If you submitted a 2008 Neighborhood Block Watch Grant application by e-mail and have not received an assigned grant number, please contact grant staff at 602-262-6543 immediately.

WELCOME

Thank you for participating in the 2008 Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program (NBWGP). The NBWGP provides an opportunity to enhance the safety and thereby the quality of life in our city through empowerment of community groups working to prevent and solve crime-related problems in their neighborhoods. The NBWGP was created to provide funding to neighborhood groups to undertake new and innovative programs and activities aimed at preventing and reducing crime in the community. Funding shall be provided on a competitive basis for proposals that demonstrate the potential to produce the greatest measurable results for a definable population or area. Completed sample applications, which you may find helpful in completing your own application, are available. Your comments and constructive criticism throughout the course of the program will be greatly appreciated.

PURPOSE

The aim and purpose of the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program are to detect, deter, or delay crime. This is done by educating individuals to work together to solve problems, encouraging citizens to develop a sense of ownership for their neighborhoods, developing and addressing common neighborhood goals, coordinating pertinent neighborhood/community meetings, and teaching crime prevention and safety techniques.

GUIDELINES

Definitions :

PRIMARY APPLICANT – ONLY neighborhood/homeowners'/Block Watch organizations listed with the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department or Block Watch groups registered with the Phoenix Police Department by Friday, February 1, 2008, at 4 p.m.

CO-APPLICANT - Any educational or religious organizations, non-profit agencies within a specific geographic area, and City of Phoenix departments by section or division

Eligible Applicants :

PRIMARY APPLICANTS are neighborhood/homeowners'/Block Watch organizations listed with the City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department or Block Watch groups registered with the Phoenix Police Department. Educational or religious organizations, non-profit agencies, and City of Phoenix departments CANNOT APPLY BY THEMSELVES AS A SINGLE APPLICANT . They must co-apply with a listed or registered neighborhood/homeowners'/Block Watch organization. Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Oversight Committee members cannot be signers on applications.

Boundaries :

The service area shall be within the corporate limits of the city of Phoenix or the impacted population must be Phoenix citizens. The geographic area and/or population to be served must be identified in the grant application.

Quantity and Duration :

An eligible PRIMARY APPLICANT may submit TWO applicationseach year of the grant process in the following ways: ONE application as the PRIMARY APPLICANT for its own neighborhood program and ONE as a partner with a CO-APPLICANT as defined above. If a PRIMARY APPLICANT does not apply by itself for its neighborhood program, it may submit TWO applications as a partner with TWO different CO-APPLICANTS.

Educational or religious organizations, non-profit agencies within a specific geographic area, and City of Phoenix departments by section or division may only submit ONE application as a CO-APPLICANT withany neighborhood/homeowners'/Block Watch organizations (PRIMARY APPLICANT) as defined above .

Grant amounts may vary, but the maximum amount for the long-form application is $10,000 and $1,000 for the short-form application. Budget estimates should match your proposal and should not be inflated to reach the maximum figure. Please round estimates to the nearest dollar amounts and include taxes with budget estimates.

Eligible/Ineligible Use of Funds :

Eligible Items: Grant funds shall be used to fund new or existing programs and activities with an identifiable anti-crime component or safety program. Eligible uses include, but are not limited to, crime prevention programs, neighborhood crime-fighting workshops, and crime-fighting/prevention educational programs. Proposals to expand a current program or activity into a new geographic area where no similar programs or activities exist will be considered. Funds may only be used for services/commodities listed in the grant budget, once the program and budget are approved.

Restricted Items: Cellular phones purchased with Neighborhood Block Watch Grant funds for the purpose of neighborhood patrols and Block Watch activities can be funded up to a maximum limit of $480 per phone for the grant year. Additionally, groups must justify the need for the number of phones requested. Grant funds cannot be used to pay phone charges for long distance or special fee (900 numbers) phone calls.

Restricted Items (continued):

Fuel reimbursement for Phoenix Neighborhood Patrol programs can be funded up to a maximum limit of $1,000 per group.

