OVW Fiscal Year 2023 Legal Assistance for Victims - Solicitation | O OVW 2023 171479

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2023 171479

The OVW Fiscal Year 2023 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Solicitation is a discretionary grant opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, authorized under 34 U.S.C. 20121 and listed under CFDA 16.524. Its central purpose is to expand access to meaningful civil and criminal legal help for people who have experienced domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, or sexual assault. The program is designed to support both adults and youth victims, specifically including youth ages 11 to 24, by funding comprehensive, direct legal services that address legal problems connected to the abuse or violence. In practical terms, the grant is meant to help victims stabilize their lives, improve safety and privacy, and navigate complicated legal systems that often determine housing, custody, immigration status, financial security, and protection from continued harm.

The solicitation defines "legal assistance" broadly and in a way that reflects what victims typically need when abuse affects multiple parts of their lives. On the civil side, it can include representation and advocacy in matters such as divorce, custody and parental rights, child support, protection orders and other injunctive relief, housing issues, education and campus proceedings, employment problems, healthcare access, privacy concerns, consumer and contract disputes, civil rights matters, and proceedings in Tribal or territorial courts, along with enforcement actions tied to those cases. On the criminal side, it can include legal work connected to investigations, prosecutions, and post-conviction matters like sentencing, probation, and parole, as long as the work impacts a victim's safety, privacy, or other interests as a victim. The solicitation also makes clear that simply performing intake or making referrals alone does not meet the program definition of legal assistance; the emphasis is on delivering actual legal services that move a victim's case or legal situation forward.

A key feature of this funding opportunity is how it incorporates statutory updates from the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022. Those changes expand and clarify what activities can be supported with LAV funds. One major update is that legal assistance can now explicitly be provided to victims seeking post-conviction relief in state, local, Tribal, or territorial courts when the victim's own conviction is related to or arose from their victimization, including situations involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or sex trafficking. Another important update is the explicit inclusion of alternative dispute resolution, restorative practices, and other nontraditional processes, as long as they are designed to promote victim safety, privacy, and autonomy while also supporting offender accountability, whether or not a court is involved. This recognizes that some victims pursue resolutions outside standard courtroom litigation and still need skilled legal advocacy to protect their rights and safety.

The solicitation also modernizes who may provide certain kinds of legal help under the program. In addition to licensed attorneys, the program allows legal assistance in specific contexts to be provided by qualified non-attorney representatives, including Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA) accredited representatives for immigration proceedings, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) authorized representatives for VA claims, and individuals who function as attorneys or lay advocates in Tribal court settings. Alongside these changes, OVW revised the Delivery of Legal Assistance certification requirements, which are the program assurances recipients must meet to show that the legal services supported by the grant are delivered in ways consistent with victim safety, ethical practice, and program rules.

In terms of the basic grant facts, the opportunity number is O-OVW-2023-171479. The agency is OVW within the Department of Justice. The application window opened with a creation date of December 21, 2022, and the original closing date was February 21, 2023. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services. OVW anticipated making about 45 awards, with an award ceiling of up to $900,000 per award (meaning awards could be smaller, but generally would not exceed that maximum).

Eligibility is broad and includes a range of organizations positioned to provide or support victim-centered legal services. Eligible applicants include public and private institutions of higher education, federally recognized Tribal governments, Tribal organizations (including those other than federally recognized governments), nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), and other applicants as described in the solicitation's additional eligibility information. Overall, the program is aimed at building and strengthening legal services capacity so victims can get direct representation and advocacy that is comprehensive, tailored to the harm they experienced, and focused on safety, privacy, autonomy, and long-term stability.

• 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 2023 Legal Assistance for Victims - 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 21, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 21, 2023. (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 $900,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 45 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 2023 171479

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