Deadline: 8-Jul-25
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is accepting applications for the Domestic Violence Mentor Court Technical Assistance Initiative.
The OVW Domestic Violence Mentor Court Technical Assistance Initiative (Mentor Court Initiative) creates a unique opportunity to recognize well-established specialized courts and enable them to guide novice or developing courts and court-based programs that wish to significantly improve their responses to domestic violence cases to ensure victim safety and offender accountability. These well-established courts successfully serve as national models and share their expertise by hosting site visits, linking courts with peer courts facing similar challenges, and assisting other domestic violence courts to implement best practices to respond effectively to these difficult cases.
Purpose Areas
- In FY 2025, funds under the Mentor Court Initiative must be used by both new and continuation recipients for all of the following purposes:
- Assist OVW and the OVW Mentor Court Initiative technical assistance (TA) provider with selecting jurisdictions to receive mentorship.
- Develop and maintain a mentoring relationship with selected jurisdictions planning domestic violence dockets or courts.
- Plan and host six to nine site visits for selected jurisdictions to assist them in planning a domestic violence docket or court.
- Travel two to three times to selected jurisdictions to provide on-site TA on developing a domestic violence docket or court.
- Share domestic violence related court forms, procedures, and protocols.
- Send members of the recipient’s Mentor Court team to one or two Mentor Court All Sites Meetings.
- Participate in the OVW Judicial Engagement Network Summit.
- Develop and participate in OVW-sponsored judicial forums and roundtable meetings.
- Respond to TA inquiries from courts other than mentee courts.
- Host Mentor Court Open House events for jurisdictions interested in planning domestic violence courts other than the selected mentee courts.
- Collaborate with OVW TA Providers.
Priorities
- Applications that fare well in merit review and substantively address one or more of the priorities listed below, to the extent consistent with the program’s authorizing statute, may receive priority consideration for funding:
- Measures to combat human trafficking and transnational crime, particularly crimes linked to illegal immigration and cartel operations, that support safety and justice for trafficking victims who have also suffered domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and/or stalking; and
- Projects to provide training and technical assistance that enhance victim services, especially housing, and improve law enforcement response in rural and remote areas, Tribal nations, and small towns that often lack resources to effectively combat domestic violence and sexual assault.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $ 1,200,000
- Award Ceiling: $150,000
- Award Floor: $150,000
Duration
- Expected Award Period(s) 24 months.
Eligibility Criteria
- Entities that are eligible to apply are:
- State, Tribal, territorial, or local courts that are either:
- Current OVW Domestic Violence Mentor Court Initiative grantees.
- Courts with an existing specialized court system for handling domestic violence cases.
- State, Tribal, territorial, or local courts that are either:
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
