Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (Rural Grant Program)

Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (Rural Grant Program) is sponsored by Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). This program helps states and territories, Indian Tribes, local governments, and nonprofits to enhance safety and justice for child, youth, and adult victims in rural communities.

OMB No. 1122-0020 Approval Expires: 06/30/2028 # Office on Violence Against Women : # FY 2026 Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (Rural Grant Program) ## Grants. gov Funding Opportunity Number: O-OVW-2026-172579 ## Application Deadlines in Eastern Time (ET): 1: Complete SF-424 and Submit in Grants.

gov: July 24, 2026, by 11:59 pm ET 2: Submit full application in JustGrants: July 28, 2026, by 4:59 pm ET OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 2 ## 1. Basic Information 3 ## 3. Program Description 5 ## 4.

Application Contents and Format 7 ## 5. Submission Requirements and Deadlines 11 ## 6. Application Review Information 11 ## 8.

Post-Award Requirements & Administration 12 ## 9. Questions? 12 OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 3 The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is a component of the United States Department of Justice.

OVW administers Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants designed to prevent and respond to domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This is a notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) for the Rural Grant Program . This program helps states and territories, Indian Tribes, local governments, and nonprofits to enhance safety and justice for child, youth, and adult victims in rural communities.

It funds victim services (such as advocacy, legal assistance, and shelter), investigation, prosecution, adjudication, parole and probation, and other ways of addressing domestic and sexual violence. Per 34 U.S.C.

§ 12341(a), these grants are meant to encourage collaboration, establish and expand nonprofit victim services, increase safety and well-being for women and children in rural communities, and ensure victims in rural areas have access to sexual assault medical forensic exams.

At least 75% of the funds must be awarded to entities in the following rural states and territories 1: Alaska, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, Wyoming, American Samoa, Guam, Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands . See Eligibility and Program Description for more details.

Announcement Type Initial Assistance Listing Number 16. 589 Statutory Authority 34 U.S.C. § 12341 Grants.

gov Opportunity Number O-OVW -2026 -172579 Expected Total Amount of Funding $36 million Anticipated Number of Awards 55 Anticipated Award Amount $500,000 to $950,000 Expected Award Period(s) 36 months , starting on October 1, 2026 > 1Defined as those with a population density of 57 or fewer persons per square mile or in which the largest county has fewer than 250,000 people, based on the most recent decennial census. See 34 U.S.C.

§§ 12341(d)(5), 12291(a)(33) & (37). OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 4 NOFO Release Date June 2 , 2026 SAM. gov Registration/Renewal Start the process at least 30 days before deadlines Step 1: Grants.

gov Deadline 11:59 p. m. ET on July 24 , 2026 Step 2: JustGrants Deadline 4:59 p.

m. ET on July 28 , 2026 Anticipated Notification Date By September 30 , 2026 See Questions? at the end of this NOFO for agency contact information.

The types of entities that are eligible to apply are: • Nonprofit, public or private entities 5 • Tribal nonprofit organizations 6 Recipients with grants ending by September 30, 2026 may apply but are unlikely to be funded if they have enough funds to carry the project through September 30, 2027.

Faith-based organizations that meet the eligibility requirements for this program are eligible to apply (more information is in the Application Companion Guide ). Cost sharing and application limit: This NOFO does not require cost sharing (match). You may submit only one application under this NOFO.

If you submit multiple versions of the same application, only the most recent system-validated version will be reviewed. > 2Includes territories, see 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(37).

> 3Indian Tribes must be federally recognized, see 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(22). > 4Defined as county, city, or township governments, as well as any town, borough, parish, village, or other general purpose political subdivision of a state, see 34 U.S.C.

§ 12291(a)(47). > 5Entities with or without 501(c)(3) status, including law enforcement and prosecution agencies and courts. > 6See 34 U.S.C.

§ 12291(a)(44). OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 5 Additional Eligibility Factors Rural Eligibility Documentation Eligible applicants (except for federally recognized Indian tribes) must submit a completed Rural Eligibility Checklist with their application demonstrating services will be provided to a rural area or rural community, as defined by 34 U.S.C. § 12291(a)(32).

Proposals covering multiple areas must include completed checklists for all proposed service areas. Instructions on Rural Eligibility Documentation are available here . Factors that may result in removal during the review process are described on the OVW website .

In addition, any nonprofit organization that holds money in offshore accounts for the purpose of avoiding the tax described in section 511(a) of the Internal Revenue Code is ineligible. 7 Statutory Authority/Program Goals and Objectives Per 34 U.S.C.

§ 12341(a), funds must be used for one or more of the following purposes : (1) To identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities, by encouraging collaboration among: A. domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking victim service providers; B. law enforcement agencies; E.

other criminal justice service providers; F. human and community service providers; G. educational institutions; and H.

health care providers, including sexual assault forensic examiners; (2) To establish and expand nonprofit, nongovernmental, State, tribal, territorial, and local government victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; (3) To increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by: A.

dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking occurring in rural communities; and > 7See 34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(15)(B)(ii). OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 6 B.

creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (4) To develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Furthermore, per 34 U.S.C.

