PKG00247562-instructions..pdf

OMB Number - 1122-0020 Expiration Date: 12/31/2018 i

U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW)

OVW Fiscal Year 2019 Improving Criminal Justice

Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and

Stalking Grant Program

Solicitation

Release Date: on or about January 15, 2019

Eligibility

Eligible applicants are limited to: states; Indian tribal governments; state and local courts (including juvenile courts); units of local government; state, tribal, or territorial domestic violence or sexual assault coalitions; or victim service providers.

(See “Eligibility Information”)

Deadlines

Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (E.T.) on February 26, 2019.

(See “Submission Dates and Times”)

Registration Information: To submit an application, all applicants must obtain a Data Universal Number System (DUNS) Number and register online with the System for Award Management (SAM) and with Grants.gov. To ensure sufficient time to complete the registration process, applicants must obtain a DUNS Number and register online with SAM and with Grants.gov immediately, but no later than February 12, 2019.

(See “Registration”) https://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ ii

Letter of Intent: Applicants are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent to OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov by February 12, 2019. This letter confirms that the applicant has registered with SAM and Grants.gov. Submitting a Letter of Intent will not obligate a potential applicant to submit an application. Interested applicants who do not submit a Letter of Intent are still eligible to apply.

(See “Letter of Intent”)

Pre-Application Information Sessions: OVW will conduct two (2) web-based Pre-Application Information Sessions for entities interested in submitting an application for this program.

Participation in these sessions is optional. Interested applicants who do not participate are still eligible to apply.

(See “Pre-Application Information Sessions”)

Contact Information

For assistance with the requirements of this solicitation, email OVW at OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov.

Alternatively, interested parties may call OVW at (202) 307-6026.

Submission and Notification Information

Submission: Applications for this program will be submitted through Grants.gov. For technical assistance with Grants.gov, contact the Grants.gov Customer Support Line at 1-800-518-4726.

The Grants.gov number assigned to this announcement is OVW-2019-15743.

Notification: OVW anticipates notifying applicants of funding decisions by October 1, 2019.

mailto:OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov mailto:OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov http://www.grants.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/ iii

Contents A. Program Description Overview

About the OVW Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program

Program Scope

Purpose Areas

OVW Priority Areas

Statutory Priority Areas

Activities that Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery and Undermine Offender Accountability

Out-of-Scope Activities

Activities Requiring Prior Approval

B. Federal Award Information Availability of Funds

Award Period and Amounts

Types of Applications

Mandatory Program Requirements

C. Eligibility Information Eligible Applicants

Cost Sharing or Matching

Other Program Eligibility Requirements

D. Application and Submission Information Address to Request Application Package

Pre-Application Information Sessions

Content and Form of Application Submission

Formatting and Technical Requirements

Application Contents

Summary Data Sheet Proposal Abstract

Project Narrative

Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Additional Required Information iv

Unique Entity Identifier (DUNS Number), System for Award Management (SAM), and Grants.gov Registration

Submission Dates and Times

OVW Policy on Late Submissions

Intergovernmental Review - Single Point of Contact Review

Funding Restrictions

Other Submission Requirements

Submitting a Grant Application

E. Application Review Information Criteria

Review and Selection Process

Anticipated Announcement and Federal Award Dates

F. Federal Award Administration Information Federal Award Notices

Administrative and National Policy Requirements

Reporting

G. Federal Awarding Agency Contact(s) H. Other Information Application Checklist

OVW Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual

Assault, and Stalking Grant Program

(CFDA 16.590)

A. Program Description Overview The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is a component of the United States Department of Justice (DOJ). Created in 1995, OVW administers grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and subsequent legislation and provides national leadership on issues of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. OVW grants support coordinated community responses to hold offenders accountable and serve victims.

About the OVW Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant (Improving Criminal Justice Responses) Program This program is authorized by 34 U.S.C. §§ 10461-10465 and implemented through regulations at 28 C.F.R. Part 90, Subpart D. The Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program encourages state, local, and tribal governments and courts to treat domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking as serious violations of criminal law requiring the coordinated involvement of the entire criminal justice system. For additional information about this program, see https://www.justice.gov/ovw/grant-programs and https://www.vawamei.org/grant-program/improving-criminal-justice-response-icjr-program/.

Program Scope Activities supported by this program are determined by statute, federal regulations, and OVW policies. If an applicant receives an award, the funded project is bound by the provisions of this solicitation, the DOJ Financial Guide, including updates to the guide after an award is made, the section of the Solicitation Companion Guide entitled “Post-Award Requirements for All Federal Award Recipients,” and the conditions of the award.

Purpose Areas Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10461, funds under this program must be used for one or more of the 22 statutory purpose areas. To ensure meaningful implementation of proposed project activities, applicants can address no more than three statutory purpose areas in the proposal.

1. To implement proarrest programs and policies in police departments, including policies for protection order violations and enforcement of protection orders across state and tribal lines.

2. To develop policies, educational programs, protection order registries, data collection systems, and training in police departments to improve tracking of cases and classification of complaints involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Policies, educational programs, protection order registries, and training described in this paragraph shall incorporate confidentiality, and privacy protections for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/grant-programs https://www.vawamei.org/grant-program/improving-criminal-justice-response-icjr-program/ https://www.justice.gov/ovw/file/1030311/download https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1108301/download

3. To centralize and coordinate police enforcement, prosecution, or judicial responsibility for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking cases in teams or units of police officers, prosecutors, parole and probation officers, or judges.

4. To coordinate computer tracking systems and provide the appropriate training and education about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking to ensure communication between police, prosecutors, parole and probation officers, and both criminal and family courts.

5. To strengthen legal advocacy service programs and other victim services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including strengthening assistance to such victims in immigration matters.

6. To educate federal, state, tribal, territorial, and local judges, courts, and court-based and court-related personnel in criminal and civil courts (including juvenile courts) about domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and to improve judicial handling of such cases.

7. To provide technical assistance and computer and other equipment to police departments, prosecutors, courts, and tribal jurisdictions to facilitate the widespread enforcement of protection orders, including interstate enforcement, enforcement between states and tribal jurisdictions, and enforcement between tribal jurisdictions.

8. To develop or strengthen policies and training for police, prosecutors, and the judiciary in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking against older individuals (as defined in section 3002 of title 42) and individuals with disabilities (as defined in section 12102(2) of title 42).

9. To develop state, tribal, territorial, or local policies, procedures, and protocols for preventing dual arrests and prosecutions in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and to develop effective methods for identifying the pattern and history of abuse that indicates which party is the actual perpetrator of abuse.

10. To plan, develop and establish comprehensive victim service and support centers, such as family justice centers, designed to bring together victim advocates from victim service providers, staff from population specific organizations, law enforcement officers, prosecutors, probation officers, governmental victim assistants, forensic medical professionals, civil legal attorneys, chaplains, legal advocates, representatives from community-based organizations and other relevant public or private agencies or organizations into one centralized location, in order to improve safety, access to services, and confidentiality for victims and families. Although funds may be used to support the colocation of project partners under this paragraph, funds may not support construction or major renovation expenses or activities that fall outside of the scope of the other statutory purpose areas.

11. To develop and implement policies and training for police, prosecutors, probation and parole officers, and the judiciary in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of sexual assault, with an emphasis on recognizing the threat to the community for repeat crime perpetration by such individuals.

12. To develop, enhance, and maintain protection order registries.

13. To develop human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing programs for sexual assault perpetrators and notification and counseling protocols.

14. To develop and implement training programs for prosecutors and other prosecution-related personnel regarding best practices to ensure offender accountability, victim safety, and victim consultation in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

15. To develop or strengthen policies, protocols, and training for law enforcement, prosecutors, and the judiciary in recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking against immigrant victims, including the appropriate use of applications for nonimmigrant status under subparagraphs (T) and (U) of section 1101(a)(15) of title 8.

16. To develop and promote state, local, or tribal legislation and policies that enhance best practices for responding to the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including the appropriate treatment of victims.

17. To develop, implement, or enhance sexual assault nurse examiner programs or sexual assault forensic examiner programs, including the hiring and training of such examiners.

18. To develop, implement, or enhance Sexual Assault Response Teams or similar coordinated community responses to sexual assault.

19. To develop and strengthen policies, protocols, and training for law enforcement officers and prosecutors regarding the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases and the appropriate treatment of victims.

20. To provide human immunodeficiency virus testing programs, counseling, and prophylaxis for victims of sexual assault.

21. To identify and inventory backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits and to develop protocols for responding to and addressing such backlogs, including policies and protocols for notifying and involving victims.

22. To develop multidisciplinary high-risk teams focusing on reducing domestic violence and dating violence homicides by-

a. using evidence-based indicators to assess the risk of homicide and link high-risk victims to immediate crisis intervention services;

b. identifying and managing high-risk offenders; and

c. providing ongoing victim advocacy and referrals to comprehensive services including legal, housing, health care, and economic assistance.

Because the majority of the statutory purpose areas listed above include functions and/or activities that are inherently governmental, coalitions and victim service providers applying as the lead applicant may seek funding to address only purpose areas 5 and 10 above.

OVW Priority Areas In FY 2019, OVW is interested in supporting the priority area(s) identified below. Applications proposing activities in the following areas will be given special consideration or receive additional points as detailed below.

1. Reduce violent crime against women and promote victim safety.

OVW will give special consideration to applications that meaningfully address one or more of the following statutory purpose areas: 3 (specialized units), 10 (co-located services/FJC), 14 (training for prosecutors), 19 (improving investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases), and 22 (reducing domestic and dating violence homicides).

In considering whether an application meaningfully addresses purpose area 3, 14, 19, and 22, no less than 75 percent of proposed goals, objectives, activities, and budget must support law enforcement, prosecution, and/or court partners. Funding can support salaries, fringe, officer overtime, supplies, equipment, training, and travel costs. In considering whether an application meaningfully addresses purpose area 10, no less than 50 percent of proposed goals, objectives, activities, and budget must support law enforcement, prosecution, and/or court partners. Applications that meet this requirement will receive a 10 point addition during the recommendation process.

2. Increase the response to victims of trafficking.

OVW will give special consideration to applications that propose to develop or expand government-led coordinated community response teams, multidisciplinary teams, or sexual assault response teams that focus on the criminal justice response to victims of sex trafficking and other severe forms of trafficking (as defined in 22 U.S.C. § 7102) as it intersects with sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking (hereinafter referred to as trafficking). Applications that meaningfully address this priority area must propose to use 50 percent or more of the requested funding to support activities that address trafficking, and the applicant must include a project partner with documented experience working in this area on the MOU, as well as a local, state, tribal and/or federal law enforcement agency and/or prosecutor’s office as an MOU partner.

Applications that meaningfully address this priority area will not receive additional points, but will receive special consideration during the recommendation process.

Statutory Priority Areas Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. §10462(b), when making Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program awards, priority is given to applicants that:

• Do not currently provide for centralized handling of cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking by police, prosecutors, and courts;

• Demonstrate a commitment to strong enforcement of laws, and prosecution of cases, involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including the enforcement of protection orders from other states and jurisdictions, including tribal jurisdictions;

• Have established cooperative agreements or can demonstrate effective ongoing collaborative arrangements with neighboring jurisdictions to facilitate the enforcement of protection orders from other states and jurisdictions, including tribal jurisdictions; and

• Intend to utilize grant funds to develop and install data collection and communication systems, including computerized systems, and training on how to use these systems effectively to link police, prosecutors, courts and tribal jurisdictions for the purpose of identifying and tracking protection orders and violations of protection orders, in those jurisdictions where such systems do not exist or are not fully effective.

In FY 2019, applications submitted by states, Indian tribal governments, state and local courts (including juvenile courts), and units of local government addressing one or more statutory priority area(s) above will receive one additional point during the recommendation process.

Activities that Compromise Victim Safety and Recovery and Undermine Offender Accountability OVW does not fund activities that jeopardize victim safety, deter or prevent physical or emotional healing for victims, or allow offenders to escape responsibility for their actions.

Information on activities that compromise victim safety and recovery and undermine offender accountability may be found in the Solicitation Companion Guide.

Applications that propose any activities that compromise victim safety and recovery or undermine offender accountability may receive a deduction in points during the review process or may be eliminated from consideration entirely.

Out-of-Scope Activities The activities listed below are out of the program scope, and they will not be supported by this program’s funding.

1. Research projects (This does not include program assessments conducted only for internal improvement purposes. For information about DOJ regulations on research involving human subjects, see “Research and Protection of Human Subjects” in the Solicitation Companion Guide).

2. Direct legal representation. Grant funds may not be used to provide legal representation in civil or criminal matters. However, grant funds may be used to provide legal representation to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in the limited context of protection order proceedings.

3. Prevention activities. Grant funds may not be used for prevention activities. Grantees are only permitted to engage in outreach activities to inform potential victims about the availability of services.

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

5. Services for children. Grant funds may not be used to provide direct services to children, including children who are witnesses or victims of violence, 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). In addition, funds may not be used to investigate or prosecute child abuse or child sexual abuse cases.

6. Sex offender registry. Grant funds may not be used to create sex offender registries.

Applications that propose activities that are deemed to be substantially out-of-scope may receive a deduction in points during the review process or may be eliminated from consideration entirely.

Activities Requiring Prior Approval Grantees must receive prior approval before using grant funds to support surveys.

B. Federal Award Information 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. There is no guarantee that funds will be available in the future. OVW may elect to make awards in a future fiscal year for applications submitted under this solicitation but not selected for FY 2019 funding, depending on the merits of the applications and the availability of funding.

Award Period and Amounts The award period is 36 months. Budgets must reflect 36 months of project activity, and the total “estimated funding” on the SF-424 must reflect 36 months. Generally, the award period will start on October 1, 2019.

This program typically makes awards in the range of $500,000 - $750,000. OVW estimates that it will make up to 45 awards for an estimated $30,000,000, of which no more than 25% of available funding will be awarded for applications where the lead applicant is a victim service provider or coalition.

Funding levels under this program for FY 2019 are:

• $500,000 for projects with a service area population up to 400,000;

• $750,000 for projects with a service area population 400,001 to 700,000;

• $1,000,000 for projects with a service area population 700,001 and above; or

• $1,000,000 for statewide projects, regardless of service area population.

OVW has the discretion to make awards for greater or lesser amounts than requested and to negotiate the scope of work and budget with applicants prior to making an award.

Awards will be made as grants.

Types of Applications In FY 2019, OVW will accept the following types of applications for this program:

New: applicants that have never received funding under this program or whose previous funding expired more than 12 months ago.

Continuation: applicants that have an existing or recently closed (within the last 12 months) award under this program. Continuation funding is not guaranteed.

This program’s grant recipients that received an FY 2017 or FY 2018 award are NOT eligible to apply.

Additionally, current grantees with a substantial amount of funds remaining (50% of the award) at the time of application submission without adequate justification may not be considered for funding, or may receive a reduced award amount if selected for funding in FY 2019.

Mandatory Program Requirements Applicants that receive funding under this program will be required to engage in the following activities:

1. OVW-sponsored training and technical assistance.

2. New grantee orientation unless exempted by OVW.

HIV Certification Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10461(d), states and units of local government that receive Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program funding shall not be entitled to 5 percent of their total award unless the state or unit of local government:

1. certifies that it has a law, policy, or regulation that requires –

a. the state or unit of local government at the request of a victim to administer to a defendant, against whom an information or indictment is presented for a crime in which by force or threat of force the perpetrator compels the victim to engage in sexual activity, testing for the immunodeficiency virus (HIV) not later than 48 hours after the date on which the information or indictment is presented and the defendant is in custody or has been served with the information or indictment;

b. as soon as practicable notification to the victim, or parent and guardian of the victim, and defendant of the testing results; and

c. follow-up tests for HIV as may be medically appropriate, and that as soon as practicable after each such test the results be made available in accordance with b; or

2. gives the Attorney General assurances that its laws and regulations will be in compliance with requirements of paragraph (1) within the period ending on the date on which the next session of the state legislature ends.

All state and local government applicants must submit either a certification that they are in compliance with the above requirement along with a copy of the relevant law, regulation, or policy, or an assurance attesting that the applicant will meet the requirement by the end of the next legislative session from the date of application. The certification or assurance must be in the form of a letter, on government letterhead, signed and dated by the authorized representative. A special condition withholding five percent of funds will be added to all awards to states and units of local governments that submit assurances or do not provide a compliant law, regulation, or policy with the certification.

Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 90.64, in the event that a unit of local government does not have authority to prosecute “crime[s] in which by force or threat of force the perpetrator compels the victim to engage in sexual activity[,]” the unit of local government may submit a letter from an appropriate legal authority in the jurisdiction certifying that the jurisdiction does not have the authority to prosecute “crime[s] in which by force or threat of force the perpetrator compels the victim to engage in sexual activity” and that therefore the certification is not relevant to the unit of local government in question.

