ovw fiscal year 2011 transitional housing assistance program grants for victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.pdf

OMB Number: 1122-0020

Expiration Date: 6/30/2013

U.S. Department of Justice

Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)

OVW Fiscal Year 2011

Transitional Housing Assistance

Program Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic

Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking

Eligibility

Applicants are limited to States, units of local government, Indian tribes, and other organizations, including faith-based and other community organizations, that have a documented history of effective work concerning sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

(See “Eligibility,” page 6)

Deadline

To assist OVW in planning for the independent peer review process, letters of intent to apply should be submitted by March 3, 2011. Please note, however, that letters of intent are optional. Interested applicants who do not submit a letter of intent by the deadline are still eligible to apply. To ensure all applicants have ample time to complete the registration process through Grants.Gov, applicants should register online with

Grants.gov by March 3, 2011.

All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. E.T. on March 17, 2011.

(See “Deadline: Application,” page 5)

Contact Information

In Fiscal Year 2011, OVW applications will be submitted through Grants.gov. [Note:

Change this to the Office of Justice Programs Grants Management System (GMS) for formula programs] For further information and assistance, please see the OVW Grant Program Solicitation Reference Guide at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/resource guidebook.pdf

Grants.gov Number assigned to announcement OVW-2011-2900

All applicants will be notified of the outcome of their applications by September 30, 2011.

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

CONTENTS

Overview of the OVW Transitional Housing Assistance

Grant Program p. 4

Deadline: Letter of Intent p. 5

Deadline: Registration p. 5

Deadline: Application p. 5

Eligibility p. 6

OVW Transitional Housing Assistance

Grant Program Specific Information p. 6

Types of Applicants p. 6

Availability of Funds p. 7

Award Period p. 7

Award Amounts p. 7

Program Scope p. 7

How To Apply p. 11

What An Application Must Include: p. 11

Summary Data Sheet p. 12

Project Narrative p. 13

Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative p. 15

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) p. 18

Proposal Abstract p. 20

Summary of Current OVW Projects p. 20

Application for Federal Assistance p. 21

Standard Assurances and Certifications p. 21

Financial Accounting Practices p. 21

Letter of Non-Supplanting p. 21

Financial Capability Questionnaire p. 22

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement p. 22

Proof of Nonprofit Status, if Applicable p. 22

Selection Criteria p. 22

Review Process p. 23

Performance Measures p. 24

Notice of New Post-Award Reporting Requirements p. 24

Additional Requirements p. 24

Public Reporting Burden p. 25

Application Checklist p. 26

OVW FY 2011 Transitional Housing Assistance

Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic

Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program

(CFDA 16.736)

Overview

This solicitation contains information on how to apply for the Transitional Housing Assistance Grant Program. For general information on applying for all OVW grant programs, please see the OVW Fiscal Year 2011 Grant Program Solicitation Reference Guide (Reference Guide) at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/resource-guidebook.pdf. All applicants should read carefully both this solicitation and the Reference Guide before beginning the application process.

About the OVW Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, and Stalking Program

The OVW Transitional Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, or Stalking Program focuses on a holistic, victim-centered approach to providing transitional housing services that move individuals into permanent housing. Grants made under this grant program support programs that provide assistance to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking who are in need of transitional housing, short-term housing assistance, and related support services. Successful transitional housing programs provide a wide range of flexible and optional services that reflect the differences and individual needs of victims and that allow victims to choose the course of action that is best for them. Transitional housing programs may offer individualized services such as counseling, support groups, safety planning, and advocacy services as well as practical services such as licensed child care, employment services, transportation vouchers, telephones, and referrals to other agencies. Trained staff and case managers may also be available to work with victims to help them determine and reach their goals of permanent housing.

Civil Rights Compliance All recipients of Federal grant funds are required to comply with nondiscrimination requirements contained in various Federal laws. In the event that a court or administrative agency makes a finding of discrimination on grounds of race, color, religion, national origin, gender, disability, or age against a recipient of funds after a due process hearing, the recipient must agree to forward a copy of the finding to the Office for Civil Rights of OJP. All applicants should consult the Assurances required with the application funds to understand the applicable legal and administrative requirements.

