General Victim Assistance Grant Program, FY2026 is sponsored by U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). This program supports services and assistance to victims of crime. Eligible activities include services to adult survivors of human trafficking, as well as emergency and long-term residential programs and drop-in centers for child and transition-age youth.

How to Apply for Funding | Office for Victims of Crime This video provides information about OVC and its mission, an overview of the FY25 funding process, how to apply for funding, and resources to assist applicants. Get Ready NOW To Apply for DOJ Funding You must have active registrations in SAM. gov and Grants.

gov before you can apply for any Department of Justice (DOJ) funding opportunity. If you’ve used these systems in the past, check that your registration and users are current. Register today.

You can register in SAM. gov and Grants. gov any time—you don’t have to wait until a funding opportunity is open.

SAM. gov registrations expire after 12 months and must be renewed every year. Grants.

gov accounts deactivate after a year of inactivity or if your SAM. gov registration expires. Update points of contact (POCs).

Check and update your entity’s POCs in both systems now to prevent delays in completing your application—or miss the application deadline. For more tips on using SAM. gov and Grants.

gov, visit the JustGrants Resources Application Submission Training page . We encourage you to review the OJP Grant Application Resource Guide and visit the JustGrants Resources website to review a collection of in-depth training resources on topics across the grant lifecycle. Before You Apply for Funding What do I need to do before I apply for a grant?

Refer to the following resources to help guide you through the grant application process— the notice of funding opportunity, the Training: Application Submission page on the JustGrants Resource Website, and the Office of Justice Programs Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the application process. For new applicants or grantees, the onboarding process will commence when you initiate an application in Grants.

gov. During entity onboarding, the Entity Administrator will be assigned to the entity’s designated “Electronic Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC). ” This is the individual who is currently designated in SAM. gov as responsible for federal grant-related activities.

How long does it take to register in Grants. gov? Registering with Grants.

gov is a one-time process; DOJ encourages applicants to register several weeks before the application submission deadline. How do I Acquire an Authorized Organization Representative (AOR) and a Grants. gov username and password?

Complete the AOR profile and create a username and password on Grants. gov. Note: An applicant entity's "Unique Entity Identifier," (UEI) must be used to complete this step. UEIs are used to identify entities registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).

Individual applicants registering with Grants. gov can learn about the registration process by going to the Grants. gov Applicant Registration webpage .

Organizations and other entities can learn about the registration process by going to the Grants. gov Organization Registration webpage . Note that organizations can have more than one AOR.

For more information, access the How To Apply section of the OJP Applicant Resource Guide . JustGrants: Resources for Using the System for Award Management (SAM. gov) SAM.

gov entity registration page How do I apply for a funding opportunity? After you have reviewed the funding opportunity, you must complete the application package and submit it online.

Learn about how to prepare and submit your application by viewing the following resources— the Training: Application Submission page on the JustGrants Resource Website, and the Office of Justice Programs Grant Application Resource Guide for information on the application process. What is an E-Business Point of Contact (E-Biz POC) and a Marketing Partner Identification Number (MPIN)?

How do I know if I am eligible to apply for a funding opportunity? Refer to the "Eligibility" section of the notice of funding opportunity to determine if you are eligible. Whom do I contact for assistance with general questions about the requirements of the funding opportunity?

Refer to the funding opportunity for contact information for general questions about requirements. What information is included in the Proposal Narrative page limit? Visit the "Application and Submission Information" section of the notice of funding opportunity to review the "Proposal Narrative" section, as the page length and other requirements may vary by funding opportunity.

However, generally, the Proposal Narrative should be double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font and have no less than 1-inch margins. Pages should be numbered. If the Proposal Narrative fails to comply with these length-related restrictions, OVC may negatively consider such noncompliance in peer review and in final award decisions.

Documents required under the "Proposal Abstract" and "Budget and Budget Narrative" sections will not count toward the Proposal Narrative page count. Other attachments, such as résumés, will also not count toward the Proposal Narrative page count. What information should be included as part of the plan for collecting the data required for the funding opportunity’s performance measures?

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP) will require each successful applicant to submit regular performance data that demonstrate the results of the work carried out under the award. The performance data directly relate to the goals, objectives, and deliverables identified under "Goals, Objectives, and Deliverables" in Section A. Program Description of the notice of funding opportunity.

Applicants should visit OJP’s performance measurement page for an overview of performance measurement activities. The application should demonstrate the applicant’s understanding of the performance data reporting requirements for this grant program and detail how the applicant will gather the required data should it receive funding. Please note that applicants are not required to submit performance data with the application.

Performance measures information is included as an alert that successful applicants will be required to submit performance data as part of the reporting requirements under an award. How do I learn more about allowable and unallowable costs? For more information on allowable and unallowable costs, please review the notice of funding opportunity and the Department of Justice (DOJ) Grants Financial Guide .