The signed HIV Certification, HIV Assurance, or HIV Exemption letter must be uploaded as a separate attachment in Grants.gov. Sample Letters can be found on the OVW website at https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1123876/download.

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1123876/download

C. Eligibility Information

Applications that are submitted by ineligible entities or that do not meet all program eligibility requirements will not be considered for funding. In addition, an application that is deemed deficient in one or more of the following categories may not be considered for funding: 1.

activities that compromise victim safety, 2. out-of-scope activities, 3. unallowable costs, 4. pre-award risk assessment, 5. completeness, and 6. timeliness. Further, an applicant with past performance issues, long-standing open audits, or an open criminal investigation also may not be considered for funding.

Eligible Applicants Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10461(c), the following entities are eligible to apply for this program:

1. States;1

2. Indian tribal governments;2

3. State and local courts (including juvenile courts);3

4. Units of local government;4 (Note: Pursuant to 28 C.F.R. § 90.61(b), the following are not considered units of local government and not eligible to apply as the lead applicant -police departments, pre-trial service agencies, district or city attorneys' offices, sheriffs' departments, probation and parole departments, and universities.)

5. State, tribal, or territorial domestic violence or sexual assault coalitions5 that partner with a state, Indian tribal government, or unit of local government; and

6. Victim service providers6 that partner with a state, Indian tribal government, or unit of local government.

Nonprofit Organization Requirement – 501(c)(3) Status Any entity that is eligible for this program based on its status as a nonprofit organization must be an organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code. See 34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(16)(B)(i).

1 Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(31), “state” means each of the several states and, the District of Columbia, and except as otherwise provided, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

2 Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(36), the term “tribal government” means any tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including any 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.

3 Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(2), the term “courts” means any civil or criminal, tribal, and Alaska Native Village, federal, state, local or territorial court having jurisdiction to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including immigration, family, juvenile, and dependency courts, and the judicial officers serving in those courts, including judges, magistrate judges, commissioners, justices of the peace, or any other person with decision making authority.

4 Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(40), “unit of local government” means any city, county, township, town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a state.

5 A state, tribal, or territorial domestic violence or sexual assault coalition is a coalition recognized by OVW pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10441(d)(2)(A), determined by the Secretary of Health and Human Services under 42 U.S.C. § 10411, or determined by the Center for Injury Prevention and Control of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. §§ 280b et seq.). See also 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(32)-(35).

6 Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(43), the term “victim service provider” means a nonprofit, nongovernmental or tribal organization or rape crisis center, including a state or tribal coalition, that assists or advocates for domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking victims, including a domestic violence shelter, faith-based organizations, and other organizations, with a documented history of effective work concerning domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

Nonprofit Organization Requirement – Offshore Accounts Any nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code is not eligible for a grant from this program. See 34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(16)(B)(ii).

Cost Sharing or Matching This program has no match or cost sharing requirement.

Other Program Eligibility Requirements In addition to meeting the eligible entity requirements outlined above, applications for this program must also meet the requirements below. All certification and other eligibility related documents must be current and developed in accordance with the FY 2019 solicitation.

Certification of Eligibility All applicants must submit a Certification of Eligibility at the time of application. The Certification of Eligibility must be in the form of a letter, on government letterhead, signed and dated by the chief executive officer of the state, Indian tribal government, unit of local government, or court7.

The signed Certification of Eligibility letter must be uploaded as a separate attachment in Grants.gov. Sample Certification of Eligibility letters can be found on the OVW website at https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1123871/download.

Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 10461(c):

1. State, Unit of Local Government, and Tribal Government Applicants must:

a. certify that their laws or official policies:

i. encourage or mandate arrests of domestic violence offenders based on probable cause that an offense has been committed; and

ii. encourage or mandate arrest of domestic violence offenders who violate the terms of a valid and outstanding protection order;

b. demonstrate that their laws, policies, or practices and their training programs discourage dual arrests of offender and victim;

c. certify that their laws, policies, or practices prohibit issuance of mutual restraining orders of protection except in cases where both parties file a claim and the court makes detailed findings of fact indicating that both parties acted primarily as aggressors and that neither party acted primarily in self-defense;

d. certify that their laws, policies, and practices do not require, in connection with the prosecution of any misdemeanor or felony domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking offense, or in connection with the filing, issuance, registration, modification, enforcement, dismissal, or service of a protection order, or a petition for a protection order, to protect a victim of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault, that the victim bear the costs associated with the filing of criminal charges against the offender, or the costs associated with the filing, issuance, registration, modification, enforcement, dismissal, or service of a warrant, protection order, petition for a protection order, or witness subpoena, whether issued inside or outside the state, tribal, or local jurisdiction; and

e. certify that, their laws, policies, or practices will ensure that –

7 “Chief executive officer” means the highest official of a state, tribe, local jurisdiction, or court.

