Not necessarily. Once the initial budget submission receives final approval from the Office of the Chief Financial Officer, the budget is implemented for the entire award period. Any unused funds from one year automatically rollover to the next year. However, if you need to make changes to your budget, such as moving funds from one budget line item to another, please consult the DOJ Grants Financial Guide.
All budget changes should be discussed with, and may require formal approval from, your OVC grant manager. See the "When is a Financial Budget Modification Grant Award Modification (GAM) required?" question on when budget modifications are needed.
OJP grantees must initiate a GAM in JustGrants for budget modification, if:
- The proposed cumulative change is greater than 10 percent of the total award amount. The 10 percent rule does not apply to an award of less than $250,000. However, for recordkeeping purposes and audit documentation, OJP advises grantees to submit a GAM even if the proposed budget modification is less than 10 percent of the total award amount. This also provides the OJP grant manager with notification of proposed changes.
- The budget modification changes the scope of the project. Examples include altering the purpose of the project, authorizing the use of a subcontractor or other organization that was not identified in the original approved budget, or contracting for or transferring of award-supported efforts.
- A budget adjustment affects a cost category that was not included in the original budget. For example, if the direct cost category “Travel” did not exist in the original budget, the adjustment to transfer funds from “Equipment” to “Travel” requires a GAM.
- There is any dollar increase or decrease to the indirect cost category of an approved budget.
Please refer to 2 C.F.R. § 200.414(f) and the DOJ Grants Financial Guide for information governing the use of the de minimus indirect cost rate.
Grantees must keep detailed accounting records and documentation to track match funding. The grantee’s financial records must clearly show the source, amount, and timing for all matched contributions. The grantee has the primary responsibility for meeting the match requirement and for ensuring subrecipient compliance with match requirements. In addition, if a recipient or subrecipient has included a match that exceeds the required matching portion within the approved budget, the records of those additional amounts must be included and maintained as if they are a part of the regular match amount. Matching funds are restricted to the same use of funds as allowed for the Federal funds, and subject to audit.
Please note that grantees may not use Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funds, or funds from other Federal awards, as match funding for OVC anti-trafficking awards.
Grantees are required to report the match (both cash and in-kind) on the quarterly Federal Financial Report (FFR). Additionally, the full matching share provided (both cash and in-kind) must be reported on the final FFR submitted at the end of the period of performance. If the matching share is not reported, DOJ will assume the grantee did not meet the required match and will initiate collection of a cash match from the grantee. The DOJ Grants Financial Guide includes additional information on matching and cost sharing requirements.
For general government-wide rules regarding match and match requirements, see 2 C.F.R. § 200.306.
A non-Federal entity that expends $750,000 or more during the non-Federal entity's fiscal year in Federal awards must have a single or program-specific audit conducted for that year in accordance with the provisions of 2 C.F.R. § 200 Subpart F – Audit Requirements. Audit reports must be submitted within the earlier of 30 calendar days after receipt of the auditor's report(s), or 9 months after the end of the audit period.
Federal agencies can no longer grant due date extensions for submission of single audit reports. The Federal Audit Clearinghouse (FAC) requires all grant award recipients to use the Internet Data Entry System (IDES) to submit the Standard Form-Single Audit Component (SF-SAC) and the Single Audit Reporting package online.
Please send any requests for the auditor of your organization to OJP’s Audit Confirmation email: [email protected].
Under OVC-funded anti-trafficking programs, organizations should not collect “contributions” from survivors to fund services (in whole or in part) or collect funds for other purposes such as encouraging saving by “holding” funds or opening a savings account on behalf of the individual. OVC-funded services should be provided free of charge, and if program participants are encouraged to open a savings account to establish financial stability, it should be in their own name and any contributions should be voluntary.
In some circumstances, OVC may permit housing assistance programs to use a sliding scale or contributory model towards rent and collect funds from program participants; however, the grantee must first consult with their OVC grant manager, as these funds may be considered program income (see DOJ Financial Guide).
Established in 1988 through an amendment to the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) is a federal office within the U.S. Department of Justice that provides federal funds to support victim assistance and compensation programs around the country and advocates for the fair treatment of crime victims.
More information about OVC is available on the About OVC section of our website.
The date of the 2024 National Crime Victims' Service Awards Ceremony has not been announced. Visit our National Crime Victims' Rights Week Awards & Events page for information about planned events this year.
Sign up for the National Crime Victims' Rights Week Subscription List to receive email updates about future National Crime Victims' Service Awards Ceremonies and other National Crime Victims' Rights Week updates.
Visit the OVC Gallery to view information and watch videos about award recipients from this year and previous years.
If you have not yet contacted law enforcement officials to report your missing child, please do so immediately. Ask them about the issuing an AMBER Alert.
Through AMBER Alert, law enforcement agencies and broadcasters activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child abduction cases. Request that law enforcement put out a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) bulletin. Ask them about involving the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the search for your child.
Additional helpful information for families about what to do when a child is missing is available in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention report, When Your Child is Missing: A Family Survival Guide and the Missing and Exploited Children page. Also contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 800-843-5678 and view their Missing-Child, Emergency-Response, Quick-Reference Guide for Families.
Also visit the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs) website. NamUs is a clearinghouse for missing persons and unidentified decedent records. This free online system can be searched by law enforcement officials, other allied professionals, and the general public to solve these cases.