11 Feb Funding Alert! Grants for Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking
Department of Justice – Office on Violence Against Women
Does your organization work with victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking? The Department of Justice (DOJ) is accepting proposals for its Grants for Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (DVSA) through the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), a component of the DOJ. The overall goals of the LAV program are to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid adult and youth (ages 11 and older) victims by providing funds for comprehensive direct legal services in legal matters relating to or arising from abuse or violence. OVW is especially seeking organizations that serve culturally specific organizations to advance racial equity, improve outreach and services to underserved and population-specific communities, and focus on sexual assault and non-intimate partner sexual assault.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) with the exception of institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments, Native American tribal organizations, private institutions of higher education, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private nonprofit entities, publicly funded organizations not acting in a governmental capacity, and faith-based and community organizations.
In addition to the eligible entity requirements, applicants must provide certification that the person providing legal assistance has demonstrated expertise in legal assistance to victims of DVSA or is partnered with an entity with demonstrated expertise and has completed training in connection with this focus area.
What is the program goal?
By increasing the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid adult and youth (ages 11 and older) victims of DVSA, the LAV program aims to provide funds for comprehensive direct legal services to victims in legal matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence. Comprehensive legal services should address the broad spectrum of legal issues that victims encounter and help promote economic independence for victims. In addition to representation in emergency and non-emergency protection order hearings, this includes tribal, territorial, immigration, employment, administrative agency, housing matters, campus administration, or protection or stay away order proceedings, family matters (divorce, child custody, or child support), as well as criminal justice investigations, prosecutions, and post-trial matters (sentencing, parole, and probation) that impact the victim’s safety and privacy, consumer or housing matters, and credit restoration. The program supports initiatives that do one or more of the following for DVSA victims:
- Provide legal assistance through cooperative efforts and projects between service providers and legal assistance providers.
- Provide legal assistance by organizations with a demonstrated history of providing direct legal or advocacy services on behalf of these victims.
- Provide competent, supervised, pro bono legal assistance (no more than 10% of funds for this).
The funder expects to award 56 grants with a total award amount of $800,000 over a 36-month project period. The total available funding pool is approximately $35 million. The program does not require a cost share or matching funds.
The Grants.gov proposal deadline is coming up quickly on March 10, 2022, with a JustGrants secondary deadline on March 16, 2022. Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a letter of intent (LOI) by February 23, 2022.
What makes a project a good fit?
The O-OVW Legal Assistance program requires applicants either have expertise in providing legal services to DVSA victims and/or partner with an established organization with expertise. The request for proposal (RFP) recommends detailing years of experience and detail for dedicated personnel providing services including name, title, and years of service. For applications providing 80% or more of project activities to legal services of non-intimate partner sexual assault, the expert must be the lead applicant and detail specific experience.
In addition, applicants proposing the following activities may apply for larger awards with competitive preference and an additional 24 months of non-competitive funding:
- advancing racial equity as a culturally specific organization or serving primarily LGBTQ and immigrant communities
- strengthening efforts to prevent and end sexual assault including victim services and civil and criminal justice responses
Prioritization and special consideration will be given to organizations proposing to focus 50% or more of grant-funded activities on intimate and non-intimate partner sexual assault legal services or applications submitted by sexual assault coalitions proposing to focus 80% or more on non-intimate sexual assault legal services.
What if I am ready to apply? To move your project forward, take the following action steps as soon as possible:
- Review the full solicitation for additional details and project activities.
- Check out the OVW website, which includes news updates, a podcast focused on the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a list of previously awarded grants by program and state, and other helpful information.
- Make sure your System for Award Management (SAM) registration is active and be sure you have a Grants.gov profile. You can check your SAM status here: https://sam.gov/content/status-tracker.
- Begin familiarizing yourself with DOJ’s grants management portal, JustGrants, where proposals under this solicitation will be submitted.
What if I need help with this application?
Contact Assel Grant Services (AGS) today! Our team can help with all aspects of preparing the application and managing the grant if you are awarded. If you would like to discuss this possibility, please contact AGS as soon as possible. Rosie Brennan, Community Engagement Specialist, will be happy to talk with you about this opportunity and provide you a quote for grant services.
What if I am not ready to apply this year?
Start preparing for next year! OVW also has a variety of other programs and funding opportunities available that might be a good fit, depending on your organization’s service area, target population, and objectives. The office’s grant page has ample resources and descriptions of available or upcoming opportunities.
How do I learn more about federal grant proposal writing, so my application is more likely to be successful?
AGS is excited to offer a Federal Grants Training Series in 2022! The series is designed to support nonprofit leaders before and during the application process. AGS also offers several on demand webinars on a variety of topics to support the full grant cycle. Check out our website to learn more and sign up for our training newsletter.
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