Opportunity Information: Apply for OVC 2015 4258
Apply for OVC 2015 4258
- The Office for Victims of Crime in the community development income security and social services law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVC FY 15 Vision 21 Innovation Grants Enhancing and Transforming Services for Victims of Crime" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.582 Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants.
- This funding opportunity was created on May 4, 2015 and posted on May 4, 2015.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 18, 2015. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- The funding agency has allocated a total of $6,000,000.00 to eligible and selected applicants.
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 37 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
- Purpose Areas 1 4, 6, and 8 Eligible applicants are limited to public agencies, including states federally recognized Indian tribal governments as determined by the Secretary of the Interior, units of local government (including tribal units) private nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofit organizations) for profit organizations (including tribal for profit organizations) that can demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the area described in this solicitation. Applicants must have the staff resources and capability to develop or enhance programs proposed to address the area of victimization described in the solicitation. A private nonprofit organization does not need to have 501(c)(3) status to apply for grant funding under this solicitation. For profit organizations must agree to forgo any profit or management fee. Purpose Areas 5 and 7 Eligible applicants are limited to law enforcement professional associations or law enforcement agencies, although applicants may propose partnerships with other organizations or agencies, including crime victim advocacy organizations. Applications in any of the purpose areas that involve two or more entities are welcome however, one eligible entity must be the applicant and the others must be proposed as subrecipients. The applicant must be the entity with primary responsibility for administering the funding and managing the entire program. Only one application per lead applicant will be considered however, subrecipients may be part of multiple proposals. For additional eligibility information, see Section C. Eligibility Information
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Opportunity Summary:
The OVC FY 15 Vision 21 Innovation Grants: Enhancing and Transforming Services for Victims of Crime (Funding Opportunity Number OVC 2015 4258) was a discretionary federal funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). The program was designed to support new or improved approaches that strengthen the nation s capacity to serve victims of crime, with an emphasis on reaching more victims, closing persistent service gaps, and modernizing the crime victim services field. Rather than focusing strictly on direct service delivery, OVC signaled a strong preference for projects that build infrastructure and field-wide capability, such as training, technical assistance, capacity building, needs assessments, program evaluation, and strategic planning. The solicitation fit within community development, income security and social services, and law, justice, and legal services, reflecting the reality that victim support often spans multiple systems.
OVC planned to make awards through cooperative agreements, which generally means OVC expected to have substantial involvement during the life of the project (for example, coordination on deliverables, participation in planning, or ongoing collaboration on implementation). Funding was to be distributed across up to eight program or purpose areas, with the overall theme grounded in the Vision 21 framework, a broader OVC initiative aimed at rethinking and improving how the country responds to victims. The core idea was to help jurisdictions and organizations identify what is not working, pilot or refine innovative practices, evaluate what shows promise, and then package that learning into evidence based training and technical assistance that others can adopt. Another major emphasis was on leveraging resources more strategically, including cross-sector partnerships and scalable strategies that help reach underserved victims or victims who may not traditionally engage with formal systems.
The opportunity listed an estimated total funding amount of 6,000,000 and anticipated about 37 awards. Individual award amounts ranged from a floor of 25,000 to a ceiling of 750,000, and there was no cost sharing or matching requirement, which lowered the barrier to entry for organizations without significant unrestricted funding. The closing date for applications was June 18, 2015 (posted May 4, 2015), and the opportunity was later archived on July 18, 2015.
Eligibility varied depending on the specific purpose area. For purpose areas 1 to 4, 6, and 8, eligible applicants included public agencies (such as states), federally recognized tribal governments, units of local government (including tribal units), private nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofits), and for profit organizations (including tribal for profits) as long as they could demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the relevant victimization area and had the staff capacity to carry out the proposed work. Nonprofits were not required to have 501(c)(3) status to apply, which is notable because some federal competitions require that designation. For profit entities could apply, but they had to agree to forgo any profit or management fee, reinforcing that the funding was meant for public benefit work rather than revenue generation. For purpose areas 5 and 7, eligibility was narrower, limited to law enforcement professional associations or law enforcement agencies, though partnerships with other organizations, including victim advocacy groups, were encouraged.
OVC also welcomed multi-entity applications structured as partnerships, but required that one eligible organization serve as the lead applicant with primary responsibility for administration, fiscal management, and overall program performance, while partner organizations would typically be included as subrecipients. The solicitation limited lead applicants to one application each, but allowed subrecipients to participate in multiple proposals, which encouraged collaboration without forcing organizations to choose only one project team.
In practical terms, this funding opportunity was aimed at moving the victim services field toward stronger evidence and more consistent quality by supporting projects that could document needs, test and measure innovative models, and translate successful approaches into replicable training and technical assistance. Applicants interested in details beyond the summary (such as the exact eight purpose areas, required deliverables, and expected performance measures) were directed to the full solicitation materials and could seek help from OVC program staff, with a listed point of contact being Ann Vallandingham, Senior Policy Advisor, at 202 514 5129 for solicitation requirement questions.
