POST DATE: November 29, 2018

APPLICATION DUE DATE: February 14, 2019

Description:

Through this grant program, Indian tribes receive support and technical assistance for planning and implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction (SDVCJ) and funds to exercise the jurisdiction. The program encourages collaborations among tribal leadership, courts, prosecutors, attorneys, defenders, law enforcement, probation, victim services providers, and other partners to ensure that victims find safety and justice and that non-Indians who commit crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders in the Indian country of the tribe are held accountable.

This program is authorized by the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended, 25 U.S.C. § 1304(f). Through this grant program, Indian tribes receive support and technical assistance for planning and implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction (SDVCJ) and funds to exercise the jurisdiction. The program encourages collaborations among tribal leadership, courts, prosecutors, attorneys, defenders, law enforcement, probation, victim services providers, and other partners to ensure that victims find safety and justice and that non-Indians who commit crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders in the Indian Country of the tribe are held accountable.

Pursuant to 25 U.S.C. § 1304(f), funds under this program must be used for one or more of the following purposes:

1. to strengthen tribal criminal justice systems to assist Indian tribes in exercising SDVCJ, including:

A. law enforcement (including the capacity of law enforcement or court personnel to enter information into and obtain information from national crime information databases);

B. prosecution;

C. trial and appellate courts;

D. probation systems;

E. detention and correctional facilities;

F. alternative rehabilitation centers;

G. culturally appropriate services and assistance for victims and their families; and

H. criminal codes and rules of criminal procedure, appellate procedure, and evidence;

2. to provide indigent criminal defendants with the effective assistance of licensed defense counsel, at no cost to the defendant, in criminal proceedings in which a participating tribe prosecutes a crime of domestic violence or dating violence or a criminal violation of a protection order;

3. to ensure that, in criminal proceedings in which a participating tribe exercises SDVCJ, jurors are summoned, selected, and instructed in a manner consistent with all applicable requirements; and

4. to accord victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and violations of protection orders rights that are similar to the rights of a crime victim described in section 3771(a) of Title 18, consistent with tribal law and custom.

Funding Title: OVW FY 2019 Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction Solicitation

Agency Name: DOJ, Office on Violence Against Women

Funding Instrument Type:     Cooperative Agreement

Express Language for Legal Aid: Not in the currently released version.

Target Population: Tribal communities.

Expected Number of Awards: 10

Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement:  No

How to Apply: The complete application package (this solicitation, including links to required forms) is available on Grants.gov or the OVW website. Applicants wishing to request a paper copy of these
materials should contact OVW.TribalJurisdiction@usdoj.gov or (202) 307-6026.

Pre-Application Information Session: OVW will conduct a web-based pre-application information session for entities interested in submitting an application for this program. During this session, OVW staff will review this program’s requirements, review the solicitation, and allow for a brief question and answer period. The session is tentatively scheduled for:
Thursday, January 3, 2019, at 12:00 p.m. E.T.

The total number of participants for the session may be limited, and therefore interested
participants from the same agency/jurisdiction are expected to participate together. OVW
reserves the right to deny multiple registrations from a single agency/jurisdiction to allow as
many interested applicants as possible to participate.

To register, contact OVW.TribalJurisdiction@usdoj.gov or call (202) 616-0039. Registration
must be received at least one day prior to the start of the session. Participants are not
registered until they receive a confirmation email. The webinar will be captioned in English and
Spanish. Interested applicants needing additional language assistance should contact this
program’s POC at OVW.TribalJurisdiction@usdoj.gov or at (202) 616-0039 as soon as possible,
but no later than December 26, 2018.

Current Closing Date for Applications: February 14, 2019

Estimated Total Program Funding:    $4,000,000

Award Ceiling: $450,000

Award Floor:   $0

Eligible Applicants: 

Link to Full Announcement:

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1115651/download

Contact Information:    

Applicants may obtain additional information regarding business, administrative, or fiscal issues related to this funding opportunity announcement by contacting:

Rebekah Jones

Grant Program Specialist

Phone: (202) 532-3287

OVW.TribalJurisdiction@usdoj.gov

oluwatoyin.akintoye@acf.hhs.gov

Applicants may need assistance when working online to submit their application forms electronically. Applicants should always obtain a case number when calling for support. For assistance with submitting the application in Grants.gov, contact Grants.gov 24 hours a day, seven days a week, excluding Federal holidays at:

Grants.gov Contact Center Telephone: 1-800-518-4726 (International Callers, please dial 606-545-5035) E-mail: support@grants.gov

Categories: Children, Department of Justice, Domestic Violence, Family, Native American, Native American Tribes or Tribal Organizations, Native Americans, Subgrant Possibilities, Victims of Crime