Deadline: 26-Mar-21
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction Program (Tribal Jurisdiction Program) (CFDA# 16.025) is authorized by the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended, 25 U.S.C. § 1304(f).
Through this grant program, Indian tribes receive support to exercise special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction (SDVCJ) and technical assistance (TA) for planning and implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise the jurisdiction.
The program encourages collaborations among tribal leadership, courts, prosecutors, attorneys, defense counsel, law enforcement, probation, victim service providers, and other partners to ensure that victims find safety and justice and that non-Indians who commit crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders in the Indian country of the participating tribe are held accountable.
Purpose Areas
Funds under this program must be used for one or more of the following purposes:
- To strengthen tribal criminal justice systems to assist Indian tribes in exercising SDVCJ, including (A) Law enforcement (including the capacity of law enforcement or court personnel to enter information into and obtain information from national crime information databases); (B) Prosecution; (C) Trial and appellate courts; (D) Probation systems; (E) Detention and correctional facilities; (F) Alternative rehabilitation centers; (G) Culturally appropriate services and assistance for victims and their families; (H) Criminal codes and rules of criminal procedure, appellate procedure, and evidence.
- To provide indigent criminal defendants with the effective assistance of licensed defense counsel, at no cost to the defendant, in criminal proceedings in which a participating tribe prosecutes a crime of domestic violence or dating violence or a criminal violation of a protection order.
- To ensure that, in criminal proceedings in which a participating tribe exercises SDVCJ, jurors are summoned, selected, and instructed in a manner consistent with all applicable requirements.
- To accord victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders rights that are similar to the rights of a crime victim described in section 3771(a) of Title 18, consistent with tribal law and custom.
Funding Information
- Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount of Awards: $450,000.00;
- Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation: $3,400,000.00;
- Period of Performance Duration (Months): 36.
Activities
Applicants that receive funding under this program will be required to engage in the following activities:
- OVW-sponsored TTA. This includes joining and actively participating in the Inter-tribal Technical Assistance Working Group (ITWG), in addition to other OVW TTA opportunities. The ITWG is a working group of tribal representatives who exchange views, information, and advice about how tribes may best exercise SDVCJ and address responses to domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders.
- OVW may conduct a program assessment or evaluation necessitating grantee involvement. Therefore, recipients may be expected to dedicate some OVW-funded time and resources to participating in an assessment or evaluation.
Eligibility Criteria
- Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized);
- Governments of Indian tribes, that have jurisdiction over Indian country, are eligible to apply for this program.
Review and Selection Process
Applications will be subject to a peer review and a programmatic review.
- Peer Review: OVW will subject all eligible, complete, and timely applications to a peer-review process that is based on the criteria outlined in this solicitation. OVW may use internal reviewers, external reviewers, or a combination of both.
- Programmatic Review: All applications that are considered for funding will be subject to a programmatic review. The programmatic review consists of assessing the application for compliance with the program’s scope, activities that compromise victim safety, and, if applicable, past performance and priority area review. OVW reserves the right to deduct points from applications for the following reasons:
- Activities that compromise victim safety and recovery and undermine offender accountability (deduct up to 25 points).
- Out-of-scope and unallowable activities (deduct up to 25 points).
- Past performance (deduct up to 25 points).
- Formatting and Technical Requirements (deduct up to 5 points).
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=330873