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/page/file/1123871/download

i. no law enforcement officer, prosecuting officer or other government official shall ask or require an adult, youth, or child victim of a sex offense as defined under federal, tribal, state, territorial, or local law to submit to a polygraph examination or other truth telling device as a condition for proceeding with the investigation of, trial of, or sentencing for such an offense; and

ii. the refusal of a victim to submit to an examination described in clause (i) shall not prevent the investigation of, trial of, or sentencing for the offense.

2. Court Applicants must certify:

a. their laws, policies, or practices prohibit issuance of mutual restraining orders of protection except in cases where both parties file a claim and the court makes detailed findings of fact indicating that both parties acted primarily as aggressors and that neither party acted primarily in self-defense;

b. the laws, policies, and practices applicable to the court do not require, in connection with the prosecution of any misdemeanor or felony domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking offense, or in connection with the filing, issuance, registration, modification, enforcement, dismissal, or service of a protection order, or a petition for a protection order, to protect a victim of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking, that the victim bear the costs associated with the filing of criminal charges against the offender, or the costs associated with the filing, issuance, registration, modification, enforcement, dismissal or service of a warrant, protection order, petition for a protection order, or witness subpoena, whether issued inside or outside the state, tribal, or local jurisdiction; and

c. the laws, policies or practices applicable to the court ensure that:

i. no law enforcement officer, prosecuting officer or other government official shall ask or require an adult, youth, or child victim of a sex offense as defined under federal, tribal, state, territorial, or local law to submit to a polygraph examination or other truth telling device as a condition for proceeding with the investigation of, trial of, or sentencing for such an offense; and

ii. The refusal of a victim to submit to an examination described in subparagraph (i) shall not prevent the investigation of, trial of, or sentencing for the offense.

3. Victim Service Provider and Coalition Applicants

Coalition and victim service provider applicants must partner with a state, Indian tribal government, or unit of local government, and must submit with their application a Certification of Eligibility as described above signed by the chief executive officer of that government partner on government agency letterhead.

Required Partnerships All applications to the Improving Criminal Justice Responses Program must include formal partnerships as described below based on lead applicant type. Applicants that fail to include the mandatory partners will be removed from further consideration.

• State, Indian Tribal Government, Unit of Local Government and Court Applicants Applicants that are states, units of local governments, tribal governments, or courts are required to enter into a formal partnership with: 1) one or more victim service provider(s) that have a documented history of serving victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking, and 2) other governmental organizations that are necessary for the implementation of the proposed project. A victim service provider must be involved in the development and implementation of the project. Victim service provider partners must provide direct 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.

• Coalition or Victim Service Provider Applicants Lead applicants that are victim service providers, including coalitions, are required to enter into a formal partnership with: 1) a state, Indian tribal government, unit of local government, or court appropriate to the service area and 2) any specific governmental organizations that are necessary for the implementation of the proposed project. All partners must be involved in the development and implementation of the project.

All formal partnerships must be documented in the form of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) or Letter of Commitment. Letters of Commitment can only be submitted in place of an MOU when the lead applicant is a court and the court is precluded from entering into an MOU.

In that situation, the court applicant may submit a Letter of Commitment in lieu of an MOU, stating how the court is precluded from entering into an MOU, and the project partners may also submit Letters of Commitment. See “Memorandum of Understanding” section for additional information on MOU requirements.

Limit on Number of Applications OVW will consider only one application per organization for the same service area in response to this solicitation. In addition, if an applicant submits multiple versions of the same application, OVW will review only the most recent system-validated version submitted before the deadline.

D. Application and Submission Information Address to Request Application Package The complete application package (this solicitation, including links to required forms) is available on Grants.gov or the OVW website. Applicants wishing to request a paper copy of these materials should contact 202-307-6026 or OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov.