Speed Humps: Neighborhood Block Watch Grant funds may not be used for speed humps unless speed humps can be specifically tied to crime prevention. Contact the Street Transportation Department at 602-495-0242 for information on the speed hump program or visit their website at http://www.phoenix.gov/STREETS/speedhmp.html.

Ineligible Items: GRANT FUNDS MAY NOT BE USED TO BUY food or beverages of any kind, including consumable prizes or incentives in the form of food or beverages; motor vehicles; surveillance equipment, including night vision and listening devices; weapons of any type, including firearms, pepper spray, mace, stun guns, etc.; parties and recognition dinners; awards; entertainment, including field trips and entrance fees for in-state or out-of-state amusement and water parks; raffle prizes; bulletproof vests; or vehicle overhead emergency light bars.

Insurance Requirements:

Not all grants will require insurance. As a general guideline, the types of programs or activities that possibly may require insurance coverage include, but are not limited to, athletic activities, youth programs, large-scale neighborhood carnivals, use of potentially hazardous equipment, fireworks, work in the City’s right-of-way and transportation of program participants in motor vehicles. The cost of this insurance requirement may be included in the applicant’s grant budget request. In a few cases, the grantee may be required to name, or to have a contractor name, the City of Phoenix as an “Additional Insured” on their liability insurance policy having limits of at least $1 million per occurrence.
If commercial carriers are used to transport participants, the awarded applicant should ensure that the carrier has at least $1 million (preferably $2 to $10 million) of auto liability coverage, combined single limit.If an applicant is required to have insurance, the applicant will be given more detailed and updated information as to what needs to be provided. In such a case, the applicant will be required to provide evidence of insurance prior to the disbursement of grant funds.

The City in no way warrants that any insurance required as a condition of the
Neighborhood Block Watch Grant (NBWG) Program is sufficient to protect the awarded
applicant from any liability that may arise. Even though insurance may not be required, it
does not mean that the applicant does not need insurance. Liability exposures may still be
present that the applicant may want to insure against. Grant applicants should be aware that
they are NOT COVERED by the City for auto liability, general liability, workers’ compensation insurance, or property insurance. Therefore, in order to protect themselves, it is strongly recommended that all NBWG Applicants check with a qualified insurance agent to
evaluate the need to purchase insurance. If you have any questions regarding either requirements or the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant
Program, please call Grant Staff at 602-262-6543.

Banking Requirement:

All recipients’ (including schools and non-profit organizations) grant funds will be deposited into a bank checking account with the City of Phoenix listed as a co-signer on the account. All checking accounts will be centralized at the Downtown Chase Bank for the 2008 process .

COMPLETING THE APPLICATION

Submittals :

All applications must be submitted on forms that match the style and format of those provided by the City of Phoenix . No facsimile applications (sent by FAX) will be accepted. Please use PAPER CLIPS to fasten applications. Grant application workshops will be conducted during January 2008; completed sample applications will be made available that you may find helpful in completing your own application. If submitting an application requesting $1,000 or less, use the one-page (two-sided), short-form application. Use the long-form application to request more than $1,000, up to a maximum of $10,000.

Preparation of Application :

Handwritten applications must be legible. Illegible applications will be disqualified. Computer re-creations of this application must match style and format of the original NBWGP application. You are encouraged to call the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant staff at 602-262-6543 for assistance with questions regarding preparation of yourproposal. Starting Wednesday, January 2, 2008 , copies of the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant application can be downloaded from the following website: htt p://www.phoenix.gov/POLICE/nbwgran t.html.

When completing the budget page, rather than requesting miscellaneous office supplies, list each type of item (paper, mailing labels, stamps, and clipboards) to be purchased. Consumable prizes or incentives in the form of food or beverages WILL NOT be approved. Budget estimates should match your proposal and should not be inflated to reach the maximum figure. Please round estimates to the nearest dollar amount. Do not forget to include taxes in your budget estimations.

Signatures :

A minimum of two individuals must sign the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant (NBWG) application. If this is a collaborative/joint application, a representative from each organization must sign the application. The same individuals must sign the NBW Grant contract, if approved for funding. These individuals will be responsible for fulfilling all grant requirements, including quarterly, financial, and program reports for the term of the contract.

