 Photo of Division of Criminal Justice staff wearing denim for 2024 Denim Day
Updates & Guidance
Resources by Funding Source:
Report Specific Resources:
Important Reminders
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VAWA & SASP Grantees: a new annual reporting process (Muskie Report) will be unveiled by the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) on May 6th. Look for information from your Grant Program Manager(GPM) about CY23 reporting in the new system.
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Monthly Payment Schedule: As a reminder, grantees can request to move from a quarterly payment schedule to monthly. Talk to your GPM if you're interested in exploring this option.
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State VALE Grantees: The CVS2 Narrative for State VALE Grantees is different than the CVS2 Narrative Form for other CVS Funding.
TA Spotlight
What to Expect When Being Monitored
As a recipient of Office for Victims Programs (OVP) federal grant funds, you must assure that your agency is in compliance with the Colorado Special Provisions and Federal Certified Assurances requirements as set forth in your 2023/2024 Grant Agreement. The following are some Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) concerning the monitoring process.
1. What is monitoring?
Not to be confused with an Audit, Monitoring is a review process used to determine an agency’s compliance with requirements of a grant, including all applicable laws and regulations. It’s not meant to be a gotcha moment!
- Monitoring includes an assessment of data and documentation kept by the subrecipient.
- Monitoring activities determine the subrecipient’s level of compliance with expectations.
- It is also used to determine if financial and programmatic systems are adequate to account for funds in alignment with accounting standards and grant requirements.
2. Who gets chosen to be monitored?
OVP has a responsibility to monitor the use of grant funds and conduct a comprehensive monitoring review of all grant-funded agencies at least once every two years.
3. What does monitoring consist of?
- Financial Review
- Administrative Review
- On-site Review
4. What can I do to make the monitoring process easier?
Look out for these common errors found during monitoring:
- Ineligible expenses charged to the grant - all spending must be outlined in your Grant agreement, or in your most recently approved budget.
- Timesheets do not meet grant requirements or are not provided. Review our timesheet requirements resource.
- Incorrect Grant Number and funding source are being used, e.g. referring to VOCA when funded with ARPA dollars.
- Personal Identifiable Information (PII) is not fully redacted from supporting documentation.
- Supporting documentation does not include grant attribution information.
- Financial policies are missing key grant requirements. Email cvsgrants@state.co.us for sample policies.
More Questions?
Crime Victims Fund Update
On the federal level, the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act would redirect funds collected through the False Claims Act into the Crime Victims Fund through FY2029. A one page overview has been released with more information. Anne Seymour, who distributes a weekly email with resources related to victim services, is gathering the names of organizations and agencies who are in support of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act. Organizations and agencies (not individuals currently) that wish to sign on in support of the bill can email Anne directly at JusticeSister@outlook.com and include the following language:
(NAME OF YOUR ORGANIZATION) signs on in support of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act.
Organization Full Name
City/State
Grantee Resources
Professional development:
- The Colorado Organization for Victim Assistance (COVA) is seeking workshop presenters for the 36th Annual COVA Conference in Keystone, CO on October 14-16. Submissions are due May 5!
- Kingdom Builder's Family Life Center is accepting request for proposals for their Changing the Narrative Domestic Violence Conference 2024 in Colorado Springs on October 9th-11th. Learn more about this opportunity and submit an application by May 30th.
Training on your schedule:
- Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA) hosts a YouTube channel where you can catch webinars that you've missed.
- Past COVA webinars are available in their archive.
- Office for Victims of Crime Training & Technical Assistance Center (OVC TTAC) offers online interactive trainings that can be completed at your convenience.
Announcements & Highlights
Come Say Hello at CAIA
Members of the OVP Grants Team will be at the 2024 Colorado Advocacy in Action Conference (CAIA) on Monday, June 10, 2024 from 12:45pm to 2:00pm to meet and connect with grantees in attendance. We’ll be located in the main registration area on the conference level. Anyone interested in stopping by and saying hello is welcome!
Denim Day 2024
OVP staff, along with staff throughout the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), participated in Denim Day 2024. Denim Day is a worldwide movement to wear jeans as a visible means of protest against misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
You can read more about the origins of Denim Day and the movement on the Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault's webpage.
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Join the CVS Advisory Board
The Crime Victim Services (CVS) Advisory Board is a 28-member board appointed by the Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Public Safety. The Board acts in an advisory capacity to the Department and the Division of Criminal Justice in making grant funding recommendations regarding State VALE, SASP, VAWA, and VOCA crime victim assistance projects.
The CVS Advisory Board is seeking applications for the following representatives:
- VALE Board Member
- Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Member Representative
- Southern Ute Tribal Member Representative
Learn more about the board and submit an application on our Crime Victim Services Advisory Board webpage.
Important Dates
May 2024
Mental Health Awareness Month
April 29- May 5: 2024 National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR)
May 1: Colorado Victim Rights Law Information Session (Presented weekly) (COVA)*
May 2: Human Trafficking Trends and Case Studies: A Reactive and Proactive Approach (Justice Clearinghouse)*
May 2: Virtual Title IX Town Hall (Multiple co-hosts)*
May 7: An Introduction to Domestic Violence, Traumatic Brain Injury and Strangulation (Justice Clearinghouse)*
May 7: SART Series #2- "Men too: Male victimization" (CCASA)*
May 11: Monthly Art Workshop (Finding Our Voices)*
May 14: The Four Most Common Feelings of Trauma Survivors (Justice Clearinghouse)*
May 16: Child Abuse: From Suspicion to Disclosure (NCJTC)*
May 20-23: 19th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women (CCAW)*
May 20-24: 2024 COVA Basic Academy (COVA)*
May 23: Voices Heard: Advocating for Victims’ Rights in the Courtroom (Justice Clearinghouse)*
May 28: Neurobiology of Trauma in People with Disabilities (Activating Change)*
May 30: Assessing Readiness for Incorporating Victim Services into Law Enforcement Agencies (Justice Clearinghouse)*
June 2024
Pride Month
June 5: Colorado Victim Rights Law Information Session (Presented weekly) (COVA)
June 10-12: Colorado Advocacy in Action Conference (CCASA & Violence Free Colorado)*
June 25: Deaf Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse (Activating Change)*
*Training opportunities and resources provided by external organizations. We do not endorse any of the trainings or resources listed.
Submit requests & opportunities for future editions to cvsgrants@state.co.us.
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