Services to Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Persons:

National origin discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of limited English proficiency (LEP). To ensure compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act, recipients are required to take reasonable steps to ensure that http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/resource-guidebook.pdf

LEP persons have meaningful access to their programs. Meaningful access may entail providing language assistance services, including interpretation and translation services, where necessary. Grantees are encouraged to consider the need for language services for LEP persons served or encountered both in developing their proposals and budgets and in conducting their programs and activities. Reasonable costs associated with providing meaningful access for LEP individuals are considered allowable program costs. The U.S.

Department of Justice has issued guidance for grantees to assist them in complying with Title VI requirements. The guidance document can be accessed on the Internet at www.lep.gov or by contacting the OJP’s Office for Civil Rights at (202) 307-0690, or by writing to the following address:

Office for Civil Rights Office of Justice Programs U.S. Department of Justice 810 7th Street, N.W., 8th Floor Washington, DC 20531

Deadline: Letter of Intent

If you intend to apply for Fiscal Year (FY) 2011 funding under this program, we encourage you to submit a letter stating that you intend to apply for funding. The letter will not obligate you to submit an application. Please see http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/sample_letter_of_intent.pdf for a sample letter. The letter should be submitted to OVW by March 3, 2011. You may send the letter to OVW at ovw.transitionalhousing@usdoj.gov. OVW will use these letters to predict the number of peer review panels needed to review the applications. You may still submit an application for funding if you do not submit a Letter of Intent.

Deadline: Registration

The Grants.gov registration deadline is March 3, 2011. For more information on the process of registering and applying in Grants.gov, please see the Reference Guide at pages 15-19.

Deadline: Application

An application submission is complete if (a) a hard copy of the entire application, with original signatures, has been submitted via overnight delivery on or before the deadline and (b) the application has been submitted through Grants.gov. Both electronic and hard copy submissions are required.

The deadline for applying for funding under this announcement is March 17, 2011, 11:59 p.m.

E.T. A hard copy must be sent via an overnight delivery method, date stamped by the shipping company on or before March 17, 2011 to:

The Office on Violence Against Women c/o Lockheed Martin Aspen Systems Corporation OVW Transitional Housing Assistance Program Mail Stop 2K 2277 Research Boulevard Rockville, MD 20850

(301) 519-5000 mailto:ovw.transitionalhousing@usdoj.gov http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/docs/sample_letter_of_intent.pdf http://www.lep.gov

Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications well in advance of the deadline to ensure a successful submission through Grants.gov. For information on OVW’s policy for late applications, please see the Reference Guide at pages 17-19.

Eligibility

It is very important that you review this information carefully. Applications that are submitted by non-eligible entities will be screened out during an initial review process and omitted from further review.

By statute, eligible entities for this program are:

States Units of local government Indian tribes Organizations, including domestic violence and sexual assault victim service providers, domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions, other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations such as faith-based and community organizations, and culturally specific organizations, that have a documented history of effective work concerning sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking.

For the purposes of this program, Indian Tribe is defined as any tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including an Alaska Native village or regional or village corporation (as defined in or established pursuant to the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, 43 U.S.C. § 1601 et seq.), that is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians. Any applicant representing a consortium of tribal governments and/or organizations must submit a resolution from the constituent tribal governments and/or organizations supporting the application.

Other Organizations For the purpose of this program, other “organizations” include nongovernmental private entities, including faith-based and community organizations. Based on past experience, applications from universities have not proposed activities that focus on the statutory purpose and scope of this program. Therefore, universities are discouraged from applying unless they are proposing activities clearly focused on the purpose and scope of this program.

An organization can demonstrate a history of effective work by showing the number of years the agency has provided direct victim and/or housing services, the qualifications or skills of staff assigned to the grant, and the training they have obtained and/or provided.

OVW Transitional Housing Assistance Program – Specific Information

Types of Applicants In FY 2011, OVW will accept applications for the Transitional Housing Assistance Program from applicants who are currently receiving and/or have previously received funding under the Transitional Housing Assistance Program and whose funding will expire on or before September 30, 2011. The FY 2011 Transitional Housing Assistance Program will also accept applications from applicants that have not previously received funding under this program. Grantees that received new or supplemental funding for 36 months in FY 2009 or 24 or 36 months FY 2010 are not eligible to apply.

