Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
Office of Grants and Research
State Fiscal Year 2024
Emerging Adults Reentry Initiative Grant
& Technical Assistance Provider Grant
Report to the Massachusetts General Court
Senate and House Committees on Ways and Means
August 2024
Maura T. Healey Kimberley L. Driscoll
Governor Lieutenant Governor
Terrence M. Reidy Kevin J. Stanton
Secretary Executive Director
Introduction
Pursuant to Line Item 8000-0655 of the FY24 Budget, the Executive Office of Public Safety and
Security (EOPSS) submits this report on the FY24 Emerging Adults Reentry Initiative Grant to the
House and Senate Committees on Ways and Means.
EOPSS is responsible for the policy development and budget oversight of the secretariat’s
agencies, independent programs, and several boards which aid in crime prevention, homeland
security preparedness, and ensuring the safety of residents and visitors in the Commonwealth.
The agencies that fall under EOPSS are:
• Massachusetts State Police
• Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
• Sex Offender Registry Board
• Department of Fire Services
• Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
• Department of Correction
• Parole Board
• Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• State 911 Department
• Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab
• Municipal Police Training Committee
• Massachusetts National Guard
• Office of Grants and Research
The Office of Grants and Research (OGR) is the agency under EOPSS that serves as the State
Administering Agency (SAA) for federal criminal justice, homeland security, and highway safety
funds. Additionally, OGR manages the Research and Policy Analysis Division (RPAD), which
utilizes research and evaluation to promote public safety in the Commonwealth by informing
criminal justice and public safety policy. The goals of the OGR include:
• Improving community safety and local preparedness by providing resources to
communities based on need;
• Investing in evidenced based innovative programs;
• Granting awards based on national and state priorities;
• Fostering collaboration across jurisdictions by delivering grant dollars with a regional
approach;
• Making funding decisions based upon research, empirical data, and best practices; and
• Ensuring the grant awarding process is transparent and in compliance with federal
and state guidelines.
This document serves as the report authored by OGR regarding the FY2023 Emerging
Adults Reentry Initiative Grant. Additionally, the attached Appendix A was compiled and
submitted by the FY22 Technical Assistance (TA) Provider UTEC’s Training Center for
Excellence (TC4E).
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In this report, OGR outlines the:
• Successful grant applications and the services they provide;
• Amount of funds awarded to each grantee;
• Criteria used to evaluate grant applications;
• Number of participants served by each program and the communities they are returning to;
and
• The outcomes and recidivism rates of the participants in each of the programs.
Program Overview
With the goal of reducing recidivism and increasing public safety for pre- and post-release
offenders currently within and/or outside the prison walls, OGR allocated $6,475,000 in funds for
reentry programming. This initiative is being supported by state funds authorized in the Fiscal Year
2024 General Appropriation Act, Chapter 126 of the Acts of 2022. The legislative language is
quoted below:
State Legislation governing these funds-Fiscal Year 2023 General Appropriation Act,
Chapter 126 of the Acts of 2022
8000-0655 – For a grant program to be administered by the executive office of public safety and
security for emerging adults re-entry programs to reduce recidivism among individuals between
the ages of 18 and 25, inclusive, who are returning to the community from state prisons and county
correctional facilities; provided, that the secretary of public safety and security shall distribute
funds through a competitive grant program; provided further, that grants shall be awarded to
applicants that: (i) are community-based nonprofit programs; (ii) have a demonstrated
commitment from the department of correction or a sheriff’s office to work collaboratively to
deliver services in their respective facilities; (iii) provide both pre-release and post-release services
to individuals between the ages of 18 and 25, inclusive, who are returning to the community from
state prisons and county correctional facilities including, but not limited to, probationers and
parolees; (iv) provide a continuum of programming from state prisons or county correctional
facilities into the community; (v) provide pre-release services for all participating individuals that
include transition plans, education programs, workforce readiness and life skills programs and
counseling; (vi) provide post-release services that include case management for not less than 12
months after participating individuals have been released; and (vii) provide a plan for ensuring
that proposed programs shall be implemented with adherence to a research-based, evidence-based
or evidence-informed program design; provided further, that not more than 7 grants shall be
awarded; provided further, that not more than 7.5 per cent of the total appropriation in this item
shall be used to provide administrative support to grantees, including program design, technical
assistance and program evaluation; provided further, that contracts for grantees may be awarded
for periods of not more than 5 years; and provided further, that not later than March 1, 2024, the
executive office shall submit a report to the house and senate committees on ways and means that
shall include, but not be limited to, the: (a) successful grant applications and the services they
provide; (b) amount of funds awarded to each grantee; (c) criteria used to evaluate grant
applications; (d) number of participants served by each program and the communities they are
returning to; and (e) outcomes and recidivism rates of the participants in each of the programs,
prior appropriation continued.............
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Funding was provided to nonprofit organizations with the proven experience providing reentry
services shown to reduce recidivism amongst the 18-25 years of age cohort and demonstrated
history of working collaboratively with the MA Department of Correction (DOC) and/or Sheriffs’
offices serving that population.
OGR awarded funds to six (6) community reentry programs to provide pre-release and post-release
services while working closely with a correctional partner to identify, serve, and monitor program
participants. OGR also selected o n e ( 1 ) Technical Assistance Provider through this competitive
process to assist the funded community reentry sites by providing strategic, analytical, technical,
and research support.
Competitive Application and Review Process
OGR awarded the appropriated funds through a competitive grant process, according to the
following timeline:
AGF Posted September 19, 2023
Deadline for Questions October 2, 2023
Application Due Friday, October 18, 2023 @ 4:00 p.m.
Award Notification January 2024
Performance Period January 1, 2024 - December 31, 2024
Each applicant was required to submit the following documentation:
• A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the applicant and the DOC or local
Sheriff’s department validating the applicant’s previous collaborative relationship and
attesting to such future collaboration as it relates to the submitted application;
Within the application itself, OGR required the following:
• Program Narrative
o Statement of the Problem/Needs Assessment;
• Program Description
o Scope of the program and how it will address the problem or need;
• Program Goals and Objectives, Activities, Timeline, and Performance Measures
o Goals – Broad statements that describe the program’s intentions and desired outcomes;
o Objectives – Describe the activities that support the program’s goal(s) as outlined;
o Activities and Timeline – represent the programmatic activities to be carried out
within the proposed program period; and
o Performance Measures – are the means by which the applicant plans on collecting
data and measuring their program’s progress. (The purpose of developing
performance measures is to determine the extent to which the program’s funded
activities have achieved the program’s goals.)
• Budget Detail
o Details the description and justification of the funds necessary to implement the
proposed program and achieve its goals and objectives over a 12-month period.
OGR determined award amounts based on total amount requested, availability of funds, applicants’
compliance with the application process, and review and approval of proposed projects and
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requested budgets. OGR subjected applications to a competitive review process in tandem with the
respective Emerging Adults Reentry Initiative Technical Assistance Provider applications. Each
application was evaluated based on the following:
• Relevancy of applicant qualifications and experience
o The applicant’s demonstrated knowledge and past professional experience
providing strategic, analytic, technical and research support relevant to providing
reentry services shown to reduce recidivism amongst the 18-25 years of age
population to determine the applicant’s capacity to support the Emerging Adults
Reentry Initiative.
• Quality of action research
o The applicant’s demonstrated ability to present qualitative and quantitative data
was used to determine the applicant’s ability to inform the Emerging Adults
Reentry Initiative stakeholders of the emerging trends and program effectiveness.
• Justification of the partnership and collaboration
o Evidence of existing or proposed partnerships between the applicant and
community reentry programs was used to determine if the proposed partnership will
result in productive and effective efforts that help reduce recidivism amongst the 18-
25 years of age population. Additionally, the applicant’s ability to adequately
allocate resources for reporting assistance was taken into consideration.
• Consistency between the proposed budget and strategy
o The proposed budget was evaluated to ensure that the approved cost categories
would ensure proper implementation and maximum effectiveness of the proposed
strategy.
OGR numerically assessed and scored the applications according to the point system below.
