Responding to Staff Trauma and Organizational Stress in Prisons and Jail Settings | 20PR08

Opportunity Information: Apply for 20PR08

The Department of Justice, through the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), offered a cooperative agreement funding opportunity titled "Responding to Staff Trauma and Organizational Stress in Prisons and Jail Settings" (Funding Opportunity Number 20PR08). The purpose of the project is to better understand, document, and elevate effective ways correctional agencies can address the psychological toll that prison and jail work can take on staff, particularly in relation to vicarious trauma, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and broader job-related stress. Rather than focusing on direct service delivery alone, the opportunity is centered on collecting and synthesizing knowledge so that practical, evidence-informed recommendations can be developed for the field.

At the core of the work is a research and information review phase. The awardee would be expected to access, examine, and summarize both existing and emerging research on staff trauma and organizational stress in prisons, jails, and closely related disciplines. This literature and evidence scan is intended to establish the current state of knowledge: what is already known, where the gaps are, what interventions show promise, and what factors (organizational culture, leadership practices, staffing conditions, exposure to violence, administrative pressures, shift work, etc.) tend to worsen or reduce harm. This background work is meant to do more than compile citations; it is supposed to shape the questions and priorities for the next stage of field-informed inquiry.

Building on that foundation, the opportunity anticipates qualitative and/or quantitative information gathering with practitioners and agencies, using interviews, focus groups, surveys, polling, or similar approaches. The intent is to capture real-world correctional experience and identify strategies that are already working in practice. In other words, the project is designed to surface successful, on-the-ground approaches being used by prisons and jails to prevent, mitigate, or respond to staff trauma and chronic stress. This could include formal programs (peer support models, employee assistance enhancements, critical incident stress responses, wellness initiatives, supervisor training, trauma-informed leadership practices) as well as operational policies and cultural practices that improve staff well-being and resilience.

The end goal is to translate what is learned into recommendations about effective approaches that could be replicated or adapted by other agencies. NIC signals an expectation that the project will not only identify promising strategies, but also package them in a way that makes them usable by corrections leaders and practitioners across different jurisdictions. The deliverables implied by the description are therefore likely to include a synthesized understanding of the research landscape, a summary of field input from staff and leadership, and a set of practical recommendations or guidance grounded in both evidence and correctional realities.

From an administrative standpoint, this was categorized as an "Other" opportunity under a cooperative agreement funding instrument, meaning the project would be carried out with substantial involvement from NIC compared to a standard grant. The CFDA number listed is 16.602. The opportunity anticipated a single award (Expected Awards: 1) with an award ceiling of $175,000. The funding notice was created on July 14, 2020, and the original closing date was August 28, 2020. Eligibility is broadly labeled as "Others" with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation, which typically indicates NIC may allow applications from certain organizations beyond the usual state/local government categories (often including nonprofits, universities, or other qualified entities, depending on the specific notice).

In practical terms, the opportunity is about helping the corrections field move from recognizing staff trauma as a serious operational and human issue to identifying and spreading approaches that actually help. By combining research review with direct input from prisons and jails, NIC aimed to produce recommendations that are both credible and implementable, increasing the chances that effective models for supporting correctional staff can be adopted more widely.

• 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 "Responding to Staff Trauma and Organizational Stress in Prisons and Jail Settings" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.602.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jul 14, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 28, 2020. (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 $175,000.00 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 20PR08

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