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Federal Funding for Tribal Victim Services

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Federal Programs Guide      Description of Terms

The Not Invisible Act of 2019 (Public Law 116-166) aimed to increase coordination of efforts to reduce crime in Indian country. The law also directed the U.S. Attorney General and the U.S. Secretary of the Interior to establish a federal advisory committee comprised of law enforcement, Tribal leaders, representatives from various federal agencies, victim services providers, survivors of homicide, and the family members of missing or murdered Indigenous people (MMIP). 

The Not Invisible Act Commission published a report on November 1, 2023, which summarized their findings and recommendations to address the MMIP crisis. One of the commission’s key recommendations was that federal grant-making agencies should collaborate to help federally recognized Tribes develop strategies to make the most effective use of federal victim services grant funding.

In March 2024, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), and the Office of Family Violence and Prevention Services (OFVPS) organized a working group focused on raising awareness about how Tribes can best use available federal funding for their victim service programs. 

We are excited to offer this new resource to help Tribes determine where to apply for funding for victim services across multiple federal agencies. Ongoing updates and enhancements will be made to provide clarification on the differences between the programs and eligibility. This resource will help Tribes find the programs that best meet their needs, and to determine how best to budget awarded funding.


ProgramDomestic ViolenceSexual AssaultHuman TraffickingMMIPChild Abuse & NeglectElder Abuse

Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program

Office for Victims of Crime | Helping Crime Survivors Find Their Justice
Victim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Medical Exams; Forensic Training; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Supervised Visitation & Safe Exchange Programs; Non-Intimate Partner Family Violence; Community Outreach & Awareness; Coordinated Community Response (CCR Team); Civil Legal Assistance; Domestic Violence Hotline; Relocation Assistance; Culturally Specific ServicesVictim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Counseling for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse; Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFE); Forensic Training; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Community Outreach & Awareness; SANE-SART Team; Civil Legal Assistance; Sexual Assault Hotline; Services for Incarcerated Victims; Culturally Specific ServicesVictim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Medical Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Counseling for Incarcerated Victims (Individual & Group); Multidisciplinary Human Trafficking Task Force; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Civil Legal Assistance; Community Outreach & Awareness; Human Trafficking Hotline; Culturally Specific Services; Relocation AssistanceVictim Advocates; Multidisciplinary MMIP Task Force; Homicide: Disinterment, Repatriation, & Burial Costs; Mental Health Counseling; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Tribal Code Development; Physical Searches; Raising Awareness of Cases; Civil Legal Assistance; Court Accompaniment; Travel; Culturally Specific ServicesVictim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Multidisciplinary Child Protection Team; Pediatric Sexual Assault Forensic Exam; Pediatric SANE Training for Medical Professionals; Child Advocacy Centers; Forensic Interviewer Training; Culturally Specific Services; Specialized Services for Drug-Endangered Children; Civil Legal AssistanceVictim Advocates; Emergency Placement (Nursing home, assisted living, foster care); Case Management; Medical & Neuropsychology Forensic Exams; Short Term In-home Sitter & Homemaker Services; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Multidisciplinary Elder Abuse Response Team; Counseling for Mental Health (Individual, Group, Family); Tribal Code Development; Civil Legal Assistance; Transitional Housing: Assistance, Rent, & Utilities; Community Outreach & Awareness; Elder Abuse Hotline; Culturally Specific Services; Relocation Assistance

Violence Against Women Tribal Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Initiative

Office on Violence Against Women Logo
Specialized ProsecutorsSpecialized ProsecutorsN/AN/AN/AN/A

Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Grant Program

Office on Violence Against Women Logo
Victim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Medical Exams; Forensic Training; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Supervised Visitation & Safe Exchange Programs; Non-Intimate Partner Family Violence; Community Outreach & Awareness; Coordinated Community Response (CCR Team); Civil Legal Assistance; Relocation AssistanceN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

Grants to Tribal Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program

Office on Violence Against Women Logo
Victim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Medical Exams; Forensic Training; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Coordinated Community Response (CCR Team); Civil Legal Assistance; Relocation Assistance; Culturally Specific ServicesN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program

