Gang Resistance Education and Training (16.737)

Program

16.737 Gang Resistance Education and Training

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Justice
Office: Bureau Of Justice Assistance

Authorization

The Consolidated Appropriations Act 2004, Public Law 108-109.

Program Number

16.737

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

The Gang Resistance Education and Training (G.R.E.A.T.) is a school-based, law enforcement officer-instructed classroom training curriculum. G.R.E.A.T.'s violence prevention curriculum is a life-skills competency program designed to provide students with the skills they need to avoid gang pressure and youth violence. The program's primary objective is prevention and minimizing the probability of high risk youth engaging in delinquency, youth violence, and gang membership. The instruction is taught in the classroom by specially trained, uniformed law enforcement officers. The curriculum can be used in conjunction with other prevention programs encouraging positive relationships between the community, parents, schools, and law enforcement. The G.R.E.A.T. program is comprised of a continuum of curricula � Middle School (6th � 8th grades); Elementary (3rd and 4th grades); Families Component (parents/guardians and youth) and Summer Component. The various components and curricula build on and reinforce each other in addressing the factors that contribute to youth violence and gang involvement.

Types of Assistance

PROJECT GRANTS

Uses and Use Restrictions

Law enforcement agencies can only use the funds provided to administer the G.R.E.A.T. Program in their respective communities. This includes providing G.R.E.A.T. training for law enforcement officers and the purchasing of materials and supplies for the implementation and ongoing operation of the program.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

All State, county, tribal and municipal units of general purpose government and law enforcement agencies and other special purpose law enforcement agencies (i.e., independent school districts) in the United States and U.S. Territories.

Beneficiary Eligibility

All State, county, tribal and municipal governments, law enforcement agencies and schools in the United States and U.S. Territories.

Credentials/Documentation

Jurisdiction or agency head must enter into the award agreement with the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is required. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is excluded from coverage under E.O. 12372.

Application Procedure

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-110. Applications are submitted by the Chief Executive Officer of a jurisdiction, or formal designee or law enforcement agency head, via the Internet-based Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Grants Management System (GMS) at https://grants.ojp.usdoj.gov. On-line submission of an application represents legal binding acceptance of the terms of the application. For further information about the OJP GMS, call the OJP GMS Hotline. Telephone: 1-888-549-9901; or access the BJA home page at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA. For general information about the G.R.E.A.T. Program, contact the U.S. Department of Justice. Telephone: 1-866-859-2687 or by email at AskGreat@usdoj.gov.

Award Procedure

Awards are issued by the Assistant Attorney General, Office of Justice Programs via the Internet-based Grants Management System (GMS) at https://grants.ojp.usdoj.gov. Grantees will be notified of the availability of the award via e-mail. The award must be accepted by the jurisdiction or agency head, with assurance of compliance with standard and special conditions of the grant award. To accept the award, grantees must print the award document from the GMS. The award must be accepted (signed) by applicant jurisdiction or agency head or his/her official designee and faxed to the Office of the Comptroller Control Desk.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Grant awards and denials are generally made within 90 days of application submission.

Appeals

Not Applicable.

Renewals

Contingent upon congressional funding.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

This program has no statutory formula.

This program has no matching requirements.

This program does not have MOE requirements.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Grant awards are issued for 12 or 18 months. Grantees may request extensions, which cannot exceed 12 additional months. See the following for information on how assistance is awarded/released: Reimbursement.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

No program reports are required. No cash reports are required. Applicants are required to submit semi-annual Categorical Assistance Progress Reports. Applicants are required to submit quarterly Financial Status reports. To assist in fulfilling the Department's responsibilities under the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA), P.L. 103-62, applicants who receive funding under this solicitation must provide data that measures the results of their work.

Audits

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-133. Program/project reviews will be conducted by Department of Justice personnel, as needed, to ensure correct usage of funds and compliance with program requirements.

