Violence Against Women Act Court Training And Improvement Grants (16.013)

Program

16.013 Violence Against Women Act Court Training And Improvement Grants

Federal Agency

Agency: Department of Justice
Office: Violence Against Women Office

Authorization

Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005, Title I, Section 105, Public Law 109-162, 42 U.S.C. 14043a.

Program Number

16.013

Last Known Status

Active

Objectives

To improve court responses to adult and youth domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Types of Assistance

PROJECT GRANTS

Uses and Use Restrictions

Funds may be used for the following statutory program purposes: (1) improved internal civil and criminal court functions, responses, practices, and procedures; (2) education for court-based and court-related personnel on issues relating to victims' needs, including safety, security, privacy, confidentiality, and economic independence, as well as information about perpetrator behavior and best practices for holding perpetrators accountable; (3) collaboration and training with Federal, State, tribal, territorial, and local public agencies and officials and nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations to improve implementation and enforcement of relevant Federal, State, tribal, territorial, and local law; (4) enabling courts or court-based or court-related programs to develop new or enhance current -- (A) court infrastructure (such as specialized courts, dockets, intake centers, or interpreter services); (B) community-based initiatives within the court system (such as court watch programs, victim assistants, or community-based supplementary services); (C) offender management, monitoring, and accountability programs; (D) safe and confidential information-storage and -sharing databases within and between court systems; (E) education and outreach programs to improve community access, including enhanced access for underserved populations; and (F) other projects likely to improve court responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; and (5) providing technical assistance to Federal, State, tribal, territorial, or local courts wishing to improve their practices and procedures or to develop new programs.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Federal, State, tribal, territorial, or local courts or court-based programs; and national, State, tribal, territorial, or local private, nonprofit organizations with demonstrated expertise in developing and providing judicial education about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Beneficiary Eligibility

Courts and nonprofit organizations.

Credentials/Documentation

Applicants must certify in writing that: (A) any courts or court-based personnel working directly with or making decisions about adult or youth parties experiencing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking have completed or will complete education about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; (B) any education program developed under section 14043 of this title has been or will be developed with significant input from and in collaboration with a national, tribal, State, territorial, or local victim services provider or coalition; and (C) the grantee's internal organizational policies, procedures, or rules do not require mediation or counseling between offenders and victims physically together in cases where domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking is an issue. This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-87.

Application and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

An applicant should consult the office designated as the single point of contact in his or her state for more information on the processes the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review. Application forms furnished by the Federal agency, in accordance with 28 CFR Part 66 (Common Rule), must be used for this program. Environmental impact information is not required for this program. This program is eligible for coverage under E.O. 12372, "Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs." An applicant should consult the office or official designated as the single point of contact in his or her State for more information on the process the State requires to be followed in applying for assistance, if the State has selected the program for review.

Application Procedure

This program is excluded from coverage under OMB Circular No. A-102. OMB Circular No. A-110 applies to this program. Applicants must apply on-line at the grants.gov portal. The receipt, review, and analysis of applications will follow Office on Violence Against Women policies and procedures for the administration of grant applications. This program is subject to provisions of OMB Circular No. A-110.

Award Procedure

Upon approval by the Office on Violence Against Women, online notification is sent to the applicant agency with copies of the Grant Award. One copy of the Grant Award must be signed electronically by an authorized official and returned to the Office of Justice Programs.

Deadlines

Contact the headquarters or regional office, as appropriate, for application deadlines.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

Applicants will be notified by the end of the fiscal year.

Appeals

Not Applicable.

Renewals

Renewals are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program.

This program has no matching requirements. Grants will be made for amounts up to 100 percent of the costs of the programs or projects contained in the approved applications. Match is not required for this grant program; however, applicants are encouraged to maximize the impact of Federal dollars by contributing to the cost of the project. Supplemental contributions may be cash, in-kind services, or a combination of both.

MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

Information regarding length of awards will be included in an Application Kit for the program. Funds are released on an as-needed basis to the grantee. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: lump sum.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

Quarterly financial reports are required as stipulated in the program regulations and the effective edition of the OJP Financial Guide. No cash reports are required. Semi-annual progress reports shall explain the activities carried out and include an assessment of the effectiveness of those activities in achieving the purposes of the program, including number of persons served and numbers of persons seeking services who could not be served. No expenditure reports are required. No performance monitoring is required.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 27, 2003), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Non-Profit Organizations," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133. In accordance with the provisions of OMB Circular No. A-133 (Revised, June 24, 1997), "Audits of States, Local Governments, and Nonprofit Organization," nonfederal entities that expend financial assistance of $500,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Nonfederal entities that expend less than $500,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in Circular No. A-133.

Records

The award recipient must keep complete records on disposition of funds.

Program Accomplishments

Fiscal Year 2008: No Current Data Available Fiscal Year 2009: Awards: 54. Fiscal Year 2010: Awards: 54.

Financial Information

Account Identification

15-0409-0-1-754.

Obligations

(Project Grants) FY 08 not reported.; FY 09 est $1,900,000; FY 10 est $2,090,000

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Range: $900,000 - $1,000,000
Average: $950,000.

Regulations, Guidelines and Literature

The OJP Financial Guide is applicable.

Related Programs

16.587 Violence Against Women Discretionary Grants for Indian Tribal Governments; 16.588 Violence Against Women Formula Grants; 16.589 Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

None.

Headquarters Office

Josh Kamp 800 K Street, NW Suite 850, Washington, District of Columbia 20001 Email: joshua.kamp@usdoj.gov Phone: 2023532639

Web Site Address

http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov.

Examples of Funded Projects

Not Applicable.

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

Criteria are established by the Office on Violence Against Women and included in an annual Application Kit.