Members of the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program Oversight Committee and City of Phoenix employees acting as representatives of the Police Department CANNOT BE SIGNERS on NBW Grant applications. Individuals who reside or work at the same physical address or who are related (including by marriage)CANNOT SIGN THE SAME NBW GRANT APPLICATION.

Note: E-mailed applications only require the names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail addresses of the signers to be listed on the application. Signatures are NOT REQUIRED.

APPLICATION DEADLINE :

The SIGNED ORIGINAL and ONEPAPER-CLIPPED COPY of the application must be submitted by 4 p.m. on Friday, February 1, 2008 . Late submissions and submissions delayed through the mail will not be accepted. Incomplete applications and neighborhood/homeowners'/Block Watch organizations failing to list with the Neighborhood Services Department or Block Watch groups not registered with the Phoenix Police Department by Friday, February 1, 2008, at 4 p.m. WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.Applications must be delivered to the following address:

Phoenix Police Headquarters
Planning and Research Bureau
620 West Washington Street, Suite 326

Phoenix , Arizona 85003

Or, e-mail submissions to the following address:

nbwgrant@phoenix.gov

Judging :

The allocation of Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program (NBWGP) funds is an annual process. This includes applications submitted by the public, review of applications and recommendations by the NBWGP Oversight Committee, Public Safety and Veterans Issues Subcommittee approval, City Council action, and grant awards. The fund is administered by the City Manager through the Police Department. The 20-member NBWGP Oversight Committee is responsible for reviewing and evaluating grant proposals and forwarding a recommendation for funding to the Public Safety and Veterans Issues Subcommittee. All meetings of the NBWGP Oversight Committee are open to the public. Each grant application is evaluated on how well it fulfills the purpose of the Neighborhood Block Watch Grant Program.

Scoring Criteria :

The NBWGP Oversight Committee will evaluate grant applications based on the following scoring criteria:

Quality of Life Factors / Crime Prevention Potential (50%)
Budget Evaluation (20%)
Project Viability / Feasibility / Experience (15%)
Ability to Complete the Project (15%)

Funding :

The NBWGP Oversight Committee may also recommend a grant be awarded for less than the amount requested if they feel that portions of the proposal are ineligible or unworkable. Applications recommended for funding will be forwarded to the Public Safety and Veterans Issues Subcommittee for their review and acceptance and then to the City Council for final approval and grant awards. The City Council makes the final determination in the acceptance, denial, or alteration of the funding level of each application. Neighborhood Block Watch Grant staff will notify applicants of funding results. It is anticipated that grants will beawarded and funded in June 2008.

POST-AWARD PROCEDURE

Contract :

All approved grant recipients are required to execute a contract with the City of Phoenix regarding the use of grant funds in accordance with program rules and regulations. All grant recipients, including schools and non-profit organizations, must open a separate checking account with all authorized representatives (same individuals who sign the grant application and grant contract) as signers on the account. The grant checking accounts must contain grant funds ONLY.

Reporting :

Quarterly reports to evaluate project performance and progress must be submitted by grant recipients in a format approved and within the timelines set by the City. All records and documents related to project activities, expenses, bank statements, receipts, equipment, or other personal or tangible property purchased with grant funds must be maintained by the grantee for a period of at least two (2) years from the date of expiration of the grant contract. Groups that do not submit quarterly and final reports in a timely manner, that submit fraudulent applications, and/or do not return all unused grant monies or any unused interest earned WILL NOT be considered for future funding.

Auditing :

Grant recipients must agree to allow the City Auditor and/or Neighborhood Block Watch Grant staff complete access to all records related to the project for auditing purposes. City representatives must be allowed access to all locations where grant activities are being conducted for the purpose of evaluating the effectiveness of the grant project. Grant recipients must adhere to any other requirements deemed necessary by the City for the proper operation of projects.

Conclusion/Termination of Project :

At the conclusion or termination of a project, any group with equipment and other personal or tangible property purchased with grant funds must sign a contract extension to retain the property. During this extension, there will be no reporting requirements, but the group will be expected to use the equipment as specified in the original grant contract.

All unused grant monies must be returned to the NBWGP fund.