OVC FY25 Services for Victims of Crime Pre-Application Video

LOURDES MCKENNA: Welcome, and thank you for joining us for this pre-application webinar for Fiscal Year 25 Services for Victims of Crime Notice of Funding Opportunity. My name is Lourdes McKenna.

DEANNA NEWSON: And I'm DeAnna Newson, and we are both Grant Management Specialists for the Office for Victims of Crime. We are pleased that you're joining us today to receive an overview of how to apply to OVC’s FY25 Notice of Funding Opportunities. 

Today we will talk about OVC’s mission, the Notice of Funding Opportunities or NOFOs including the focus, eligibility, and required documents. We will also talk about the application deadlines and resources available to help you as you prepare your applications. It'll be helpful if you are following along with the NOFO and taking notes to help when you are submitting your application by the deadline. 

The Office for Victims of Crime, which is part of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs (OJP), administers the Crime Victims Fund, which is financed by fines and penalties from convictions in federal cases and not from tax dollars. This funding supports formula programs to states, territories, and tribes, as well as many OVC discretionary grant programs for victims of crime. 

We have several NOFOs currently open and soon to be opening, so please be sure to check our Funding Opportunities page often. Before we dig into the NOFO, please mark your calendars with these dates. The Grants.gov deadline for this NOFO is August 15th at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, and the JustGrants deadline is August 20th at 8:59 PM Eastern Standard Time with awards to be made by September 30, 2025. This is a 36-month award beginning October 1, 2025.

We encourage you not to wait until close to the deadline to submit your application. Keep in mind that during the final step of submission, the JustGrants system will check your application for completeness. Unfortunately, we have had applicants fail to successfully submit their application because the NOFO deadline passed before this process was complete.

LOURDES MCKENNA: This NOFO anticipates making 45 awards in three categories. You may only submit one application. You may only apply to one category in your application. Be sure you are applying to the correct category. 

Under this NOFO, OVC invites proposals for projects to provide direct services in three categories. Category 1: Services to Child and Youth Victims. Awards under this category will be made to programs to serve child and youth victims of crime who are persons 17 years or younger when the victimization took place. Category 2 is Services to Victims of Elder Abuse, Fraud, and Exploitation. Awards under this category will be made to serve elder victims who are persons aged 55 or older when the victimization took place. Category 3 are awards to be made to Serve Other Victims of Crime, not child or elder victimization. OVC has dedicated a funding stream to support grants for Services for Victims of Human Trafficking. As such, human trafficking projects are not eligible for this funding opportunity. Programs primarily focused on serving victims of human trafficking should be submitted under Human Trafficking Notices of Funding Opportunities. You may only submit one application. Again, you may only apply to one category in your application, so be sure to choose the correct category. 

Please reference page 7 of the NOFO for more information on eligible applicants. These eligible applicants include Government Entities, which are state, county, city, or township governments, special district governments, and Native American Tribal governments, both federally recognized and those other than federally recognized; Educational Organizations, such as independent school districts, public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, and private institutions of higher education. Also, eligible are Public Housing Organizations, including public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities and nonprofit organizations. This would be nonprofits having a 401 [misspoke, should be 501] (c)(3) status. with the IRS other than institutions of higher education, and also nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c)(3) status with the IRS, but are institutions other than those of higher education. Other Units of Local Governments also are eligible to apply. 

State government entities, for the purpose of this NOFO means states in the United States, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 

For the purpose of this NOFO, Other Units of Local Government include towns, boroughs, parishes, villages, or other general purpose political subdivisions of a state.

DEANNA NEWSON: Applicants are strongly encouraged to read through each category carefully to ensure that their application is tailored to fit the needs identified in this NOFO. You may only apply to one category in your application. 

OJP will provide priority consideration to applicants that propose projects designed to advance the goals listed here. Applicants seeking priority consideration should specify in the Proposal Narrative and in the Budget Detail Form, if applicable, which of the following goals the project is intended to advance and how it will do so. Note, addressing these priority areas is one of many factors that OJP considers in making funding decisions. Receiving priority considerations for one or more priority areas does not guarantee a funding award. 

The following activities are out of the program scope and will not be funded.

LOURDES MCKENNA: This NOFO supports the development, expansion, and strengthening of victim service programs for all victims of crime throughout the U.S. and its territories. The goal of this NOFO is to increase the quality and quantity of victim services. The objective is to increase the availability of victim-centered services for crime victims. 

This list is some of the Allowable Uses of Funds. A complete list of Allowable Uses of Funds under this grant program is listed in the NOFO beginning on page 10. Also note that OVC funding may not be used for criminal defense services; prevention; and education services, except those provided to victims of crime; and cash payments to crime victims. All services proposed under this program must directly address the needs of crime victims. 

Applicants can visit OJP’s performance measurement page at ojp.gov/performance for more information on performance measurement activities. Applicants selected for an award will receive further guidance on post-award reporting processes. 

To locate the Performance Measures, go to the Performance Measure webpage linked in the NOFO. Then click on Transforming Victim Services Grantee Performance Measures from the menu on the right. 

Then you will scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the plus sign next to the standard TVS Performance Measures to open the menu of resources. These resources include Performance Measures Maps with previous funding opportunities and question sets, as well as the Performance Measure Questionnaire, which will provide you [with] information on the types of data that will be required under this award. 

All these awards will be made as grants, meaning the awarding agency will maintain oversight and have a monitoring role, but will not have substantial involvement in the program. 

There are several attachments required to be submitted with your application. The first is the Proposal Abstract. A Proposal Abstract of no more than 2,000 characters summarizing the proposed project must be completed in the JustGrants web-based form. 

