Grants / Department of Justice / Office on Violence Against Women

O-OVW-2021-36002: OVW Fiscal Year 2021 National Service Line for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Abuse Solicitation

Closed Closed August 25, 2021 Opportunity O-OVW-2021-36002 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: OVC and OVW FY 2026 Victim Services for Angel Families Program – Invited Notice of Funding Opportunity (O-OVC-2026-172807). Status: Closes November 16, 2026 (9 days left). It is in our archive of Office on Violence Against Women notices from 2021.

• Award ceiling$600,000
• Award floor$600,000
• Total funding$600,000
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits and colleges and universities.

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• 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
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Eligible entities for this initiative are nonprofit organizations, victim service providers, and universities/institutions of higher education. Eligible applicants, including partners, must have expertise and experience working at the national level on projects related to corrections, the provision of services for survivors of sexual abuse, and implementation of the PREA Standards. For more information, see the Eligibility Information section of this solicitation.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Office on Violence Against Women Special Projects awards averaged $166,973; this notice allows up to $600,000 per award.
• Most of the program's money (44% over five years) went to tribes.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

DOJ estimates that hundreds of thousands of incidents of sexual abuse and sexual harassment occur every year in prisons and jails across the country. Certain historically marginalized groups are statistically more likely to experience abuse in prison, though this violence occurs regardless of gender identity, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, and socioeconomic status. While the prevalence of sexual abuse and sexual harassment in prisons and jails is widespread, the vast majority of incidents go unreported, with estimates of incarcerated victims’ willingness to report their victimization below that of victims not behind bars. Sexual abuse is already one of the most underreported violent crimes in the U.S., and confinement settings create additional barriers for victims to report the sexual abuse or sexual harassment experience and/or seek services. For instance, while victims often fear retaliation from their abusers if they decide to report, the balance of power between inmates and corrections staff, as well as factors like proximity to other inmates, are additional concerns for victims in confinement facilities. The Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Standards, released in 2012, include requirements that are designed to help confinement agencies prevent, detect, and respond to sexual abuse and sexual harassment. PREA Standard 115.51 requires every confinement agency to provide at least one way for inmates to report sexual abuse or harassment to a public or private entity or office that is not part of the agency, and that is able to receive and immediately forward inmate reports of sexual abuse and sexual harassment to agency officials, allowing the inmate to remain anonymous upon request. PREA Standard 115.53 requires confinement facilities to provide inmates with access to outside victim advocates for emotional support services related to sexual abuse. The full text of the PREA Standards can be found on the PREA Resource Center website. While these Standards apply to all federal, state, and local confinement facilities (including jails, prisons, police lockups, juvenile facilities, and community confinement facilities), many confinement agencies and facilities across the country, especially those in remote and rural areas, have struggled to maintain compliance with Standards 115.51 and 115.53. Such agencies and facilities report that needed victim support services are often scarce or non-existent, and typically under-resourced.

Category: Law, Justice and Legal Services.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, O-OVC-2026-172807, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.