§ 12341(b), grants under this program are to carry out programs serving rural areas or rural communities that address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by one or more of the following — (1) Implementing, expanding, and establishing cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, including developing multidisciplinary teams focusing on high risk cases with the goal of preventing domestic and dating violence homicides; (2) Providing treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities, including assistance in immigration matters; (3) Working in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; (4) Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs addressing sexual assault, including sexual assault forensic examiner programs, Sexual Assault Response Teams, law enforcement training, and programs addressing rape kit backlogs; and (5) Developing programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas, including addressing the challenges posed by the lack of access to quality forensic sexual assault examinations by trained health care providers, shelters, and victims services, and limited law enforcement resources and training, and providing training and resources to Community Health Aides involved in the delivery of Indian Health Service programs.

Expected outcomes: OVW will measure success by reviewing a recipient’s submission of performance reports and data and the extent to which project implementation reflects progress toward the goals and objectives of this NOFO. See the VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative for more information.

Unallowable activities: For information on program-specific unallowable activities and costs to help you develop your application and budget consistent with program requirements, see the Application Companion Guide and Budget in this NOFO. OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 7 Statutory Funding Priorities Per 34 U.S.C.

§ 12341(d)(2)(A), OVW must award at least 35% of Rural Program funds to meaningfully address sexual assault in rural communities, and 34 U.S.C. § 12341(d)(5) requires that at least 75% of Rural Program funds be allocated to eligible entities located in rural states and territories .

To meet these requirements, OVW will prioritize applications that focus 75% or more of the budget on responding to sexual assault in rural communities and give them larger awards . Eligible applicants from rural states and territories also will receive priority consideration as needed to meet the 75% rural state requirement.

Agency Funding Priorities OVW may give priority consideration to applicants that propose projects designed to advance the following public-safety priorities (as applicable within the scope of this NOFO): 1.

Combatting human trafficking and transnational crime, particularly crimes linked to illegal immigration, transnational criminal organizations, and cartel operations, including projects that strengthen law enforcement investigation and prosecution while supporting safety and justice for trafficking victims who have also suffered domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking. 2.

Projects primarily dedicated to direct victim services and criminal justice responses—including investigation, arrest, prosecution, and enforcement of protective orders—particularly in small towns and rural, remote, and Tribal communities. OVW also may give priority consideration to applications submitted by states or units of local government that certify they comply with federal immigration law, including 8 U.S.C.

§ 1373, and/or participate in the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Note: Addressing these priorities is one of many factors that OVW considers in making funding decisions. Receiving priority consideration does not guarantee funding. # 4.

APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT Application Contents List OVW will only consider applications that contain all parts marked *REQUIRED* below. Refer to the DOJ Grant Application Submission Checklist for application instructions. All supporting documents and resources for this program are on the OVW website .

OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 8 Application Item Submission Type Application for Federal Assistance: SF-424 *REQUIRED* Online Form Standard Applicant Information *REQUIRED* Online Form Proposal Abstract Text Box Data Requested with Application • Pre -award Risk Assessment Online Form Proposal Narrative *REQUIRED* Attachment Budget *REQUIRED* Attachment • Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable) • Applicant Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable) • Executive Compensation Disclosure (if applicable) Memorandum of Understanding Attachment Additional Application Components • Rural Eligibility Documentation *REQUIRED* (not for Tribes) • Certification Regarding Out-of-Scope Activities • Confidentiality Notice Form • Delivery of Legal Assistance Certification (if applicable) • Certification Regarding Compliance with Federal Immigration Standard Applicant Information *REQUIRED* Review and edit as needed the information imported from the SF-424 submitted in Grants.

gov and add ZIP codes for areas affected by the project. In JustGrants, enter a proposal abstract (limited to 2,000 characters) summarizing the proposed project. See example here .

As abstracts for funded projects are public, do not include any personally identifying information ( e.g., staff names). OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 9 Data Requested with Application: Pre-award Risk Assessment Complete this questionnaire in JustGrants. The questions are available here .

Proposal Narrative *REQUIRED* Format of the Proposal Narrative Use the Proposal Narrative Template on the OVW website.

It must be: • No longer than 10 pages, single-spaced • In a font no smaller than 11-point • On correctly numbered pages with one-inch margins • In a file format openable in Microsoft Word or Adobe Reader • In a table format or use headings and subheadings that correspond to the sections listed below • Written in plain language If you do not follow this format, OVW may reduce the score/ranking of the application.

Sections of the Proposal Narrative The Proposal Narrative must include the three sections listed below. If you want priority consideration, the Proposal Narrative must state which priority(ies) your project will advance and describe how it will do so. For NOFOs that require a memorandum of understanding (MOU) or letters of support from project partners, they are reviewed in conjunction with the Proposal Narrative.

