OVW Fiscal Year 2023 Grants to Improve the Criminal Justice Response - Solicitation | O OVW 2023 171488

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2023 171488

The OVW Fiscal Year 2023 Grants to Improve the Criminal Justice Response solicitation (often called the ICJR Program, CFDA 16.590) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. It is authorized under 34 U.S.C. 10461-10465 and implemented through 28 C.F.R. Part 90, Subpart D. The program is designed to help jurisdictions treat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious criminal-law violations and to strengthen victim safety, independence, and choice by improving how the entire justice system responds. A central expectation is that applicants build or strengthen a Coordinated Community Response (CCR), meaning agencies and community partners work in a structured, ongoing way across disciplines so victims are not forced to navigate fragmented systems and offenders are held accountable in ways that do not further endanger victims.

At its core, the grant supports system improvement rather than isolated efforts. The CCR approach typically includes collaboration among law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, probation and corrections, victim service providers, culturally specific organizations, legal service providers, healthcare and forensic partners, and other local stakeholders. The intent is to create consistent victim-centered and trauma-informed practices across the process: from first response and investigation, to charging decisions, pretrial practices, court procedures, sentencing, supervision, and access to advocacy and services. OVW links this program to performance measurement and effectiveness reporting under the VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative and OVW reporting to Congress, signaling that awardees are expected to track outcomes and implement practices that align with VAWA goals.

The solicitation reflects several significant updates driven by the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022). One major change is that applicants can now request support for comprehensive civil legal services beyond just help seeking protection orders. That said, if an application includes civil legal services, it must cap direct civil legal services at no more than 30 percent of project activities, keeping the overall focus on criminal justice response and coordinated system change. VAWA 2022 also introduced two new purpose areas that applicants may propose: developing statewide databases on sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs), and supporting alternative methods of reducing crime in communities that replace punitive programs or policies that effectively punish victims for seeking emergency or law enforcement assistance or for criminal activity associated with a victim's residence.

The solicitation also adds new certification expectations for applicant jurisdictions (other than courts). Within three years of receiving a first award after VAWA 2022, jurisdictions must be able to certify that prosecutors' offices have implemented training on victim-centered approaches for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases and that they have victim-centered policies and protocols that disfavor using material witness petitions and bench warrants to secure victim-witness testimony. In addition, jurisdictions must certify that their laws, policies, and practices prohibit prosecution of a minor for prostitution. These requirements are intended to reduce practices that can retraumatize victims or deter reporting while aligning responses with victim autonomy and safety.

There are also practical limits on how funds can be proposed and distributed. Applicants can no longer propose using more than 50 percent of grant funds to develop and disseminate training as a deliverable, reinforcing that training should support broader implementation and system reform rather than being the primary product of the grant. Separately, if an applicant plans to pass through more than 50 percent of the total award to a single organization, the application must explain why that organization is not applying as the lead applicant, which is meant to promote clear accountability and appropriate leadership for the project.

In terms of who can apply, eligibility includes state, county, and city or township governments; federally recognized tribal governments; certain tribal organizations; and nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions), along with other entities as clarified in the full solicitation. The award ceiling listed is $1,000,000, with an expectation of about 60 awards. The opportunity was posted on March 10, 2023, with an original closing date of April 20, 2023. Overall, the solicitation aims to fund coordinated, jurisdiction-wide improvements that make criminal justice responses more consistent, more effective, and more centered on victim safety and autonomy while supporting accountability strategies that do not inadvertently penalize victims.

• The Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW Fiscal Year 2023 Grants to Improve the Criminal Justice Response - Solicitation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.590.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 10, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 20, 2023. (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 $1,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 60 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

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