DOJ – Justice for Families Program (2018)

By NLADA on November 7, 2017

Applications Due: December 20, 2017, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Description:

The Grants to Support Families in the Justice System program (Justice for Families Program) was authorized in the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 to improve the response of all aspects of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse.

In FY 2018, OVW is limiting applicants to addressing only purpose areas 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8:

(Purpose Area 1) Supervised visitation and safe exchange: Provide supervised visitation and safe visitation exchange of children and youth by and between parents in situations involving domestic violence, dating violence, child sexual abuse, sexual assault, or stalking. Applicants proposing activities under this purpose area must propose activities under at least one additional purpose area for a standard project. This purpose area must be included in a comprehensive project.
(Purpose Area 3) Training for court-based and court-related personnel: Educate court-based and court-related personnel and court-appointed personnel (including custody evaluators and guardians ad litem) and child protective services workers on the dynamics of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including information on perpetrator behavior, evidence-based risk factors for domestic and dating violence homicide, and on issues relating to the needs of victims, including safety, security, privacy, and confidentiality, including cases in which the victim proceeds pro se. Applicants proposing activities under this purpose area must also propose activities under purpose area 1 and/or 5.
(Purpose Area 4) Juvenile court resources: Provide appropriate resources in juvenile court matters to respond to dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault (including child sexual abuse), and stalking and ensure necessary services dealing with the health and mental health of victims are available. Applicants proposing activities under this purpose area must also propose activities under purpose area 1 and/or 5.
(Purpose Area 5) Court and court-based programs and services: Enable courts or court-based or court-related programs to develop or enhance a) court infrastructure (such as specialized courts, consolidated courts, dockets, intake centers, or interpreter services); b) community-based initiatives within the court system (such as court watch programs, victim assistants, pro se victim assistance programs, or community-based supplementary services); c) offender management, monitoring, and accountability programs; d) safe and confidential information-storage and information-sharing databases within and between court systems; e) education and outreach programs to improve community access, including enhanced access for underserved populations; and f) other projects likely to improve court responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Applicants proposing activities under this purpose area are not required to propose activities under any other purpose area for a standard project, but may apply to implement additional purpose areas if they choose. This purpose area must be included in a comprehensive project.
(Purpose Area 6) Civil legal assistance: Provide civil legal assistance and advocacy services, including legal information and resources in cases in which the victim proceeds pro se, to:

(a) victims of domestic violence; and

(b) nonoffending parents in matters:

(i) that involve allegations of child sexual abuse;

(ii) that relate to family matters, including civil protection orders, custody, and

divorce; and

(iii) in which the other parent is represented by counsel.

Applicants proposing activities under this purpose area must also propose activities under purpose area 1 and/or 5 for a standard project. This purpose area must be included in a comprehensive project. In addition, a project in which the primary focus is on providing civil legal assistance is not appropriate for the Justice for Families Program and will be removed from consideration. At least 50% of all proposed activities and budget items in the application must be targeted toward activities other than civil legal services. All costs supporting civil legal services, including indirect costs and pro se victim assistance programs that provide civil legal assistance proposed under Purpose Area 5(b), will be counted toward this cap on civil legal assistance.

(Purpose Area 8) Training within civil justice system: Improve training and education to assist judges, judicial personnel, attorneys, child welfare personnel, and legal advocates in the civil justice system. Applicants proposing activities under this purpose area must also propose activities under purpose area 1 and/or 5.

Funding Title: OVW FY 2018 Justice for Families Program

Agency Name: Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women

Funding Opportunity Number: OVW-2018-13741

Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Express Language for Legal Aid: Yes, civil legal assistance is listed under Purpose Area 6. However, please note the following language regarding primary focus and budget allocation included under Purpose Area 6:

A project in which the primary focus is on providing civil legal assistance is not appropriate for the Justice for Families Program and will be removed from consideration. Applications that allocate more than 50% of project activities and the budget for civil legal assistance would be better suited to the OVW Legal Assistance for Victims Program, for which applications are solicited annually.

Target Population: Families with a history of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse

Expected Number of Awards: 16

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

How to Apply:

Registration: To submit an application, all applicants must obtain a Data Universal

Number System (DUNS) Number, and register online with the System for Award Management (SAM) and with Grants.gov. To ensure sufficient time to complete the registration process, applicants must obtain a DUNS Number, and register online with SAM and with Grants.gov immediately, but no later than, December 6, 2017.

Letter of Registration: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a letter of registration to OVW.JFF@usdoj.gov by November 29, 2017. This will ensure that applicants are well positioned to successfully submit an application by the deadline. Submitting a Letter of Registration will not obligate a potential applicant to submit an application. Interested applicants who do not submit a Letter of Registration are still eligible to apply.

Pre-Application Information Sessions: OVW will pre-record a pre-application information session for entities interested in submitting an application for the Justice for Families Program. Listening to this session is optional. Interested applicants who do not participate are still eligible to apply. During this session, OVW staff will review the Justice for Families Program requirements, review the solicitation, and address frequently asked questions. The session is tentatively scheduled to be available by Thursday, November 16, 2017 on the OVW website.

Anyone interested in submitting an application to the Justice for Families Program is encouraged to listen to the recorded Pre-Application Information Session and contact the Justice for Families Program at (202) 307-6026 or OVW.JFF@usdoj.gov with any additional questions.

Current Closing Date for Applications: December 20, 2017, 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Estimated Total Program Funding: $11,000,000

Award Ceiling: $700,000

Award Floor: $550,000

Eligible Applicants:

Eligible applicants are limited to: states, units of local government, courts (including juvenile courts), Indian tribal governments, nonprofit organizations, legal services providers, and victim service providers.

Priority Consideration: In FY 2018, OVW is interested in supporting the priority areas identified below. Applications proposing activities in the following areas will be given special consideration.

Improve services for and/or the response to victims of sex trafficking and other severe forms of trafficking in persons who have also experienced domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking. An example of an appropriate JFF project under this priority area could be training judges, advocates, and others who work with victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking to recognize when those victims may also be victims of sex trafficking or other severe forms of trafficking in persons. Another example is a court docket specifically addressing sex trafficking or other severe forms of trafficking in persons experienced by victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking.
Meaningfully increase access to OVW programming for specific marginalized and/or underserved populations (based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, age, etc.).
Increase the use of promising, evidence-based, and evidence-building practices, where available.

Link to Full Announcement: Here

Contact Information: For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, contact OVW Justice for Families unite at (202) 307-6026 or OVW.JFF@usdoj.gov.