Public Defender Grants Center (Archived)

**This opportunity may be a good fit for a Public Defender office working in reentry programming or with partnerships in reentry programming.**

The Smart Supervision Program seeks to improve the capacity and effectiveness of community supervision agencies to increase probation and parole success rates and reduce the number of crimes committed by those under probation and parole supervision, which would in turn reduce admissions to prisons and jails and save taxpayer dollars. Funds will be awarded in two categories. In Category 1, state and local agencies will be selected to improve supervision using evidence-based supervision strategies or to innovate new strategies to improve outcomes for supervisees. For example, agencies may test supervision strategies with offenders at high risk of committing or being victimized by violence and may shift supervision strategies from time focused to goal focused and from mass supervision to focus on individualized supervision. In Category 2, a TTA provider will work with three sites to develop a model for law enforcement and prosecutors to work with probation departments with regard to high risk, violent offenders. The TTA provider will select three sites in concert with BJA and pass through funds to support their work.

**We see potential for Public Defenders to connect to this funding stream in several areas. Primarily, through the Charles Koch Foundation's focus on sentencing and research gaps we see opportunities for proposal success that demonstrates the value of investigators and mitigation experts in reducing over incarceration, collateral consequences, and in reducing the jurisdictions overall budget bottom line, as well as proposals that support reentry programs and client support programs. Should you be interested in connecting with NLADA directly to discuss proposal ideas or seek support, please email Emily Flanagan at [email protected].**

The Charles Koch Institute and Charles Koch Foundation work on five areas of criminal justice and policing reform in order to improve public safety, reduce costs, and respect the dignity of each individual:

• Sentencing: Too many people go to prison - often for far too long - for low-level, nonviolent crimes. People who break the law should be held accountable, but the punishment should fit the crime.
• Second Chances: Thousands of laws erect barriers for those with a criminal record to getting jobs and rejoining their communities with dignity, increasing the likelihood of recidivism.
• Overcriminalization: Thousands of seemingly ordinary activities are classified as crimes. We shouldn't criminalize so many things, and jail should be reserved for people who are truly dangerous.
• Civil Asset Forfeiture: Law enforcement officers can take your property if they suspect it relates to a crime, even if you're innocent. Getting your property back is difficult, and the seized assets may go directly to a law enforcement agency's budget. Policing should be about public safety, not profit.
• Policing Practices: Many law enforcement departments are using equipment and tactics from the battlefield. When police are seen as peace officers rather than an occupying force, community trust can grow. This trust and collaboration is important to solving crime and protecting the public.

The Charles Koch Foundation requests proposals for research related to criminal justice and policing reform. We are especially interested in research that:

• Analyzes the possible personal/non-economic and economic (including employment) effects of various sentencing reform ideas on individuals, families, and communities.
• Examines the causes, costs, and consequences of police militarization and civil asset forfeiture, including public perception of these topics.
• Collects or creates data sets to fill scholarly gaps related to criminal justice and policing reform issues.
• Determines the causes, costs, and consequences of over criminalization and the proliferation of laws that carry criminal penalties.
• Assesses the effectiveness of various penalties imposed for crimes.
• Examines the incentives that lead to growing prison populations.

**This opportunity may be a good fit for a Public Defender office working in reentry programming who also has existing or is willing to form partnerships with community organizations working in reentry programming.**

Through this solicitation, the Bureau of Justice Assistance will support community- and faith-based organizations in developing and implementing comprehensive and collaborative programs that support people who are reentering communities from incarceration who are at medium- to high-risk of reoffending, reduces recidivism, and improves public safety. Develop comprehensive case management plans that directly address criminogenic risks and needs as identified by validated criminogenic risk assessments and include delivery or facilitation of services in a manner consistent with participants' learning styles and abilities. Demonstrate increased collaboration between community- and faith-based organizations and corrections, community supervision, law enforcement, and other local reentry stakeholders.

This program seeks to improve the quality and timeliness of forensic science and medical examiner services, including services provided by laboratories operated by States and units of local government. Among other things, funds may be used to eliminate a backlog in the analysis of forensic evidence and to train and employ forensic laboratory personnel, as needed, to eliminate such a backlog. The Coverdell Act requires that 15 percent of program funds be awarded competitively. These “competitive” funds may be awarded to SAAs or dispersed directly to units of local government based on the merits of the respective applications. This solicitation will fund competitive awards only.

