Expanding Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations Program (United States)

Deadline: 8-Jul-24

The Office for Victims of Crime is seeking applications for, Expanding Access to Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations Program, to support the development or expansion of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SANE/SAFE) programs using a coordinated community response strategy and the provision of training and technical assistance.

OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety, protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community.

With this solicitation, OVC seeks to support (1) the development or expansion of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner/Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SANE/SAFE) programs using a coordinated community response strategy and (2) the provision of training and technical assistance (TTA).

This program furthers the DOJ’s mission to uphold the rule of law, to keep the country safe, and to protect civil rights.

Purpose

• Purpose Area 1: Establish or Expand SANE/SAFE Programs
  • Under this purpose area, funding will support developing and expanding the skills, expertise, and capacity of SANE/SAFE programs to improve access to medical forensic examinations. This will be accomplished by increasing the number of trained/certified sexual assault forensic examiners through a variety of settings (e.g., hospital, community, telehealth, campus, correctional). Funding will also support service provision to address the needs of sexual assault victims and survivors, such as advocacy, accompaniment (e.g., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments), and comprehensive post-assault care.
• Purpose Area 2: Training and Technical Assistance Provider
  • Under this purpose area, funding will support a national TTA provider to provide training and technical assistance for grantees under Purpose Area 1.

Goals

• Purpose Area 1: Establish or Expand SANE/SAFE Programs
  • The goal of this program is to establish or expand SANE/SAFE programs that offer traumainformed sexual assault medical forensic exams and victim services using coordinated community response strategies through a variety of settings (e.g., hospital, community, telehealth, campus, correctional). Applicants may propose innovative ways of bringing experienced medical forensic examiners to communities, such as using a mobile or telehealth model.
  • New and established programs applying under this solicitation should follow the National Protocol for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examinations Adults/Adolescents and the National Protocol for Sexual Abuse Medical Forensic Examinations Pediatric, which take a traumainformed, victim-centered, culturally responsive approach to the medical forensic examination process.
  • Development of training programs should follow the National Training Standards for Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examiners for all providers who care for victims who have been sexually assaulted and sexually abused.
• Purpose Area 2: Training and Technical Assistance Provider
  • The purpose of TTA is to provide information to award recipients and their partners, enabling them to replicate successful model programs and approaches; promote the adoption of best practices, emerging technologies, and new models; and assist in identifying and addressing operational and programmatic needs. The selected TTA provider will support awarded recipients in building their capacity in SANE/SAFE practice and programming, to include but not limited to, victim- centered, trauma-informed service provision, policy development, competency evaluation, program development and expansion, and sustainability.
  • TTA applicants must demonstrate their knowledge and expertise with providing training and technical assistance in SANE/SAFE practice, programming, and training; multidisciplinary partnerships and collaboration; vicarious trauma; victims’ rights; and trauma-informed approaches to working with victims. TTA provision will promote the highest standards of care and best practices in forensic nursing. The selected TTA provider is expected to bring innovative and evidence-driven ideas and strategies to the project, and work closely with OVC, other relevant federal agencies and partners, and the awardees to accomplish the goals, objectives, and activities of the project.

