To create an, click the Sign in link at the top of the page and then select Register from the sub-menu. You will then enter your email and select a username and password. Step-by-step instructions can be found in the RVCRI Grant Management Portal SOP.

You can contact the RVCRI team at RuralVCRI@policinginstitute.org. The RVCRI team can assist you with general questions about the RVCRI program, the RVCRI grant process, and requirements of RVCRI grantees.

The Rural Violent Crime Reduction Initiative (RVCRI) is an effort, funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), to provide funding and assistance to rural law enforcement agencies seeking to reduce violent crime and address problems associated with violent crime. Funding and support are available for implementing violent crime reduction strategies, improving investigations, improving services to victims, and for enhancing collaboration between local stakeholders. This will be achieved through the provision of training; deployment of technology; improvement of communication and collaboration between stakeholders; and expansion of community-based crime prevention programs and partnerships with victim services providers.

The RVCRI Team will work with grantees to establish, implement, and measure the success of their strategies and strategic plans by:

• Providing comprehensive recommendations to ensure key strategic elements are addressed;
• Creating a repository of evidence-based best practices and communities of practice;
• Supporting the establishment of clear data collection processes to measure outcomes in a mannger consistent with the SARA model; and
• Conducting regular meetings to track progress and identify TTA and peer learning opportunities

To qualify as rural for this solicitation, an applicant must provide services in a rural area, but the jurisdiction's service area need not be exclusively rural. While the agency does not solely need to serve a rural area, the violent crime problem addressed must have a rural focus that allows for trackable impact. This definition holds for sheriff's and prosecutors' offices. For any municipality (e.g., town, village, or borough), the area must be considered rural, and the population must not exceed 15,000. The population should be based on the latest U.S. Census enumeration.

The Institute and BJA will use the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) designation of rurality to help determine rurality scoring/qualification. To see if your agency is designated as rural, you can find the HRSA Tool at: https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/rural-health.

If you believe that your agency or the problem your agency is trying to address qualifies as rural, but the HRSA tool does not indicate that you are rural, please contact us at RuralVCRI@policinginsitute.org.

The RVCRI Application and Solicitation information can be found here. Applicants will need to create an account through the Create an Account link and submit a completed application. Completed applications include:

• Responses to all questions
• Project Narrative attached to the application in the provided Word template
• Budget

If you have any additional questions regarding the RVCRI Program, please reach out to the RVCRI team at RuralVCRI@policinginstitute.org.

Grant awards will be made in the $25,000 - $150,000 range.

Funds may be used for a variety of purposes to support implementation of a site’s violence reduction plans. Examples of allowable costs for equipment, personnel, and services include, but are not limited, to:

• Programs that support victims’ services and community engagement
• Salary or overtime expenditures for personnel integral to violent crime reduction operations
• Crime analysis software or personnel
• Consultation services related to program design, implementation, and assessment
• Development or acquisition of offender-based risk assessment tools to better target investigation, intervention, or enforcement
• Strategies to more effectively serve and address populations in remote areas, including ways to enhance orders of protection and improve access to services and shelter for remote populations
• Srategies and services to mitigate the risk for violent behavior in individuals dealing with mental health and/or substance use disorders, including crisis intervention programs and services
• Forensic evidence tools and services for identifying suspects or enhancing evidence, testimony, and outreach to victims
• Strategies, personnel, services, and tools to improve intragovernmental collaboration in effectively addressing rural violence problems

Unallowable costs include:

• Pre-award costs and expenditures
• Land acquisition
• Construction projects
• Firearms/ammunition
• Armored vehicles
• Other tactical equipment used strictly for enforcement purposes

The RVCRI Team accepts applications in a rolling cohort format! The Rural VCRI Team accepts applications in a rolling cohort format! The Rural VCRI Application is always open! However, applications will be reviewed and awarded on a quarterly basis in:

• March
• June
• September
• December

You should confirm application deadlines on the RVCRI Application and Solicitation page to ensure that deadlines have not been updated.

The RVCRI Team will make award decisions and notifications within 45 days of the application deadline.

Funding will be reimbursed based on set benchmarks and milestones. Examples of this could include the purchase of equipment, overtime pay for personnel for the past six months, etc. Additional information can be found in the Reimbursement and Invoicing SOP.

Proposal development resources and templates can be found here. A successful narrative will include the following:

• Clear articulation of one or more specific rural violent crime problems the applicant seeks to address.
• Using crime and other data sets, provide a clear understanding of the nature and concentration of the specific problem the applicant wishes to address. Applicant should also demonstrate a commitment/ability to gather crime and other data throughout the grant term.
• Clear plans to involve community members in problem analysis and strategy selection and/or implementation.
• A list of any project partners, including criminal justice, community organization, and service providers that will be involved in program implementation.
• Identification of individual(s) responsible for implementing the microgrant and individual(s) administrating the grant (i.e. financial responsibility).
• Discussion of opportunities to sustain the project beyond the microgrant term.

Narrative sections should include:

• Description of the Issue
• Project Design and Implementation
• Plan for Measuring Success and Outcomes and Program Sustainability

If you have any additional questions regarding proposal development, please reach out to the RVCRI team at RuralVCRI@policinginstitute.org.

Budget development resources can be found here.

If you have any additional questions regarding budget development, please reach out to the RVCRI team at RuralVCRI@policinginstitute.org.

Invoicing and reimbursement resources and templates can be found here.

If you have any additional questions regarding reimbursement or invoicing, please reach out to the Rural VCRI team at RuralVCRI@policinginstitute.org.

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with the portal, please reach out to the Rural VCRI team at RuralVCRI@policinginstitute.org. In your email, please include a brief description of the issue you are encountering and a screenshot if possible.

To check the status of your application, please login into the portal using the account that submitted the application. Once logged in, on the My Applications page, you will see the status of your application.

Thank you for your feedback! Please submit any feedback that you may have to the RuralVCRI@policinginstitute.org email address. We appreciate any thoughts or feedback that you may have.