**BCJI funds place-based, community-oriented, and data-driven initiatives undertaken by cross-sector partners. Partnerships can include all relevant stakeholders: law enforcement and criminal justice (such as prosecutors, defense, pretrial, corrections and reentry agencies), education, housing, city attorneys, health and human services, community and faith-based nonprofits, local volunteers, residents, and businesses.**

BJA seeks applications for the Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program. This program furthers the Departments mission by leading efforts to enhance the capacity of local and tribal communities to effectively target and address significant and violent crime issues through collaborative cross-sector approaches that are linked with broader neighborhood development goals. Eligible applicants are limited to states, institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education), units of local government, nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations), and federally recognized Indian tribal governments (as determined by the Secretary of the Interior) as fiscal agent. The goal of BCJI is to reduce crime, increase trust, and improve community safety as part of a comprehensive strategy to advance neighborhood revitalization. Through a broad cross-sector partnership team, including neighborhood residents, BCJI grantees target neighborhoods with hot spots of violent and serious crime and employ data-driven, cross-sector strategies to accomplish this goal.

**This opportunity may be a good fit for a Public Defender program that is working to or interested in postconviction review and/or exoneration based on biological evidence. This may linked to work around conviction integrity and wrongful conviction.**

NIJ seeks proposals for funding to assist in defraying the costs associated with postconviction DNA testing in cases of violent felony offenses (as defined by State law) in which actual innocence might be demonstrated. Funds may be used to identify and review such postconviction cases and to locate and analyze associated biological evidence. This supports the DOJ mission to ensure fair and impartial administration of justice for all Americans. While successful exonerations to correct injustice are notable program outcomes, the careful review, consideration and closing of cases subjected to postconviction DNA testing that do not ultimately demonstrate innocence also work to advance the public's interest that justice has been fairly applied.

**This opportunity may be appropriate for Defender programs with existing relationships with Law Enforcement agencies.**

NIJ's drugs and crime portfolio supports research on law enforcement efforts to deter, investigate, prosecute, and address illegal drug trafficking, markets, and use. This FY2018 solicitation will seek investigator-initiated proposals to conduct applied research on evidence-based tools, protocols, and policies for State, local and tribal jurisdictions. The two drug priorities are: 1) opioid-related criminal investigation, prosecution, drug intelligence, and community surveillance; and 2) illegal marijuana markets and drug-related violent crime. Opioid research proposals should address narcotics law enforcement, forensic science, and/or medicolegal death investigations; and opioids include heroin, fentanyl, diverted pharmaceuticals, synthetic drugs, and analogues.

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for applied research that examines the feasibility, impact, and cost efficiency of evidence-based tools, protocols, and policies for State, tribal, and local law enforcement and other criminal justice agencies that address two drug priorities: (1) drug trafficking, markets, and use related to heroin and other opioids (including fentanyl, diverted pharmaceuticals, synthetic drugs, and analogues); and (2) illegal marijuana markets and drug-related violent crime. All proposed projects should examine novel approaches to common problems, demonstrate methods to generate actionable information, promote innovative partnerships between stakeholders, and add value to resources that can be sustained long-term and replicated by other jurisdictions for a national scale impact.

**This opportunity may be a good fit for a Public Defender program that is working to or interested in increasing knowledge and building best practices in forensic sciences. This might also be linked to work around conviction integrity and wrongful conviction.**

With this solicitation, NIJ seeks proposals for basic or applied research and development projects. An NIJ forensic science research and development grant supports a discrete, specified, circumscribed project that will: (1) increase the body of knowledge to guide and inform forensic science policy and practice, or (2) lead to the production of useful material(s), device(s), system(s), or method(s) that have the potential for forensic application. The intent of this program is to direct the findings of basic scientific research; research and development in broader scientific fields applicable to forensic science; and ongoing forensic science research toward the development of highly-discriminating, accurate, reliable, cost-effective, and rapid methods for the identification, analysis, and interpretation of physical evidence for criminal justice purposes. Projects should address the challenges and needs of the forensic science community. The operational needs discussed at NIJ’s FY 2016 Forensic Science TWG meeting may be found on NIJ.gov. Additional research needs of the forensic science community can be found at the Organization of Scientific Area Committees website. While the goals and deliverables of proposed projects do not necessarily need to result in immediate solutions to the posted challenges or needs, they should speak to them and produce knowledge that adds to work towards eventual resolutions.

