Deadline: 23-Sep-2025
The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is inviting applications for funding under its Research and Evaluation (R&E) Initiative.
This program aims to study and improve approaches to preventing and addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. By evaluating the effectiveness of various strategies, the initiative supports communities in assessing their programs and adopting proven methods to better serve victims and hold offenders accountable.
The initiative encourages partnerships between researchers and practitioners and supports a wide range of research methods, including qualitative, mixed-method, quasi-experimental, and experimental designs. Given limited funding, the program prioritizes projects that will build stronger evidence to help OVW recipients use federal funds more effectively.
Priority consideration will be given to projects that address key topics, such as combating human trafficking and transnational crime linked to illegal immigration and cartel operations, especially when these crimes intersect with domestic and sexual violence. Another focus area includes improving victim services, particularly housing and law enforcement response, in rural, remote, Tribal, and small-town communities that often lack adequate resources.
Research funded by OVW covers six main areas: the justice system’s effectiveness in pursuing justice for victims and accountability for offenders; understanding victims’ needs to support healing and safety; access to services and justice; the short- and long-term impact of justice system responses and victim services; identifying clear indicators of success for victims, offenders, and service providers; and strategies for promoting desistance and reducing repeat offenses.
The total expected funding for this opportunity is $8 million, with awards generally up to $500,000, except for certain topics that may receive up to $5 million. Project durations vary between 12 and 36 months, with some projects eligible for up to 48 months.
Eligible applicants include state and territorial governments, local government units (excluding police and legal offices), Indian tribal governments and organizations, nonprofit organizations, and institutions of higher education, both public and private.
This funding opportunity offers a critical chance to advance research and improve services addressing violence against women, with a focus on generating evidence that can shape more effective policies and programs nationwide.
For more information, visit Grants.gov.