Page 16 of the NOFO provides the format of the Proposal Narrative. The Proposal Narrative will be submitted as an attachment in JustGrants. The attached document should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point size font, have no less than 1-inch margins, have numbered pages and should not exceed 10 pages. If the Proposal Narrative does not comply with these restrictions, OJP may consider such non-compliance in Peer Review and in Final Award decisions. Tables, charts, and graphs may be included in the Proposal Narrative and can be created in a legible font smaller than 12-point. Be aware that these items will count toward the 10-page limit. 

Applicants seeking priority consideration under Agency Funding Priority Session should answer the Funding Priorities Inventory questions in their entirety, which are in the web-based form in JustGrants. Look closely at the list of additional application components and be sure to submit all that are applicable for your application. Also, be sure to reference the Application Checklist before you submit.

DEANNA NEWSON: Cost Sharing/Match is not required for this opportunity. 

As an applicant, you'll complete the JustGrants budget web-based form. Costs should be broken out by year, reflecting 36 months total of project activity. Costs should be clear with detailed calculations. You should include additional narrative to explain cost calculations as needed. See OJP Grant Application Resource Guide section on Budget Preparations and Submission information and the Technical Steps to Complete the Budget Form in JustGrants in the Complete the Application in JustGrants Budget Training. 

Be sure to include the required Budget and Financial attachments. 

Indirect Cost Rate Agreement, which is an applicant with a current federally approved indirect cost rate agreement, should upload it as an attachment and JustGrants. Indirect Costs are costs of an organization that are not readily assignable to a particular project but are necessary for the operation of the organization and the performance of the project. Examples of costs usually treated as indirect include those incurred for operation and maintenance of offices or workspaces and salaries of administrative or support staff. The requirements for the development and submission of Indirect Cost Proposals and Cost Allocation Plans are listed in the 2 C.F.R. Part 200. 

Consultant Rates. OJP has established maximum rates for consultants. See the listing of Cost Requirement Prior Approval section of the DOJ Grants Financial Guide for more information. If an applicant proposes a rate for a consultant on their project that is higher than the established maximum rate and receives an award, then the award recipient must submit a document requesting approval for the rate and cannot incur costs at the higher rate without prior OJP approval. The award recipient must provide justification for why the proposed rate is higher than the established maximum rate, such as why the rate is reasonable and consistent with what that paid for or similar in the services in the marketplace.

There's a Limitation of Use on Award Funds for Employee Compensations for Awards Over $250,000. If an applicant proposes to hire employees with federal award funds for any award more than $250,000, the recipient may not use federal funds to pay total cash compensation, which is salary cash bonuses to any employee of the recipient at the rate that exceeds 110 percent of the maximum annual salary payable to a member of the federal government's Senior Executive Services at an agency with a certified SES Performance Appraisal System for that year. Applicants may request a waiver from this requirement by submitting the appropriate form. See Application Resource Guide for more information on the Limitation on Use of Award Funds for Employee Compensation for Awards over $250,000. 

Here is a reminder about the due dates for this NOFO. New applicants--entities interested in applying should apply for a UEI, Unique Entity Identifier number in SAM.gov as soon as possible. Do not wait until the last minute to get a UEI and register with SAM.gov. Be sure to get started early. 

Future Funding Opportunities. OJP may, in certain cases, provide additional funding in future years to awards made under this funding opportunity through continuation awards. When making continuation award decisions, OJP will consider among other factors, OJP's strategic priorities, a recipient's overall management of the award and the progress of the work funded under the award. Applications submitted under this FY 2025 funding opportunity may be funded in future fiscal years depending on, among other considerations, the merit of the application and availability of appropriations. 

Another reminder that this NOFO has three categories. Entities may only submit one application. Entities may apply to one category in their application. Be sure you are applying to the correct category.

LOURDES MCKENNA: To meet the basic minimum requirements to advance to Peer Review and receive consideration for funding, your application must be from an eligible applicant, not exceed the award ceiling of $500,000, be responsive to the NOFO scope, and include required documents including the SF-424, which is submitted in Grants.gov, the Proposal Narrative with a 10-page limit submitted in JustGrants, the Budget Detail Form including budget items, calculations, and explanations, which also will be submitted in JustGrants. Remember, if you fail to submit any of the required documents, your application will not be considered for funding. 

Applications that meet the basic minimum requirements will be evaluated for technical merit by peer reviewers based on how the proposed project addresses the following criteria: Statement of the Problem and Description of the Issue, the Project Goals and Objectives, Project Design and Implementation, Capabilities and Competencies, and the Budget.

The Application Checklist at the end of each NOFO will list other documents to include. You are encouraged to use the checklist in your review prior to submitting your application to ensure that you have attached all of the documents. Other resources to aid you in developing your application include the DOJ Application Submission Checklist, the JustGrants Quick Reference about Application attachments, and there is also a larger Application Submission Job Aid covering potential attachments that you may be asked to provide. Please utilize these additional resources. 

OVC also has a number of resources to help you. You may view the OVC How to Apply for OVC FY 2025 NOFO Webinar for Process Tips & Resources. It will be available on the OVC Funding webpage. There is also a four-part Pre-Application Webinar series, which OVC provided in 2022 that may be helpful in preparing your application. You can find it on the same OVC Funding Webinars webpage. 

For assistance with the requirements of this funding opportunity, resources include this prerecorded webinar, information in the NOFO, or you may email us at [email protected].

You can also learn about OVC’s history and funding, find products, and register for upcoming events by visiting OVC’s website, ovc.ojp.gov. We appreciate you joining us today and hope you found this information useful. Best of luck.