Pre-Application Information Sessions OVW will conduct two web-based pre-application information sessions for entities interested in submitting an application for this program. During these sessions, OVW staff will review this program’s requirements, review the solicitation, and allow for a brief question and answer period. These sessions are tentatively scheduled for:

1. Government Applicants: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. E.T.

2. Victim Service Provider Applicants: Wednesday, February 6, 2019, 3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

E.T.

The total number of participants for each session may be limited, and therefore interested participants from the same agency/jurisdiction are expected to participate together. OVW reserves the right to deny multiple registrations from a single agency/jurisdiction to allow as many interested applicants as possible to participate.

https://www.justice.gov/ovw/open-solicitations

To register, contact the Improving Criminal Justice Responses Unit at OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov or at 202-307-6026. Registration must be received at least seven (7) days prior to the start of the session. Participants are not registered until they receive a confirmation email. Webinars will be captioned in English and Spanish. Interested applicants needing additional language assistance should contact this program’s POC at OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov or at 202-307-6026 as soon as possible, but no later than January 30, 2019.

Content and Form of Application Submission The information below (“Letter of Intent through “Additional Required Information”) describes the full content and form of application submission. For a complete checklist of required contents, see the “Other Information” section in this solicitation.

Letter of Intent Applicants intending to apply for FY 2019 funding under this program are strongly encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent. The letter should state that the applicant is registered and current with SAM and with Grants.gov. The letter should be submitted to OVW at OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov by February 12, 2019. This letter will not obligate the applicant to submit an application. See https://www.justice.gov/ovw/resources-applicants for a sample Letter of Intent.

Formatting and Technical Requirements Applications must follow the requirements below. Points may be deducted for applications that do not adhere to the following requirements:

1. Double spaced (Project Abstract, Summary Data Sheet and charts may be single spaced)

2. 8½ x 11 inch paper

3. One-inch margins

4. Type no smaller than 12 point, Times New Roman font

5. Page numbers

6. No more than 20 pages for the Project Narrative

7. Word documents in the following formats: Microsoft Word (.doc), PDF files (.pdf), or Text

Documents (.txt).

8. Headings and sub-headings that correspond to the sections identified in this section of the solicitation.

Application Contents Applications must include the following required documents and demonstrate that the program eligibility requirements have been met. OVW will not contact applicants for missing items on the list below. Applications that do not include all of the following documents will be considered substantially incomplete and will not be considered for funding:

1. Project Narrative

2. Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative

3. Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)/Letter of Commitment

4. Certification of Eligibility

Summary Data Sheet (5 Points Total) The Summary Data Sheet should be one to four pages and may be single or double spaced.

The Summary Data Sheet does not count toward the 20 page limit for the Project Narrative.

mailto:OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov mailto:OVW.ICJR@usdoj.gov http://www.grants.gov/ https://www.justice.gov/ovw/resources-applicants

Provide the following information:

1. Name, title, address, telephone number, and e-mail address of the individual with authority to accept grants on behalf of the applicant.

2. Name, title, address, telephone number, and e-mail address for the grant point-of-contact. This person must be an employee of the applicant.

3. Statement as to whether the applicant (the organization whose DUNS number is being used for the application) will serve as a fiscal agent/sponsor for an entity or entities that will implement the project, and the applicant itself will not be involved with implementation of the project beyond issuing subaward(s) to these entities. If this is the case, the applicant also must list these subrecipients and include a statement acknowledging that, should an award be made, the applicant will be responsible for all applicable statutory, fiscal, and programmatic requirements, including those of 2 C.F.R.

Part 200, as well as all project deliverables. In such situations, the fiscal agent/sponsor must be an eligible applicant for the program.

4. Statement as to whether the applicant has expended $750,000 in federal funds in the applicant’s past fiscal year. If so, specify the end date of the applicant’s fiscal year.

5. Summary of current and pending OVW grants (if applicable). If the applicant has a current grant or cooperative agreement under any OVW grant program or an award that has been closed within the last 12 months from the date this solicitation closes, the information must be provided in a table using the sample format found on the OVW website https://www.justice.gov/ovw/resources-applicants. Failure to provide the required table will result in a loss of points. The applicant should also provide the same information regarding any current OVW grants or pending applications on which the applicant is a subrecipient.

6. Statement as to whether the applicant is a nonprofit organization that is described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 and is exempt from taxation under section 501(a) of that Code.

