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Washington State Dept. of Commerce
Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention - Community Safety Unit
 Washington Community-Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative Community Safety Councils 		Deadline  10/6/2024
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Purpose and Background  [hide this]

In 2021, the Washington Department of Commerce, hereafter called "COMMERCE,” launched the Washington Office of Firearm Safety and Violence Prevention, hereinafter called “OFSVP.” Since it’s inception, OFSVP has distributed grant funds to communities throughout Washington state, supporting local initiatives aimed at preventing and addressing firearm violence. Through this process, we’ve discovered that community-driven solutions are the most effective in reducing crime and violence, and there’s a stronger desire at the grassroots community level to engage in collaboration to create safer neighborhoods and communities.

In 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) launched the Community Based Violence Intervention and Prevention Initiative (CVIPI), allocating funds to support comprehensive, evidence-based violence intervention and prevention strategies designed to prevent and reduce violent crime in communities. These multidisciplinary strategies engage individuals and groups to prevent and disrupt cycles of violence and retaliation and connect individuals with community assets to deliver services that save lives, address trauma, provide opportunity, and mitigate the physical, social, and economic conditions that drive violence. Additional information on CVIPI can be found on the U.S. DOJ website.

In 2023, COMMERCE received $4,000,000 in funding to strategically expand and enhance proactive, purposeful, culturally relevant, community-based violence intervention and prevention services statewide. To further this initiative, COMMERCE is initiating this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to solicit proposals from entities interested in building regional capacity to reduce gun violence, directly impacting the safety and well-being of their communities by forming Community Safety Councils (CSCs).  The selected Proposers will assemble a CSC to steer local violence reduction efforts, including conducting a landscape analysis and designing a violence reduction plan. To support the formation of these councils and the creation of a violence reduction plan, Proposers can apply for up to $100,000. This initial funding will allow Proposers to lay the groundwork for transformative change within their communities.

Additionally, COMMERCE will provide funding of up to $275,000 to support the implementation of violence reduction plans that meet the standards outlined by COMMERCE. These plans will be based on the guiding principles of CVIPI as set forth by the U.S. DOJ: community-centered, evidence-informed, equitable, inclusive, effective, and sustainable. Upon approval of these plans, the Proposers will be responsible for passing funds through to program implementers and providing ongoing monitoring and support.

CSCs will be comprised of up to 12 members, representing a diverse group of individuals from various sectors, disciplines, and interests relevant to firearm violence prevention and intervention. Operating at the neighborhood, city, county or regional level as appropriate, CSCs will receive funding to:

  • Collaborate with community violence intervention (CVI) experts provided by COMMERCE to conduct a landscape analysis that includes:
    • A comprehensive understanding of the nature, patterns, and root causes of violence within the community through collaborative, mixed-method data collection and analysis.
    • An asset map of local organizations, resources, and community features that can be leveraged toward reducing violence.
    • An inventory of existing violence prevention and intervention services, identifying strengths, gaps and weaknesses.
  • Assess the existing public safety landscape and identify any barriers hindering cross-system collaboration, along with strategies to address them.
  • Create a culturally-relevant and inclusive strategic plan supported by the community to build violence prevention and intervention capacity and expand programs as needed.
  • Gather community input related to community violence intervention and prevention
  • Participate in technical assistance and training related to community violence intervention including, but not limited to, CVI history, principles and evidence-informed interventions.
  • Administer subawards to nonprofit organizations, local government agencies, Tribes and other qualifying entities to support the implementation and expansion of violence intervention and prevention programs tailored to the specific needs of their communities, guided by COMMERCE and the CVIPI subcommittee.

For this funding opportunity, priority will be given to the following underinvested counties and communities: Snohomish County, Grant County, Pierce County, Yakima County, Spokane County, Clark County, and the Tri-Cities area (Benton County and Franklin County). The distribution of seven awards under this NOFO will be exclusive to these communities and counties. COMMERCE intends to award seven contracts, one in each area listed above, to provide the services described in this NOFO. One award will be issued to any federally-recognized Tribe located anywhere in the state of Washington.
Objectives and Scope of Work  [hide this]

Proposals must describe the process to form a CSC to develop the Violence Reduction Plan in one of the focus geographies: Snohomish County, Grant County, Pierce County, Yakima County, Spokane County, Clark County, and the Tri-Cities area (Benton County and Franklin County). Proposers must address the following in their project design and implementation:

  1. CSC Creation and Convening: Proposals must include a description the CSC’s structure and membership. The CSC can be an existing, expanded, or new formal working group, committee, or collaboration.
    • Membership: CSC membership must be tailored to effectively address the community’s challenges and needs, drawing on individuals with relevant expertise and focus areas. The CSC is required to include:
      • One individual from the Proposer’s entity.
      • Two individuals with lived experience of gun violence, including individuals and/or family members of individuals who have either committed or survived gun violence
      • Two staff members from local service providers (e.g., street outreach, victim advocates, youth services, health care providers, mental health providers).
      • Two representatives from local government agencies (e.g. local office of violence prevention, public health department, human services department).
      • Two representatives from advocacy groups or philanthropic organizations.
      • Up to three additional individuals with expertise in violence intervention and prevention programming and services.
    • Charter: Proposers are required to develop a charter, in collaboration with CSC members and COMMERCE, which outlines the roles, responsibilities, and governance structure of the CSC. Charters must include a plan for identifying and mitigating the risks of conflicts of interest amongst CSC members.
    • Logistics: Proposers may include additional details related to CSC operations, such as a proposed meeting cadence and a plan for compensating CSC members with lived experience of gun violence for their time.
  2. Technical Assistance and Training Participation: Proposers must participate in technical assistance and training related to CVI once CSCs are formed. These monthly trainings will be coordinated by COMMERCE and includes, but is not limited to, understanding the history of CVI, CVI principles, and evidence-informed interventions. Proposals may identify specific areas where technical assistance is needed and agree to actively participate in these training sessions designed to build organizational and programmatic capacity.
  3. Landscape Analysis: CSCs will lead a collaborative and comprehensive analysis to identify the nature, patterns, and root causes of violence within the community of focus. This should include a multimethod approach to data collection and analysis of readily available records such as death certificates, medical or coroner reports, hospital and emergency room records, child welfare records, law enforcement and court data, population-based surveys, focus groups, and interviews. CSCs will be connected with technical experts subcontracted with COMMERCE to co-lead this stage of the project. In addition to analyzing the drivers of violence, the landscape analysis will also evaluate the needs of the focus communities and effectiveness of current firearm violence intervention and prevention strategies and services to identify gaps and barriers to effective responses.
  4. Design Violence Reduction Plan: Based on the analysis of root causes of violence and identified needs and service gaps, develop a violence reduction plan operating at the neighborhood, city, county or regional level as appropriate. This plan will be submitted to COMMERCE for approval and should incorporate key performance metrics, process and outcome assessments, and strategies to address the identified needs of the community of focus. The design process should include consultation with experts in violence intervention and prevention programming and services.
  5. Subawards Administration: Before Proposers can administer subawards, they must submit a violence reduction plan to COMMERCE for review and approval. Once the plan is approved, Proposers will be able to request up to 275,000 for the administration of subawards to nonprofit organizations, local government agencies, Tribes, and other qualifying entities. The subaward process will be guided by COMMERCE and the CVIPI subcommittee and conducted through a competitive selection following the guidelines set forth by COMMERCE. These subawards will support the implementation and expansion of violence intervention and prevention programs tailored to the specific needs of their communities as outlined in the Violence Reduction Plan. Final funding decisions and amounts will be determined by COMMERCE.
  6. Reporting Requirements: Proposers will be required to submit regular progress reports that address the performance measures identified in their contract, and financial reports describing actual expenditures of grant funding. Potential funding measures could include but are not limited to, successes and milestones, challenges and barriers, support and resources needed, and the level of community engagement.

Proposals should include a detailed plan for providing ongoing monitoring and support for funded programs to ensure compliance with federal requirements. This includes regular reporting, financial oversight, and adherence to all relevant federal regulations and guidelines.
Minimum Qualifications  [hide this]

Minimum qualifications include:

  • Be any of the following:
  • Federally recognized local or tribal government agency (e.g., public health, human services, criminal legal system agencies) or Tribal-led community-based organizations; or
  • Non-governmental community-based non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, including hospitals. Nonprofit organizations must verify their nonprofit status by providing a copy of their Internal Revenue Service (IRS) 501(c)(3) determination letter.
  • Licensed to do business in the state of Washington or submit a statement of commitment that it will become licensed in Washington within thirty (30) calendar days of being selected as the Apparent Successful Grantee (exception: Tribes).
  • Organization must be located in the region that the services will be carried out. For the purpose of this funding opportunity, organizations must serve and be located in one of the following locations: Snohomish County, Grant County, Pierce County, Yakima County, Spokane County, Clark County, and the Tri-Cities area (Benton and Franklin County).Federally recognized Tribes can be located anywhere in the state of Washington.

Proposals that do not clearly meet or exceed all minimum qualifications listed above are non-responsive and will not be evaluated.
Notice of Funding Opportunity and Budget Template  [hide this]
Description File Name Date Uploaded File Type
Notice of Funding Opportunity NOFONOF24-34559-001_WACVIPICommunitySafetyCouncils.pdf 8/19/2024 2:02:43 PM PDF
Budget Template CVIPINOFONOF24-34559-001FederalBudgetTemplate.xlsx 8/19/2024 2:17:21 PM XLSX


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Section 1.4 of the NOFO: Proposals exceeding $100,000 will be considered non-responsive and will not be evaluated.
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