GRANT TITLE: STOP VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN ACT GRANT (VAWA)

            OVERVIEW: The purpose of the S.T.O.P. (Services-Training-Officers-Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Grant Program is to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system's response to violence against women and to support and enhance services for victims. The S.T.O.P. VAWA Grant Program encourages victim service providers, prosecutors, law enforcement, and the courts to implement coordinated multidisciplinary approaches to address domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible for funding under this grant program, an applicant must be a(n): a) State Agency; b) Unit of Local Government (i.e., city, county, town); c) Tribal Government; d) Private Nonprofit Organization, including Faith-based Organizations; e) Non-governmental Victim Services Program

PURPOSE AREAS: Only applications that fall under one or more of these purpose areas will be reviewed. The purpose areas are:

1. Training law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel,  and prosecutors to more effectively identify and respond to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, including the appropriate use of nonimmigrant status under subparagraphs (U) and (T) of section 1010)a)(15) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a)).

2. Developing, training, or expanding specialized units of law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel, and prosecutors specifically targeting violent crimes against women, including the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking, as well as the appropriate treatment of victims including implementation of the grant conditions in section 40002(b) of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (34 U.S.C. 12291(b)).

3. Developing and implementing more effective police, court, and prosecution policies, protocols, orders, and services specifically devoted to preventing, identifying, and responding to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

4. Developing, installing, or expanding data collection and communication systems, including computerized systems linking police, prosecution, and the courts or for the purpose of identifying and tracking arrests, protection orders, violations of protection orders, prosecutions, and convictions for violent crimes against women, including domestic violence, dating violence sexual assault, and stalking.

5. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening victim services and legal assistance programs, including sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking programs; developing or improving the delivery of victim services and legal assistance to underserved populations; providing specialized domestic violence court advocates in courts where a significant number of protection orders are granted; and increasing reporting and reducing attrition rates for cases involving violent crimes against women, including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

6. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing the needs and circumstances of Indian tribes dealing with violent crimes against women, including domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

7. Supporting formal and informal statewide, multidisciplinary efforts, to the extent not supported by state funds, to coordinate the response of state law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, courts, victim services agencies, and other state agencies and departments, to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

8. Training of sexual assault forensic medical examiners in the collection and preservation of evidence, analysis, prevention and providing expert testimony and treatment of trauma related to sexual assault.

9. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs to assist law enforcement, prosecutors, courts, and others to address the needs and circumstances of individuals 50 years of age and over, individuals with disabilities, and deaf individuals who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including recognizing, investigating, and prosecuting instances of such violence or assault and targeting outreach and support, counseling, and other victim services to such older and disabled individuals.

10.  Providing assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in immigration matters.

11.  Maintaining core victim services and criminal justice initiatives, while supporting complementary new initiatives and emergency services for victims and their families, including rehabilitative work with offenders;  

12.  Supporting the placement of special victim assistants (to be  known as "Jessica Gonzales Victim Assistants") in local law enforcement agencies to serve as liaisons between victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and personnel in local law enforcement agencies in order to improve the enforcement of protection orders.  Jessica Gonzales Victim Assistants shall have expertise in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking and may undertake the following activities--

• Developing, in collaboration with prosecutors, courts, and victim service providers, standardized response policies for local law enforcement agencies, including the use of evidence-based indicators to assess the risk of domestic and dating violence and prioritize dangerous or potentially lethal cases;
• Notifying persons seeking enforcement of protection orders as to what responses will be provided by the relevant law enforcement agency;
• Referring persons seeking enforcement of protection orders to supplementary services (such as emergency shelter programs, hotlines, or legal assistance services); and
• Taking other appropriate action to assist or secure the safety of the person seeking enforcement of a protection order.

13.  Providing funding to law enforcement agencies, nonprofit non-governmental victim services providers, and State, tribal, territorial, and local governments, (which funding stream shall be known as the Crystal Judson Domestic Violence Protocol Program) to promote --

• The development and implementation of training for local victim domestic violence service providers, and to fund victim services personnel, to be known as "Crystal Judson Victim Advocates," to provide supportive services and advocacy for victims of domestic violence committed by law enforcement personnel;
• The implementation of protocols within law enforcement agencies to ensure consistent and effective responses to the commission of domestic violence by personnel within such agencies (such as the model policy promulgated by the International Association of Chiefs of Police ('Domestic Violence by Police Officers:  A Policy of the IACP, Police Response to Violence Against Women Project' July 2003); 
• The development (in collaboration with State, tribal, territorial and local victim services providers and domestic violence coalitions) and implementation of protocols within law enforcement agencies to ensure consistent and effective responses to the commission of domestic violence by personnel within such agencies. .