Notwithstanding the limitation in the preceding paragraph, Recovery Act Transitional Housing Assistance Program grantees that otherwise meet the above eligibility criteria are also eligible to apply. A special note to Recovery Act Transitional Housing Assistance grantees: all Recovery Act grant funding must be tracked, accounted for, and reported on separately from all other funds (including DOJ grant funds from non-Recovery Act grants awarded for the same or similar purposes or programs). All FY 2011 recipients of Transitional Housing Assistance Program funding must be prepared to track and report on the specific outcomes and benefits attributable to use of grant funds separately from the specific outcomes and benefits attributable to use of Recovery Act funds.

Availability of Funds All awards are subject to the availability of appropriated funds and any modifications or additional requirements that may be imposed by law. Funding is not guaranteed.

Award Period The award period for these grants will be 36 months. Budgets must reflect 36 months of project activity, and the total “estimated funding” (block 15) on the SF-424 must reflect 36 months.

Award Amounts Applicants should carefully consider the resources needed to successfully implement the project proposed and present a realistic budget that accurately reflects project costs. Requests should be tied to a specific project or proposal. Transitional Housing Assistance Program funds for FY 2011 will be awarded based on the following guidelines:

All applicants may apply for up to $250,000 for a 36 month period.

Program Scope Under 42 U.S.C. § 13975, grants under this program support programs to provide assistance to individuals who are homeless or in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance as a result of fleeing a situation of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking, and for whom emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient.

Grant funds may be used to provide services only to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking, and their children and dependents, who meet the above criteria.

Statutory Program Purposes By statute, funds under the Transitional Housing Assistance Program may be used for the following purposes:

Programs that provide transitional housing, including funding for the operating expenses of newly developed or existing transitional housing;

Programs that provide short-term housing assistance, including rental or utilities payments assistance and assistance with related expenses such as payment of security deposits and other costs incidental to relocation to transitional housing; and

Programs that provide support services designed to enable individuals who are fleeing sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking to locate and secure permanent housing and integrate into a community by providing those individuals with services such as transportation, counseling, child care services, case management, employment counseling, and other assistance.

OVW is interested in programs that provide a broad range of holistic, victim-centered transitional housing services that move individuals to permanent housing, including transportation, counseling, child care services, case management, and employment counseling.

During the OVW internal review, applications that are partially out of scope will receive up to a 25-point deduction. Applications that propose projects that are substantially outside the scope of the Transitional Housing Assistance Grant Program statutory purpose areas will be disqualified from further funding consideration.

Out-of-Scope Activities

Although certain activities may appear to relate to the Statutory Program Purposes listed above, OVW determines these activities to be out of the program scope. The following is a list of activities that are out of the scope of this program and cannot be supported by the Transitional Housing Assistance Program grant funding:

Limited Use of Funds for Legal Services Grant funds for legal services will be limited to those legal services that are necessary to assist a victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking to locate and secure permanent housing, and to integrate into a community, such as legal services regarding housing, protection orders, and limited immigration matters that may impact and affect a victim’s ability to obtain housing (such as U-visas). Funds under this grant program may not be used for comprehensive, long-term legal assistance, such as divorce or child custody.

(Note: Applicants who are interested in providing more comprehensive legal services to victims may wish to consider OVW’s FY2011 Legal Assistance for Victims program funding opportunity).

Services to Victims Grant funds may be used to provide transitional housing, rental assistance, and /or supportive services only to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking and their children and dependents. Services may only be provided to victims: (1) who are homeless, or in need of transitional housing or other housing assistance, as a result of fleeing a situation of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking; and (2) for whom emergency shelter services or other crisis intervention services are unavailable or insufficient.

Supportive services funded under the OVW Transitional Housing Assistance grant can only be offered and provided to individuals who are victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking and receiving transitional housing services. However, if an applicant is seeking funding to solely provide supportive services, there must be a clear and demonstrated link to a housing program and/or partner for the provision of transitional housing or rental assistance. All projects must offer housing services for an anticipated minimum length of stay of 6 months and a maximum length of stay of 24 months. For individuals to receive supportive services, they must either (1) reside in a transitional housing unit that is operated by the agency or project partner; or (2) receive short-term housing assistance (rental assistance). Grant funds may not be used to provide supportive services beyond this scope.