Records

Agencies are required to maintain a system of standardized records for inspection or disclosure.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: As of July 29, 2004, 7,027 officers from 5,485 agencies, representing 50 States, D.C., Puerto Rico, Canada, and military personnel from overseas bases have been trained to present the core curriculum in elementary and middle school classrooms. Approximately 3.9 million children have been trained with the G.R.E.A.T. curriculum. For fiscal year 2002, more than 364,000 and in fiscal year 2003 nearly 307,000 children received G.R.E.A.T. certificates for completing the program. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Financial Information

Account Identification

15-0405-0-1-754.

Obligations

(Project Grants) FY 08 $17,350,215; FY 09 est $10,000,000; FY 10 est $10,000,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Level I: Up to $60,000. Agencies implementing the G.R.E.A.T. Middle School component.
Level II: Up to $100,000. Agencies implementing the G.R.E.A.T. Middle School component and one other component.
Level III: Up to $150,000. Agencies implementing the G.R.E.A.T. Middle School component and two other components.
Level IV: Up to $250,000. Agencies implementing the G.R.E.A.T. Middle School Component and three other components.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

Funding guidelines and criteria are published annually in the National Federal Register. Information on the program can be obtained by contacting the G.R.E.A.T. Program Headquarters office. A cross-sectional evaluation of the program can be found in the National Institute of Justice Research in Brief, November 1997 issue, "National Evaluation of G.R.E.A.T." by Finn-Aage Esbensen and D. Wayne Osgood.

Related Programs

Not Applicable.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. The G.R.E.A.T. Program currently has five regional offices that are each run by a local law enforcement agency. The offices and contacts are: (1) Southeast Region, Orange County Sheriff's Office, 2500 W. Colonial Drive - 2nd Floor., Orlando, Florida 32804. Telephone: (407) 254-7369; (2) Northeast Region, Philadelphia Police Department, Community Relations Division, 1328 Race Street - 2nd Floor., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107. Telephone: (215) 686-1477; (3) Midwest Region, La Crosse Police Department, 400 La Crosse Street, La Crosse, Wisconsin 54601. Telephone: (608) 789-8202; (4) Southwest Region, Phoenix Police Department, 620 West Washington Street, Phoenix, Arizona 85003. Telephone: (602) 495-0432; and (5) Northwest Region, Portland Police Bureau, 449 NE Emerson, Portland, Oregon 97211. Telephone: (503) 823-2111.

Headquarters Office

Linda Hammond-Deckard Bureau of Justice Assistance - Policy Office; 810 Seventh Street, NW, 4th Floor , Washington, District of Columbia 20531 Email: AskGreat@usdoj.gov Phone: (202) 616-6500 or 1-866-859-2687

Web Site Address

Bureau of Justice Assistance, GREAT: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/great.html; GREAT On-Line: http://www.great-online.org; GREAT Officer Training: http://www.great-nline.org/greatofficertraining.htm

Examples of Funded Projects

Fiscal Year 2008: The City of Sylvester, Georgia, Police Department will engage 1,000 students in the classroom and provide them with the G.R.E.A.T. core curriculum. The funds will also allow the Sylvester, Georgia, Police Department to sponsor a Summer G.R.E.A.T. program for at-risk youth. The City of Flagstaff Police Department will operate its 6th annual G.R.E.A.T. Summer Camp, involving more than 80 youth. The Cities of East Cleveland and Parma and Village of Chagrin Falls, OH sponsored a G.R.E.A.T. Community Service Day, during which 75 Middle School students partnered with local college and university art departments and businesses to paint murals over gang graffiti on 3 vacant buildings in East Cleveland. Fiscal Year 2009: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2010: No Current Data Available

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Applicants are evaluated on a variety of criteria in order to determine funding, including: the number of children to which the applicant teaches the G.R.E.A.T. Program, other programs applicants have in place that could reinforce the program goals and the applicant's participation in the national administration of the program are all taken into consideration. Additional considerations include community population size, scope of gang-related issues in the community, and applicant's past performance. During each funding period, due consideration will be given to funding new applicants whose applications meet the program criteria.