Deadline: 30-Jan-24
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), a component of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ), is seeking applications for the Justice for Families Program to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse.
The Justice for Families Program (CFDA #16.021) supports the following activities for improving the capacity of courts and communities to respond to families affected by the targeted crimes: court-based and court-related programs; supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between parents; training for people who work with families in the court system; and civil legal assistance.
Purpose Areas
Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12464, funds under this program must be used for one or more of the five purposes discussed below. Although the statute contains eight distinct purpose areas, OVW is limiting applicants to addressing only purpose areas 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8:
- (Purpose Area 1) Supervised visitation and safe exchange;
- (Purpose Area 3) Training for court-based and court-related personnel;
- (Purpose Area 5) Court and court-based programs and services;
- (Purpose Area 6) Civil legal assistance; and
- (Purpose Area 8) Training within the civil justice system
OVW is interested in funding projects that take a coordinated approach to helping families victimized by domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as they navigate the justice system. To help achieve this coordinated approach, applicants may propose either a standard project or a comprehensive project.
- Standard Project: Applicants must propose activities either under purpose area 1 (supervised visitation/safe exchange) or 5 (court and court-based programs). If an applicant is proposing to provide supervised visitation/safe exchange services (purpose area 1), the applicant must propose activities under at least one additional purpose area. The courts’ purpose area (purpose area 5) can be addressed in combination with another purpose area or on its own under any one or more of the purpose area 5 sub-categories. However, applications that address pro se victim assistance programs (purpose area 5(b)) or propose education and outreach programs (purpose area 5(e)) also must propose activities under at least one more purpose area 5 subcategory or other purpose area(s).
- Comprehensive Project: Applicants must propose activities under purpose areas 1 (supervised visitation/safe exchange), 5 (court and court-based programs), and 6 (civil legal assistance).
Applicants may include additional purpose areas in a comprehensive project application but are required to include purpose areas 1, 5, and 6.
Priority Areas
In FY 2024, OVW has four programmatic priorities. The priorities identified below are applicable to this program. Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to address a priority area. Applicants that state that they are addressing a priority area and meet the criteria for that priority area will be given special consideration.
- Advance equity and tribal sovereignty as essential components of ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking by improving outreach, services, civil and criminal justice responses, prevention, and support for survivors from historically marginalized and underserved communities, particularly those facing disproportionate rates or impacts of violence and multiple barriers to services, justice, and safety. Special consideration for this priority will be given to tribal applicants that propose to develop or enhance domestic violence specialized courts, consolidated courts, or dockets.
- Increase access to justice for all survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including through exploration of survivor-centered criminal justice system reform. To receive special consideration under this priority area, applicants must demonstrate a coordinated systems and community approach for court cases involving domestic violence. Applicants addressing this priority area may propose to develop domestic violence specialized courts, consolidated courts, dockets and/or intake centers. Applicants should demonstrate meaningful coordination and collaboration with system and community partners such as prosecutors, defense attorneys, civil legal assistance, advocates, population-specific organizations, and/or a resource coordinator in the proposal narrative and signed Memorandum of Understanding.
- Expand economic justice and financial advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including as a tool for violence prevention. To receive special consideration under this priority area, applicants must include project activities to address barriers in accessing community services due to a lack of transportation and childcare. Applicants addressing this priority area may include costs in the budget for items such as transportation for supervised visitation/safe exchange, transportation for court hearings, and childcare in court settings for domestic violence or sexual assault cases.
Funding Information
- This program typically makes awards in the range of $600,000 – $700,000. OVW estimates that it will make up to 20 awards for an estimated $14,000.000.
- Funding levels under this program for FY 2024 are:
- Standard projects: up to $600,000 for the entire 36 months.
- Comprehensive projects: up to $700,000 for the entire 36 months.
- The award period is 36 months. Budgets, including the total “estimated funding” on the SF-424, must reflect 36 months of project activity. OVW anticipates that the award period will start on October 1, 2024.
Eligibility Criteria
Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12464(a), the following entities are eligible to apply for this program:
- States, meaning any of the states and the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands (34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(37)).
- Units of local government, meaning any city, county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a state (34 U.S.C. §12291(a)(47)). Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 90.2(g), the following are not considered units of local government and are not eligible to apply as the lead applicant – police departments, pre-trial service agencies, district or city attorneys’ offices, sheriffs’ departments, probation and parole departments, and universities.
- Courts (including juvenile courts), meaning 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 (34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(7)). Note: prosecutors’ offices do not qualify as a court.
- Indian tribal governments, meaning a tribe, band, pueblo, nation, or other organized group or community of Indians, including any Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation (as defined in, or established pursuant to, the Alaska Native Claims
- Settlement Act (43 U.S.C. §.C. § 12291(a) (22) and (43)).
- Nonprofit organizations, meaning an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501 (a) of such Code (34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(15)(B)(i)).
- Legal services providers, meaning entities that provide legal assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This does not include for-profit organizations.
- Victim service providers, meaning a nonprofit, nongovernmental or tribal organization or rape crisis center, including a State or tribal domestic violence and/or sexual assault coalition, that assists or advocates for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking victims, including a domestic violence shelter, faith-based organization or other organization, with a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking (34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(50)). 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. Culturally specific organizations, Tribal organizations, and population-specific organizations serving underserved communities that meet the definition of “victim service provider” are eligible to apply.
- 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 solicitation.
- 501(c)(3) Status
- Any entity that is eligible for this program based on its status as a nonprofit organization must be an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code. See 34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(15)(B)(i).
- Note: Any nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code is not eligible for a grant from this program. See 34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(15)(B)(ii).
For more information, visit Grants.gov.