organizations and residents, working in partnership rather than in isolation.