The U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is inviting eligible Tribal governments to apply for waiver reimbursement under the Tribal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program for expenses incurred during Calendar Year 2024. This initiative falls under the statutory authority of 25 U.S.C. § 1304(h)(1) and aligns with OVW’s mission to support Tribal entities exercising Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ) over non-Indians who commit certain covered crimes. The funding opportunity, supported by Assistance Listing Number 16.059 and Grants.gov Opportunity Number O-OVW-2025-172424, is designed to ensure that Tribes who go beyond their standard maximum reimbursement allocations can seek additional funding to cover excess eligible expenditures.
The primary objective of this program is to reimburse federally recognized Tribes for specific expenditures incurred while exercising STCJ, including but not limited to law enforcement, prosecution, indigent defense, incarceration, community supervision, and offender-related medical services. Covered crimes include assault of Tribal justice personnel, child violence, dating and domestic violence, obstruction of justice, sexual violence, sex trafficking, stalking, and violations of protection orders. Examples of reimbursable costs encompass staff time, sexual assault kits, evidence processing, expert witnesses, competency evaluations, judge and court staff salaries, and jail and transportation costs for offenders.
Only federally recognized Tribes previously invited to apply are eligible, including fourteen specific Tribal nations. Applicants must certify in JustGrants that they meet the criteria outlined by 25 U.S.C. § 1304 and have only included costs that are associated with STCJ enforcement, not planning or training-related expenses. Ineligible expenses include lobbying, real estate purchases, and physical building renovations. The award only reimburses costs incurred from January 1 to December 31, 2024. Indirect costs may be included with appropriate documentation, such as a current federally approved indirect cost rate agreement or by applying the 10% de minimis rate.
The application process includes a two-step submission. First, applicants must submit the SF-424 form via Grants.gov by 11:59 PM ET on August 26, 2025. Once completed, applicants proceed to JustGrants to submit the full application by 8:59 PM ET on August 28, 2025. The application must include a detailed summary of actual expenses broken down by category and must align with allowable cost rules outlined in 2 C.F.R. Part 200 and the DOJ Financial Guide. Although supporting documentation is not required at submission, it must be retained for audit purposes for at least three years.
OVW has allocated $3,140,175 in remaining funds for CY 2024 waivers. If requests exceed this available amount, awards will be proportionally adjusted based on submitted claims. Awards are expected to be issued by October 1, 2025. Accepted recipients will have 30 days from the award acceptance date to draw down funds. OVW requires that all recipients comply with civil rights regulations and nondiscrimination statutes. Applicants needing technical support can contact Grants.gov or JustGrants directly, while program-specific inquiries can be directed to OVW.TribalJurisdiction@usdoj.gov or 202-307-6026.
OVW strongly encourages submission at least 48 hours before the Grants.gov deadline. All documentation should be retained for three years.
