OVW Fiscal Year 2024 National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse Program | O OVW 2024 172228

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2024 172228

The OVW Fiscal Year 2024 National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse Program is a discretionary federal grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), focused on strengthening how correctional systems and victim service providers respond to sexual abuse experienced by people who are incarcerated. The program is rooted in OVW's Innovation Fund authority under 34 U.S.C. 12291(b)(16), which is intended to support pilot projects, demonstration projects, and special initiatives that improve responses to gender-based violence. The assistance listing associated with this opportunity is 16.029, and the award will be made as a cooperative agreement, meaning the federal government expects a more active partnership role than in a standard grant (for example, more ongoing coordination, shared planning, or federal involvement in major implementation decisions).

This funding opportunity is tied directly to the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Standards issued in 2012, which established national requirements for confinement agencies to prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment in custody. A key driver here is PREA Standard 115.53, which requires confinement facilities to give incarcerated people access to outside victim advocates who can provide emotional support services related to sexual abuse. In practice, that requirement highlights a persistent challenge across facilities: building reliable, confidential, and accessible connections between incarcerated survivors and trained outside advocates. OVW, working in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) within the Office of Justice Programs, is addressing that gap by developing a National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse, referred to as the Service Line Initiative.

The initiative is structured as a two-phase project, with a planning phase followed by an implementation phase. This solicitation is specifically for the implementation phase, meaning the funded organization is expected to move beyond conceptual design and into delivering the service line at a national scale. The overall intent is to create or operate a centralized, nationwide point of access that incarcerated survivors can use to obtain emotional support and victim advocacy related to sexual abuse, helping confinement facilities meet PREA obligations while ensuring survivors can reach qualified, external support in a consistent way across jurisdictions.

Eligibility is intentionally narrow because the project is national in scope and operationally complex. Applicants must be able to manage a large-scale national effort and must fall into one of two categories: (1) victim service providers with experience delivering services to victims of sexual abuse in correctional settings, or (2) nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that provide training and technical assistance specifically related to serving sexual abuse victims in correctional settings. The eligible applicant types listed include nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (in both cases excluding institutions of higher education), as well as "other" eligible entities as allowed by OVW for this solicitation. The emphasis throughout is on demonstrated expertise with the realities of correctional environments, survivor-centered advocacy, and the specialized barriers incarcerated survivors face when trying to seek help.

The funding details reflect the targeted, single-award nature of the initiative. OVW anticipates making one award, with an award ceiling of $2,000,000. The opportunity number is O-OVW-2024-172228, and the original application deadline is November 12, 2024. As a cooperative agreement in the law, justice, and legal services category, the award is designed to support a national infrastructure effort rather than a small local pilot, and it signals OVW's intention to work closely with the selected recipient to implement the service line in a way that aligns with PREA requirements and broader goals of improving responses to sexual abuse and gender-based violence affecting incarcerated people.

• The Office on Violence Against Women in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW Fiscal Year 2024 National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.029.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-09-09.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-11-12. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others.

Apply for O OVW 2024 172228

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