Deadline: 4-Mar-25
The Office on Violence Against Women is thrilled to announce its Grants to Improve the Criminal Justice Response Program.
Focus Areas
- To develop and implement policies and training for police, prosecutors, probation and parole officers, and the judiciary in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of sexual assault.
- To develop human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing programs for sexual assault perpetrators.
- To develop, implement, or enhance sexual assault nurse examiner programs or sexual assault forensic examiner programs, including the hiring and training of such examiners.
- To develop, implement, or enhance Sexual Assault Response Teams or similar coordinated community responses to sexual assault.
- To develop and strengthen policies, protocols, and training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors regarding the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases and the appropriate treatment of victims.
- To provide human immunodeficiency virus testing programs, counseling, and prophylaxis for victims of sexual assault.
- To identify and inventory backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits and to develop protocols for responding to and addressing such backlogs.
- To develop Statewide databases with information on where sexual assault nurse examiners are located.
Funding Information
- Estimated Total Program Funding: $23,000,000
- Award Ceiling: $1,000,000
- Award Floor: $500,000
Eligible Activities
- Hiring and training of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners;
- Creating a database with information to assist in locating Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners;
- Training investigators and prosecutors to appropriately interview adults and youth over age 11 who are victims of sexual assault, and understand how the neurobiology of trauma affects a victim’s ability to recount events;
- Developing, reviewing and/or revising non-intimate partner sexual assault programming, policies, and procedures;
- Law enforcement and prosecutorial capacity building and training for non-intimate partner sexual assault, including sexual assaults that may accompany or be facilitated by online abuse, harassment and/or sexual exploitation;
- Victim advocacy service capacity building and/or service enhancement for non-intimate partner sexual assault;
- Meaningful inclusion of community-based, culturally specific services and support for survivors of sexual assault, to include outreach activities for underserved communities.
Eligibility Criteria
- States and Territories:
- State governments, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
- Units of Local Government:
- Any city, county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State.
- The following are not considered units of local government:
- Police departments;
- Pretrial service agencies;
- District or city attorneys’ offices
- Sheriffs’ departments;
- Probation and parole departments;
- Shelters;
- Nonprofit, nongovernmental victim service agencies including faith-based or community-based organizations; and
- Universities.
- Indian Tribal Governments:
- The governing body of an Indian Tribe, or
- A Tribe, band, pueblo, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians, including any Alaska Native Village or regional or village corporation, that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.
- Courts:
- Any civil or criminal, Tribal, and Alaska Native Village, federal, state, local, or territorial court having jurisdiction to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including immigration, family, juvenile, and dependency courts, and the judicial officers serving in those courts, including judges, magistrate judges, commissioners, justices of the peace, or any other person with decision making authority.
- Victim Service Providers:
- A nonprofit, nongovernmental or Tribal organization or rape crisis center, including a state or territorial coalition, that assists or advocates for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking victims, including domestic violence shelters, faith-based organizations, and other organizations, with a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Victim service providers must provide direct services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking as one of their primary purposes and have a demonstrated history of effective work in this field.
- Faith-Based and Community Organizations:
- Faith-Based and community organizations, including culturally specific organizations, Tribal organizations, and population-specific organizations, that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this program.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.