(1) Subject to available appropriations, on and after July 1, 2018, the department shall develop and implement the community crime victims grant program, referred to in this part 8 as the "grant program", to provide funding to eligible entities that provide support services to crime victims, as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (5), and a victim's immediate family, as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (6), and other interventions that are intended to reduce repeat victimization. The department shall administer the grant program in accordance with policies developed by the executive director of the department pursuant to subsection (2) of this section.

(2) On or before July 1, 2018, the executive director of the department shall develop policies for the administration of the grant program, including but not limited to the following:

(a) A competitive process for the selection of a third-party grant administrator;

(b) The content and timing of status reports provided by the third-party grant administrator to the department; and

(c) Grant guidelines and eligibility criteria for applicants including criteria that prioritize underserved crime victims, as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (5), and a victim's immediate family, as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (6), including people of color, young adults, and men.

(3) The third-party grant administrator must be selected on or before September 2, 2018, and the contract between the department and the third-party grant administrator must be finalized on or before January 1, 2019. The third-party grant administrator must:

(a) Be a nonprofit organization in good standing with the secretary of state's office;

(b) Have experience as a third-party administrator for a state, multistate, or federal grant program;

(c) Be capable of providing a unified case management, financial, and data collection system related to services and payments received under the grant program;

(d) Be capable of providing technical assistance and other organizational development to grantees to improve delivery of services, financial management, or data collection; and

(e) Have experience and competency in working in underserved communities, particularly communities of color.

(4) In awarding grants from the grant program each fiscal year, the department shall release as much as one-quarter of the amount annually appropriated to the grant program to the third-party grant administrator at the time the initial contract is executed and at the beginning of each fiscal year.

(5) On or before January 15, 2019, the third-party grant administrator shall develop the following, subject to approval by the department:

(a) A competitive request for proposal process and timeline whereby an eligible entity may apply for a grant consistent with the policies developed by the department;

(b) A process for determining the amount of each grant that is awarded; and

(c) Performance metrics and data collection to be required of grantees.

(6) The grant administrator shall make recommendations to the department on whether to award or deny a grant and shall provide written rationale each grant cycle to the department. After the review of the recommendations, the department shall award or deny a grant.

(7) Permissible uses of grant money provided pursuant to the grant program include direct services to crime victims, as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (5), and a victim's immediate family, as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (6), restorative justice, and other interventions intended to reduce repeat victimization.

(8) (a) To be eligible to receive a grant from the grant program, an entity must be:

(I) A nonprofit organization in good standing and registered with the federal internal revenue service and the Colorado secretary of state's office;

(II) A school;

(III) A tribal agency or program; or

(IV) A professional who is regulated by the department of regulatory agencies.

(b) A grantee may not decline to serve a victim based upon:

(I) Whether the victim reported the crime to law enforcement or cooperated in any prosecution;

(II) The length of time that has elapsed since the victimization; or

(III) The location of the victimization.

(c) A grant applicant shall demonstrate that it has or will have a screening tool or screening process in place so that a credible determination can be made that the person seeking services has been a victim of crime, as defined in section 24-4.1-302 (5).