OVW Fiscal Year 2018 Justice for Families Program Solicitation | OVW 2018 13741

Opportunity Information: Apply for OVW 2018 13741

The OVW Fiscal Year 2018 Justice for Families Program Solicitation (Funding Opportunity Number OVW 2018 13741) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), designed to strengthen how the justice system responds to families affected by sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, and cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse. The program, formally known as the Grants to Support Families in the Justice System and commonly referred to as the Justice for Families Program, was authorized under the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) of 2013. Its central purpose is to improve and coordinate responses across both the civil and criminal justice systems, recognizing that families experiencing these forms of violence often interact with multiple courts, agencies, and service providers and may face serious safety risks during custody, visitation, and other family court processes.

The solicitation emphasizes building community and court capacity to handle these cases in ways that prioritize victim safety, child safety, and accountability, while also improving consistency and effectiveness in court practices. Supported activities include developing or expanding court-based and court-related programs, particularly supervised visitation and safe exchange services that help manage parent-child contact and custody exchanges in higher-risk situations. These services are intended to reduce opportunities for further abuse, intimidation, or stalking that can occur during exchanges or visitation arrangements, especially when there is a documented history of violence or credible allegations of abuse.

Another major focus is improving the knowledge and skills of professionals who work with families in the court system. Funding may support training and technical assistance for judges, court staff, attorneys, guardians ad litem, custody evaluators, supervised visitation personnel, and other allied professionals who influence outcomes in family, juvenile, and related courts. The goal is to strengthen decision-making and procedures so they reflect an informed understanding of trauma, coercive control, risk factors, and the dynamics of sexual assault and domestic violence, while also promoting safer and more appropriate court orders and practices.

The program also supports civil legal services, which can be critical for survivors who need help navigating protection orders, custody and visitation disputes, divorce, housing, immigration-related remedies, and other legal issues that often overlap with safety planning. In addition, the solicitation highlights resources in juvenile court matters, acknowledging that families impacted by violence may become involved in juvenile court systems in ways that require specialized coordination and informed responses to avoid compounding harm or penalizing survivors for abuse perpetrated against them. Beyond direct services and training, the opportunity can support broader systems-change work, such as developing or promoting legislation, model codes, policies, and best practices that improve how courts and communities respond to these cases over the long term.

Eligible applicants are broad and include 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 an "Others" category with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity area is categorized under Law, Justice and Legal Services, with an additional "Other" category as clarified in the original posting. The CFDA number associated with the opportunity is 16.021.

Key administrative details from the announcement include a creation date of November 3, 2017, and an original application closing date of December 20, 2017. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is $700,000, and OVW anticipated making approximately 16 awards under this solicitation. Overall, the opportunity is aimed at supporting practical, court-connected interventions and system improvements that reduce risk, improve court handling of complex family cases involving violence or abuse, and ensure that families encountering the justice system receive responses that are safer, more coordinated, and more effective.

• 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 Fiscal Year 2018 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 03, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Dec 20, 2017. (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 $700,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 16 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 2018 13741

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: