OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Electronic Service Protection Order Court Pilot Program- Invitation to Apply

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), is inviting select applicants to apply for funding through the FY 2025 Electronic Service Protection Order Court Pilot Program. This program is designed to assist state and Tribal courts in developing and implementing secure and lawful procedures for electronically serving protection orders. OVW, established in 1995, administers grants under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and works to enhance community responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This funding opportunity supports efforts to modernize and improve the service of protection orders using electronic communication methods. Projects funded under this program aim to make the service process more effective and efficient, enhance victim safety, and ensure swift enforceability of protection orders. Grantees will also be responsible for establishing best practices in this area, ensuring due process, and implementing the necessary technology to track and verify service. The initiative places a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration and improving outcomes for survivors through enhanced court processes. The total funding available under this program is $5,950,000, with up to four awards anticipated, each up to $1,500,000 over a 60-month period. Matching or cost-sharing is not required. Acceptable uses of funds include technology implementation, planning and training efforts, and costs related to partnership development. However, funds may not be used for research, direct victim services, infrastructure modifications, or programs that contravene federal law or Executive Orders. Eligible applicants for this invitation-only opportunity are: Chickaloon Native Village, the Office of Court Administration of the Puerto Rico Judicial Branch, the Unified Court System of New York State (King’s County Integrated Domestic Violence Court), and the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. All applicants are required to form partnerships with: a law enforcement agency, a victim service provider, at least one state or Tribal court judge with protection order expertise, and departments managing court case systems. Additional partnerships with prosecutors, legal service providers, bar associations, court clerks, and culturally specific service providers are expected during the first year of the award. Applications must be submitted in a two-part process. The SF-424 form must be submitted through Grants.gov by August 13, 2025, at 11:59 PM ET, and the full application in JustGrants by August 14, 2025, at 8:59 PM ET. Required materials include a proposal abstract, narrative, summary data sheet, statement of expertise, detailed budget and narrative, Letters of Commitment, and certifications. OVW will notify applicants of funding decisions by October 1, 2025. Questions should be directed to OVW at OVW.ElectronicService@usdoj.gov or 202-307-6026. Assistance is also available for Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and JustGrants through their respective support lines and websites. While the program is non-competitive, all submissions will undergo thorough programmatic and risk assessments. Funded applicants are expected to participate in technical assistance, training, and performance reporting throughout the life of the award.

Ensure registration with Grants.gov, SAM.gov, and JustGrants is completed by August 6, 2025. Submit SF-424 in Grants.gov before uploading the full application to JustGrants. Include all mandatory documents to avoid funding delays.