7. A list of other federal grant programs from which the applicant currently receives funding or for which it has applied for funding in FY 2019 to do similar work. Provide this information in a table using the sample format found on the OVW website https://www.justice.gov/ovw/resources-applicants .

8. Statement as to whether the applicant is a nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding paying the tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code.

9. Statement as to whether the applicant is a nonprofit organization that uses the Internal Revenue Service's three-step safe-harbor procedure to establish a rebuttable presumption that its executives' compensation is reasonable. If the applicant is not a nonprofit organization or is a nonprofit that does not use the safe-harbor procedure, provide a statement to that effect. For additional information about the safe-harbor procedure, see "Disclosure of Process Related to Executive Compensation" in the Additional Required Information section.

10. The percentage of grant activities, should the application be funded, that will address each of the following issues (the total percentages should not exceed 100%):

• Sexual assault;

• Domestic violence;

• Dating/teen dating violence; and/or

• Stalking.

11. The Purpose Area(s) the application addresses.

12. The Statutory Priority Areas the application addresses, if applicable.

http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?tpl=/ecfrbrowse/Title02/2cfr200_main_02.tpl https://www.justice.gov/ovw/resources-applicants

13. Statement as to whether the application addresses any of the OVW priority areas:

• Reduce violent crime against women and promoting victim safety through activities under purpose areas 3, 10, 14, 19, or 22; and/or

• Increase the response to victims of trafficking.

14. The name of the lead applicant and type of applicant – state, Indian tribal government, state or local court, unit of local government, coalition or victim service provider.

15. The project’s focus (local, tribal, multi-jurisdiction [involving 10 or more counties], statewide, regional [multiple states], or court) and geographic area(s) where the project will be implemented.

16. The start and end date of the applicant’s next state or tribal legislative session.

17. For state and unit of local government applicants only: Statement as to whether the applicant is in compliance with the HIV Certification requirement.

Proposal Abstract (not scored) The Proposal Abstract must provide a short summary (no more than two pages double-spaced) of the proposed project, including names of applicant and partners, primary activities, products and deliverables, the service area, and who will benefit. Applicants must not summarize past accomplishments in this section.

Project Narrative (60 Points Total) The Project Narrative may not exceed 20 pages, double-spaced. The Project Narrative must include the following three sections:

Purpose of Application (10 points)

This section must:

1. Describe the communities to be served, including the geographic location, the populations in the service area, and any marginalized and/or underserved population(s);8

2. Identify the service area where the project will be implemented and provide a service area map that identifies the project’s targeted area and jurisdiction(s) to be served;

3. Identify the purpose area(s) the applicant is proposing to address;

4. Identify the statutory priority areas and OVW priority areas the application is proposing to address, if applicable;

5. State the problem(s) the project will address (include local statistics/data, whenever possible);

6. Provide a detailed description of the need for the project;

7. Identify gaps in services and explain how the proposed project will compliment and not duplicate existing services; and

8. Describe the impact of current or prior efforts to prevent and reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking in the service area.

What Will Be Done (40 points)

The application must provide a clear link between the proposed activities and the need identified in the “Purpose of Application” section above.

8 Applicants should use U.S. Census and other government data, as well as the Limited English Proficient Mapping Tool, available at www.lep.gov/maps/, to obtain this information.

http://www.lep.gov/maps/

1. Identify and describe project goals, objectives, and expected outcomes;

2. Provide a comprehensive description of the overall strategy and describe the specific tasks and activities necessary to accomplish the goals and objectives;

3. Provide a detailed 36-month timeline with a list of key activities and milestones to take place within the award performance period grouped by month or quarter;

4. Describe why the applicant anticipates that the project will be successful, and describe how the applicant will determine if the project goals are accomplished;

5. If applicable, describe specifically how the proposed project will reduce violent crime against women and promote victim safety through activities under purpose areas 3, 10, 14, 19, and/or 22;

6. If applicable, describe specifically how the proposed project will improve the criminal justice system response to trafficking;

7. Describe how funding will address the identified needs in the service area;

8. List tangible products, if any (e.g., a video, a brochure, a curriculum), that will be created under this project, and describe how the products could assist other jurisdictions addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking. Product development is not required; and

9. Describe how the proposed project will be accessible to individuals with disabilities, individuals who are Deaf or hard of…