Elder Abuse Grant funds may be used to provide only transitional housing, rental assistance, and/or supportive services for victims of intimate partner abuse and sexual assault committed against an individual aged 50 or older. All activities addressing elder neglect or elder caregiver abuse will be considered out of scope.

(Note: Applicants who are interested in serving this population may wish to consider OVW’s FY2011 Abuse of Women in Later Life program funding opportunity).

Sanctions Against Victims Participation by individuals in support services shall be voluntary, and must not be made a condition for receiving transitional housing and/or rental assistance. Victims should not be ordered to attend therapy or other specific services or be penalized for choosing not to participate in the criminal justice system. All activities specifying mandatory participation in support services will be considered out of scope.

Prevention Activities Grant funds may not be used for addressing prevention activities (e.g., outreach to elementary and secondary schools, implementation of educational programs regarding domestic and dating violence intervention, and public awareness campaigns). Grantees are only permitted to engage in outreach activities to inform potential victims about the availability of services. In addition, grant funds may not be used to prevent homelessness by payment of mortgage, property taxes or other expenses that would prevent foreclosure or eviction.

Property Grant funds may not be used for the purchase of property. Please see Reference Guide at page 11.

Purchase and/or lease of Vehicles Grant funds may be considered for the purchase and/or lease of a vehicle by the grantee or its partner organization on a case-by-case basis. If requesting a vehicle, a lease/purchase analysis must be submitted in the application. Grant funds may not be used for the purchase and/or down payment of a vehicle for private ownership by a victim in a transitional housing program.

Family Violence Grant funds may not be used to directly address child abuse, or other family violence issues such as violence perpetrated by a child against a parent, or violence perpetrated by a sibling against another sibling.

Children Applicants may not use grant funds to provide direct services to children, including children who witness domestic violence or are victims of child abuse, except where such services are an ancillary part of providing services to the child’s parent who is a victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence or stalking, such as providing child care services while the victim receives services.

Areas of Special Interest to OVW In FY 2011, OVW is particularly interested in projects that:

Create innovative partnerships between victim service providers, housing and homelessness organizations, and faith-based and community organizations that improve the overall value and effectiveness of transitional housing by bringing together organizations to provide a broad spectrum of support services that promote economic independence for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, or stalking, such as mentoring, job training, childcare, and literacy education;

Develop innovative programs to provide transitional housing and supportive services to older individuals (defined as victims of sexual assault and intimate partner domestic violence who are 50 or older) by addressing the unique barriers to receiving assistance that these victims face;

Address the complex needs of individuals with disabilities by providing transitional housing assistance that will enhance the accessibility of services, resources, communication, and outreach to individuals with disabilities;

Provide transitional housing in rural jurisdictions while addressing the lack of available resources in those jurisdictions, social and cultural challenges, and geographic isolation;

and

Develop innovative approaches to improve transitional housing program accessibility and culturally sensitive services to immigrants while addressing barriers that immigrants experience such as the lack of knowledge about resources, language barriers, and issues surrounding immigration.

Unallowable Activities Grant funds under the Transitional Housing Assistance Program may not be used for any unauthorized purposes, including but not limited to the following activities:

Lobbying Fundraising Research projects Purchase of real property Construction Physical modifications to buildings, including minor renovations (such as painting or carpeting) Purchase of vehicles for private ownership by Transitional Housing victims Security deposits for permanent housing

Activities That May Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery The following activities have been found to jeopardize victim safety, deter or prevent physical and emotional healing for victims, or allow offenders to escape responsibility for their actions.

OVW strongly encourages you not to include these activities in your application for funding:

Promoting policies and practices that fail to encourage ongoing safety planning with all victims;

Promoting policies and procedures that fail to protect the confidentiality of victims;

Promoting policies and procedures that fail to account for physical safety issues;

Sponsoring alternative dispute resolution or joint counseling as a response to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking;

Promoting procedures that would require victims to seek legal sanctions against their abusers (e.g., seek a protection order, file formal complaint); and Requiring victims to meet restrictive conditions in order to receive services (e.g., the decision to seek a protection order or counseling is a choice that should be reserved to the victim, and should not be a precondition to services).

Applications may be considered out of scope if significant activities are included that could compromise victim safety, recovery, and confidentiality.

Confidentiality Applicants should be cognizant of victims’ confidentiality. Please see Reference Guide p. 7 for more information.

How to Apply

See the Reference Guide at pages 15-19 for instructions on “how to apply.”

What an Application Must Include

Applicants must complete each of the following sections as part of their response to this solicitation. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that its application is complete by the deadline. OVW may remove an application from consideration prior to peer review if the application is substantially incomplete or received after the deadline without prior permission as described in the Reference Guide at pages 17-19. For each section listed below, please note the corresponding maximum point value that may be assigned during the peer review scoring process. The application should use headings and subheadings in the order below for ease of review. Peer reviewers may not receive any additional materials submitted beyond those required. For example, if an application includes a narrative that is 25 pages, the last five pages may be removed prior to peer review.

Applications must follow the following requirements:

Double spaced (except that any included graphs and charts may be single-spaced) 8½ x 11 inch paper One inch margins Type no smaller than 12 point, Times New Roman font Include a brief Summary Data Sheet Include a Project Abstract (please limit to one page) Include a list of all current OVW projects as described below (if applicable) No more than 20 pages for the Project Narrative (item VII below) Word processing documents must be in the following formats: Microsoft Word (.doc), PDF files (.pdf), or Text Documents (.txt).

Your application will be scored on the following sections:

Summary Data Sheet Project Narrative Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

We reserve the right to deduct points if any of the following materials are missing:

Other Responsibility Matters; and Drug-Free Workplace Requirements (Form 4061/6)

Sections I through XIII below describe the specific elements of a complete application.

I. Summary Data Sheet (5 Points)

Please list the following information on a single page. The Summary Data Sheet should be a separate attachment to the application in Grants.gov and a separate section in the hard copy.

Name, title, address, phone number, and e-mail address for the authorized representative.

(Please see the Reference Guide at page 8 for more information on who can be an authorized representative).

fiscal year for the applicant. Please specify the end date of the fiscal year.

organizations. For applications seeking supplemental funding to a current OVW Transitional Housing award, please indicate any partners that are new to the project as well as partners mentioned in the former grant award that are no longer collaborating on the project.

implemented.

The Transitional Housing Assistance Statutory Program Purposes and Areas of Special

Interest to OVW, if any, addressed by this proposal. Applicants are not required to address an Area of Special Interest to OVW.

Whether the applicant is a Recovery Act Transitional Housing Assistance Program Grantee.

II. Project Narrative (Total 60 Points)

The following narrative should be a separate attachment to the application in Grants.gov and a separate section in the hard copy. The Project Narrative may not exceed 20 pages in length, double-spaced. Please number the pages of your narrative.

A. Purpose of Application (10 points)

This will be rated on the detail with which you provide the above information as well as the quality of the proposed activities plus the following criteria:

Describe the problem to be addressed and how funding would alleviate it;

Describe the community's service area in which the project would be implemented, including location, population, and demographic information;

Identify the target population and state how the target population would benefit from the proposed project (please use current demographic information for the service area in order to be as specific and detailed as possible when describing the population to be served);

or is applying for multiple OVW grants, describe how this project complements such other projects without duplicating efforts.

This section will be rated on the detail with which you provide the above information as well as the quality of the proposed activities plus the following criteria:

The level of detail provided regarding the proposed service area and targeted population demonstrating the need for the project;

The level of detail provided regarding the problem to be addressed;

The distinction between current services available within the community to address the needs identified and the gaps in services that currently exist to meet these needs;

How the proposed services and activities will meet the need that exists;

How the proposed project complements the priorities included within the State’s

STOP Violence Against Women Implementation Plan (this is not required for applications from Tribal governments or nonprofit organizations); and

How the proposed project will complement other OVW-funded projects (if applicable), and not duplicate efforts.

B. What Will Be Done (35 points)

This section should briefly:

Detail project goals and objectives, describing specific tasks and activities necessary for accomplishing each;

Include a timeline for all project activities including a planning phase (if applicable);

Describe the applicant’s method for determining victim eligibility (e.g., screening tools), services offered (including safety planning), facility rules and regulations, facility safety measures, and a fee schedule (if applicable); and

Describe how you plan to address victim safety and autonomy in the project.

This section will be rated on the following criteria:

The extent to which all project activities fall within the statutory scope of the program;

The extent to which proposed activities would address the need described within the Purpose of the Application;

safety;

The extent to which project activities are clearly described and reflect sound and/or innovative strategies to improve victim safety; and How well the timeline of the specific tasks and activities indicate that the project will be successfully implemented and completed within the timeline provided.

All projects must offer housing services for an anticipated minimum length of stay of 6 months and a maximum length of stay of 24 months. Victims may request a waiver for not more than an additional 6-month period if the victim has made a good faith effort to acquire permanent housing and has been unable to acquire permanent housing.

Additionally, the application must include a plan to provide follow-up support services for a minimum of 3 months after a victim has secured permanent housing.

In addition, if applicants are proposing to use any technology (including, but not limited to, security systems, GPS, hotlines, and databases), they should explain how they plan to address any victim safety concerns that may arise from the use of the technology, such as confidentiality, safety planning, and informed consent.

C. Who Will Implement the Project (10 points)

Applicants must identify the State, unit of local government, Indian Tribal government, and other organizations responsible for implementing the proposed project. This section should identify all project partners, specify their respective roles and responsibilities, describe the collaborative relationship to be developed or enhanced, and demonstrate the capacity of all project partners to serve victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking. The Narrative should include program activities during the planning stage of the project (e.g., advisory groups, planning committees, or joint staffing of the project) and a description of the ways the partnership would function throughout the implementation of the project. A description of the expertise or experience of key staff should also be included.

In addition, all applicants are required to enter into a formal collaboration with nonprofit, nongovernmental or Tribal organizations serving victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking. Nonprofit, nongovernmental or Tribal sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking victim service organizations must be involved in the development and implementation of the project. All applicants that are nonprofit, nongovernmental or Tribal organizations serving victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking must collaborate with at least one other organization (e.g., job training organization, housing authority, legal services agency, or law enforcement.) and submit a Memorandum of Understanding (see page 17).

Victim service organizations (applicants and/or MOU partners) should meet all of the following criteria:

Provide services to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking as one of their primary purposes and have a demonstrated history of effective work in this field;

Address a demonstrated need in their communities by providing services that promote the dignity and self-sufficiency of victims, improve their access to resources, and create options for victims seeking safety from perpetrator violence; and

Do not engage in or promote activities that compromise victim safety. OVW reserves the right to deduct points if the application includes any activity that will compromise victim safety.

This section will be rated on the detail with which you provide the above information as well as the quality of the proposed activities plus the following criteria:

A clear link is provided to ensure that all specific activities and tasks are linked to a specific agency or organization to ensure that there is accountability;

The application is either from or includes as a partner a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization serving victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking;

A description of the experience and expertise of all key personnel is included;

Key personnel have expertise relevant to the project; and

Organizations necessary for successful project implementation are project partners.

D. Sustainability Plan (5 Points)

As this is a competitive, discretionary program, there is no guarantee of continuation funding. Applicants are required to include a plan describing their commitment and capacity to continue the project if Federal funding through the Transitional Housing Assistance Program were no longer available. Applicants must also describe at least one locally, private, State, or Federally funded project that the applicant has sustained in the past.

NOTE: Continuation of supplemental funding is not guaranteed and applicants are always encouraged to seek additional means of support to sustain their current projects.

This section will be rated on the feasibility of the plan and demonstration of commitment to continue the project if funds are no longer available.

III. Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative (Total 15 Points)

For more information and samples, please see the Reference Guide at pages 11-14. The Budget Worksheet and Narrative should be one attachment to the application in Grants.gov.

and a separate section in the hard copy.

In developing the budget, applicants should financially compensate, at least one if not all, project partners for their participation in any project-related activities, including, but not limited to, compensation for time and travel expenses to participate in project development, training, and implementation. The budget must include compensation, as mentioned above, for services rendered by project partners, including nonprofit, nongovernmental sexual assault and/or domestic violence victim services programs and State and Tribal sexual assault and/or domestic violence coalitions. If a partner is a state or local governmental agency and the partnership duties are conducted within the course of the agency’s “regular” scope of work, the applicant does not need to compensate the partner if the partner a) offers this arrangement; and b) an explanation of this arrangement is included in the application.

