Updated October 17, 2016

As part of CJII, the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and the Institute for State and Local Governance (ISLG) are soliciting proposals that increase access to services for survivors of crime, particularly those from underserved groups. Programs that address barriers to service access have the potential to increase service usage and increase reporting, both of which may improve survivor outcomes. Increased use of services and reporting may also facilitate the prosecution of criminals and mitigate the increased risk of criminal offending that is often associated with victimization or circumstances surrounding victimization, ultimately increasing public safety.

Programs should focus on one or more of the following groups that face significant barriers to access: immigrants; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) individuals; individuals who are D/deaf or hard of hearing; individuals with disabilities; people of color; and/or individuals who belong to other underserved groups.

Applicants may propose to either expand/enhance their existing capacity to deliver services or develop and pilot new approaches to accomplish the aforementioned goals. Proposals should address one (or more) of the following needs:

• Sign language interpretation and translation services to ensure communication and service access for survivors who are D/deaf or hard of hearing and/or non-English speaking
• Education and training for service providers on culturally-competent programming tailored to particular groups of survivors
• Culturally-specific/competent programming tailored to a specific group of survivors, taking into account members’ unique identities and needs
• Public awareness and outreach programs that aim to raise awareness about and connect survivors to available services, increase crime reporting, and educate about victimization, particularly with respect to underserved groups and those who may experience higher rates of victimization
• Other approaches to increase use of supportive services (by increasing access) for survivors, which may, in turn, increase crime reporting

Programs should be administered in Manhattan and/or serve residents of Manhattan, with preference given to applicants that have close community ties to and/or serve residents of four focus neighborhoods: East Harlem, Central and West Harlem, Washington Heights, and the Lower East Side.

Anticipated total funding for the Increase Access to Services for Survivors of Crime initiative is up to $11.4 million to be spread across up to ten awards.

Background

ISLG is the technical assistance consultant to the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for CJII. ISLG manages CJII on behalf of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, including managing the solicitation and contracting process, managing and providing guidance to award recipients, and providing oversight and performance measurement throughout the lifetime of CJII. Proposals will be submitted and funds awarded through the Research Foundation of CUNY (Research Foundation).

Deadlines

The deadline to submit proposals was October 14, 2016, at 11:59 pm EST.

The deadline to submit questions about this RFP was August 19, 2016, at 11:59 pm EST.

Documents

• CJII Increase Access to Services for Survivors of Crime RFP
• ADDENDUM 1: Applicant Questions and Answers
• ADDENDUM 2: Revised Contract Template