NACo invites counties to apply for the Advancing Cross-System Partnerships Leadership Lab (“Leadership Lab”) and develop a strategy for implementing policies and practices that will transform how county justice, health and human services systems use and maximize data to identify and evaluate how they collectively serve individuals. The goal of this cross-system collaboration is to improve the social, health and economic circumstances and outcomes of justice-involved populations.

For a 15-month period, beginning in June 2018, the Leadership Lab will bring up to four counties together to form a cohort that is focused on and committed to advancing the design and implementation of data- and outcome-centered processes that support system-wide decision making across justice, health and human services systems. Each county will form a multidisciplinary team to support its work to institutionalize data-driven policies and practices that cut across county systems and services.

Counties selected to participate in the Leadership Lab will be expected to demonstrate progress in making connections between their health, human services and justice systems and using and analyzing data to create and/or expand opportunities that improve the well-being, self-sufficiency, stability and health outcomes (e.g., educational attainment, housing, food security, workforce participation and income, treatment engagement, utilization of primary care and preventative care services, family reunification, etc.) for a subset of the justice-involved population by appropriately and effectively directing services and supports.

**This may be a great opportunity for an office that has an internal program or existing relationship with a mental health provider or organization**

The Communities Building Healthier Environments for a Stronger Nation Initiative (‘Communities Initiative’) intends to demonstrate the effectiveness of community-based networks in improving health outcomes among racial and ethnic minority and/or other disadvantaged populations. This program seeks to improve health outcomes through the establishment of integrated networks that collaboratively employ evidence-based disease management and preventive health activities; build the capacity of communities to address social determinants and barriers to healthcare access; and increase access to and utilization of preventive health care, medical treatment, and supportive services. The Communities Initiative specifically targets the unmet healthcare and supportive service needs of racial and ethnic minority populations at highest risk for poorer health outcomes. Health services provided under the Communities Initiative will not be denied to any person based on race, color, or national origin. Populations at highest risk include, but are not limited to, individuals who are newly diagnosed and lack a medical home; individuals who experience difficulty in adhering to a prescribed medical treatment plan; individuals with a chronic disease that is not well managed; and individuals that are unstably housed. Specific health areas to be addressed by the Communities Initiative include asthma, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis B or C, obesity/overweight, and mental disorders. Community health programs are required to address social determinants of health, and improve coordination of health, social, and supportive services to significantly improve health outcomes among minority and/or disadvantaged communities. Applicants must choose two but no more than three chronic conditions to be the focus of the proposed intervention, but should justify this choice based on the population targeted and the interrelation of the chronic conditions. Project plans relative to health areas must include screening and early detection; implementation of evidence-based prevention and intervention programs; chronic disease management; linkage to medical treatment and follow-up; and coordination of applicable health, social and support services. Project plans must also address social determinants relative to selected health areas that directly facilitate the onset or transmission of disease or impact adherence to prescribed medical treatment plans.

Grantor Contact Information: Robin Fuller Senior Grants Management Specialist, 240-453-8830

The National Institute of Corrections and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, collaborated to develop the first set of specialized screening, assessment, and case planning tools for veterans treatment courts. Phase I of this project occurred September 2014 through September 2017. With the help of a multidisciplinary committee of experts, these tools were created to assist in the safe and effective supervision of justice-involved veterans. In addition, the tools incorporate the latest research on trauma, substance use disorders, and other issues affecting veterans. This solicitation will cover NIC and BJA’s continued collaboration. Phase II of the project which is aimed to test these tools in pilot courts and work toward validating the risk assessment instrument through rigorous research. The intent is to provide veterans treatment courts staff resources they need to increase public safety through the effective implementation and use of these research based tools.

Veterans treatment courts respond to the unique circumstances of veterans entering the justice system. The first veterans treatment court was established in 2008. As of this writing, there are more than 350 in the country, with scores more being planned. The rapid proliferation of veterans treatment courts has created a heightened need for evidence-based tools to identify the criminogenic risks and clinical needs of court-involved veterans and to promote best practices such as multidisciplinary case planning and client monitoring. Research has consistently shown that clinical interventions are most effective when they are based on risk-need-responsivity principles, which hold that the type and intensity of treatment and supervision services should be proportional to an offender's risk of re-offending and should target their specific criminogenic needs. This project will add more pilot sites and create the first specialized risk-need assessment and case planning tools for veterans treatment courts.

