DOJ – Legal Assistance for Victims (2017)

By NLADA on January 9, 2017

Applications Due: February 16, 2017, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Description:

The Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid adult and youth victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking who are seeking relief in legal matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence, at minimum or no cost to the victims. LAV Grant Program funds may not be used to provide criminal defense services. Grant funds may be used to provide direct legal services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence. The objective of the LAV Grant Program is to develop innovative, collaborative projects that provide quality representation to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

Funding Title: OVW FY 2017 Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program

Agency Name: Office on Violence Against Women

Funding Opportunity Number: OVW-2017-11920

Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Express Language for Legal Aid: Yes.

Target Population: Victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking

Expected Number of Awards: 60

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

Estimated Total Program Funding: $30,000,000

Award Ceiling: $800,000

Award Floor: $400,000

How to Apply: The complete application package is available on Grants.gov or at the OVW website at www.justice.gov/ovw. Applicants wishing to request a paper copy of the application materials should contact ovw.lav@usdoj.gov.

Letter of Registration: Applicants intending to apply for FY 2017 funding under this program are strongly encouraged to submit a letter of registration. The letter should state that the applying organization is registered and current with SAM and with Grants.gov. The letter should be submitted to OVW at ovw.lav@usdoj.gov by January 26, 2017. This will ensure that the applicant is well-positioned to successfully submit a proposal by the application deadline. This letter will not obligate the applicant to submit an application

Current Closing Date for Applications: by February 16, 2017, 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Eligible Applicants:

Private nonprofit entities.

Publicly funded organizations not acting in a governmental capacity, such as law schools.

Territorial organizations: For the purposes of this solicitation, a “territorial organization” is defined as a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization addressing sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and/or stalking within a United States territory.

Indian tribal governments.

Indian tribal organizations: The term “tribal organization” means the governing body of any Indian tribe; 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; or any tribal nonprofit organization. The term “tribal nonprofit organization” means a victim services provider that has as its primary purpose to assist Native victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking; and that has staff and leadership with a demonstrated history of assisting American Indian or Alaska Native victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking.

Indian tribal consortia: Any applicant representing a consortium of tribal governments must submit documentation of authority in the form of a resolution or legal equivalent from each tribal consortium member, unless existing consortium bylaws or other tribal governance documents allow action without explicit authorization from the member tribes in the consortium. In that case, the tribal consortium must submit a resolution, a letter, affidavit, or other documentation, as appropriate, that certifies that the tribal consortium has the legal authority to apply for grants under this solicitation on behalf of the consortium. This documentation must be current, be sufficient to demonstrate authority for the application, contain authorizing signature(s), and be submitted by the application’s due date. In addition, a copy of the bylaws or other governance documents that allow the tribal consortium’s action without support from all consortium members must be included with this documentation.

Link to Full Announcement: Here

Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact the OVW at (202) 307-6026 or email ovw.lav@usdoj.gov.

Pre-Application Conference Calls:

OVW will conduct one web-based and/or conference call Pre-Application Information Session.

During this session, OVW staff will review the LAV Grant Program requirements, review the solicitation, and allow for a brief question and answer session. Participation in this session is optional. The session is tentatively scheduled for:

Wednesday, January 25, 2017 from 2pm – 4pm.

To register, please email ovw.lav@usdoj.gov using the subject line: “Pre-Application Information Session RSVP.” Registration must be received at least two days prior to the start of the session.