OVW Fiscal Year 2022 Grants to Enhance Culturally Specific Services for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program Solicitation | O OVW 2022 171077

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2022 171077

The OVW Fiscal Year 2022 Grants to Enhance Culturally Specific Services for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program (often referred to as the Culturally Specific Services Program, or CSSP) is a discretionary grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). Authorized under 34 U.S.C. 20124 (and linked definitions in 34 U.S.C. 12291), the program is designed to strengthen and expand community-based victim services that are specifically tailored to the cultural and language needs of communities that can face barriers in accessing more traditional victim service systems. In practical terms, the funding is meant to help organizations deliver services that feel relevant, trusted, and accessible to survivors within their own communities, especially when mainstream services are not reaching them effectively.

A central focus of the solicitation is the support of culturally specific services, which federal law defines as community-based services that are both culturally relevant and linguistically specific. The program is primarily directed toward racial and ethnic minority groups as defined in 42 U.S.C. 300u-6(g). The solicitation highlights the groups included in that definition: American Indians (including Alaska Natives, Eskimos, and Aleuts), Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders, Blacks, and Hispanics. The underlying idea is that survivors from these communities may encounter unique obstacles such as language barriers, immigration-related concerns, lack of culturally competent providers, distrust of systems due to historical harm, stigma within communities, or limited access to services in rural or underserved areas. CSSP funding is positioned as a way to address those obstacles through programs built by and for the communities they serve.

The grant supports two broad types of work. First, it supports the maintenance and replication of existing successful community-based programs that already provide culturally specific services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. That includes sustaining effective direct services and, where appropriate, replicating proven approaches so they can reach more survivors or be implemented in additional locations. Second, it supports the development of innovative culturally specific strategies to improve access to services and resources for victims who face barriers to traditional service systems. Innovation here can mean new outreach strategies, partnerships, service delivery models, or approaches that reduce practical and cultural barriers, as long as they stay grounded in culturally and linguistically specific practices.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is a grant (funding instrument type: Grant) categorized under Law, Justice and Legal Services. The CFDA number listed is 16.016. The funding opportunity number is O-OVW-2022-171077. OVW anticipated making around 23 awards under this solicitation, with an award ceiling of $300,000 per award. The solicitation was posted on March 8, 2022, with an original closing date of April 21, 2022.

Eligibility is aimed at organizations positioned to deliver culturally specific, community-based services rather than general-purpose institutions. Eligible applicants include Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (also other than institutions of higher education). The listing also includes "Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification)," which signals that OVW may allow additional entity types under certain conditions described in the full solicitation, but the core emphasis remains on community-rooted organizations capable of providing culturally specific and linguistically appropriate victim services.

Finally, the solicitation points applicants to OVW program webpages for broader program guidance, examples of successful projects, and performance measurement expectations. Like many OVW programs, CSSP ties awards to OVW performance measures under the Measuring Effectiveness Initiative associated with VAWA grant programs, meaning recipients should be prepared to track and report activities and outcomes that demonstrate how the funded work improves access, service quality, and survivor support within culturally specific communities.

• 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 2022 Grants to Enhance Culturally Specific Services for Victims of Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program Solicitation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.016.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 08, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 21, 2022. (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 $300,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 23 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: 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, Nonprofits that do not have 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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