Prop 47 Request for Proposals OKed for Release

SACRAMENTO (Nov. 17, 2016) – The Board of State and Community Corrections today took a major step toward the dissemination of Proposition 47 savings by approving its Request for Proposals.

The Board initially will disperse $103 million over 38 months for rehabilitative programs that offer mental health services, substance-use disorder treatment and diversion opportunities, along with housing and job-skills training. The BSCC will consider the effectiveness of the initial programs before launching the process for the later rounds of perpetual funding beginning in 2019.

The RFP is the result of more than 18 months of research in which BSCC staff held hearings around the state to better understand what types of services helped incarcerated individuals turn around their lives. It was written by an Executive Steering Committee of the Board that was made up of experts in the areas the proposition and accompanying legislation covered, as well as formerly incarcerated and system-involved individuals whose successes helped inform the process.

The RFP will be available at www.bscc.ca.gov beginning Nov. 18, 2016. Proposals are due back to the BSCC on Feb. 21, 2017. The ESC will meet to rank proposals to determine which applications are funded.

California voters approved Proposition 47 in November 2014. It reduced from felonies to misdemeanors some low-level, non-violent drug and theft offenses. The initiative designated that the BSCC would receive 65 percent of the money the state saves in incarceration and court costs to distribute as grants that would reduce recidivism in this population of individuals.

BSCC staff immediately began work on the grant-making process for this unique pool of funds. The 18-member ESC, chaired by Board Members Leticia Perez, supervisor of Kern County, and Scott Budnick, founder of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, met periodically from June to October 2016 to negotiate details of the proposal.

“I guarantee when this money hits the streets people will be better,” Budnick told the Board.

Local government agencies, in partnership with community-based organizations, can apply for grants of up to $1 million in the small-grant category, or up to $6 million in the large-grant category. The County of Los Angeles can apply for up to $20 million. Half of the total grant award must be passed through to one or more non-governmental community organizations.

Another key requirement prohibits the funding from being used for programs delivered in a custodial setting.

For more information about the grant process, or if you have questions about the RFP, please email Proposition47@bscc.ca.gov

If you are a journalist or member of the public with questions about the BSCC’s role in Prop 47, please contact Tracie Cone at 916-322-1054, or at tracie.cone@bscc.ca.gov