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Dear grantees, applicants, and the broader community of people combating domestic and sexual violence,
I am pleased to announce that the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has started posting its notices of funding opportunity (NOFOs) for the 2026 fiscal year. This note is to tell you what’s different in our NOFOs this time around and direct you to resources that can help you prepare your applications.
At OVW we know you work hard. You keep victims safe from further harm, hold offenders accountable for their crimes, and join people where they gather to get the word out about how to prevent violence and where to go for help. Each minute you spend on a grant application is a minute fewer you can be face-to-face with people who rely on you for safety and justice. That is why we’re making the application process easier. Here are changes you can expect to see:
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Shorter NOFOs with more consistent instructions. A lot of information that used to be in the NOFO itself is now linked on our website, and much of it is the same across NOFOs. For example, the instructions for a memorandum of understanding (MOU)—required under many NOFOs—are the same now. You’ll find documents you need for applying consolidated under each grant program’s section on our Funding Opportunities Our improved How to Apply page also has applicant resources.
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Proposal narrative criteria are simplified and similar across NOFOs. For many of our programs we’re providing a template you can use to prepare your proposal narrative, too. The NOFOs also say that narratives should be written in plain language. This means you can tell us in simple terms why you need the funding, what you’ll do with it, and how everyone involved is equipped to do their part.
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More balanced scoring. Too often, an applicant presents a good plan for providing much-needed services, but procedural mistakes result in point deductions that mean the project is less likely to be funded. We adjusted the scoring weight that sections of the application carry to reduce the impact that such mistakes have on an application’s score. Even so, to avoid errors that can disqualify an application I urge you to carefully read the NOFO, start your application early, and follow the instructions.
With these changes and more, you may have questions. It is our job to answer them. Each NOFO lists contacts and you should not hesitate to email or call when you have a question. We aim to answer all NOFO inquiries within two business days. If you do not receive a prompt response, please contact OVW.Info@usdoj.gov. You are also welcome to contact me at OVW.Director@usdoj.gov with questions. We will keep our NOFO release plan updated, as well. We welcome your feedback on our new NOFOs and invite you to send it to OVW.Info@usdoj.gov.
In addition to OVW’s new NOFOs, I encourage you to check out the Department of Justice’s just-announced Model Cities Initiative (MCI) funding opportunity. Through the MCI, the Department will direct nearly $300 million in federal funding to transform public safety in U.S. cities. The MCI is open to applications from local government entities serving a population of at least 100,000.
Finally, please consider serving as a peer reviewer for OVW. Peer reviewers are people with professional expertise on addressing and preventing crimes that disproportionately victimize women: law enforcement officers, victim advocates, prosecutors, nurses, etc. The more varied and fresh perspectives we have in our peer reviewer pool, the better, so check out this page and consider applying to be a peer reviewer. In the coming months, OVW will recruit survivors to be reviewers for select programs so that their perspectives—informed by their direct experiences—are accounted for in grant reviews.
Thank you for what you do on behalf of victims and in service of justice.
Sincerely,
Ginger Baran Lyons
Deputy Director for Grants Development and Management (Supervisory Official)
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