Conducting Prison Security Audi | 24PR12

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24PR12

The National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is offering a 12-month cooperative agreement to support delivery of its Prison Security Audit program, a long-running training and technical assistance effort aimed at strengthening safety and security in state correctional facilities. The basic idea behind the opportunity is that a well-designed, consistently used security audit process helps prisons reduce the kinds of risks that commonly drive serious incidents, such as staff or resident injuries, escapes, major disruptions, and property damage. NIC frames a security audit as a form of structured risk assessment that looks for vulnerabilities tied to weak or unclear policies, gaps in procedures, shortcomings in the physical plant, or performance and compliance problems in day-to-day operations.

The funded work focuses on providing three separate training events during the 12-month period. A key feature of the NIC model is that the training is not just classroom-based; it is built around hands-on auditing experience. Under the program protocol, the training must be conducted at three different state correctional facilities within the host agency. Participants drawn from around the country are deployed to these facilities and actively conduct audits as part of the learning process. This approach is intended to build practical auditing skills, help create a trained cadre of staff who can perform audits going forward, and reinforce accountability for compliance among facility staff responsible for implementing policy and procedure.

One of the three trainings is specifically intended to meet a technical assistance request from a single agency that wants to train up to 24 staff. Across the three events, the expectation is that the award recipient will support the core NIC Security Audit curriculum and the on-site logistics and execution needed to run audits in real facilities, consistent with NIC requirements and the cooperative agreement structure (which typically involves close involvement and collaboration with the federal agency compared with a standard grant).

The opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 24PR12; CFDA 16.601) is posted by NIC with an application closing date of February 6, 2024. NIC anticipates making one award, with a maximum award amount (ceiling) of $120,000. The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, and the activity category is listed as "Other."

Eligibility is fairly broad within the domestic U.S. context. NIC invites applications from nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions). However, for-profit recipients must agree to waive any profit or fee for services, meaning the work must be performed on a no-profit basis. Foreign governments, international organizations, and international nongovernmental organizations or institutions are not eligible. Applicants must be able to document status with proof of IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) designation (for nonprofits) or an authorizing tribal resolution (for tribal entities, as applicable).

NIC also allows collaborative applications involving two or more entities, but it requires a single eligible organization to apply as the lead applicant and assume primary responsibility for administering the award and managing the full program. Any additional partners must be included as subrecipients. Finally, NIC will accept only one application per submitting organization, so an entity cannot submit multiple competing proposals under this solicitation.

• The National Institute of Corrections in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Conducting Prison Security Audi" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.601.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-08.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-06. (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 $120,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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