Risk Assessment: Conducting Prison Security Audits
Cooperative agreements fund nonprofit, for-profit, or higher-education organizations to train and deploy teams to conduct prison security audits, prepare findings reports, and support remediation planning for correctional agencies.
⚑ Only one application accepted per submitting organization · Applicant must be a nonprofit, for-profit, or institution of higher education; foreign governments/international organizations/non-governmental international organizations are ineligible · For-profit applicants must waive any profit or fee for services · Cooperative agreement instrument; NIC may make future-year awards depending on appropriations
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 40 partial | peripheral portfolio topic: emergency_disaster_resilience; signature methods: community engaged; social/behavioral work is minor; funds training education, not research (capped); capped at 40 (non-research funding) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 25 weak | technical depth: minor; funds training education (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 5 none | no commercialization signal |
Description
A well‑designed and well‑managed security audit program systematically reviews prison operations, policies, procedures, staff performance, physical security systems, and emergency preparedness to identify vulnerabilities and risks. Because prisons inherently involve high‑risk factors—such as escapes, violence, contraband, disturbances, and other safety threats—structured, policy‑driven audits conducted by knowledgeable staff are essential for identifying and preventing problems before they occur.
NIC’s 36‑hour security training program supports this goal by providing a comprehensive, hands‑on auditing experience. The program includes an in‑brief with agency and facility leadership, one full day of in‑person classroom instruction, three and a half days of prison‑based audit work, and a half‑day executive close‑out. Participants have a unique, nonjudgmental opportunity to apply auditing skills in real operational settings as teams are deployed to designated prisons. Upon completion, a full report of findings is prepared, enabling agencies to develop effective remediation strategies.
Eligibility
NIC invites applications from nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions of higher education). Recipients, including for-profit organizations, must agree to waive any profit or fee for services. Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations/institutions are not eligible to apply. Proof of 501(c) (3) status as determined by the Internal Revenue Service or an authorizing tribal resolution is required.NIC welcomes applications that involve two or more entities; however, one eligible entity must be the applicant, and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the entire program. Only one (1) application will be accepted from a submitting organization.NIC may elect to make awards for applications submitted under this solicitation in future fiscal years, dependent on the merit of the applications and on the availability of appropriations.
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Mark A Wyche Grantor <mwyche@bop.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.