FY 2012 Grant Request for Applications (RFA)

Teen Court Program
Short Title: TCP

INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Request for Applications (RFA) No. TI-12-004
Posting on Grants.gov: April 16, 2012
Original Receipt date: May 30, 2012

Catalogue of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No.: 93.243

Key Dates

Application Deadline Applications are due by May 30, 2012.
Intergovernmental Review (E.O. 12372) Applicants must comply with E.O. 12372 if their State(s) participates. Review process recommendations from the State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.
Public Health System Impact Statement (PHSIS) / Single State Agency Coordination Applicants must send the PHSIS to appropriate State and local health agencies by application deadline. Comments from Single State Agency are due no later than 60 days after application deadline.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2012 Teen Court Program grants (TCP). The purpose of this program is to provide substance abuse treatment services and related recovery support services to youth with substance abuse and/or co-occurring treatment needs involved in a teen court program. SAMHSA is focusing on preventing crimes by diverting youth with substance abuse treatment needs, from deeper penetration into the traditional juvenile justice system. Expected outcomes for this program for the participating youth include reduced substance use; reduced criminal activity; improved health; better quality of life; and increased productivity.

For the purposes of this RFA, teen court, youth court, student court and peer court will collectively be referred to as "teen court." Teen courts are peer-run courts where youth sentence their peers for minor delinquent and status offenses and other problem behaviors. These programs provide positive alternative sanctions for first-time offenders by providing a peer-driven sentencing mechanism, which allows young people to take responsibility, to be held accountable, and to make restitution.

Currently, teen courts do not provide substance abuse treatment, and most do not provide referrals to substance abuse treatment. This program is designed to divert youth with substance abuse treatment needs from entry into the traditional juvenile justice system by providing such treatment. Teen court programs are administered by a variety of agencies including juvenile courts, juvenile probation departments, law enforcement, private nonprofit organizations, and schools. There are four primary teen court models: Adult Judge, Youth Judge, Peer Judge, and Youth Tribal Models. For more information on teen courts, see Appendix J.

Applicant teen courts must be operational on or before October 1, 2012. Operational is defined as a having a set of cases and seeing respondents in the teen court.

In alignment with the goals of SAMHSA’s Strategic Initiative: Trauma and Justice, this program will help reduce the pervasive, harmful, and costly health impact of violence and trauma by integrating trauma-informed approaches throughout health, behavioral health, and related systems and addressing the behavioral health needs of people involved in or at-risk of involvement in the criminal and juvenile justice systems. By providing needed treatment services, this program is intended to reduce the health and social costs of substance abuse and dependence to the public, and increase the safety of America’s citizens by reducing substance abuse related crime and violence.

TCP is one of SAMHSA’s services grant programs. SAMHSA intends that its services grants result in the delivery of services as soon as possible after award. Service delivery should begin by the 4th month of the project at the latest.

Teen Court Program grants are authorized under 509 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2020 Substance Abuse Topic Area HP 2020-SA.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are domestic public and private nonprofit entities. For example:

  • State and local governments
  • Federally recognized American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) Tribes and tribal organizations
  • Urban Indian organizations
  • Public or private universities and colleges
  • Community- and faith-based organizations

Tribal organization means the recognized body of any AI/AN Tribe; any legally established organization of American Indians/Alaska Natives which is controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by such governing body or which is democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to be served by such organization and which includes the maximum participation of American Indians/Alaska Natives in all phases of its activities. Consortia of Tribes or tribal organizations are eligible to apply, but each participating entity must indicate its approval.

The statutory authority for this program prohibits grants to for-profit agencies.

Applications submitted by the State or local government must propose to implement a project at an existing teen court program(s) within the State and must have a selected site(s) at the time of the application. An applicant may propose to serve more than one existing teen court, but must identify the teen court programs that will be involved in the collaboration.

Teen courts involved with these grants must be operational on or before October 1, 2012. Operational is defined as a having a set of cases and seeing respondents in the teen court. By signing the cover page (SF 424) of the application, the authorized representative of the applicant organization is certifying that the teen court(s) applying for funds or receiving funds as part of this grant are currently or will be operational on or before October 1, 2012.

You must provide letters of commitment or formal contractual agreements (outlining services to be provided, level and intensity of resources committed) from collaborating organizations, as well as letters of commitment from participating teen courts, in Attachment 1 of your application or it will not be reviewed and you will not be considered for an award.

Award Information

Funding Mechanism: Grant
Anticipated Total Available Funding: $2 million
Estimated Number of Awards: Up to 10 awards
Estimated Award Amount: Up to $200,000 per year
Length of Project Period: Up to 3 years

Proposed budgets cannot exceed $200,000 in total costs (direct and indirect) in any year of the proposed project. Annual continuation awards will depend on the availability of funds, grantee progress in meeting project goals and objectives, timely submission of required data and reports, and compliance with all terms and conditions of award.

These awards will be made as grants.

Contact Information

For questions about program issues contact:

Holly Rogers
Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, Division of Services Improvement
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road
Room 5-1014
Rockville, Maryland 20857
(240) 276-2916
holly.rogers@samhsa.hhs.gov

For questions on grants management and budget issues contact:

Roger George
Office of Financial Resources, Division of Grants Management
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
1 Choke Cherry Road
Room 7-1081
Rockville, Maryland 20857
(240) 276-1418
roger.george@samhsa.hhs.gov

Documents Needed to Complete a Grant Application

1. REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS (RFA)

YOU MUST RESPOND TO THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE RFA IN PREPARING YOUR APPLICATION.


2. GRANT APPLICATION PACKAGE

YOU MUST USE THE FORMS IN THE APPLICATION PACKAGE TO COMPLETE YOUR APPLICATION.

Additional Materials

For further information on the forms and the application process, see Useful Information for Applicants

Additional materials available on this website include:

Last updated: 04/13/2012