State
Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) - Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA)
11/16/18 5:00 PM
Grants starting at $5,000 to Texas local units of government for programs that enable veterans and their families to receive services that assist them in managing the judicial process and court system. Funding is intended to aid veterans in accessing the services available through Veterans Treatment Court (VTC) programs.
As defined in Texas Government Code § 124.001, a Veterans Treatment Court is a program that has the following essential characteristics:
- The integration of services in the processing of cases in the judicial system;
- The use of a non-adversarial approach involving prosecutors and defense attorneys to promote public safety and to protect the due process rights of program participants;
- Early identification and prompt placement of eligible participants in the program;
- Access to a continuum of alcohol, controlled substances, mental health, and other related treatment and rehabilitative services;
- Careful monitoring of treatment and services provided to program participants;
- A coordinated strategy to govern program responses to participants’ compliance;
- Ongoing judicial interaction with program participants;
- Monitoring and evaluation of program goals and effectiveness;
- Continuing interdisciplinary education to promote effective program planning, implementation, and operations; and
- Development of partnerships with public agencies and community organizations, including the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
Additionally, the duties of a Veterans Treatment Court Program are outlined in § 124.003 and must include:
- Ensuring that a defendant eligible for participation in the program is provided legal counsel before volunteering to proceed through the program and while participating in the program;
- Allowing a participant to withdraw from the program at any time before a trial on the merits has been initiated;
- Providing a participant with a court-ordered individualized treatment plan indicating the services that will be provided to the participant; and
- Ensuring that the jurisdiction of the Veterans Treatment court continues for a period of not less than six months but does not continue beyond the period of community supervision for the offense charged.
The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) established the following priorities to provide guidance to the FVA Advisory Committee in developing funding recommendations and for the Commission in making grant awards. These priorities are:
- Geographic Distribution: The FVA Advisory Committee will develop recommendations that will ensure widespread distribution of grants across the state.
- Diversity of Services in Geographic Areas: The Commission encourages a diversity of services provided within geographic regions.
- Outstanding Grant Applications: Priority will be given to outstanding-rated grant applications.
- Full Funding: The FVA Advisory Committee will recommend fully funding grant requests, whenever possible.
The above priorities will be used in the funding recommendations made for this grant.
GrantWatch ID#: 164525
Eligible Applicants are encouraged to request a specific funding amount from the options below.
- $5,000
- $15,000
- $20,000
- $30,000
- $50,000
- $75,000
- $100,000
- $150,000
- $200,000
- $250,000
- $300,000
- $400,000
- $500,000
Grants awarded under this RFA will begin on July 1, 2019 and end on June 30, 2020. Reimbursement will only be made for those allowable expenses that occur within the term of this grant. No pre-award spending will be allowed. The initial term of the grant shall be for one (1) year from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2020. Agency may, in its sole discretion, exercise the option to renew the grant for one (1) additional one (1) year period.
Eligible Applicants: Units of local government;
Not Eligible to Apply:
1. Individuals;
2. Non-profit organizations
3. For-profit entities;
4. Units of federal or state government, including state agencies, colleges, and universities;
5. Organizations that have not fulfilled and maintained all legal requirements to operate in the state of Texas; and
6. Organizations that do not have current operations in Texas or a Texas based chapter.
Prohibited Uses of Funds
- Supplanting of Funds: A grant made to a unit of local government is intended to provide services and/or assist Veterans and their families through the existing structure of the organization. It is not the intent of this grant to supplant existing funds, but to supplement existing funding.
- Duplication of Services: Grant funds are not to be used to conduct activities or to provide services that are the same as those currently provided by the Texas Veterans Commission. However, grant funds may be used to conduct activities or provide services that complement those provided by the Texas Veterans Commission. Services provided by the Texas Veterans Commission include Claims Representation and Counseling, Education, Employment, Women Veterans, Veterans Mental Health, Healthcare Advocacy, and Veteran Entrepreneur Programs.
- Duplication of Contracted Services: Applicant organizations with contracts or agreements with the Texas Veterans Commission may be ineligible for Fund for Veterans’ Assistance grant funding requested for Proposed Projects involving the same or similar services as those funded under the contract. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their submitted application discloses any such contract. The Proposed Project must be clearly and sufficiently differentiated in the application from any contracted services.
- Sub-Grants: Sub-Granting is an award made by a Grantee to another organization or agency using FVA grant funds. This is prohibited under Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Part 15, Section 460.10(2).
- Capital Expenditures: Capital expenditures are those expenditures of tangible personal property having a useful life of more than one year and an acquisition cost which equals or exceeds the lesser of the capitalization level established by the organization for financial statement purposes, or $5,000. Capital expenditures are prohibited. Vehicle purchase and capital leases are prohibited. “Use” leases or “operational” leases are allowable only when specifically authorized.
