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Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance

Program Descriptions

16.595:  Executive Office for Weed and Seed

Popular Name:  Weed and Seed Program

Objectives:  The Program's objective is national implementation of Operation Weed and Seed. Operation Weed and Seed is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to combating violent crime, drug use, and gang activity in high crime neighborhoods. The goal is to "weed out" violence and drug activity in high crime neighborhoods and then to "seed" the sites with a wide range of crime and drug prevention programs, human service resources, and neighborhood restoration activities to prevent crime from reoccurring. The strategy emphasizes the importance of a coordinated approach, bringing together Federal, State and local government, the community, and the private sector to form a partnership to create a safe, drug-free environment.

PROGRAM AND AWARD	FINANCIAL AND INFORMATION CONTACTS
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS	FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO.
APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS	INFORMATION CONTACTS
RELATED PROGRAMS	ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS
PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS	POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS

16.595 ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:

Applicant Eligibility:  The eligible applicant is a coalition of community residents, local, county, and State agencies, Federal agencies, and the private sector.

Beneficiary Eligibility:  Eligibility criteria for selecting and funding Weed and Seed sites are as follows: High incidence of violent crime; existing, workable community infrastructure; cooperative governmental partnerships; good cooperation between governmental and private civic and social service organizations; cooperative business community; strong U.S. Attorney Office; and history of innovative programming at the local level. If a large city is being considered, the project site should be a clearly, easily identifiable section of the metropolitan area. The strategy also seeks to encompass available funding from reprogrammable Federal program dollars and existing private/local matching funds.

Credentials/Documentation:  An interested community should establish contact with the United States Attorney, who convenes a formal steering committee. The steering committee, through the guidance and facilitation of the United States Attorney, produces an implementation plan along the lines set forth in the Weed and Seed Implementation Manual.

16.595 APPLICATION AND AWARD PROCESS:

Preapplication Coordination:  Interested parties should contact their local United States Attorney's Office. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure:  The DOJ solicitations for applications for fiscal year 2000 funding were issued in January-February 2000.

Award Procedure:  As set forth in the application.

Deadlines:  As set forth in the application.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time:  As provided in the application.

Appeals:  As provided in the application.

Renewals:  As provided in the application.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals:  The criteria for selecting and funding Weed and Seed sites are as follows: High incidence of violent crime; existing, workable community infrastructure; cooperative governmental partnerships; good cooperation between governmental and private civic and social service organizations; strong U.S. Attorney involvement; history of innovative programming at the local level; if a large city is being considered, the project site should be a clearly, easily identifiable section of the metropolitan area; available funding from reprogrammable Federal program dollars and existing private/local funds.

