Court Appointed Special Advocates
The goals of the CASA program are to serve and improve outcomes for children in the dependency care foster care system by providing membership and accreditation subgrants to regional, state, and local CASA organizations that support volunteer advocates who represent abused and neglected children in dependency hearings and partner with other public and private child welfare system stakeholders at the local, state, regional, and national levels The performance measure associated with this objective are: Number of individuals represented by a court appointed special advocate
General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Active
Program Number
16.756
Federal Agency/Office
Office of Justice Programs, Department of Justice
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
B - Project Grants
Program Accomplishments
Not applicable.
Authorization
Victims of Child Abuse Act, 34 U.S.C. § 20323 and Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020, Pub. L. No. 116-93, 133 Stat 2317, 2409.
The Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 (Public Law 101–647) contains provisions that support efforts to ensure that all abused and neglected children involved in dependency proceedings have access to a court appointed special advocate. Through the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program, OJJDP seeks to ensure that abused and neglected children receive high-quality representation in dependency court hearings. The successful applicant will provide: • Membership accreditation and subgrants to regional, state, and local CASA organizations that support volunteer advocates who represent abused and neglected children in dependency hearings and will partner with other public and private child welfare system stakeholders at the local, state, regional, and national levels. • Information, technical assistance, and training to volunteer advocates who represent abused and neglected children in dependency hearings and to other child welfare system stakeholders at the local, state, regional, and national levels.
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
As set forth in the authorizing language in 42 U.S.C. Section 13013, the successful applicant shall be: (1) a national organization that has broad membership among court-appointed special advocate programs (OJJDP defines as having a network of volunteers representing the interests of abused and neglected children operating in a minimum of 40 of the nation's 56 states and territories) and in providing training and technical assistance to court-appointed special advocate programs; or (2) a local public or not-for-profit agency that has demonstrated the willingness to initiate, sustain, and expand a court-appointed special advocate program
Beneficiary Eligibility
None.
Credentials/Documentation
Generally applicant documentation includes the Standard Form 424 (SF-424 - Application for Federal Assistance), a program narrative, budget detail worksheet, and budget narrative. There also are a number of certifications that may be required, and other elements, as specified in the program announcement.
What is the process for applying and being award this assistance?
Pre-Application Procedure
Preapplication coordination is not applicable.
Application Procedure
2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. In FY 2021, applications will be submitted to DOJ in a NEW two-step process. Step 1: Applicants will submit an SF-424 and an SF-LLL in Grants.gov at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/register.html. To register in Grants.gov, applicants will need to obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) and System for Award Management (SAM) registration or renewal. Step 2: Applicants will submit the full application, including attachments, in JustGrants at https://justicegrants.usdoj.gov/. To be considered timely, an application must be submitted by the application deadline using Grants.gov, and the applicant must have received a validation message from Grants.gov that indicates successful and timely submission. OJP urges applicants to submit applications at least 72 hours prior to the application due date to allow time for the applicant to receive validation messages or rejection notifications from Grants.gov and to correct in a timely fashion any problems that may have caused a rejection notification.
Award Procedure
Upon approval by the Assistant Attorney General, successful applicants are notified via DOJ's Justice Grants System (JustGrants). The grant award must be accepted electronically by the receiving organizations authorized official in JustGrants.
Deadlines
Contact the headquarters or regional location, as appropriate for application deadlines
Approval/Disapproval Decision Time
varies by project
Appeals
Not applicable.
Renewals
See applicable program announcement.
How are proposals selected?
Varies by program. Applications are judged according to their consistency with the policies and program priorities established by OJJDP and applicable laws.
How may assistance be used?
Funds are available specifically to achieve the objectives of the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) Program as described in the Victims of Child Abuse Act, 42 U.S.C. Section 13013
What are the requirements after being awarded this opportunity?
Reporting
Performance Reports: To assist in fulfilling the Departments responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (GPRA), Public Law 103-62, and the GPRA Modernization Act of 2010, Public Law 111–352, recipients must provide data that measures the results of their work.
Auditing
See Uniform Administrative Requirements, 2 C.F.R. Part 200 at Subpart F - Audit Requirements (Sec. 200.500 - 200.507) as adopted by D.O.J. in 2 C.F.R. Part 2800.
Records
All financial records, supporting documents, statistical records, and all other records pertinent to the award must be generally retained for a period of three (3) years from the date of submission of the final expenditure report (Federal Financial Report/SF-425). For more information and exceptions, see Uniform Administrative Requirements 2 C.F.R. ? 200.333 as adopted by D.O.J. in 2 C.F.R. Part 2800.
Other Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
Statutory formula is not applicable to this assistance listing.
Matching requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
MOE requirements are not applicable to this assistance listing.
Length and Time Phasing of Assistance
Length and time phasing of assistance vary by project—see applicable program announcement. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/release: Office of Justice Programs’ Financial Guide (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/financialguide/index.htm) and Post Award Instructions (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/pdfs/post_award_instructions.pdf).
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Regional or Local Office
None/Not specified.
Headquarters Office
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
810 7th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20735 US
darian.hanrahan@usdoj.gov
Phone: (202) 616-3750
Website Address
http://www.ojjdp.gov
Financial Information
Account Identification
15-0404-0-1-754
Obligations
(Cooperative Agreements) FY 22$23,669,490.00; FY 23 est $15,000,000.00; FY 24 est $15,000,000.00; FY 20$10,914,508.00; FY 21 est $12,500,000.00; FY 19$10,816,813.00; FY 18$10,935,128.00; -
Range and Average of Financial Assistance
Not applicable/available.
Regulations, Guidelines and Literature
Office of Justice Programs' Financial Guide 2011 ojp.gov/financial guide/DOJ/index.htm. and Post award Instructions (www.ojp.usdoj.gov/funding/pdfs/post_award_instructions.pdf), applicable OMB Circulars, and Department of Justice regulations applicable to specific types of grantees, which can be found in title 28 of the Code of Federal Regulations (28 C.F.R.).