**This opportunity is directed to institutions of higher education for the purpose of supporting doctoral level research. Please consider reaching out to past academic or research partners to apply for funds to support research on how quality and well funded public defense helps to ensure public safety, prevents crime, and most importantly ensures the effective administration of criminal justice.**

The Graduate Research Fellowship in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (GRF-STEM) provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in topic areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. Applicant academic institutions sponsoring doctoral students are eligible to apply only if the doctoral student's degree program is a Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) discipline; and the student's proposed dissertation research has demonstrable implications for addressing the challenges of crime and/or the fair and impartial administration of criminal justice in the United States. Awards are anticipated to be made to successful applicant institutions in the form of grants to cover fellowships for the sponsored doctoral students. Awards are made for up to 3 years of support usable over a 5-year period. For each year of support, NIJ provides the degree-granting institution a stipend of $35,000 usable toward the student's salary and related costs, and up to $15,000 to cover the student's tuition and fees, research expenses, and related costs.

**This opportunity is directed to institutions of higher education for the purpose of supporting doctoral level research. Please consider reaching out to past academic or research partners to apply for funds to support research on how quality and well funded public defense helps to ensure public safety, prevents crime, and most importantly ensures the effective administration of criminal justice.**

The NIJ Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) Program in Social and Behavioral Sciences is open to doctoral students in all social and behavioral science disciplines. This program provides awards to accredited academic institutions to support graduate research leading to doctoral degrees in areas that are relevant to ensuring public safety, preventing and controlling crime, and ensuring the effective administration of criminal justice in the United States. Of particular interest is research on issues deemed critical by the U.S. Department of Justice: violent crime reduction, enhancing investigations and prosecutions, protecting police officers and other public safety personnel, combating the opioid epidemic, victimization, and addressing illegal immigration.

**This opportunity may be appropriate for Defender programs with existing relationships with Victims Services programs.**

The primary purpose of the OVW Training and Technical Assistance Initiative (TA Initiative) is to provide direct technical assistance to existing and potential grantees and sub-grantees to enhance and support their efforts to successfully implement projects supported by OVW grant funds. OVW’s TA Initiative is designed to build and enhance the capacity of civil and criminal justice system professionals and victim service providers across the nation to respond effectively to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking and foster partnerships among organizations that have not traditionally worked together to address violence against women. For additional information on the TA Initiative, including what past technical assistance cooperative agreement recipients have accomplished with their grant funds and to view the TA Initiative performance measures and grantee-reported data, see http://muskie.usm.maine.edu/vawamei/taprovidergraphs.htm.

In FY 2018, funds under the TA Initiative may be used for the purposes identified in this solicitation. There are three categories of technical assistance in FY 2018: Targeted; Competitive Comprehensive; and Non-Competitive Comprehensive. Applicants must submit separate and distinct applications for each purpose area for which they are applying. For example, an applicant interested in applying to provide training and technical assistance on culturally relevant services for communities of color should apply separately if it also wants to provide trial advocacy and/or litigation skills training for attorneys.

**We see potential for Public Defenders to connect to this funding stream in several areas. Primarily, through the Charles Koch Foundation's focus on sentencing and research gaps we see opportunities for proposal success that demonstrates the value of investigators and mitigation experts in reducing over incarceration, collateral consequences, and in reducing the jurisdictions overall budget bottom line, as well as proposals that support reentry programs and client support programs. Should you be interested in connecting with NLADA directly to discuss proposal ideas or seek support, please email Emily Flanagan at [email protected].**

The Charles Koch Institute and Charles Koch Foundation work on five areas of criminal justice and policing reform in order to improve public safety, reduce costs, and respect the dignity of each individual:

• Sentencing: Too many people go to prison - often for far too long - for low-level, nonviolent crimes. People who break the law should be held accountable, but the punishment should fit the crime.
• Second Chances: Thousands of laws erect barriers for those with a criminal record to getting jobs and rejoining their communities with dignity, increasing the likelihood of recidivism.
• Overcriminalization: Thousands of seemingly ordinary activities are classified as crimes. We shouldn't criminalize so many things, and jail should be reserved for people who are truly dangerous.
• Civil Asset Forfeiture: Law enforcement officers can take your property if they suspect it relates to a crime, even if you're innocent. Getting your property back is difficult, and the seized assets may go directly to a law enforcement agency's budget. Policing should be about public safety, not profit.
• Policing Practices: Many law enforcement departments are using equipment and tactics from the battlefield. When police are seen as peace officers rather than an occupying force, community trust can grow. This trust and collaboration is important to solving crime and protecting the public.