Examples of Funded Projects:  Considerable progress has been made in implementing the Weed and Seed strategy in over 200 sites with DOJ funding (and in additional "Officially Recognized" sites without funding). Under the guidance of the United States Attorney in each site, Federal, State, and local officials are working together to implement a wide variety of activities designed to reduce drug crime, gangs, and other violent crime out of high crime neighborhoods and to revitalize those areas by implementing a range of human service programs and economic development to keep crime from recurring. These activities are based on four core elements that are essential to the success of the Weed and Seed strategy: enhanced law enforcement; community policing as a bridge between law enforcement and social revitalization efforts; prevention, early intervention, and treatment efforts; and neighborhood restoration, including opportunities for economic development. The following communities have funded sites: Akron, Ohio; Albany, Georgia; Albany, New York; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Anchorage, Alaska; Androscoggin, Maine; Athens, Georgia; Atlanta, GA; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Augusta, Georgia; Aurora, Colorado; Austin, Texas; Baltimore, Maryland-West Area; Baltimore, Maryland-East Baltimore Action Coalition, Inc.; Beaumont, Texas; Benton Harbor, Michigan-Benton Township; Birmingham, Alabama; Boston, Massachusetts; Brevard County, Florida; Bridgeport, Connecticut; Brockton, Massachusetts; Bronx, New York; Brooklyn, New York; Brownsville, Texas; Buffalo, New York; Burnsville, Minnesota; Cape Girardeau, Missouri (part of Southeast Missouri(SEMO) Weed and Seed); Capitol Mall — Phoenix, Arizona; Caruthersville, Missouri (part of SEMO); Castle Hill — Bronx, New York; Charleston, Missouri (part of SEMO); Charleston, South Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Charlottesville, Virginia; Chattanooga, Tennessee — Westside Community Development Corp.; Chelsea, Massachusetts; Chicago, Illinois; Clearwater, Florida; Columbus, Ohio; Contra Costa County, California; Corpus Christi, Texas; Corpus Christi, Texas — Area #2; Dallas, Texas; Duluth, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; Des Moines, Iowa; Detroit, Michigan — Northwest Area Business Assoc.; Durham, North Carolina; Dyersburg, Tennessee; East Chicago, Indiana; East Point, Georgia; East St. Louis, Illinois; Eatonville, Florida; Enemy Swim, South Dakota; Estate Bovoni, Virgin Islands; Euclid, Ohio; Far Rockaway (Queens), New York; Flagstaff, Arizona; Flint, Michigan; Florence, South Carolina; Freeport, Illinois; Fresno, California; Frogtown, Minnesota; Ft. Myers, Florida; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Ft. Worth, Texas; Gainesville, Florida; Galveston, Texas; Gary, Indiana (Non-Profit); Grand Rapids, Michigan; Greensboro, North Carolina; Greenville, North Carolina; Greenville, Mississippi; Hamilton, Ohio; Hartford, Connecticut; High Point, North Carolina; Highland Park, Michigan; Hillsborough County, Florida; Holland, Michigan; Homestead, Florida; Honolulu, Hawaii; Houston, Texas; Humboldt, Tennessee; Huntington Station, New York; Huntsville, Alabama; Indianapolis, Indiana; Inkster, Michigan; Ivy City/Trinidad, Washington D.C.; Jackson, Mississippi; Jacksonville, Florida, Community Alliance Development Corporation; Kansas City, Missouri; LaFourche Parish, Louisiana; Laguna Pueblo, New Mexico; Las Vegas, Nevada; Lima, Ohio; Los Angeles, California-South Central; Los Angeles, California-Pico Union/Koreatown; Louisville, Kentucky; Lowell, Massachusetts; Madison, Wisconsin; Manatee/Sarasota, Florida; Maywood/Bellwood, Illinois; Mc Allen, Texas; Memphis, Tennessee; Miami, Florida; Midcoast, Maine; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Milwaukee, Wisconsin — Area #2; Minneapolis/Central, Minnesota; Minneapolis/Northside, Minnesota; Minneapolis/Phillips, Minnesota; Mobile, Alabama; Montgomery, Alabama; Moorhead, Minnesota; Muskegon/Muskegon Heights, Michigan; N.W. Riviera Beach, Florida; New Haven, Connecticut; New Cassel, New York; New Bern, North Carolina; New Britain, Connecticut; New Orleans, Louisiana; Newark, New Jersey; North Amityville, New York; North Bellport, New York; North Capitol Area — Washington D.C.; North Charleston, South Carolina; North Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Northern Cheyenne, Montana; Northwest Austin, Chicago, Illinois; Norwalk, Connecticut; Oakland, California; Ocala, Florida; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; Omaha, Nebraska; Orlando, Florida; Orlando, Florida - Area #2; Oxnard, California; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Area #3; Phoenix, Arizona; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-East Liberty; Polk County, Florida; Poplar Bluff, Missouri (part of SEMO); Portland, Oregon; Prichard, Alabama; Racine, Wisconsin; Raleigh, North Carolina; Reno, Nevada; Richmond, Texas; Richmond, Virginia — Weed and Seed, Inc; Rochester, New York; Rockingham, North Carolina; Roosevelt, New York; St. Croix, Virgin Islands; St. Louis, Missouri; St. Paul, Minnesota; St. Paul/ECON, Minnesota; St. Paul/Summit U., Minnesota; St. Petersburg, Florida; Salinas, California; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Jose, California; San Antonio, Texas; San Diego, California; San Francisco, California; Santa Ana, California; Savannah, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Southeast Raleigh, North Carolina; Southeast Seattle, Washington; Selma, Alabama; Selma, California; Shreveport, Louisiana; Sikeston, Missouri (part of SEMO); South Tucson, Arizona; Springfield, Illinois; Stamford, Connecticut; Syracuse, New York; Tacoma, Washington; Tallahassee, Florida; Tampa, Florida; Texarkana, Arkansas; Texarkana, Texas; Toledo, Ohio; Toledo-Lagrange, Ohio; Topeka, Kansas; Trenton, New Jersey; Tucson, Arizona; Tupelo, Mississippi; Valdosta, Georgia; Vernon, Texas; Village of Hempstead, New York; Volusia County, Florida; Washington, D.C.; Washington Heights, Maryland; West Valley City, Utah; West Palm Beach, Florida; Wheeling, West Virginia; Wichita Falls, Texas; Wichita, Kansas; Wilmington, Delaware; Winslow, Arizona; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Woburn, Massachusetts; Youngstown, Ohio.

