Q1. Is it possible to request funding to provide children’s clinical services only, and not all victims of crime?

A1. Per Government Code 13963.1, TRCs are required to be modeled on the TRC at San Francisco General Hospital which does not limit assistance to one group of victims. Additionally, Government Code section 13963.2, subd. (b) states TRCs shall, “Serve victims of a wide range of crimes, including, but not limited to, victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, battery, crimes of violence, vehicular assault, and human trafficking, as well as family members of homicide victims.”

Q2. Would we be able to restrict the type of support to victims to just domestic violence?

A2. Per Government Code 13963.2 (b), all TRCs funded through the Restitution Fund or Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund shall serve victims of a wide range of crimes, including but not limited to, victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, battery, crimes of violence, vehicular assault, and human trafficking, as well as family members of homicide victims.

Q3. Would having two LCSW’s and an MSW suffice?

A3. No, this would not suffice. Per Government Code 13963.2 (d), TRCs must be comprised of a staff that includes a multidisciplinary team of clinicians made up of at least one psychologist, one social worker, and additional staff. Clinicians are not required to work full-time as a member of the multidisciplinary team. At least one psychiatrist shall be available to the team to assist with medication management, provide consultation, and assist with treatment to meet the clinical needs of the victim. The psychiatrist may be on staff or on contract.

Q4. Since we do not have a staff that includes a multidisciplinary team of clinicians made up of at least one psychologist, one social worker, and psychiatrist, would we be able to partner with another organization to meet this requirement?

A4. It is highly recommended that the applicant entity provides a proposal that includes plans to meet the staffing requirement. Please note, if any mental health services will be subcontracted to partnering agencies, those services are required to be available on-site at the TRC.

Q5. The NOFA requires applicants to submit copies of licenses for all clinical staff providing services. Will written verification from the California Board of Psychology, Board of Behavioral Sciences and Medical Board that the clinician is licensed, along with the license expiration date, suffice, or do you require a copy of the actual license itself?

A5. If a copy of the actual license cannot be provided, a BreEZe printout will suffice.

Q6.Can we include children’s services in the request? Mental health services for children or would we be restricted to adults/family?

A6. Yes, children’s services and mental health services for children are recommended.

Q7. Could you please clarify the grant amount range? Is it a potential maximum amount of $2M/yr per grantee or is $2M the overall funding amount to be distributed among grantees?

A7. The Governor’s Budget, released January 10, 2020 appropriates $2 Million from the Restitution Fund for all TRC grants and estimates that an additional $12.178 million will be available from the Safe Neighborhoods and Schools Fund (SNSF). Proposition 47 allows 5% of the SNSF allotment for TRCs to be used for administration of the grant program. In total, an estimated $13,569,100 will be available for CalVCB TRC grant awards. CalVCB will evaluate individual applications and the amount of money requested for eligible costs when determining the amount of individual grant awards.

Q8. Regarding letters of support, you mention no more than seven, but do we need a letter from each type of entity listed or could we do three letters (two from law enforcement and one from domestic violence program)?

A8. Letters of support from a variety of the sources listed are suggested to demonstrate partnerships that will facilitate an organization’s ability to fulfill grant requirements and meet the needs of victims.

Q9. Is there a prospect for third or fourth year funding? (So that we may strategize long-term sustainability)

A9. An organization may apply for a consecutive grant in order to avoid a lapse in funding.

Q10. Regarding question #14 of the application: Will we lose points (or be ineligible) if we are not able to provide a copy of licenses since we have not hired the positions for the multidisciplinary team? Our goal is to use the funding to build a trauma recovery multidisciplinary team to enhance our current forensic team (SANE’s, RN’s, LCSW’s).

A10. Copies of licenses (or BreEZe printouts) are required for all staff who are identified at the time of application. An applicant will not be penalized for not being able to provide license verification for vacant positions, although vacancies must be filled within 90 days of the grant agreement execution and copies of licenses must be provided for vacant positions once they are filled.

Q11. Regarding the application format: is it okay to use bullet points when listing (as long as we describe while listing)? Ex: list of outreach events, services to be delivered

A11. Yes

Q12. If our organization is planning on delivering services in two counties, would it be best to submit two separate proposals for each county, or submit one for both?

A12. If your organization is proposing to form two trauma recovery centers with two separate multi-disciplinary staffs, then two separate proposals should be submitted. If your organization will be proposing to form one TRC with two separate locations, one proposal should suffice, although all mental health services should be available at each site. All required staff must be available at each site.

Q13. The guidance on page 2 of the narrative template indicates that applicants should “address sections 12-18 in written form, utilizing the same headers and numbers found below.” Is this referring solely to the numbered headings or is it also inclusive of the items that are bulleted below each numbered heading?

A13. This is inclusive of the bullets below each number and heading.

Q14. Item 14 in the narrative template (page 4) says “for all positions requiring a license, provide a copy of license.” Should applicants include copies of the licenses in the application package? If so, do these count toward the page limit?

A14. The copies of licenses should be included in the application packet, but they do not count toward the page limit.

Q15. The budget narrative guidance (page 5) requests a copy of the contract for subcontractors. Does the requested copy of a contract count towards the 5 page limit for the budget narrative?

A15. Copies of agreements with subcontractors do not count toward the budget narrative page limit.