FY27 Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Grant Countywide (JAG-C) Funding Questions & Answers
1. Could you please provide an example from a prior approved application of direct costs and unit costs?
Uniform Guidance (2 CFR 200 Subpart E) cost principles dictate that expenses on federal awards must be necessary, reasonable, allocable and documented. All costs must be treated consistently across the organization, regardless of whether they are federally or non-federally funded and cannot be used for cost-sharing purposes on other federal projects.
DIRECT COST: Costs that can be directly linked to a specific project or activity, such as compensation for an assigned employee’s time dedication to an awarded project, equipment purchases, and materials/supplies necessary for the project.
INDIRECT COSTS: Costs that cannot be easily traced to a specific award or project yet are necessary for the general operation of the organization, such as facility rent/utilities, maintenance, and administrative staff costs split across multiple initiatives.
UNIT COST: The standard methodology for establishing a unit cost in accordance with Uniform Guidance cost principles is:
Unit Cost = Total Allowable Direct Costs+ Allocable Indirect Costs divided by Total Units of Service/Product
Example 1: If an organization providing services has a total operational cost of $100,000 (rent + meals + labor, etc.) for a 250-bed facility, the cost per unit (bed) would be $400 ($100,000/250). If the JAG program proposal is for the use of 100 beds, the program budget would be $40,000 ($400 x 100)
Example 2: A program calculates unit cost by identifying all project‑related expenses and determining the number of units that can be delivered with the total funds. If the total project budget is $30,000 including staffing, materials, supplies, mileage, and fringe benefits and the program can deliver 150 units of service, the unit cost per service is $200.00 ($30,0000/150 units = $200 unit of service cost).
When the County funds less than the full program, the program adjusts the number of services (units) provided to match the amount awarded.
For Example:
- Award Amount: $10,000
- Unit cost: $200 per service
- Calculation: $10,000/$200 = 50 units
Therefore, if the County funds $10,000, the program will provide 50 units of service.
2. What does it mean to be e-verified?
E-Verify is an Internet-based system that compares information entered by an employer from an employee’s Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm employment eligibility. To learn more about this verification process, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/
3. Good afternoon, the Neighborly application says explicitly that “The use of BJA grant funds for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV), and all accompanying accessories to support UAS or UAV, is unallowable. See BJA’s JAG FAQs and JAG Prohibited and Controlled Expenditure Guidance for more information.” But when I pull up the BJA guidance, it says: The purchase of UAS is allowable under BJA programs only with express prior approval from BJA. To request such approval, the recipient (or subrecipient, at any tier) must submit to BJA a written certification that only UAS verified by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Defense Contract Management Agency’s Blue UAS Cleared List as not manufactured by a “covered foreign entity” may be purchased or operated under the federal award and, further, that no modifications or additional accessories may be introduced to the UAS, nor may the UAS be used to process, store, or transmit Federal information. The recipient also, in its submission to BJA, must assure OJP that it has sufficient policies and procedures regarding privacy, civil liberties, and information technology cybersecurity policies related to operation of the UAS. So, are UAS allowable if the above conditions are met, or are they strictly unallowable with JAG-C funds?
They are unallowable under JAG-C funds, due to the pass-through nature of this funding opportunity. The County is a subrecipient of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). Previous FDLE Solicitations of JAG-C funds stated: “The use of BJA grant funds for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), including unmanned aircraft vehicles (UAV), and all accompanying accessories to support UAS or UAV, is unallowable.” Please note that all submitted applications will be subject to additional requirements of the final released solicitation and the review process.“
4. I have a question about the Justice Coordination funding and I will be attending the webinar as well. I work with the Florida Orchestra in St. Petersburg and we have an instructor that teaches violin and cello classes in Juvenile detention centers in Hillsborough County. These classes center on building life skills through the music education and through our instructors’ data collection, the students that are selected to be in classes show improvement in confidence and sense of belonging. My question is do you think this type of education would qualify as a "Prevention and education program" under the Pinellas County and would we be able to qualify for funding?
Florida Department of Law Enforcement defines “Prevention and Education” as programs, activities and/or spending with the goal of educating individuals on various crimes or programs designed to help prevent crime.
The deadline for questions was March 25th at 4 p.m.