Office on Violence Against Women Logo
Victim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Medical Exams; Forensic Training; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Supervised Visitation & Safe Exchange Programs; Non-Intimate Partner Family Violence; Community Outreach & Awareness; Coordinated Community Response (CCR Team); Civil Legal Assistance; Relocation Assistance; Culturally Specific ServicesVictim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Construction; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Counseling for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse; Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFE); Forensic Training; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Law Enforcement Investigators; Specialized Prosecutors; Community Outreach & Awareness; Prevention Activities; SANE-SART Team; Civil Legal Assistance; Victim-Witness Coordinator; Sexual Assault Hotline; Services for Incarcerated Victims; Culturally Specific ServicesN/AN/AN/AN/A

Family Violence Prevention and Services Act Program

Administration for Children & Families

 

Victim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Substance Use Counseling; Community Outreach & Awareness; Prevention Activities; Coordinated Community Response (CCR Team); Civil Legal Assistance; Domestic Violence Hotline; Relocation Assistance; Culturally Specific Services; Medical Advocacy and Referral; Case Management Services; Job Training & Employment; Financial Literacy Services & Education; Financial Planning; Economic Empowerment Opportunities; Respite Care; Parenting & Other Educational Services; Shelter Administrative Costs; Health & Behavioral Health Services; Peer Support Groups; Securing Safe, Affordable Permanent Housing; Homelessness Prevention ServicesN/AN/AN/AN/AN/A

Children’s Justice Act Partnerships for Indian Communities

Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Purpose Area 6

Office for Victims of Crime | Helping Crime Survivors Find Their Justice
N/AN/AN/AN/AVictim Advocates; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Mental Health Counseling; Multidisciplinary Child Protection Team; Pediatric Sexual Assault Forensic Exam; Pediatric SANE Training for Medical Professionals; Child Advocacy Centers; Culturally Specific Services; Specialized Prosecutors; Specialized Law Enforcement InvestigatorsN/A

Tribal Governments Program

Office on Violence Against Women Logo
N/AVictim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Mental Health Counseling; Counseling for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse; Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFE); Forensic Training; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Law Enforcement Investigators; Specialized Prosecutors; Community Outreach & Awareness; Prevention Activities; SANE-SART Team; Civil Legal Assistance; Victim-Witness Coordinator; Sexual Assault Hotline; Services for Incarcerated Victims; Culturally Specific Services(Note: sex trafficking only) Victim Advocates; Shelter & Housing; Food, Clothing, & Transportation; Child Care; Medical Care; Mental Health Counseling; Counseling for Incarcerated Victims (Individual & Group); Multidisciplinary Human Trafficking Task Force; Educational Assistance; Tribal Code Development; Law Enforcement Investigators; Specialized Prosecutors; Civil Legal Assistance; Intervention for At-Risk Youth; Prevention for At-Risk Youth; Community Outreach & Awareness; Human Trafficking Hotline; Culturally Specific Services; Relocation AssistanceLaw Enforcement Policies & Procedures Development and Training; MMIP Data Collection and ReportingN/AN/A

 


Additional Funding Opportunities

Tribal Funding Directory

Administered by the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, the Office of Justice Programs, and OVW, the initiatives in this Directory include discretionary and formula grant programs for which Tribes are eligible. They support a range of effective criminal justice, prevention, intervention, reentry, and victim services activities.

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Funds from the following U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grant programs can be used to support victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human Trafficking, MMIP, child abuse and neglect, and elder abuse.

  • The Indian Housing Block Grant Program is the single largest source of American Indian housing assistance. This formula grant is distributed annually and funds affordable housing activities including new housing construction, rehabilitation, and housing services.
  • The Indian Community Development Block Grant Program provides eligible grantees with direct grants for use in developing viable American Indian and Alaska Native Communities, including decent housing, a suitable living environment, and economic opportunities, primarily for low- and moderate-income persons. 

Grants.gov

Grants.gov is a centralized location for grant seekers to find and apply for federal funding opportunities. Search Grants.gov for funding opportunities.