SMART FY 18 Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative | SMART 2018 5202

Opportunity Information: Apply for SMART 2018 5202

The SMART FY 18 Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative (SVPI) is a Department of Justice grant opportunity run through the SMART Office (Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking). Its central purpose is to strengthen and advance national work that helps jurisdictions meet the requirements of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA), which is Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006, while also pushing the field toward more effective, evidence-informed approaches to preventing sexual violence. The initiative is not limited to the mechanics of registry compliance; it is framed around the broader public safety goal of improving sex offender monitoring, reducing recidivism, and supporting prevention strategies grounded in research and real-world practice. The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the federal government anticipates substantial involvement and collaboration during the project rather than a fully hands-off grant.

This solicitation builds on earlier SMART Office investments in synthesizing what is known about sex offender management and translating that knowledge into practical guidance. A major predecessor effort referenced in the opportunity is the Sex Offender Management Assessment and Planning Initiative (SOMAPI), launched in 2011 to take stock of research and practice, identify what appears promising or effective, and clarify the needs of the many disciplines involved in supervising and managing individuals convicted of sex offenses. Under SOMAPI, SMART convened subject-matter experts and practitioners to review scholarly literature on sexual offending and produce annotated summaries that could be shared with professionals in the field. SMART also conducted an informal national inventory in 2011 to capture emerging issues and on-the-ground practices at state and local levels, then used those findings to support a national Research and Practice Discussion Forum in February 2012 where researchers and practitioners jointly refined the picture of current policies, programming gaps, and priority needs.

The solicitation emphasizes that, while registration and notification systems are important, preventing sexual violence requires a wider set of strategies and tools than registries alone. The SMART Office positions SVPI as a way to gather, interpret, and disseminate state-of-the-art research on both longstanding and emerging issues, then use that evidence to inform policy, practitioner decision-making, and future federal research and grantmaking priorities across OJP. In practice, this means SVPI supports work that helps the field understand what interventions and management approaches are backed by evidence, where evidence is thin or conflicting, and what innovations or best practices should be tested, improved, or scaled. The opportunity also highlights the real societal and individual harms caused by sexual violence and treats scientific evidence as essential for crafting policies that are both effective and responsible.

By the time of this FY 2018 solicitation, SMART reports that prior initiative work had already produced a substantial body of public-facing resources: 13 literature review chapters, 14 research briefs, a nine-part webinar series, and many presentations and trainings focused on sex offense-specific topics. These materials are made available through SMARTs SOMAPI web page (www.smart.gov/SOMAPI/index.html). The SVPI solicitation is intended to extend and expand that foundation rather than start from scratch, continuing the pipeline from research synthesis to practical dissemination and, ultimately, to better-informed grant programs and jurisdictional practices.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is identified as discretionary funding under CFDA 16.203, with an expected single award and an award ceiling of $500,000. The posting lists the application window as opening January 31, 2018, with an original closing date of April 2, 2018. Funding authority is tied to the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act (34 U.S.C. 20911 et seq.) and FY 2018 appropriations; the notice also states that at the time of writing, DOJ was operating under a continuing appropriations arrangement rather than a full-year enacted appropriation. Eligibility is not limited to only one standard applicant type in the summary line; it is listed broadly as "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," indicating that applicants would need to consult the full solicitation for the precise eligibility categories and any restrictions.

Taken together, the grant opportunity is best understood as a targeted investment in improving the nations capacity to prevent sexual violence by strengthening the evidence base, translating research into usable tools and guidance, and supporting more effective sex offender monitoring and management practices in alignment with SORNA and broader public safety goals.

• The Department of Justice, Department of Justice in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "SMART FY 18 Sexual Violence Prevention Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.203.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jan 31, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 02, 2018. (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 $500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for SMART 2018 5202

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