1. Purpose of the Project (weighted at 30%) • Say why you are applying for the grant. • Identify the project’s goals/objectives.

Summarize why the goals/objectives were selected, e.g., how the project complements other services, improves services, fills gaps, and/or responds to a need. • Describe the communities that will be served. 2.

What Will Be Done (weighted at 35%) • For each project goal, describe: o Activities and who is responsible for them; o How the applicant will ensure victim safety and/or offender accountability; and o Outcomes for knowing the goal was achieved, and how these outcomes will be tracked. • Describe how services, products, trainings, etc. will be accessible to anyone who may need them. 3.

Who Will Implement the Project (weighted at 20%) • Identify the people who will implement the project. Provide for each person their name, agency/organization, position/title, their role and responsibilities on the proposed project, and a description of how they are equipped to fulfill their role/responsibility on the project.

OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 10 • Describe anticipated coordination and collaboration among project partners and/or others and how working together will advance the project’s goals. Budget and Associated Documentation Budget *REQUIRED* (weighted at 15%) Use the Sample Budget Narrative (attach file in JustGrants) to submit the budget.

Refer to Budget Information and the Creating a Budget webinar for more information: • List each cost needed to implement the project under the appropriate cost category. The award period is 36 months. Funding levels are: o New applications seeking the sexual assault-focused priority are limited to o Other new applications are limited to $500,000.

o Continuation applications seeking the sexual assault-focused priority are o Other continuation applications are limited to $750,000. • Clearly name and describe each cost. • Show the computation of each cost ( e.g. , cost per unit, number of units, and total cost).

• Enter narrative, as needed, to explain the cost calculations and connection to your project goals, objectives, and activities. • Include only costs that are reasonable, allocable, and necessary for the project. They must be allowable under the funding statute and agency requirements.

8 • Distinguish clearly between subawards and contracts in allocating any grant funds to other entities. 9 • Set aside a minimum of $5,000 on the Travel line to participate in training and technical assistance. Budget/Financial Attachments • Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable): If the budget includes indirect costs, upload your current, federally approved indirect cost rate agreement.

• Applicant Financial Capability Questionnaire (if applicable): Nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations that have not previously (or within the last three years) received funding from OVW must complete and upload this form. • Disclosure of Process Related to Executive Compensation (nonprofits only): Nonprofit organizations that use the Internal Revenue Service’s (IRS) Safe Harbor Procedure must submit a special disclosure to OVW.

10 > 8See 2 C. F. R.

Part 200, Subpart E and the DOJ Grants Financial Guide . Read information on > unallowable costs here . > 9More information on this is here .

> 10 See 34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(15)(B)(iii). More information is here .

OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 11 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and Supporting Documents If more than one entity is part of the proposed project, attach a memorandum of understanding (MOU) among the applicant and project partners or letter(s) of support. OVW’s website has instructions for MOUs and letters.

Additional Application Components Attach these in JustGrants: • Rural Eligibility Documentation , as described in Eligibility. *REQUIRED* (not required for federally recognized Indian Tribes) • Certification regarding out-of-scope activities letter signed by the Authorized • Summary Data Sheet , one to four pages.

• Confidentiality Notice Form , signed by the Authorized Representative, acknowledging the confidentiality requirements of 34 U.S.C. § 12291(b)(2). • Delivery of Legal Assistance Certification , signed by the Authorized Representative if the application proposes to provide legal assistance to victims.

• Certification regarding compliance with federal immigration law. State or local government applicants seeking priority consideration for certifying compliance with federal immigration law, including 8 U.S.C. § 1373, must submit a letter signed by the Authorized Representative making this certification.

Disclosures and Assurances Complete the disclosures , assurances , and certifications in JustGrants. # 5. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND DEADLINES The DOJ Grant Application Submission Checklist provides instructions for submitting by the deadlines .

Executive Order (E. O.) 12372 (Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs) applies to this funding opportunity.

OVW’s How to Apply page has a policy for applicants to request late submission due to technical difficulties, severe weather, or natural or manmade disaster. # 6. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION OVW’s Discretionary Grant Application Review Process page explains the responsiveness review, review criteria, review and selection process, including risk review, and deciding official.

OVW FY 2026 Rural Grant Program > U.S. Department of Justice | Office on Violence Against Women | 12 Read about the award notification process on OVW’s website . # 8. POST-AWARD REQUIREMENTS & ADMINISTRATION Read the Application Companion Guide for more information about standard award terms and conditions , administrative and national policy requirements, and post-award NOFO Contact Phone: 202-307-6026 Email: OVW.

Rural@usdoj. gov SAM. gov Help Desk Website: https://sam.

gov/content/help Hours: 8 a. m. to 8 p.

m. ET Monday – Friday Email: support@grants. gov Website: https://www.

grants. gov/support Hours: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (closed federal holidays) Email: OVW. JustGrantsSupport@usdoj.

gov Hours: 7 a. m. to 5 p.

m. ET Mon-Fri