Objectives

• Purpose Area 1: Establish or Expand SANE/SAFE Programs
  • Increase the number and availability of health care providers who are trained or certified to perform medical forensic examinations, especially in rural, Tribal, or underserved communities. Programs are encouraged to establish a network of SANE/SAFE leaders in the service areas that currently lack a comprehensive SANE response. Funding may be used to support SANE salaries and any additional positions according to the needs of the project (i.e., project director/coordinator).
  • Provide timely, high-quality medical forensic exams incorporating victim-centered, traumainformed approaches to all victims of sexual violence.
  • Expand access to training and clinical education for SANEs/SAFEs to build and maintain competency (e.g., peer support, mentoring). Funding may be used to support education, training, and certification as well as efforts to promote health and wellness and combat vicarious trauma and burnout.
  • Improve access to comprehensive post-assault care and other support services that promote healing and address the emerging needs of victims and survivors (e.g., advocacy; accompaniment—accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, and police departments; mental health treatment; legal services; shelter; and transportation).
  • Support activities that facilitate and strengthen coordinated community responses (e.g., Sexual Assault Response Teams or Multidisciplinary Teams, also known as SARTs or MDTs). Partnerships should include culturally specific organizations that represent special or underserved populations and victims/survivors as members of the SART/MDT to ensure a culturally relevant and survivor-informed response.
• Purpose Area 2: Training and Technical Assistance Provider
  • Provide ongoing, coordinated, customized technical assistance that will support each Purpose Area 1 award recipient in successfully implementing their program strategy based on the needs of the program and community. This may include support in identifying training needs, program development, sustainability planning, policy and procedure review, multidisciplinary partnerships, telehealth, SARTs, advocacy, data collection, outreach/marketing efforts, confidentiality provisions, and quality improvement.
  • Establish regular check-ins and site visits with awardees to identify technical assistance needs. The provision of TTA should be creative and adapted to the needs of each program and can be done by in-person, phone, and email consultations; webinars; and other distance or online learning technologies.
  • Establish a highly capable, diverse project team that can provide TTA to strengthen the awardees’ response to underserved populations (e.g., individuals with disabilities, LGBTQ, limited English proficiency).
  • Integrate innovative models and ensure flexible options for education and training, learning, and practice (e.g., cross-site visits, peer-to-peer exchange opportunities, in-person or virtual grantee meetings, Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes sessions, preceptorships, roundtables) among selected awardees and their partners to promote problem solving, ongoing communication, and innovation through the exchange of information, lessons learned, and new ideas. Strategies may also support regional training initiatives that prepare current and future SANEs/SAFEs to be professional-ready and meet the applicable state certifications and licensure requirements.
  • Coordinate with other OVC-funded TTA provider grantees to leverage expertise, deliver joint training or resources, and avoid duplication of efforts.
  • Other activities, as required by OVC, to meet the stated goals and objectives

Priority Areas

• In order to further OJP’s mission, OJP will provide priority consideration when making award decisions to the following:
  • Applications that propose project(s) that are designed to meaningfully advance equity and remove barriers to accessing services and opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization.
    • To receive this consideration, the applicant must describe how the proposed project(s) will address identified inequities and contribute to greater access to services and opportunities for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization. Project activities under this consideration may include but are not limited to the following: improving victim services, justice responses, prevention initiatives, reentry services and other parts of an organization’s or community’s efforts to advance public safety. Applicants should propose activities that address the cultural (and linguistic, if appropriate) needs of communities, outline how the proposed activities will be informed by these communities, and implement culturally responsive and inclusive outreach and engagement.
  • Applicants that demonstrate that their capabilities and competencies for implementing their proposed project(s) are enhanced because they (or at least one proposed subrecipient that will receive at least 40 percent of the requested award funding, as demonstrated in the Budget web-based form) are a population specific organization that serves communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, adversely affected by inequality, and disproportionately impacted by crime, violence, and victimization.
    • For purposes of this solicitation, population specific organizations are nonprofit, nongovernmental, or Tribal organizations that primarily serve members of a specific underserved population and have demonstrated experience and expertise providing targeted services to members of that specific underserved population.
    • To receive this additional priority consideration, applicants must describe how being a population specific organization (or funding the population specific subrecipient organization(s) will enhance their ability to implement the proposed project(s) and should also specify which historically underserved populations are intended or expected to be served or have their needs addressed under the proposed project(s).
• Note: Addressing these priority areas is one of many factors that OJP considers in making funding decisions. Receiving priority consideration for one or more priority areas does not guarantee an award.

Funding Information

• While the maximum allowable funding amount is $500,000 (Category 1) and $1,050,000 (Category 2), OJP encourages applicants, including those that are new or that have never before received a federal award, to submit a proposed budget that best supports their project objectives and organizational capabilities, even if the proposed budget is at a lower amount than the maximum allowable funding level.
• Anticipated Total Amount To Be Awarded Under This Solicitation: $3,550,000
  • Purpose Area 1: Establish or Expand SANE/SAFE Programs
    • Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount per Award: $500,000
  • Purpose Area 2: Training and Technical Assistance Provider
    • Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount per Award: $1,050,000
• Duration
  • Period of Performance Duration (Months): 36

Eligibility Criteria

• State governments
• Special district governments
• City or township governments
• Public- and State-controlled institutions of higher education
• County governments
• Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments)
• Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized)
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Other–units of local government, such as towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a State

For more information, visit Grants.gov.