Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program (US)

Deadline: 8-Jul-25

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is accepting applications for the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program.

The Rural Program enhances the safety of rural victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking by supporting projects uniquely designed to address and prevent these crimes in rural areas.

This program supports cooperative efforts among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other community partners to investigate and prosecute sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking; treatment, advocacy, counseling, legal assistance, or other victim services for victims in rural communities; or programs addressing sexual assault. Eligible applicants are states and territories, Indian Tribes, local governments, and nonprofit (public or private) entities, including Tribal nonprofit organizations.

Purpose Areas

• Funds under this program must be used for one or more of the following purposes:
  • To identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and/or stalking in rural communities, by encouraging collaboration among
    • domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking victim service providers;
    • law enforcement agencies;
    • prosecutors;
    • courts;
    • other criminal justice service providers;
    • human and community service providers;
    • educational institutions; and
    • health care providers, including sexual assault forensic examiners;
  • To establish and expand nonprofit, nongovernmental, State, Tribal, territorial, and local government victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims;
  • To increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by:
    • dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking occurring in rural communities; and
    • creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and
  • To develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs.

Funding Information

• Expected Total Amount of Funding: $36,000,000
• Expected Award Amount(s): $500,000-$950,000

Duration

• Expected Award Period(s): 36 months

Eligibility Criteria

• Entities that are eligible to apply are:
  • States 
    • State governments, including the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
    • Although the District of Columbia is included in the statutory definition of “state”, it is not eligible to apply because of the statutory requirement to serve a rural area or community.
  • 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, that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians.
  • Local Governments 
    • Any city, county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a State (or territory).
  • Nonprofit (Public or Private) Entities, including Tribal Nonprofit Organizations 
    • Tribal, state, territory, and local law enforcement and prosecution agencies and courts are eligible to apply as nonprofit public entities.
    • Nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations are broadly eligible to apply as nonprofit private entities.
    • A Tribal nonprofit organization is a victim services provider that has as its primary purpose to assist 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.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.