Watch a training video on the JustGrants Resources website about completing a Budget Detail Form.
Applicants should provide a budget that—
- is complete, allowable, and cost-effective in relation to the proposed activities;
- shows the cost calculations demonstrating how they arrived at the total amount requested; and
- provides a brief supporting narrative to link costs with project activities. The budget should cover the entire award period.
Your Budget Detail Form should clearly present a breakdown of costs associated with each of nine budget categories. Itemize where necessary. For more detail on what is required, reference the specific solicitation. OJJDP expects applicants to provide a thorough narrative for each section of the Budget Detail Form. The Budget Detail Form should break out costs by year.
Applicants will complete a web-based budget form on JustGrants. See the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide for additional information on preparing a budget.
The budget narrative should thoroughly and clearly describe every category of expense listed in the Budget Detail Form. OJP expects proposed budgets to be complete, cost effective, and allowable (e.g., reasonable, allocable, and necessary for project activities).
Applicants should demonstrate in their budget narrative how they will maximize cost effectiveness of award expenditures. Budget narratives should generally describe cost effectiveness in relation to potential alternatives and the goals of the project. As with the Budget Detail Form, the budget narrative should describe costs by year.
To learn about what a budget narrative should include, go to the Narrative Justification for Every Cost section of the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide.
If you are a non-federal entity that expended $750,000 or more in federal funds (from all sources including pass-through sub-awards) in your organization's fiscal year (12-month turnaround reporting period), then you are required to arrange for a single organization-wide audit conducted in accordance with the provisions of Title 2 C.F.R. Subpart F (§ 200.500 et seq.). Refer to DOJ Grants Financial Guide, 3.19 Audit Requirements.
Some DOJ solicitations include a cost sharing or matching requirement. This matching/cost sharing amount refers to the portion of project costs that are not paid by federal funds.
Solicitations with such a requirement will specify the percentage and type of match required, which is generally cash, in-kind, or both. For information on the sources of cash and in-kind matches, see the Types of Match section of the DOJ Financial Guide.
As you are completing your application's budget summary in the JustGrants system, you'll see an area where the match details can be captured.
The following online resources provide additional information about match requirements and how to document match amounts in the web-based Budget Detail Form:
- JustGrants Job Aid Reference Guide: Entering Match Amount in a Budget
- OJP Grant Application Resource Guide: Cost Sharing or Matching Requirements
- DOJ Grants Financial Guide: Matching or Cost Sharing Requirements
Indirect costs may be charged to an award only if:
(a) The recipient has a current (i.e., unexpired), federally approved indirect cost rate; or
(b) The recipient is eligible to use, and elects to use, the de minimis indirect cost rate described in the Part 200 Uniform Requirements, as set out at 2 C.F.R. 200.414(f).
An applicant with a current (that is, unexpired) federally approved indirect cost rate must attach a copy of the indirect cost rate agreement to the application. An applicant that does not have a current federally approved rate may request one through its cognizant federal agency, which will review all documentation and approve a rate for the applicant entity, or, if the applicant's accounting system permits, applicants may propose to allocate costs in the direct cost categories.
For assistance with identifying the appropriate cognizant federal agency for indirect costs, contact the Customer Service Center at 800–458–0786 or at [email protected]. If the DOJ is the cognizant federal agency, an applicant may obtain information needed to submit an indirect cost rate proposal at http://www.ojp.gov/funding/Apply/Resources/IndirectCosts.pdf.
Certain OJP recipients have the option of electing to use the de minimis indirect cost rate. An applicant eligible to use the de minimis rate and that wishes to use the de minimis rate should attach written documentation to the application that advises OJP of both (1) the applicant's eligibility to use the de minimis rate and (2) the applicant's election to do so. If an eligible applicant elects the de minimis rate, costs must be consistently charged as either indirect or direct costs, but may not be double charged or inconsistently charged as both. The de minimis rate may no longer be used once an approved federally negotiated indirect cost rate is in place. (No entity that ever has had a federally approved negotiated indirect cost rate is eligible to use the de minimis rate.)
Due to the significant interest in the “Application Mechanics: Submitting an Application” webinars, five new webinar dates have been added to the schedule.
The new dates and links to register are as follows:
- Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. ET
- Monday, March 29, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. ET
- Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. ET
- Thursday, April 8, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. ET
- Monday, April 12, 2021 at 3:00 p.m. ET
Each webinar will be approximately 90 minutes with the same content covered in each session and time set aside for questions. Registration for each session is limited to allow for the JustGrants team to respond to questions.
If you are unable to attend a live webinar or if you'd like to revisit the presentation material, the presentation slide deck from the February 22, 2020, session has been posted for your reference. A recording of the February 11, 2020, presentation is available for viewing.
For more information on the webinar sessions and to access application submission training resources, visit the JustGrants Application Submission training resources page.
OJJDP and NIJ are components of the Office of Justice Programs (OJP). CrimeSolutions.gov is run by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). OJJDP’s Model Programs Guide (MPG) predates CrimeSolutions.gov. MPG programs fall within the broader scope of CrimeSolutions.gov. The MPG focuses on providing information to policymakers and practitioners on programs and practices related to the juvenile justice system, while CrimeSolutions.gov includes research about what works in criminal justice, juvenile justice, and crime victim services.
Beginning in January 2011 and commencing in September 2013, all programs that were accepted for inclusion in the MPG before January 2011 were re-reviewed to ensure conformity with the criteria and standards set by the Program Evidence Rating Instrument. The instrument is used by both CrimeSolutions.gov and MPG to determine a program’s rating of effectiveness. All programs and practices that appear on both the MPG and CrimeSolutions.gov have the exact same ratings (Effective, Promising, or No Effects).
However, in addition to the program database, the MPG also provides users with a variety of implementation tools and resources tailored to the needs of the juvenile justice field. Resources, literature reviews, implementation guides, and other information are specifically geared towards policymakers, practitioners, and professionals that work with at-risk or system-involved youth.
No! The MPG is a resource to assist justice practitioners and policymakers in using evaluation evidence for practical decision making and program implementation. The MPG is not intended to be an exhaustive list of worthy and unworthy investments. OJP and its components also recognize the importance of supporting innovative approaches and practices that may not yet have extensive evidence of effectiveness. Please refer to How to Use Model Programs Guide for additional information.