OVW FY 2020 Justice for Families Program Solicitation | OVW 2020 17568

Opportunity Information: Apply for OVW 2020 17568

The OVW FY 2020 Justice for Families Program Solicitation is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), designed to strengthen how courts and related community partners handle family-involved cases where domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or allegations of child sexual abuse are present. Authorized under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) of 2013, the program focuses on improving both civil and criminal justice responses so that families navigating the justice system are met with practices that prioritize safety, accountability, and informed decision-making, especially in high-risk and complex family situations.

At its core, the Justice for Families Program funds efforts that build the capacity of courts and communities to respond more effectively to families impacted by the targeted crimes. The solicitation highlights several major activity areas that can be supported with grant funds. These include court-based and court-related programs that improve system coordination and case handling; supervised visitation and safe exchange services that help facilitate safer parent-child contact and custody exchanges when violence or abuse is a concern; training and education for professionals who work with families in the court system (such as judges, court staff, advocates, attorneys, custody evaluators, guardians ad litem, probation, and related stakeholders); and civil legal services to help survivors and families address legal needs connected to safety and stability. The program also supports the provision of resources in juvenile court matters, recognizing that youth and family court proceedings often intersect with concerns about violence, abuse, and safety planning.

The opportunity is listed under Funding Opportunity Number OVW 2020 17568 and is offered as a grant funding instrument. It falls within the funding activity category of Law, Justice and Legal Services (with an additional "Other" classification noted in the source data). The applicable CFDA number is 16.021. The solicitation was created on November 12, 2019, and the original application closing date was January 8, 2020, indicating it was part of OVW's FY 2020 funding cycle.

Eligibility is broad and includes state governments, county governments, city or township governments, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education). The listing also notes that additional applicant types may be eligible under an "Others" category, with further details referenced in the full eligibility clarification section of the solicitation.

In terms of funding scale, the solicitation indicates an award ceiling of $650,000 per award, with an estimated 20 awards expected. Overall, the program is aimed at practical, system-improving work that helps courts and partners respond consistently and safely to family cases involving violence or abuse, including strengthening supervised visitation and exchange options, improving professional practice through targeted training, expanding access to civil legal support, and ensuring juvenile court-related resources and responses are aligned with survivor and child safety needs.

• The Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women in the law, justice and legal services, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW FY 2020 Justice for Families Program Solicitation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.021.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 12, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 08, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for OVW 2020 17568

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