Budget Limits Funding to support the Transitional Housing Assistance Program in FY 2011 is contingent upon Congressional appropriation of funds. Therefore, awards under this program are subject to the availability of funds. Since funds are limited, applicants should carefully consider the resources needed to implement the project and present a realistic budget that accurately reflects the costs involved for a 36-month budget. Applicants should use the anticipated project start date of October 1, 2011.

Applicants may submit budgets up to $250,000 for a 36 month period, not per year. Budgets should include personnel positions that are vital to the success of the program (e.g., advocates or case managers). All applicants may request funding for personnel positions up to 100% for the duration of project.

OVW has the discretion to award grants for greater or lesser amounts than requested and to negotiate the scope of work and budget with applicants prior to award of a grant.

Budget Requirements For budget guidelines, see the Reference Guide at pages 11-14. Additional guidance specific to this program is as follows:

Training and Technical Assistance.

All applicants are required to allocate funds in the amount of $15,000 to support travel costs associated with technical assistance and capacity-building activities sponsored by OVW-designated technical assistance providers. Applicants from Alaska, Hawaii, and United States Territories should allocate $20,000 to account for higher travel costs. These specific applicants may exceed the budget caps to account for this increased travel amount. Please see the Reference Guide at pages 11-12 for more information on this requirement.

Services to Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Persons Applicants may allocate grant funds to support activities that help to ensure that LEP persons have meaningful access to their programs. For example, grant funds can be used to support interpretation and translation services.

Grant recipients are required to work collaboratively with staff from OVW and the designated technical assistance providers. Grant recipients will be asked to identify grant-supported personnel and project partner representatives to participate in technical assistance events. All training will be coordinated by OVW’s technical assistance provider for the Transitional Housing Assistance Program. Applicants will be required to attend at least three OVW sponsored training events over the 36-month grant period, not including the grantee orientation meeting.

The following is a short list of budgetary guidelines:

Applicants are strongly discouraged from requesting consultant rates in excess of $650 per day.

Applicants may not allocate any grant funds for building renovations. This includes such seemingly minor activities as painting or carpeting.

Applicants may not use any OVW funds for conducting research. However, up to 1% of the budget may be allocated for the purpose of assessing the effectiveness of funded activities.

For example, funds may be used to conduct pre- and post-testing of training recipients or victim satisfaction surveys. In conducting such testing or surveys, grantees may not collect, analyze, or disseminate any information identifiable to a private person during the course of assessing the effectiveness of funded activities.

A contribution of non-Federal dollars (“match”) is not required for this program, but applicants are encouraged to maximize the impact of Federal dollars by contributing to the costs of their projects. Supplemental contributions may be cash, in-kind services, or a combination of both. Any non-Federal contributions can be discussed in the project narrative; however, these supplemental contributions should not be included in the budget or budget narrative.

Access to current research and practice on violence against women through training and technical assistance can reduce staff burn-out, improve project performance, and impact project sustainability. Therefore, OVW offers a wide range of training and technical assistance opportunities to all of its grantees. These offerings are specifically designed to assist grantees in meeting their goals and objectives and in complying with all relevant statutory and programmatic requirements. Applications selected for funding that do not include the entire required technical assistance set-aside, as stated above, will not receive additional funds for this purpose, but will be required to adjust their budgets to cover these costs prior to final approval of the proposal. If the person attending the technical assistance offering is an employee of the applicant, the amount should be included in the “Travel” category; if the attendee is a partner of the applicant, the amount should be included in the “Consultants/Contracts” category. Be sure to label costs for this purpose as “OVW Technical Assistance.” Please provide an estimated breakdown for this amount (include the number of trips, number of travelers, airfare or mileage, lodging, per diem, etc.). OVW technical assistance is provided free of charge to grantees, so applicants do not need to include funds for registration fees. These funds are to be used only for OVW-designated technical assistance unless otherwise approved by OVW. Any training and technical assistance funds not used by the end of the grant period may not be reprogrammed and must be returned to OVW. Travel funds should be used to support travel by all partners, including nonprofit, nongovernmental victim services providers. Up to two individuals may attend each training.

