Juvenile Community Alternatives Planning Grant Program

Activities supported by this program are determined by statute (Indiana Code § 31-40-5 et seq.) and Indiana Criminal Justice Institute (ICJI) policies and procedures. If an applicant receives an award, the funded project is bound by the provisions of this solicitation and any other applicable laws, rules, policies, and regulations. Funds for this planning grant will be awarded up front, rather than on a reimbursement basis. Verification of expenses along with verification of payment of expenses must be provided to ICJI on a monthly or quarterly basis.

Allowable activities and costs are those that support planning for the implementation, operation and delivery of services to youth involved in the juvenile justice system. The activities carried out under this planning grant solicitation should be carried out to assist in the implementation of a program that will provide alternatives to juveniles becoming involved in the youth justice system. These activities include but may not be limited to:

• Services or programsthat develop community alternatives.
• Collaborative activities to plan the programs.
• Travel to observe promising programs in another area of the state.

ICJI strongly recommends programs that are evidence-based or considered to be promising practices. The selected program may be altered to meet requirements of the applicant, but fidelity should be maintained as closely as possible. More information regarding rated programs and practices, as well as examples of model programs may be found here or here.

Allowable Costs

Personnel, employee benefits, cost of supplies, and travel to perform the activities listed below are allowable costs. Overtime for grant funded staff is an allowable cost, but to claim the increased rate, there must be a separate line item in the budget that includes the overtime rate of pay.

• Planning activities for the development of a collaborative program.
  • Reasonable purchase of food for the purpose of planning activities is allowable.
• Technical assistance with respect to adherence, implementation, or application of model programs.
• Preparations and implementation of a chosen evidence-based project.

The following budget items listed below are unallowable and will not be supported by this program’s funding:

• Direct financial assistance to a client such as cash.
• Supplanting existing positions or offsetting existing expenses of the recipient.
• Lobbying.
• Fundraising (including financial campaigns, endowment drives, solicitation of gifts and bequests, and similar expenses incurred solely to raise capital or obtain contributions) and time spent procuring funding including completing federal and state funding applications
• Purchase of real estate.
• Construction and physical modification to buildings, including minor renovations (such as painting or carpeting).
• Purchase of vehicles.
• Indirect cost rate and/or de minimis rate.

• Timeline: Please attach a timeline for the completion of the project and/or expenditure of the grant funds.
• Collaboration Plan: Any county participating in the program is required by IC § 31-40-5-5 to have its local or regional justice reinvestment advisory council, or another local collaborative body that includes stakeholders across the juvenile justice system, oversee each grant award to the county and engage in collaborative service planning for the county. Audit Record: Include your most recent State Board of Accounts or independent audit.
• Miscellaneous
  • If applying for funds for personnel costs, attach the relevant job descriptions.
  • If applicable, attach other requested information.

Administrative Costs

Administrative costs are an allowable expense. Administrative costs include time to complete program-required time and attendance sheets and programmatic documentation, reports, and required statistics; administrative time to collect and maintain satisfaction surveys and needs assessments used to improve service delivery within the funded project.

Administrative costs should not be a separate line item in the budget. During the application process, there will be a section to state the anticipated percentage of time each position will spend on administrative duties for this program. This percentage is included with the percentage of time worked on the funded project and cannot exceed 10% of the total grant-funded budget.

Travel Costs

Expenses for in-state and out-of-state travel must follow the most current Indiana Department of Administration State Travel Policy or the recipient’s travel policy, whichever is more restrictive. Learn More.

Contractors & Consultants

A consultant evaluates an organization’s needs and provides professional advice and a contractor provides goods or performs services. When a subrecipient contracts for work or services, the following is required:

1. All contractual services must be obtained through a procurement method. Verification of this method must be supplied upon completion of the contract.
2. All consultants and contractual services shall be supported by written contracts signed by all parties stating the services to be performed, rate of compensation, and length of time over which the services will be provided.
3. A copy of all written contracts for contractual or consultant services shall be attached in IntelliGrants to the grant file upon their ratification.
4. Payments shall be supported by statements outlining the services rendered, date of service, and cost of service.
5. Any consultant costs exceeding the allowable rate (maximum of $81.25 per hour or $650 per day) will not be allowed.

PROGRAM COSTS

Program costs must meet the following criteria:

1. Costs must be necessary and reasonable for the stated purpose of the grant.
2. Costs must be in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles. Learn more.
3. Costs must be consistent with policies and procedures of the grant program and applied uniformly.
4. Costs must be adequately documented with supporting materials including receipts, invoices, timesheets, paystubs, etc. The ICJI supporting documentation policy can be found here.