FAQs: OVC FY 15 Vision 21 Innovation Grants (OVC 2015 4258)
What is the OVC FY 15 Vision 21 Innovation Grants opportunity?
It was a discretionary federal funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC). The program supported new or improved approaches to strengthen the nation's capacity to serve victims of crime, with a focus on reaching more victims, closing persistent service gaps, and modernizing the crime victim services field.
What was the funding opportunity number?
The Funding Opportunity Number was OVC 2015 4258.
Who offered this grant program?
The program was offered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).
What was the overall goal of the program?
The goal was to enhance and transform services for victims of crime by supporting innovation and approaches that build field-wide capability, improve quality and consistency, and help jurisdictions and organizations identify what is not working, refine practices, evaluate results, and share what works.
Was this program primarily for direct victim service delivery?
No. OVC signaled a strong preference for projects that build infrastructure and field-wide capacity rather than focusing strictly on direct service delivery.
What kinds of projects were preferred?
Projects that strengthen infrastructure and capability across the victim services field, including training, technical assistance, capacity building, needs assessments, program evaluation, and strategic planning.
What was the Vision 21 framework referenced in the solicitation?
The solicitation was grounded in OVC's Vision 21 framework, described as a broader initiative aimed at rethinking and improving how the country responds to victims, including identifying gaps, piloting innovative practices, evaluating what shows promise, and packaging learning into evidence-based training and technical assistance others can adopt.
What sectors or service areas did the solicitation align with?
The solicitation fit within community development, income security and social services, and law, justice, and legal services, recognizing that victim support often spans multiple systems.
What type of award instrument did OVC plan to use?
OVC planned to make awards through cooperative agreements.
What does it mean that awards were cooperative agreements?
It generally meant OVC expected substantial involvement during the life of the project, such as coordination on deliverables, participation in planning, or ongoing collaboration on implementation.
How much total funding was estimated for this opportunity?
The estimated total funding amount was 6,000,000.
How many awards were anticipated?
About 37 awards were anticipated.
What was the range of individual award amounts?
Individual awards ranged from 25,000 (floor) to 750,000 (ceiling).
Was cost sharing or matching required?
No. There was no cost sharing or matching requirement.
When was the application due?
The closing date for applications was June 18, 2015.
When was the opportunity posted and when was it archived?
It was posted May 4, 2015, and later archived on July 18, 2015.
How was funding organized within the program?
Funding was to be distributed across up to eight program or purpose areas, all tied to the overall Vision 21 theme.
Who was eligible to apply for purpose areas 1 to 4, 6, and 8?
Eligible applicants included public agencies (such as states), federally recognized tribal governments, units of local government (including tribal units), private nonprofit organizations (including tribal nonprofits), and for-profit organizations (including tribal for-profits), as long as they could demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the relevant victimization area and had the staff capacity to carry out the proposed work.
Did nonprofits need 501(c)(3) status to apply?
No. Nonprofits were not required to have 501(c)(3) status to apply.
Could for-profit organizations apply?
Yes. For-profit entities were eligible for certain purpose areas, but they had to agree to forgo any profit or management fee.
Who was eligible to apply for purpose areas 5 and 7?
Eligibility for purpose areas 5 and 7 was limited to law enforcement professional associations or law enforcement agencies.
Were partnerships encouraged?
Yes. Cross-sector partnerships and leveraging resources more strategically were emphasized, and partnerships with other organizations (including victim advocacy groups) were encouraged, especially where eligibility was narrower.
Could a group of organizations submit a joint application?
Yes. OVC welcomed multi-entity applications structured as partnerships, but one eligible organization had to serve as the lead applicant.
What responsibilities did the lead applicant have in a partnership?
The lead applicant had primary responsibility for administration, fiscal management, and overall program performance. Partner organizations would typically be included as subrecipients.
How many applications could a lead applicant submit?
The solicitation limited lead applicants to one application each.
Could an organization participate on multiple proposals as a subrecipient?
Yes. Subrecipients were allowed to participate in multiple proposals.
What were the main themes OVC wanted applicants to address?
Key themes included reaching more victims (especially underserved victims or those who may not traditionally engage with formal systems), closing persistent service gaps, modernizing the field, testing and measuring innovative models, evaluating results, and translating successful approaches into replicable training and technical assistance.
What types of activities were highlighted as ways to build the field?
Activities highlighted included needs assessments, strategic planning, evaluation, and the development of evidence-based training and technical assistance that could be adopted by others.
Where could applicants find details not included in the summary (like purpose areas and deliverables)?
Applicants were directed to the full solicitation materials for details such as the exact eight purpose areas, required deliverables, and expected performance measures.
Who was the point of contact for solicitation requirement questions?
The listed point of contact was Ann Vallandingham, Senior Policy Advisor. The phone number provided was 202 514 5129.
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