Range and Average of Financial Assistance:  In fiscal year 2000, the typical site award level ranges from $175,000 for first year sites to $225,000 for continuation sites.

16.595 RELATED PROGRAMS:

16.595 PROGRAM ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

16.595 FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE INFO:

Federal Agency:  OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS, EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR WEED AND SEED, DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, IN COOPERATION WITH THE BUREAU OF JUSTICE ASSISTANCE, THE OFFICE OF JUVENILE JUSTICE AND DELINQUENCY PREVENTION, AND DEPARTMENTS OF AGRICULTURE, EDUCATION, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT, LABOR, TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, AND THE SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Type of Assistance:  Project Grants; Provision of Specialized Services.

Obligations:  (Grants) FY 99 $36,567,668; FY 00 est $32,412,000; and FY 01 est $33,500,000. In addition, about $9,000,000 in Asset Forfeiture Funds (AFF) has been obligated annually since 1994 to reimburse State and local law enforcement expenditures under 28 U.S.C. 524(c)(1)(I).

Budget Account Number:  15-0334-0-1-751.

Authorization:  Departments of Commerce, Justice, State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act of 2000, Public Law 106-113.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature:  Operation Weed and Seed Implementation Manual, Newsletter ("In-Sites"), and "Weed and Seed Best Practices" periodical.

16.595 INFO CONTACTS:

Regional or Local Office:  None.

Headquarters Office:  Stephen Rickman, Director; Robert Samuels, Assistant Director; Nancy Ware, Director of Training and Technical Assistance; and Cheryl Driscoll, Supervisory Grant Manager; Executive Office for Weed and Seed, 810 Seventh Street, NW., Washington, DC 20531. Phone: (202) 616-1152. FAX (202) 616-1159.

(See Appendix IV for more contact info.)

16.595 ASSISTANCE CONSIDERATIONS:

Formula and Matching Requirements:  While there is currently no specified level of matching funds, the nature of the program anticipates significant contributions from the public and private sectors of participating local communities.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance:  About one year funding is provided, subject to consideration for continuation based on past performance and the availability of funding.

Uses and Use Restrictions:  Weed and Seed funding is for intergovernmental agreements, including grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts, with State and local law enforcement agencies engaged in the investigation and prosecution of violent crimes and drug offenses in "Weed and Seed" designated communities, and for either reimbursements or transfers to appropriation accounts of the Department of Justice and other Federal agencies which shall be specified by the Attorney General to execute the "Weed and Seed" program strategy.

16.595 POST ASSISTANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Reports:  Office of Justice Programs (OJP) Program and Financial Monitoring Reports.

Audits:  All organizations that expend financial assistance of $300,000 or more in any fiscal year must have a single audit for that year in accordance with OMB Circular No. A-133, as amended, unless the audit condition on the award says otherwise. These audits are due to the cognizant Federal agency not later than 9 months after the end of the grantee's fiscal year.

Records:  Executive Office for Weed and Seed files and Office of Justice Programs files.