The Charles Koch Foundation requests proposals for research related to criminal justice and policing reform. We are especially interested in research that:

• Analyzes the possible personal/non-economic and economic (including employment) effects of various sentencing reform ideas on individuals, families, and communities.
• Examines the causes, costs, and consequences of police militarization and civil asset forfeiture, including public perception of these topics.
• Collects or creates data sets to fill scholarly gaps related to criminal justice and policing reform issues.
• Determines the causes, costs, and consequences of over criminalization and the proliferation of laws that carry criminal penalties.
• Assesses the effectiveness of various penalties imposed for crimes.
• Examines the incentives that lead to growing prison populations.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2018 Offender Reentry Program (ORP) grants.  The purpose of this program is to expand substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and related recovery and reentry services to sentenced adult offenders/ex-offenders with a SUD and/or co-occurring substance use and mental disorders, who are returning to their families and community from incarceration in state and local facilities including prisons, jails, or detention centers (hereafter known as “the population of focus”).

For the purpose of this FOA, sentenced adult offenders/ex-offenders are defined as persons 18 years of age or older (or adults as defined by your state or tribal law) under the jurisdiction of the criminal justice system who have been sentenced to incarceration as adults. If your state or tribe uses a different age range for adult offenders, you must document how the age of “adults” is defined in your state or tribal justice system.  Applicants are expected to form stakeholder partnerships that will plan, develop and provide a transition from incarceration to community-based SUD treatment and related reentry services. 

SAMHSA’s interest is to actively support offender reentry stakeholder partnerships so that clinical needs are met and clients are treated using evidence-based practices.  By providing needed treatment and recovery services, this program is intended to reduce the health and social costs of substance use and dependence to the public, and increase the safety of America’s citizens by reducing substance use related crime and violence.  Additional anticipated outcomes include:  increased number of individuals served; increased abstinence from substance use; increased employment rates; decreased recidivism rates; increased housing stability; decreased criminal justice involvement; improved individual and family functioning and well-being; increased social connectedness; and decreased risky behaviors.  

**This opportunity specifically includes representatives of the criminal justice system as eligible applicants when represented within a State Domestic Violence Coalition.**

Violence is a serious, yet preventable, public health problem. Intimate partner violence (IPV) (see glossary for a list of definitions of italicized words) affects millions of women, men, and children. In the United States, 1in 4 women and 1 in 9 men experience contact sexual violence, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner with a negative impact such as injury, fear, concern for safety, or needing services (Smith et al, 2017). The Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) data showed many victims of IPV began experiencing these forms of violence prior to adulthood (Smith, et al, 2017). About 7% of women and 4% of men in the US reported their first experience of IPV before age 18 (Smith et al, 2017). Community and societal-level prevention activities can address risk and protective factors associated with IPV and may have the broadest public health impact. Authorized by the Family Violence and Prevention Services Act (FVPSA), CDC has funded the Domestic Violence Prevention Enhancements and Leadership Through Alliances (DELTA) Program since 2002. The DELTA program funds State Domestic Violence Coalitions (SDVCs) to implement statewide IPV prevention efforts, while also providing assistance and funding for local communities to implement IPV prevention activities. Different iterations of DELTA have focused funding on increasing organizational capacity, implementation and evaluation of IPV primary prevention activities.The purpose of this NOFO is to bring about decreases in IPV risk factors and increases in IPV protective factors by increasing strategic data-driven planning and sustainable use of community and societal level primary prevention activities that address the social determinants of health (SDOH) and are based on the best available evidence. In addition, the NOFO will help to further develop the evidence-base for community and societal-level programs and policy efforts to prevent IPV by increasing the use of evaluation and existing surveillance data at the state and local level. Another goal of the NOFO is for SDVCs to support the integration of primary prevention goals and action steps throughout the state and local level IPV planning and capacity building activities. The aim of integrating primary prevention into state planning is to help states leverage diverse funding and partnerships to increase the implementation of primary prevention above and beyond DELTA funding. DELTA Impact requires SDVCs to focus on the implementation of 3 to 4 evidence-informed programs and policy efforts within three specific focus areas. SDVCs will also focus on developing or enhancing an already-existing State Action Plan (SAP) to increase the use of data for planning and the prioritization of primary prevention of IPV based on any existing health inequities within their jurisdictions. SDVCs will be expected to participate in the national evaluation of the NOFO and provide leadership at the state and national level. They will also provide funding and technical assistance to the Coordinated Community Response teams (CCRs) selected to implement and evaluate the chosen programs and policy efforts.