Interpretations or clarification on the DOJ Grants Financial Guide can be addressed to the Office of the Chief Financial Officer's Customer Service Center at 800-458-0786. How much detail is required in our budget?

Applicants should provide a budget that— is complete, allowable, and cost-effective in relation to the proposed activities; shows the cost calculations demonstrating how they arrived at the total amount requested; and provides a brief supporting narrative to link costs with project activities. The budget should cover the entire award period. What should be included in the Budget Detail Form?

See the Budget Preparation and Submission Information and Associated Documentation section of the Office of Justice Programs Grant Application Resource Guide for information on preparing a budget. What should be included in the Budget? Information about what the budget narrative should include is available in the Narrative Justification for Every Cost section of the Office of Justice Programs Grant Application Resource Guide.

Will my organization be required to submit an audit report to receive funding? View the Audit Requirements section of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Grants Financial Guide for information about audit report requirements. Are indirect costs allowable?

View the Indirect Costs section of the Department of Justice (DOJ) Grants Financial Guide for information about indirect costs and the Indirect Cost Rate Agreement section of the Office of Justice Programs Grant Application Resource Guide. How to Apply: Technical Issues and Support How do I submit my application? After you have reviewed the notice of funding opportunity, you must complete the application package and submit it online.

Learn about how to prepare and submit your application by visiting the Training: Application Submission page on the JustGrants Resource Website, and the Office of Justice Programs Grant Application Resource Guide . Can I submit a paper version via U.S. mail instead of an electronic application through Grants. gov and JustGrants?

No. Applicants must submit their application electronically. OVC will not accept paper submissions. I am experiencing unforeseen technical issues submitting my application to Grants.

gov. Whom should I contact? For technical assistance with submitting an application, contact the Grants. gov Customer Support Hotline at 800-518-4726 or 606-545-5035, or at [email protected] .

The Grants. gov Support Hotline operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except on federal holidays. An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.

gov technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must contact the Grants. gov Customer Support Hotline or the SAM Help Desk (Federal Service Desk) to report the technical issue and receive a tracking number. An applicant that experiences unforeseen Grants.

gov or JustGrants technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must email the OJP Response Center at [email protected] within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline. Note: OJP does not automatically approve requests to submit a late application. After OJP reviews the applicant's request, and contacts the Grants.

gov or SAM Help Desks to verify the reported technical issues, OJP will inform the applicant whether the request to submit a late application has been approved or denied. If OJP determines that the late application submission was due to the applicant's failure to follow all required procedures, OJP will deny the applicant's request to submit its application.

The following conditions generally are insufficient to justify late submissions— failure to register in SAM or Grants. gov in sufficient time (SAM registration and renewal can take as long as 10 business days to complete. The information transfer from SAM to Grants.

gov can take up to 48 hours.) , failure to follow Grants. gov instructions on how to register and apply as posted on its website, failure to follow each instruction in the OJP funding opportunity, or technical issues with the applicant's computer or information technology environment, such as issues with firewalls.

Whom do I contact for technical assistance with JustGrants? For technical assistance with submitting the full application in the Justice Grants System (JustGrants), contact the JustGrants Service Desk at [email protected] or at 833-872-5175. The JustGrants Service Desk operates 7:00 a.

m. to 9:00 p. m.

eastern time, Monday to Friday and 9:00 a. m. to 5:00 p.

m. Saturday, Sunday, and federal holidays. An applicant that experiences unforeseen JustGrants technical issues beyond its control that prevent it from submitting its application by the deadline must contact JustGrants Support or the SAM Help Desk (Federal Service Desk).

Report the technical issue and receive a tracking number. The applicant must email the contact identified in the Contact Information section of the funding opportunity within 24 hours after the application deadline to request approval to submit its application after the deadline.

The applicant's email must describe the technical difficulties, and must include a timeline of the applicant's submission efforts, the complete grant application, the applicant's Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, and any JustGrants Support or SAM tracking number(s). Note: OJP does not automatically approve requests to submit a late application.

After OJP reviews the applicant's request, and contacts JustGrants Support to verify the reported technical issues, OJP will inform the applicant whether the request to submit a late application has been approved or denied. If OJP determines that the untimely application submission was due to the applicant's failure to follow all required procedures, OJP will deny the applicant's request to submit its application.

The following conditions generally are insufficient to justify late submissions— failure to register in SAM or Grants. gov in sufficient time (SAM registration and renewal can take as long as 10 business days to complete), failure to follow Grants.

gov and JustGrants instructions on how to register and apply as posted on these websites, failure to follow each instruction in the funding opportunity, or technical issues with the applicant's computer or information technology environment, such as issues with firewalls. Where do I find instructions on filling out the SF-424?

Instructions for filling out the SF-424 can be found on the Office of Justice Programs Grant Application Resource Guide . Learn about JustGrants, DOJ’s grants management system.