Essential Elements of a Pretrial System and Agency Toolkit | 24CS20

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24CS20

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is offering a cooperative agreement to develop a practical, implementation-focused resource called the Essential Elements of a Pretrial System and Agency Toolkit. The goal is to give state and local criminal justice policy teams and pretrial services agencies a clear, usable toolkit they can rely on to strengthen or modernize their pretrial systems. This effort builds directly on the publication A Framework for Pretrial Justice: Essential Elements of a Pretrial System and Agency Implementation, with the expectation that parts of the earlier essential elements may need to be updated to reflect shifts in case law, state statutes, research findings, professional standards, and what has been learned from organizational theory and implementation science about how to make reforms stick.

At its core, the toolkit is expected to be grounded in four main pillars. First is the law, meaning the toolkit should reflect legal requirements and developments that affect pretrial decision-making and practice. Second are the key pretrial standards adopted by the American Bar Association (ABA) and the National Association of Pretrial Services Agencies (NAPSA), which serve as widely recognized benchmarks for what sound pretrial practice should look like. Third is research and LEBP (which refers to research evidence and approaches aligned with evidence-based practice in justice settings), so that recommendations are anchored in what studies and evaluations show about outcomes like court appearance, public safety, and fair process. Fourth is organizational theory and implementation science, emphasizing the real-world mechanics of change management, such as leadership, stakeholder alignment, data use, training, policy rollout, and continuous quality improvement.

NIC makes clear that it views collaborative leadership structures as essential to meaningful pretrial improvement. The toolkit is meant to support the work of policy teams and other cross-agency criminal justice coordinating bodies, rather than treating pretrial services as a stand-alone function. Related to that, the awardee is encouraged to incorporate and leverage NIC resources tied to Evidence-Based Decision Making (EBDM) and Criminal Justice Coordinating Councils. In practice, that signals an expectation that the toolkit will help communities organize decision-making across courts, prosecution, defense, law enforcement, jail administration, and community partners, and use shared goals and data to guide reforms.

This opportunity is issued as a cooperative agreement, which typically means NIC expects to have substantial involvement during the project, such as providing guidance, feedback, and collaboration as the toolkit is developed. The funding opportunity number is 24CS20, listed under CFDA 16.602. NIC anticipates making one award, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $200,000. The original application closing date is July 1, 2024, and the opportunity was created on May 1, 2024.

Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions). A key condition is that recipients, including for-profit entities, must agree to waive any profit or fee for services, underscoring that the funding is intended to support public-benefit work rather than generate revenue. Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations are not eligible. Applicants must also provide proof of 501(c)(3) status from the IRS or an authorizing tribal resolution, as applicable.

NIC allows collaborative applications involving two or more entities, but the structure must be clear: one eligible entity must apply as the primary applicant and take the lead role in administering the award and managing the entire project, while any partners should be listed as subrecipients. Finally, NIC will accept only one application per submitting organization, so organizations need to coordinate internally to avoid duplicate submissions.

• The National Institute of Corrections in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Essential Elements of a Pretrial System and Agency Toolkit" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.602.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-01.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-01. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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