The purpose of this NOFO is to bring about decreases in IPV risk factors and increases in IPV protective factors by increasing strategic data-driven planning and sustainable use of community and societal level primary prevention activities that address the social determinants of health (SDOH) and are based on the best available evidence. In addition, the NOFO will help to further develop the evidence-base for community and societal-level programs and policy efforts to prevent IPV by increasing the use of evaluation and existing surveillance data at the state and local level. Another goal of the NOFO is for SDVCs to support the integration of primary prevention goals and action steps throughout the state and local level IPV planning and capacity building activities. The aim of integrating primary prevention into state planning is to help states leverage diverse funding and partnerships to increase the implementation of primary prevention above and beyond DELTA funding. DELTA Impact requires SDVCs to focus on the implementation of 3 to 4 evidence-informed programs and policy efforts within three specific focus areas. SDVCs will also focus on developing or enhancing an already-existing State Action Plan (SAP) to increase the use of data for planning and the prioritization of primary prevention of IPV based on any existing health inequities within their jurisdictions. SDVCs will be expected to participate in the national evaluation of the NOFO and provide leadership at the state and national level. They will also provide funding and technical assistance to the Coordinated Community Response teams (CCRs) selected to implement and evaluate the chosen programs and policy efforts.

**This opportunity is not designed for Public Defender offices to apply directly however it may be a good opportunity to participate actively in the described consortia to provide expertise on the impact of contact with the criminal justice system on individuals with opiod use disorders. Additionally, Public Defender offices may want to follow up to determine the selected awardee for potential future partnership.**

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Centers for Substance Abuse Treatment and Prevention are accepting applications for the fiscal year (FY) 2018 Opioid State Targeted Response (STR) Technical Assistance (TA) grant. This grant will be provided to a single entity who will serve as the central coordinating point for ensuring the requirements of this funding opportunity are met. Although there is a single grantee, applications including a consortia with other national allied professional associations are encouraged. The purpose of this program is to identify local physicians, other clinicians, and other providers, for example, advance practice nurses, physician assistants, peers and other healthcare professionals with expertise in treatment and in recovery services for opioid use disorders (OUDs). Based on a state, territory, or tribal nation’s assessed need, these providers will serve as the primary providers of federally supported TA for the program’s successful implementation. The goal of this TA is to ensure the provision of evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery support programs/services across the Opioid STR program.

**This may be an excellent opportunity for Public Defender Offices who have existing partnerships with healthcare providers to holistically support clients in need.**

This notice solicits applications for the Health Center Program’s Service Area Competition (SAC). The Health Center Program supports public and private nonprofit community-based and patient-directed organizations that provide primary health care services to the Nation’s medically underserved. The purpose of the SAC NOFO is to ensure continued access to affordable, quality primary health care services for communities and vulnerable populations currently served by the Health Center Program.

The Health Center Program is authorized by section 330 of the Public Health Service (PHS) Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 254b). Through SAC, organizations compete for Health Center Program operational support to provide comprehensive primary health care services to defined service areas and patient populations. The Health Center Program funding targets the Nation’s high need geographic areas and populations by currently supporting nearly 1,400 health centers that operate more than 10,400 service delivery sites in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin. More than 24 million patients, including medically underserved and uninsured or underinsured patients, receive accessible, affordable, quality primary health care services through the Health Center Program. Service areas and target populations listed in the Service Area Announcement Table (SAAT) are currently served by Health Center Program award recipients whose project periods are ending in FY 2018. You must demonstrate how you will make primary health care services available in a manner that maintains continuity of care to patients already served in the announced service area. Only one award will be given for each announced service area.