Gender Responsive Policy and Practices (GRPPA) Virtual Training on Model and Site Implementation | 21CS03

Opportunity Information: Apply for 21CS03

The Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections (NIC) is offering a cooperative agreement to support virtual training and hands-on implementation of the Gender Responsive Policy and Practices Assessment (GRPPA) model within community corrections agencies. This opportunity is focused on helping probation, parole, and other community-based supervision agencies take a structured, research-informed look at how well their current policies, day-to-day practices, and programming meet the needs of justice-involved women, and then use those findings to plan concrete improvements. The funding opportunity is titled "Gender Responsive Policy and Practices (GRPPA) Virtual Training on Model and Site Implementation" (Funding Opportunity Number 21CS03; CFDA 16.601). NIC anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of $55,000.

At its core, GRPPA is meant to answer a common question agencies raise: "Where do we start if we want to improve how we work with women in our care?" The GRPPA model is a downloadable, multi-step guide that walks an agency through organizing an internal assessment process and translating the results into an action plan. The tool includes guidance on forming internal work groups, assigning tasks, identifying the kinds of data and research that should be gathered, and using GRPPA materials such as the manual, facilitation instructions, and a scoring guide. It also addresses what to do after the assessment is completed, including prioritizing findings and developing a realistic plan for policy and practice change. NIC also points users to supporting resources such as fact sheets and data sources related to justice-involved women. The tool itself is available through NIC at https://nicic.gov/gender-responsive-policy-practice-assessment.

The awardee funded under this opportunity is expected to work directly with selected community corrections agency teams to apply the GRPPA model in real-world settings. In practice, that means providing virtual training and facilitation support as those agency teams assess their current policies and programs, identify gaps, and plan for either developing new gender-responsive approaches or strengthening what they already have. The emphasis is not just on learning the model, but on implementing it at sites, using it to guide internal conversations, data gathering, scoring, and follow-up planning.

NIC frames the need for this work in terms of long-running trends and persistent mismatches between supervision practices and the realities of women on community supervision. Women have been entering correctional systems at a rate exceeding men since about 1980, and women make up a substantial share of community corrections populations (approximately 25% of probation and about 13% of parole). Even so, many correctional policies and routines were originally designed around the needs and typical circumstances of the dominant population in corrections, men. NIC notes that practices built for men may not translate well to women and can sometimes be actively harmful or counterproductive.

A major concern highlighted in the opportunity is that women often fail community supervision at higher rates than men for technical violations rather than new criminal conduct. This is important because technical violations are frequently tied to compliance challenges that may reflect unstable life circumstances rather than heightened public safety risk. The opportunity notes that while there is strong research on womens pathways, risks, and needs, everyday community supervision practices often do not incorporate these gender-specific findings in meaningful ways.

The opportunity also outlines the kinds of barriers that justice-involved women commonly face and that supervision agencies may not fully account for when setting conditions or monitoring compliance. These include economic instability, limited transportation, housing insecurity, unemployment or underemployment, childcare responsibilities, experiences of interpersonal violence, and significant medical and mental health needs. Standard supervision expectations can be demanding on their own: payment of financial obligations, treatment participation, job seeking and employment requirements, drug and alcohol testing, and frequent meetings with supervision officers. NIC underscores that these demands can collide with family responsibilities, particularly because many women on supervision are primary caregivers who must also ensure their childrens needs are met. When supervision strategies do not account for caregiving time, transportation limitations, or access to safe housing, the result can be increased noncompliance and heightened scrutiny not only of the woman but also of her parenting responsibilities.

Housing is singled out as a particularly serious challenge, especially for women with children who need affordable and safe options. Unsafe living conditions, limited transportation, and constrained access to services can amplify the difficulty of meeting supervision requirements. NIC emphasizes that women in these circumstances can face layers of responsibility that men on supervision may not experience in the same way, which reinforces the importance of gender-responsive assessment and tailored supervision strategies.

In summary, this grant opportunity funds one cooperative agreement to deliver virtual training and site-based implementation support for the GRPPA model in community corrections. The goal is to help agencies systematically evaluate whether their supervision policies and practices align with research on justice-involved women, identify where traditional approaches may be ineffective or harmful, and build prioritized action plans to improve outcomes for women under community supervision.

• The Department of Justice, National Institute of Corrections in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Gender Responsive Policy and Practices (GRPPA) Virtual Training on Model and Site Implementation" 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 Jan 14, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 15, 2021. (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 $55,000.00 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 21CS03

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: