The U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance of the Office of Justice Programs issued a solicitation for grant funding to support probation and parole agencies in identifying effective practices that reduce recidivism and create comprehensive violent crime reduction strategies. Required deliverables for grant recipients are: an action plan to design and implement an evidence-based program or practice, a mid-term (at 30 months) analysis and research report, and a final (at the conclusion of the four-year grant period) analysis and research report. Five grants of up to $1,000,000 each will be awarded, starting on October 1, 2019. Applicants should submit grant applications via Grants.gov by June 25, 2019.

This Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation practice brief examines the second phase of the Learn, Innovate, Improve process (LI²) model for systems change. The LI² model is an approach to implement systems change, to guide change systematically, and to use evidence and research to inform change. The brief explores the “innovate phase,” which identifies how organizations might plan and prioritize, generate ideas, and define potential solutions to system challenges.