Office on Violence Against Women Special Projects
Active
- Assistance listing
- 16.029
- Agency
-
Offices Boards and Divisions
Department of Justice
- Grant awards
- 57 $11,782,535 in federal obligations
Program facts
- Also known as
- OVW Special Projects
- Assistance types
-
- Cooperative Agreement
- Project Grant
- Block Grant
- Treasury account
-
- 15-0409-0-1-754
- More information
Program details come from SAM.gov Assistance Listings. Updated . Grant award figures come from USAspending.gov.
About this program
The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women funds promising or innovative practices to respond to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking through the Special Projects program (CFDA 16.029), with the most recent award issued October 1, 2025.
The program maintains active funding with substantial recent disbursements. In the past five years, award volume has been volatile—18 awards in 2020, declining to 2 in 2022, then rising to 15 in 2025—indicating opportunistic or cyclical solicitation patterns rather than steady-state operations. The portfolio spans 57 awards from October 2017 forward, totaling $11.8 million in federal dollars obligated. The funding is concentrated among Cooperative Agreements (51 percent, 29 awards) and Project Grants (46 percent, 26 awards), with a small share of Block Grants (4 percent, 2 awards).
Actual funded activities fall into several distinct tracks. Tribal governments receive financial assistance grants to provide flexible aid—housing, utilities, legal services, transportation, childcare, debt relief, and emergency cash—to survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence; recent tribal recipients include the Ketchikan Indian Community, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Fond du Lac Reservation, Washoe Tribe, and Cherokee Nation, each funded at approximately $114 thousand per 24-month award. Domestic violence courts receive mentorship technical assistance, with established mentor courts hosting site visits, on-site training, and peer consultation to guide novice jurisdictions; Minnesota's Beltrami County Domestic Violence Mentor Court received $147 thousand (October 2025) to mentor other court systems. Specialized initiatives fund campus sexual assault victim services expansion—University of California Irvine and University of South Alabama each received $742 thousand to expand holistic services and develop promising practices guides—and a $2 million Cooperative Agreement to the Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition to develop healing and response teams for missing or murdered Indigenous persons cases. Earlier awards supported sexual assault medical forensic exam training ($1.5 million to a provider in 2018) and a virtual practicum for training on safe protocols ($300 thousand, 2022).
Multiple grant opportunities remain open or recently posted. The Fiscal Year 2025 Domestic Violence Mentor Court Technical Assistance Initiative (solicitation O-OVW-2025-172285) closed July 8, 2025, and solicited Cooperative Agreements from state, tribal, territorial, or local courts. The Fiscal Year 2024 Tribal Financial Assistance Initiative (O-OVW-2024-172129), posted July 2024, supported tribal victim service providers delivering financial assistance and closed August 20, 2024. The Healing and Response Teams Special Initiative (O-OVW-2024-172095) and Campus Victim Services Pilot (O-OVW-2024-171958) also closed in 2024. Applicants must submit through Grants.gov and DOJ's JustGrants System; award notifications are issued by end of fiscal year. Renewals are considered on a case-by-case basis. Grant management follows DOJ Financial Grants Management Guide standards, and recipients must retain records for three years from final expenditure report submission.
Objective and description
- Objective
To promote promising or innovative practices to respond to violence against women, including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
Eligibility
- Applicant eligibility
Further information will be available in occasional notices of funding opportunity (NOFO) under the program.
- Beneficiary eligibility
Beneficiaries will be specified in any notices of funding opportunity (NOFO) issued under this program.
- Credentials and documentation
Specific criteria for the program are provided in the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) available at www.justice.gov/OVW.
- Uses of assistance
Funds will be used to promote promising or innovative practices to respond to violence against women, including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
- Length and time phasing of assistance
Information regarding length of awards will be included in a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the program. Funds are released on an as-needed basis to the grantee.
How to apply
- Application procedure
Applicants must apply through the on-line Grants.gov portal and the Department of Justice's JustGrants System.
- Criteria for selecting proposals
Criteria for award selection is specified in the program notice of funding opportunity (NOFO).
- Award procedure
Upon approval by the Office on Violence Against Women, online notification is sent to the applicant agency. The Authorized Representative must accept the award online.
- Time to approval or disapproval
Applicants will be notified by the end of the fiscal year.
- Renewals
Renewals are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Grant opportunities
Show all 12
Grant awards
Latest 10 of 57 listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Top recipients by federal obligations
| Rank | Recipient | Federal obligations | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition | $2,000,000 | 17% |
| 2 | End Violence Against Women (Evaw) International | $1,800,000 | 15% |
| 3 | University Of South Alabama | $742,500 | 6% |
| 4 | University Of California Irvine | $742,500 | 6% |
| 5 | Tribal Law And Policy Institute | $700,000 | 6% |
| 6 | The Urban Institute | $599,955 | 5% |
| 7 | Community Violence Intervention Center Inc. | $500,000 | 4% |
| 8 | International Association Of Forensic Nurses, Incorporated | $300,000 | 3% |
| 9 | Judiciary Courts Of State Of Oklahom | $300,000 | 3% |
| 10 | Judiciary Courts Of The Commonwealth Of Virginia | $299,574 | 3% |
10 of 46 recipients listed here. See the rest on GovTribe.
Federal obligations by fiscal year
| Fiscal year | Federal obligations |
|---|---|
| FY2026 | $419,877 |
| FY2025 | $1,612,903 |
| FY2024 | $3,352,999 |
| FY2023 | $555,018 |
| FY2022 | $899,955 |
| FY2021 | $2,595,685 |
| FY2020 | $1,103,885 |
| FY2019 | $500,000 |
| FY2018 | $1,229,683 |
| FY2017 | $1,504,907 |
Quick answers
What is Assistance Listing 16.029?
Assistance Listing 16.029 is Office on Violence Against Women Special Projects, a federal grant program run by Offices Boards and Divisions (Department of Justice).
What is the CFDA number for Office on Violence Against Women Special Projects?
Its CFDA number is 16.029: Assistance Listing numbers were called CFDA numbers before 2018.
How much funding has Assistance Listing 16.029 awarded?
57 grant awards under 16.029 have obligated $11,782,535 in federal funds to 46 recipients.
Who receives the most funding from 16.029?
The recipients obligated the most under Office on Violence Against Women Special Projects are Minnesota Indian Women's Sexual Assault Coalition ($2,000,000), End Violence Against Women (Evaw) International ($1,800,000) and University Of South Alabama ($742,500).
How much did 16.029 obligate in fiscal year 2025?
Grants under 16.029 obligated $1,612,903 in federal funds in fiscal year 2025.
Are there open grant opportunities under 16.029?
1 listed opportunity under 16.029 is open or forecasted. The latest, OVC and OVW FY 2026 Victim Services for Angel Families Program - Invited Notice of Funding Opportunity, was posted on October 22, 2026.
On GovTribe
See this program's full record
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