• Project Narrative including statement of the problem, needs assessment, applicant
experience and agency capacity, strength of partnership with DOC and/or selected Sheriff’s
office, and program description: 30 points
• Realistic, thorough, and achievable goals, objectives, timelines, and activities: 15 points
• Description of proposed performance measures and data collection methods used for
quarterly reporting of progress and performance metrics: 15 points
• Reasonable and cost-effective budget demonstrating allowable costs, compliance with state
rules, and direct support of proposed strategy/activities: 30 points
• Submission Procedures (adherence to rules and guidelines for submitting this grant such as
blue ink signatures, submitting required attachments, not exceeding page limits, completed
Applicant Information and Program Information sections, etc.): 10 points
Awarded Funds
OGR received a total of sixteen (16) applicants. Seven (7) applicants were recommended to receive
funding through the FY24 Emerging Adult Reentry Initiative Grant.
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Grant Recipient Award Project Description
Number of Participants: 80 young adults over the course of
the grant periods based on current recruitment trends.
Increased staffing would allow them to expand caseloads.
Action of Boston
Area(s) serviced: Middlesex County, Suffolk County
Community $691,666.67
Description: Action for Boston Community Development,
Development, Inc.
Inc. provides workforce development and job training through
their BRIDGES Returning Citizens Center within the
MassHire Metro North Career Center.
Number of participants: ~75-100 men per month over the
course of the grant period for pre-release service as well as
~50-60 men “at any given time” for post-release services.
Roca – Hampden Area(s) serviced: Hampden County (Springfield and Holyoke)
$1,141,666.67
County Description: The Hampden County Emerging Adult Reentry
Initiative (HC-EARI) is designed to serve the highest-risk
emerging adults, those who engage in violence and substance
use and those most likely to recidivate.
Number of participants: ~75-100 men per month over the
course of the grant period for pre-release service as well as
~50-60 men “at any given time” for post-release services.
Roca – Suffolk Area(s) serviced: Suffolk County (Boston and Chelsea)
$1,141,666.66
County Description: The Suffolk County Emerging Adult Reentry
Initiative (SC-EARI) is designed to serve the highest-risk
emerging adults, those who engage in violence and substance
use and those most likely to recidivate.
Number of participants: ~50 low, medium, and high-risk
individuals convicted as adults, as well as house ~12
individuals.
Area(s) serviced: Hampden County (Agawam, Blandford,
Brimfield, Chester, Chicopee, East Longmeadow, Granville,
Hampden, Holland, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Ludlow,
Monson, Montgomery, Palmer, Russel, Southwick,
Springfield, Tolland, West Springfield, Wales, Westfield, and
Wilbraham.)
Description: This project will focus on the Elijah’s House
The Mission Inc. $1,141,666.66
Program, a reentry program designed to assist prior offenders
with employment; improve attitudes and beliefs about crime;
address substance use and mental health issues;
address/prevent gang involvement; assist health and housing,
provide mentoring, educational opportunities and job training,
and connect participants with community resources. Elijah’s
House will serve males released from the Hampden County
Correctional Facility, the After-Incarceration Support Services
(AISS), and the Sheriff Department’s MAGIC (Meaningful
Accomplishments Gain Increased Character) Unit program.
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 Number of participants: ~15 participants who are currently
incarcerated at the Plymouth County HOC.
Area(s) serviced: Plymouth County (Brockton)
Description: This project will provide intensive mentorship
and case management from College Readiness Advisors
(CRAs) who have lived experience, along with defined
Uncornered, Inc. $691,666.67
educational and career pathways, financial support, and mental
health services to better position individuals for opportunity
upon reentry. In partnership with the Plymouth County
Sheriff's Department, pre-release and post-release services
will be provided to youth, 18-25 years old, in the Brockton
area.
Number of participants: ~ 30-40 young adults over the course
of the year who are incarcerated in DOC facilities or recently
released (based on numbers served over past year)
Area(s) serviced: Merrimack Valley (Lowell, Lawrence, and
Haverhill)
Description: This project is designed to strengthen UTEC’s
UTEC - DOC $1,141,666.66
programming from