OVW Fiscal Year 2021 National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse Solicitation | O OVW 2021 36002

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2021 36002

The OVW Fiscal Year 2021 National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse solicitation is a discretionary Department of Justice funding opportunity, administered by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) in partnership with the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). It is framed around a core problem DOJ highlights: sexual abuse and sexual harassment occur at scale in prisons and jails, yet most incidents are never reported. Reporting is especially difficult in confinement settings because survivors often fear retaliation, may be harmed by the power imbalance between incarcerated people and staff, and may have limited private access to help. The opportunity also recognizes that certain historically marginalized groups are statistically more likely to experience abuse, even though victimization occurs across gender identity, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic status.

The grant is tied closely to the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Standards released in 2012, particularly two standards that many facilities struggle to meet in practice. PREA Standard 115.51 requires each confinement agency to provide at least one way for incarcerated people to report sexual abuse or sexual harassment to an external public or private entity that is not part of the agency. That outside entity must be able to receive reports and immediately forward them to agency officials, and it must allow the reporting person to remain anonymous upon request. PREA Standard 115.53 requires facilities to provide access to outside victim advocates who can deliver emotional support services related to sexual abuse. Although these standards apply broadly to federal, state, and local settings (including prisons, jails, police lockups, juvenile facilities, and community confinement facilities), the solicitation notes that many agencies, particularly those in rural or remote locations, report that victim support services are scarce, under-resourced, or effectively unavailable. Facilities also report difficulty finding an external entity with the capacity to receive reports, forward them immediately, and preserve anonymity when requested.

To address these compliance and service gaps, OVW and BJA are exploring whether a national sexual abuse service line could help correctional agencies and facilities meet and maintain PREA compliance while improving survivor access to reporting and support. The initiative is organized as a two-phase project. This solicitation funds Phase One, the planning phase, which is meant to produce the research and design foundation needed to decide whether and how a national service line should operate. Phase One activities include conducting a national scan of current practices used to comply with PREA 115.51 and 115.53, identifying common gaps and needs across jurisdictions, and gathering guidance from subject matter experts about what a national service line would require to be both PREA-responsive and survivor-centered for people who are incarcerated. The stated Phase One goals are twofold: first, to determine if and how a service line could satisfy the complementary but distinct requirements of the two PREA standards (external reporting with anonymity and immediate forwarding, plus access to outside advocacy for emotional support), and second, to develop a comprehensive plan for designing and implementing the national service line.

Phase Two is described as the implementation phase and would use the Phase One comprehensive plan to actually stand up and operate the service line. However, Phase Two is not funded through this solicitation and is contingent on future PREA appropriations. It is also expected to be competitively funded and directed by OVW and BJA. A key structural rule in the solicitation is that the organization selected to develop the Phase One comprehensive plan will not be eligible to receive funding to implement that plan in Phase Two, and this ineligibility may extend to formal partners depending on how involved they are. Applicants are therefore expected to consider that restriction when structuring partnerships and documenting support.

The funding instrument is a cooperative agreement, which generally signals substantial federal involvement compared to a standard grant (for example, closer coordination, shared planning, or ongoing guidance). The opportunity lists an award ceiling of $600,000. The program falls under CFDA 16.029 and is categorized under law, justice, and legal services. The original application closing date listed is August 25, 2021.

Eligibility is limited to entities positioned to work at a national level on corrections-related efforts, sexual abuse survivor services, and PREA implementation. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations (including 501(c)(3) and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status), victim service providers, and universities or institutions of higher education (including public and state-controlled institutions). The solicitation emphasizes that both applicants and any partners must bring credible national expertise and experience spanning corrections systems, survivor-centered sexual assault services, and the practical realities of PREA compliance, because Phase One is intended to produce actionable guidance and a viable blueprint for a nationwide service line that correctional agencies can rely on for both external reporting and victim advocacy access.

• The Office on Violence Against Women in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW Fiscal Year 2021 National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse Solicitation" 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 2021-06-30.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2021-08-25. (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 $600,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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 2021 36002

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