Deadline: 4-Apr-23
The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is soliciting proposals for its Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program (TSASP) to support efforts to create, maintain, and expand sustainable sexual assault services provided by Tribes, tribal organizations, and nonprofit tribal organizations within Indian country and Alaska Native villages.
TSASP supported projects provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (e.g., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, or police departments), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, non-offending family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault.
Purpose Areas
Pursuant to 34 U. S. C. § 12511(e), funds under this program must be used to support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of programs and projects within Indian country and Alaska Native villages to provide intervention and related assistance to those victimized by sexual assault. By statute, 34 U.S.C. § 12511(b)(2)(C), “intervention and related assistance” includes:
- 24-hour hotline services providing crisis intervention services and referral.
- Accompaniment and advocacy through medical, criminal justice, and social support systems, including medical facilities, police, and court proceedings.
- Crisis intervention, short-term individual and group support services, direct payments, and comprehensive service coordination and supervision to assist sexual assault victims and family or household members.
- Information and referral to assist the sexual assault victim and family or household members.
- Community-based, culturally specific services and support mechanisms, including outreach activities for underserved communities.
- The development and distribution of materials on issues related to the services described in (1) – (5).
Note: Direct payments to victims and their family or household members must be for costs directly related to the sexual assault.
OVW Priority Areas
- In FY 2023, OVW has five programmatic priorities, of which the priority area is applicable to this program. Applicants are strongly encouraged, but not required, to address a priority area. Applications proposing activities in the following area will be given special consideration.
- Improve outreach, services, and support for survivors of sexual assault from underserved victims within tribal communities, particularly two-spirit victims. Examples of activities that can address this priority area include proposing to provide services tailored to the needs of the underserved population or expanding referrals for services to community-based organizations that serve a particular underserved community.
- Activities that Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery or Undermine Offender Accountability
- OVW does not fund activities that jeopardize victim safety, deter or prevent physical or emotional healing for victims, or allow offenders to escape responsibility for their actions.
- Applications that propose any such activities may receive a deduction in points during the review process or may be eliminated from consideration. Please note that OVW will support survivor-centered alternative pathways to justice and non-criminal approaches to accountability that fall within the statutory scope of this program.
Funding Information
- Anticipated Number of Awards: 15
- Anticipated Maximum Dollar Amount of Awards: $525,000
- Period of Performance Duration (Months): 36
- Anticipated Total Amount to be Awarded Under Solicitation: $7,800,000
Eligibility Criteria
- Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12511(e), the following entities are eligible to apply for this program:
- Indian Tribes: 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)).
- Tribal Consortiums: A coalition of two or more separate Indian Tribes that join together for the purpose of participating in self-governance.
- Note: For applicants applying as a tribal consortium, the applicant must submit documentation of authority to apply from each tribal consortium member, unless existing consortium bylaws or other governance documents allow action without explicit authorization from the consortium member tribes. In that case, a copy of the bylaws or other governance documents that allow the consortium’s action, without explicit authorization from all consortium members, must be included with the application. This documentation must be current, must be sufficient to demonstrate authority for the application, must contain authorized signature(s), and must be submitted by the application due date.
- Tribal Organizations:
- The governing body of any Indian Tribe; or
- Any legally established organization of Indians which is controlled, sanctioned, or chartered by such governing body of a Tribe or Tribes to be served, or which is democratically elected by the adult members of the Indian community to be served by such organization and which includes the maximum participation of Indians in all phases of its activities (34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(45)).
- Nonprofit Tribal Organizations:
- A victim service provider that has as its primary purpose to assist American Indian or Alaska Native victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking; and
- Staff and leadership of the organization must include persons with a demonstrated history of assisting American Indian or Alaska Native victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking (34 U.S.C. § 12291(a) (45)).
- Note: A victim service provider is 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.
- 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.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
