OVW Fiscal Year 2021 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program Solicitation | O OVW 2021 38001 PROD

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2021 38001 PROD

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) Fiscal Year 2021 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program is a discretionary Department of Justice grant opportunity (CFDA 16.524) authorized under 34 U.S.C. 20121. Its core purpose is to expand access to meaningful civil and criminal legal help for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including both adults and youth ages 11 and older. The program is designed to fund direct, comprehensive legal services that address legal problems connected to, caused by, or arising out of the abuse, with an emphasis on improving victim safety, privacy, and longer-term stability.

A central feature of this solicitation is OVW's focus on "comprehensive" legal assistance, meaning services that go beyond one-time advice and are not satisfied by intake or a simple referral alone. The funded work is meant to respond to the real-life mix of legal issues victims often face, which commonly span multiple systems at once. On the civil side, the solicitation specifically highlights legal assistance in family court matters such as divorce, child custody, and child support; housing and landlord-tenant disputes; consumer issues; and credit restoration, all of which can be critical to helping survivors achieve economic independence and avoid being forced back into unsafe situations. It also includes legal help with protection orders and stay-away orders, including both emergency and non-emergency proceedings, and recognizes that victims may need representation in tribal, territorial, campus administrative, immigration, employment, and administrative agency matters, among other similar proceedings.

The program also explicitly supports legal assistance connected to the criminal legal system when it affects a victim's safety and privacy. This can include support related to investigations, prosecutions, and post-trial matters such as sentencing, parole, and probation. The point is not to replace the role of prosecutors, but to ensure victims have access to legal advocacy that protects their rights and interests in processes that can have major consequences for their safety, confidentiality, and ability to move forward.

Eligible applicants are broad and include nonprofit organizations (both 501(c)(3) and certain non-501(c)(3) nonprofits), public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Native American tribal governments, and other Native American tribal organizations. The solicitation also references an "Others" eligibility category, indicating that some additional applicant types may qualify depending on the specific criteria described in the full announcement. OVW is the administering agency.

In terms of funding parameters, the solicitation lists an award ceiling of $800,000 and anticipates making approximately 56 awards. The opportunity was posted on December 4, 2020, with an original closing date of February 2, 2021. As a law, justice, and legal services funding opportunity, it is structured as a grant and supports projects that increase the availability and quality of victim-centered legal representation and related direct legal services.

Finally, the solicitation points applicants to OVW program information pages and to the Measuring Effectiveness Initiative performance measures for the Legal Assistance Program, underscoring that grantees are expected to track and report outcomes tied to OVW goals and objectives. It also references OVW reports to Congress that provide examples of successful projects and documented effectiveness under VAWA-funded programs, signaling that proposals should align with evidence-informed, victim-centered practices and demonstrate how funded services will make a concrete difference in victim safety, privacy, and economic independence.

• The Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW Fiscal Year 2021 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program Solicitation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.524.
• This funding opportunity was created on Dec 04, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 02, 2021. (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 $800,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 56 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for O OVW 2021 38001 PROD

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