Advancing Women in Leadership | 24PR01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 24PR01

The Advancing Women in Leadership grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 24PR01) is a National Institute of Corrections (NIC) initiative designed to strengthen leadership development for women working in corrections, especially those in middle management who often face limited support, gender isolation, and workplace cultures shaped around traditionally male leadership norms. NIC is the only federal agency with a specific legislative mandate (Public Law 93-415) to provide specialized, national-level assistance to the corrections field, and this cooperative agreement reflects that role by funding a program that directly responds to needs identified by corrections practitioners across state and local adult corrections systems, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Department of Justice, other federal partners, and Congress. The overall focus is practical leadership training that improves supervisory capacity and prepares women to move into higher-level management roles.

The program is grounded in the idea that one major barrier to advancement can be how women perceive their own leadership ability, shaped by social conditioning and lack of encouragement or sponsorship. The opportunity emphasizes the value of providing structured support earlier and at a larger scale, rather than waiting until women are already near the top of an organization. A notable feature is the cohort approach: the program expects to bring in a minimum of eight participants from each state, which is intended to immediately create in-state peer support networks. It also encourages regional cooperation among adjoining states to broaden relationships, strengthen professional networks, and build a deeper pool of future leaders across jurisdictions. The description notes that more than twenty-five Directors and Commissioners have already recognized the value of the training through participation applications, signaling established demand and perceived impact within corrections leadership.

From a program content standpoint, the opportunity calls for training that combines leadership theory with leadership assessment tools and then translates those concepts into learning tasks and activities that build real supervisory and leadership skills. In other words, it is not just motivational programming; it is meant to be skills-based development that helps participants apply leadership concepts in day-to-day management, decision-making, and professional growth. The grant frames this as filling a long-standing training gap for women who have had to succeed under conventional standards that were not designed with their experiences in mind.

The funding mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which typically means NIC expects to be actively involved with the recipient during implementation rather than simply issuing funds and stepping back. The award ceiling is $150,000, with one expected award. The opportunity is listed under CFDA 16.601, and the closing date provided is February 13, 2024 (with a creation date of December 15, 2023).

Eligibility is broad within the United States and includes nonprofit organizations (including faith-based, community, and tribal organizations), for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profit organizations), and institutions of higher education (including tribal institutions). However, any for-profit recipient must agree to waive profit or fees for services under the award, reinforcing that the funded work is meant to be delivered as a public-serving training effort rather than a revenue-generating engagement. Foreign governments, international organizations, and non-governmental international organizations are not eligible. Applicants must be able to document qualifying status, such as IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) status for nonprofits or an authorizing tribal resolution where applicable.

The opportunity allows partnerships, including applications that involve two or more entities, but it makes clear that one eligible organization must serve as the lead applicant and take primary responsibility for administering funds and managing the full program, with any partners proposed as subrecipients. It also limits submissions to one application per submitting organization, so entities interested in collaborating need to align behind a single lead application rather than submitting competing proposals.

In practical terms, this opportunity is aimed at organizations that can design and deliver a structured, multi-state leadership development experience for women in corrections, using credible leadership frameworks, diagnostic or assessment tools, and applied learning activities, while also building durable peer networks that continue to support participants after the formal training ends.

• The National Institute of Corrections in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Advancing Women in Leadership" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.601.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-12-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-02-13. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

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