14.  Developing and promoting State, local or tribal legislation and policies that enhance best practices for responding to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

15.  Developing, implementing, or enhancing Sexual Assault Response Teams, or other similar coordinated community  responses to sexual assault;

16.  Developing and strengthening policies, protocols, best practices, and training for law enforcement agencies and prosecutors relating to the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases and the appropriate treatment of victims.

17.  Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing sexual assault against men, women, and youth in correctional and detention settings.

18.  Identifying and conducting inventories of backlogs of sexual assault evidence collection kits and developing protocols and policies for responding to and addressing such backlogs, including protocols and policies for notifying and involving victims.

19.  Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs and projects to provide services and responses targeting male and female victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking whose ability to access traditional services and responses is affected by their sexual orientation or gender identity as defined in section 249(c) of Title 18, United States Code.

20. Developing, enhancing or strengthening prevention and educational programming to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking.

21, Developing, enhancing, or strengthening programs and projects to improve evidence collection methods for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including through funding for technology that better detects bruising and injuries across skin tones and related training. 

22. Developing, enlarging, or strengthening culturally specific victim services programs to provide culturally specific victim services and responses to female genital mutilation or cutting. 

23. Providing victim advocates in State or local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors' offices, and courts to provide supportive services and advocacy to Indian victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 

24. Paying any fees charged by any governmental authority for furnishing a victim or the child of a victim with any of the following documents:

           A.  A birth certificate or passport of the individual, as required by law. 

           B.   An identification card issued to the individual by a State or Tribe, that shows that the individual is a resident of the State or a member of the Tribe. 

The terms "victim services" and "services" mean services provided to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including telephonic or web-based hotlines, legal assistance and legal advocacy, economic advocacy, emergency and transitional shelter, accompaniment and advocacy through medical, civil or criminal justice, immigration, and social support systems, crisis intervention, short-term individual and group support services, information and referrals, culturally specific services, population specific services, and other related supportive services. 

Victim services and legal assistance under this subchapter also include services and assistance to: 

             A.  victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking who are also victims of severe forms of trafficking in persons as defined by section 7102 of Title 22:

             B.   adult survivors of child sexual abuse; and

             C.   victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking who are also victims of female genital mutilation or cutting, or forced marriage.  

BOARD PRIORITIES:  The VAWA Grant Board, comprised of six members, is charged with developing the state implementation plan, reviewing grant proposals, and determining funding awards. In approving the 2022-2025 VAWA Implementation Plan, the VAWA Grant Board has determined the following as priority areas for funding:

• Provide advocacy and support to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
• Improve access to and awareness of direct advocacy services, counseling, safety planning, language services, and other resources for women who are members of underserved and minority populations.
• Improve the ability of prosecutors to more effectively prosecute cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
• Improve the ability of law enforcement to more effectively respond to and investigate cases involving victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and to increase the service of protective.
• Increase the judiciary's capacity to serve victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual violence, and stalking.
• Enhance the capacity of professionals who impact victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through education and training.
• Enhance and build the capacity and coordination of the community response to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
• Increase efforts to prevent domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
• Provide support to initiatives that help study domestic violence related homicides.
• Increase the capacity of law enforcement to recognize the potential for domestic violence homicides and enhance the coordination with law enforcement and victim service agencies.
• Increase the collaboration and coordination of community agencies.

In FY 2023, the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is interested in supporting the priority area(s) identified below. In shaping their strategies for FY 2023, OVW encourages states and territories to develop and support projects that:
1. Advance racial equity as an essential component of ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
2. Increase access to justice for all survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including through exploration of survivor-centered criminal justice system reform.
3. Strengthen efforts to prevent and end sexual assault, including victim services and civil and criminal justice responses.
4. Expand economic justice and financial advocacy for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking, including as a tool for violence prevention.
5. Improve outreach, services, civil and criminal justice responses, prevention, and support for survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking from underserved communities, particularly LGBTQ and immigrant communities.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION: The Violence Against Women Act Grant Application is currently closed.  The next application will open in OKGrants June 2025 and will close August 2025. 

GRANT NOTIFICATION: To be placed on the mailing list to receive a Notice of Availability of Funds (NOAF) when funds become available, contact the Federal Grants Division, at 405-264-5008 or email dac-grants@dac.state.ok.us and provide your name, agency name, mailing address, and grant name for which you want to receive the Notice of Availability of Funds. Click on this link for the NOAF: 2024/25 Notice of Availability of Funds

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Laura Russell, Grant Programs Specialist, Federal Grants Division, at 405-264-5008 or via email at DAC-Grants@dac.state.ok.us.