Federal Law Justice and Legal Services Grants

This funding opportunity provides financial support to state and local governments, nonprofits, and tribal organizations to implement innovative programs that enhance public safety and improve the justice system through training, community engagement, and evidence-based practices.

The Violence Against Women Act of 2013 first authorized this program as an amendment to the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, and it was further amended by the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 (VAWA 2022) to include Alaska Tribes (codified as amended at 25 U.S.C. 1304(h)(2)). The OVW Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Grant Program (Tribal Jurisdiction Program) (Assistance Listing # 16.025) supports tribes in their efforts to exercise special Tribal criminal jurisdiction (STCJ) over non-Indians who commit covered crimes within the Tribes jurisdictional boundaries and provides technical assistance for planning and implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise the jurisdiction. Covered crimes are: assault of Tribal justice personnel; child violence; dating violence; domestic violence; obstruction of justice; sexual violence; sex trafficking; stalking; and violation of a protection order. More information on the scope and requirements of STCJ is available on the DOJ website at https://www.justice.gov/tribal/2013-and-2022-reauthorizations-violence-against-women-act-vawa. The program supports tribes in preparing to exercise or exercising the jurisdiction to ensure that victims find safety and justice and that non-Indians who commit covered crimes within their communities are held accountable.

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) offers this grant to fund a national membership and accreditation organization supporting Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). These centers coordinate responses to child abuse victims by providing training, technical assistance, and promoting national standards. This initiative is in line with the Department of Justice’s efforts to enhance community safety and protect civil rights, focusing on building trust between law enforcement and communities. The program targets to uphold law, ensure national safety, and protect civil rights by fostering environments that support victims of child abuse through multidisciplinary collaborations.

This funding opportunity provides $500,000 to the Stark County Board of Commissioners to continue their efforts in improving the criminal justice response to domestic violence and related crimes.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to state and local governments for improving forensic science and medical examiner services, focusing on reducing case backlogs, enhancing training, and addressing challenges related to the opioid crisis.

This funding opportunity is designed to strengthen the Somali National Army's capabilities through operational mentorship and support, focusing on improving their ability to conduct independent military operations and enhance security in Somalia.

The Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS Office) is the component of the U.S. Department of Justice responsible for advancing the practice of community policing by the nations state, local, territorial, and tribal law enforcement agencies through information and grant resources. The COPS Office is pleased to announce that it is seeking applications for funding for the FY24 CPD Accreditation: Addressing Gaps in State and Regional Accreditation program. Community Policing Development (CPD) funds are used to develop the capacity of law enforcement to implement community policing strategies by providing guidance on promising practices through the development and testing of innovative strategies; building knowledge about effective practices and outcomes; and supporting new, creative approaches to preventing crime and promoting safe communities. FY24 Addressing Gaps in State and Regional Accreditation CPD program funds will support the establishment of new accreditation entities in states and regions that currently do not have an accreditation program.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to various organizations working to combat the proliferation of advanced conventional weapons by China and Russia, focusing on enhancing security and defense capabilities in vulnerable nations.

This program provides funding to Tribal governments to enhance their criminal justice systems and enforce special jurisdiction over non-Indians committing specific crimes within their territories.

The Grants to Tribal Governments Victim Service Providers for Financial Assistance to Victims of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Special Initiative (Tribal Financial Assistance Initiative) (CFDA 16.029) supports flexible financial assistance to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking by established tribal victim service providers. This program is authorized by Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022, Pub. L. No. 117-103, 505, 136 Stat. 49, 122, 144 (2022). At recent Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultations, OVW consulted with Indian Tribes on piloting a program to provide grants to existing victim service providers which would be used specifically to provide victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking with financial assistance. This type of assistance allows victims the flexibility to meet self-identified needs quickly, helps avert crises such as homelessness rather than responding after the fact, and may be more efficient and cost-effective than current service models. Several Tribes described the vast unmet needs of survivors in their communities and strongly supported developing funding opportunities that afforded the greatest degree of flexibility to meet those needs. Tribal testimony supported OVW developing and piloting such a program.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to federally recognized Native American tribes to improve traffic safety and occupant protection measures in their communities.

The Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications for a program to support and enhance the ongoing Bangladeshi project to promote the rehabilitation and reintegration of terrorist offenders being implemented by the Dhaka Metropolitan Polices Counterterrorism and Transnational Crime unit (DMP/CTTC) and the non-government organization Centre for Alternatives (CFA). The ongoing DMP/CTTC program utilizes a full-scope array of counseling services, including religious, legal, educational, and cultural, to help former terrorist offenders identify better life choices as they return to society. The program also works with members of receiving communities and families to improve outcomes. DMP/CTTC and the Centre for Alternatives have expressed openness to additional capacity-building and research to enhance these processes and add additional elements to their program. This program should provide expert technical training to the DMP/CTTC and CFA implementers, coordinating with other international partners including the Japan-based Sasakawa Foundation. It should also promote collaboration with other Bangladesh law enforcement elements, non-government entities, regional partners, and other stakeholders in the disengagement and reintegration of paroled, imprisoned, or charged terrorist offenders. The program may also support DMP/CTTC, CFA, or other stakeholder efforts for preventing and countering violent extremism (P/CVE). Program awardee will also ensure that no U.S. Government support is provided to paroled, imprisoned, or charged terrorist offenders. The program should be responsive to DMP/CTTC interest in additional international partner support and collaboration. While terrorist incidents in Bangladesh have sharply declined in recent years, Bangladesh law enforcement continues to arrest dozens of individuals annually charged with planning or recruiting for terrorist causes. This program aspires to assist Bangladeshi efforts to prevent those arrested individuals from 2 persisting in terrorist-related activities while incarcerated or following their release, to prevent the further spread of violent extremism.

With this solicitation, BJA is seeking applications for funding under the Ashanti Alert National Network Training and Technical Assistance Program. This program will assist in completing the elements set forth in the Ashanti Alert Act for the development, implementation, and maintenance of this national communication system to assist with the reporting and location of missing adults over the age of 17.

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office of Justice Programs (OJP), Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) is accepting funding applications from invited applicants who received an official request from BJA to apply for funding to continue to work on a specific prior grant award. OJP is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights and equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, strengthens community safety, protects the public from crime and evolving threats, and builds trust between law enforcement and the community. With this solicitation, BJA invites applicants who received an official request from BJA to apply for funding to continue work on a specific prior grant award. This correspondence would have been sent to you with instructions to apply to this solicitation. All programs will follow guidelines detailed in the original solicitation under which funding was provided. The scope, purpose, award amount, and performance period of the new project will be substantially the same as the previous one. This program furthers the DOJs mission to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country safe, and to protect civil rights.

With this solicitation, OJJDP seeks to fund the Center for Youth Justice Transformation (CYJT) to strengthen state- and territory-level compliance with the Formula Grants Program; develop and implement training and technical assistance that supports state, territorial, Tribal, and community-level juvenile justice system reform efforts; and design and implement an online education platform for best practices in juvenile justice reform.

This grant provides funding to support American Indian and Alaska Native organizations that offer essential sexual assault services to survivors on Tribal lands and in Alaska Native villages.

A project to encourage the development and dissemination of a global credential and related credentialing or certification program based on international standards for substance use professionals. Drug use disorders extensively harm health, including mental health, safety, economic well-being, fuel organized crime, and negatively impact political, social, and economic stability. Many governments as well as individual drug demand reduction professionals provide services but have little experience and few methods to determine if those programs or their efforts are effective, evidence-based, and meeting international standards or their own program goals. To encourage and document the improvement of the prevention, treatment, and recovery services, the workforce requires training to an agreed international standard and then an agreed global credential to ensure that the substance use disorder workforce is performing to that standard. Project Vision: Drug demand reduction is the field of counternarcotics that recognizes that an epidemic only ends when we reduce the number of new cases. Through a well-trained, credentialed, and enthusiastic professional workforce in the combined fields of prevention, treatment, and recovery support, we will reduce the number of those suffering from substance use disorder globally and provide a social framework that supports recovery and ongoing prevention of substance use disorders. Project Goal(s) and Objectives: Professionals that work in the drug demand reduction field including prevention, treatment, and recovery support services come from a variety of academic and non-academic backgrounds. Given the sensitive personal, political, and cultural nature of substance use disorder, it is critical to ensure that those entrusted with positions in these areas can be readily identified as having the skills, experience, and understandings of the international standards and the implementation of those standards as they work. While some nations have their own processes for testing and certification, most do not. Poor services, especially those that violate human rights, in any country negatively impact the substance use disorder field. This negative impact has far-reaching consequences globally based on historical misunderstandings of the nature of substance use disorder. For these reasons, we seek to foster a climate where training and expertise are recognized and required for participation as a professional in the practice of prevention, treatment, and recovery support services. Credentialing should also be encouraged as many working in this field work as volunteers or are working in related fields such as education or youth services. The overall goal of this project is to promote and develop the framework for the credentialing or certification of professionals in this field, in order to improve overall care of persons with substance use disorders, similar to other medical professionals. Through the development of an international credential secured through standardized examination, the project will also work to decrease the stigma associated with work 5 | Page related to substance use disorders. All competencies and testing should promote and encompass those international standards developed under the auspices of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the World Health Organization (WHO), which have been accepted globally.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to local and tribal governments for collaborative strategies aimed at reducing violent crime and improving community relations through prevention and intervention initiatives.

This funding opportunity provides financial support to organizations that improve legal representation for juveniles in the justice system, focusing on enhancing defense services and ensuring equitable access for marginalized youth.

This grant provides funding to nonprofit organizations serving culturally specific communities to enhance and expand support services for victims of sexual assault.