Applications Due: February 22, 2018, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time

Description: The Campus Program encourages a comprehensive coordinated community approach that enhances victim safety, provides services for victims and supports efforts to hold offenders accountable. The funding supports activities that develop and strengthen trauma informed victim services and strategies to prevent, investigate, respond and prosecute sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking. The development of campus-wide coordinated responses involving campus victim service providers, law enforcement/campus safety officers, health providers, housing officials, administrators, student leaders, faith-based leaders, representatives from student organizations, and disciplinary board members is critical. To be effective, campus responses must also link to local off-campus criminal justice agencies and service providers, including local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors’ offices, courts, and nonprofit, nongovernmental victim advocacy and victim services organizations. Campuses are encouraged to create or revitalize large-scale efforts that treat sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking as serious offenses by adopting effective policies and protocols, developing victim services and programs that prioritize victim safety, ensuring offender accountability, and implementing effective prevention approaches. Colleges and universities should demonstrate to every student that these crimes will not be tolerated, that perpetrators will face serious consequences, and that holistic services are available for victims that prioritize victim safety, ensuring offender accountability, and implementing effective prevention approaches. Colleges and universities should demonstrate to every student that these crimes will not be tolerated, that perpetrators will face serious consequences, and that holistic services are available for victims.

Funding Title: OVW FY 2018 Grants to Reduce Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking on Campus Program

Agency Name: Office on Violence Against Women

Funding Opportunity Number:   OVW- 2018-13820

 Funding Instrument Type: Grant

Express Language for Legal Aid: Yes. Notice allows funding to be used “To develop, enlarge, or strengthen victim services programs and population specific services on the campuses of the institutions involved, including programs providing legal, medical, or psychological counseling, for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and to improve delivery of victim assistance on campus. To the extent practicable, such an institution shall collaborate with victim service providers in the community in which the institution is located.”

Statutory Requirements state: “All grantees must:

1. Create a coordinated community response (CCR) including both organizations external to the institution and relevant divisions of the institution. This includes the establishment of a coordinated community response team that consists of both:
2. External Partnerships as outlined in the External Memorandum of Understanding

(EMOU) with:

1. At least one criminal justice system or civil legal assistance entity or organization such as external law enforcement agencies, prosecutor’s offices, civil legal assistance providers, court or law enforcement-based victim services units, or courts…”

Target Population: Victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking from underserved population on campus

Expected Number of Awards: 45

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

Estimated Total Program Funding: $20,000,000

 Award Ceiling: $750,000

Award Floor: $0

How to Apply: Registration: To ensure all applicants have ample time to complete the registration process, applicants must obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number, register online with the System for Award Management (SAM) and with Grants.gov immediately, but no later than January 31, 2018.

Letter of Registration: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a letter of registration to ovw.campus@usdoj.gov by January 25, 2018. This will ensure that applicants are well-positioned to successfully submit their applications by the deadline. This letter will not obligate potential applicants to submit an application. Interested applicants who do not submit a Letter of Registration are still eligible to apply.

Pre-Application Information Session: OVW will conduct one web-based pre-application information session for entities interested in submitting an application for the Campus Program. Participation in this session is optional. Interested applicants who do not participate are still eligible to apply. During this session, OVW staff will review the Campus Program requirements, review the solicitation, and allow for a brief question and answer period. This session is tentatively scheduled for: January 25, 2018.

Current Closing Date for Applications:   by February 22, 2018, 11:59 p.m., Eastern Time

Eligible Applicants: Eligible entities for this program are institutions of higher education. An institution of higher education is an educational institution in any state7 that: (1) admits as regular students only persons having a certificate of graduation from a school providing secondary education, or the recognized equivalent of such a certificate; or students who have completed a secondary school education in a home school setting that is treated as a home school or private school under state law; (2) is legally authorized within such state to provide a program of education beyond secondary education; (3) provides an educational program for which the institution awards a bachelor’s degree or provides not less than a 2-year program that is acceptable for full credit toward such a degree, or awards a degree that is acceptable for admission to a graduate or professional degree program; (4) is a public or other nonprofit institution; and (5) is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or association, or if not so accredited, is an institution that has been granted preaccreditation status by such an agency or association that has been recognized by the Secretary of Education for the granting of preaccreditation status, and the Secretary of Education has determined that there is satisfactory assurance that the institution will meet the accreditation standards of such an agency or association within a reasonable time.

Eligible entities include tribal colleges and universities and historically black colleges and universities, to which OVW is required to ensure equitable distribution of grants under the authorizing statute for this program (see 34 U.S.C. § 20125(a)(3)(C)).

 Link to Full Announcement: Here

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

Categories: Department of Justice, Domestic Violence, Education Organizations, Express Language for Legal Aid, Subgrant Possibilities, Victims of Crime