The individual(s) responsible for fiscal and administrative oversight of grant awards should be knowledgeable of the applicable grants management rules, principles, and regulations that apply to their organizations and its programs. If these individuals are not familiar with grants management, please contact your OVW program manager or the OVW Grants Financial Management Division at OVW.GFMD@usdoj.gov or 1-888-514-8556 immediately after receiving an award to coordinate the necessary training.

mailto:OVW.GFMD@usdoj.gov

A Sample Budget Detail Worksheet is available at http://www.ovw.usdoj.gov/applicants.htm.

When preparing the Worksheet and Narrative, please use the Sample Budget Detail Worksheet as a guide and be sure to include all necessary budget categories as outlined in the Worksheet.

The budget should clearly describe the proposed amounts and uses of grant funds for the duration of the grant period and how the amounts of the specific budget items were determined.

The budget should demonstrate a clear link between the specific project activities and the proposed budget items. Specifically, the budget should not contain any items that are not detailed in the project narrative.

The budget narrative should support all costs included in the budget and justify the purpose of the costs in relationship to fulfilling the overall objective of the project. The narrative should also include a description of services being performed and how the cost is determined.

This section will be rated on the detail in the budget narrative plus the following criteria:

Guide.

IV. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (20 points)

Applicants are required to submit an MOU that demonstrates they have consulted and coordinated in a meaningful way with non-profit, non-governmental organizations serving victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking. Non-profit, non governmental sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking victim service organizations must be involved in the development and implementation of the project. All applicants that are themselves nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations serving victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking must collaborate with at least one organization (e.g., job training organization, housing authority, legal services agency, law enforcement). The MOU should be a single attachment to the application in Grants.gov and a separate section in the hard copy.

The MOU must be current (i.e., signed and dated during the development of the proposal) and be signed by the chief executive officers and/or directors of:

Non-profit, non-governmental organizations serving victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking, or other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that adequately demonstrate history and expertise in working with victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking. Additionally, the organization should appropriately correspond with the proposed project. For example, if an application focuses mainly on sexual assault, then the nonprofit partner should have demonstrated expertise in sexual assault. Applicants must describe this correlation in their MOUs;

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

Relevant local government agencies participating in project development or implementation (e.g., social services, the courts, or housing authority); and

Other community agencies or organizations that will collaborate to implement the project.

Applicants that have previously been funded under this program must develop a new MOU that reflects the continuation of project activities and include current dates and signatures from all relevant project partners.

The MOU must do the following:

Identify the partners and provide a brief history of the collaborative relationship among those partners, including when and under what circumstances the relationship began and when each partner entered into the relationship;

ensure the success of the proposed project;

Identify the representatives of the planning and development team who will be responsible for developing and implementing project activities and describe how they will work together and with project staff;

Demonstrate a commitment on the part of all project partners to work together to achieve stated project goals;

kind contributions, or grant funds (e.g., office space, project staff, and training);

Describe the history of providing housing assistance to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking; and For applicants seeking supplemental OVW Transitional Housing Assistance Program funding, please describe any changes in the collaboration, including an explanation or description of any new or additional partners that have been added or any partners that no longer participate.

Signatories should be sure to include their titles and agencies under their signatures.

This section will be rated on the detail with which you provided the above information as well as the quality of that information plus the following criteria:

The inclusion of a current (i.e., signed and dated during the development of the proposal), single MOU signed by the chief executive officers and/or directors of:

o All faith-based and community nonprofit, nongovernmental domestic violence and/or sexual assault victim services organizations or community groups that represent the views and concerns of victims participating in the development and implementation of the project; and o Other community agencies or organizations that will collaborate to implement the project;

The extent to which the MOU demonstrates a meaningful partnership among the relevant agencies;

The extent to which MOU partners are fairly compensated for their role in the project;

The extent to which the MOU clearly identifies the partners and provides a brief history of the collaborative relationship among those partners, including when and under what circumstances the relationship began and when each partner entered into the relationship;

The extent to which the MOU clearly states the roles and responsibilities each organization or agency would assume to ensure the success of the proposed project;

The extent to which the MOU clearly identifies the representatives of the planning and development team who will be responsible for developing and implementing project activities and describes how they will work together and with project staff;

The extent to which the MOU clearly…