The following are also prohibited costs for FVA Grants:
- Cash or Cash Equivalents – per Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Part 15, Section 460.10(3) distribution of cash or a cash equivalent to veterans and/or their families is prohibited. Cash equivalents include gift cards and gas cards.
- Scholarships – per Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Part 15, Section 460.10(5) scholarships for education are prohibited.
- Preparation of Grant Application costs – costs associated with preparing and/or submission of an Application are the responsibility of the Applicant.
- “Honoraria” – this is not an allowable cost. The term “fee” should be used in lieu of honorarium in accounting records and consulting agreements.
- Food – FVA reserves the right to restrict a Grantee from expending any funds on food costs or to disallow food costs. FVA will determine if food costs have both a programmatic purpose and are reasonable and necessary for the successful performance of the Proposed Project.
- Construction – per Texas Administrative Code, Title 40, Part 15, Section 460.10(4) acquisition or construction of facilities, except for grant funds awarded under the H4TXH program, is prohibited.
- Child support, alimony are not considered emergency financial assistance and are not permitted under this grant.
- Tax costs in the form of special assessments for capital improvements and/or federal income taxes are not permitted under this grant.
Information Session Webinar:
See here for details on the webinars that took place on September 6 and October 4: https://www.tvc.texas.gov/grants-funding/applicant-grantee-resources-2/
Register to view the September 6 webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/5512738389692115719
Register to view the October 4 webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/4985429106304472840
See Supporting Documents below for the Webinar slides.
Applications must be submitted by November 16, 2018 by 5:00 p.m. through the TVC GovGrants portal.
The FVA Advisory Committee will convene in Austin, Texas on or about January 29, 2019 for a public presentation of the Proposed Projects by Applicants. Following that public presentation, the FVA Advisory Committee will convene in Austin, Texas in March 2019 to make the award recommendations. Additional information on this meeting will be available and shared at a later date. The dates of these meetings are subject to change. Please check the FVA website for updated information.
The funding recommendations made by the FVA Advisory Committee will be presented to the Commission in May 2019 for the Commission’s award decision. Additional information on this meeting will be made available at a later date.
Matching Funds
While there is no mandated matching requirement, the FVA does expect Grantees to share in the operational cost of funded projects. Applicants are required to identify the anticipated funds they will use on the Proposed Project.
Reimbursement Grant
FVA grants are awarded on a cost reimbursement basis. Under the cost reimbursement method of funding, a Grantee is required to finance its operations with its own working capital with grant payments made to reimburse the Grantee for actual cash disbursements supported by adequate documentation as prescribed by the FVA.
Grantee Training
Awarded Applicants will be required to participate in training. This training will be conducted remotely either via webinar or conference call, or in some instances FVA staff may conduct an onsite training visit at the Awarded Applicant’s facility. Training costs related to FVA Grant training do not need to be included in the budget for the Proposed Project.
Timeline for 2019-20 Grant Applications - The dates listed in this RFA are subject to change. Please check the FVA website for updated information.
- September 8, 2018 2018-2019 RFA opens with the RFA posted at www.tvc.texas.gov/Apply-For-AGrant.aspx and the GovGrants portal funding opportunities available.
- Sep 6, Oct 4, 2018 Informational application webinars. Additional information will be posted on the website. These dates are subject to change. Please check the FVA website.
- Nov 16, 2018 All applications must be submitted by 5:00 p.m., Central Standard Time.
- January 28-29, 2019 All eligible organizations may present their application to the FVA Advisory Committee in Austin. Additional information will be posted on the website at a later date. This date is subject to change. Please check the FVA website.
- March 2019 Funding Recommendation meeting. FVA Advisory Committee meets in Austin, Texas. Additional information will be posted on the website at a later date. This date is subject to change. Please check the FVA website.
- May 2019 TVC Commission meeting. Austin, Texas. Additional information will be available at a later date. This date is subject to change. Please check the FVA website.
- June 2019 Notice of Grant Awards to be sent to funded organizations.
- July 1, 2019 Grant Funding Period begins.
- July 2019 Mandatory grantee training. Additional information will be available at a later date.
- June 30, 2020 Grant Funding Period ends
Before starting your grant application, please review the funding source's website listed below for updates/changes/addendums/conferences/LOIs.
Grants portal: https://tvcportal.force.com/
All questions pertaining to this RFA must be submitted to rfaquestions@tvc.texas.gov with “2019-20 Veterans Treatment Court Question” in the subject line of the email.
Texas Veterans Commission
PO Box 12277
Austin, TX 78711-2277
info@tvc.texas.gov
1-512-463-6564
Austin Headquarters
USA: Texas
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