OVW Fiscal Year 2026 Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (Rural Grant Program)
Funds collaborative rural domestic and sexual violence projects for states, tribes, local governments, and nonprofits to provide or expand victim services, legal assistance, shelter, law-enforcement and justice-system responses, and access to forensic exams.
RESTRICTED TO: STATE LOCAL GOV · TRIBAL ENTITIES · NONPROFITS
⚑ Victim services and system-response program; not a research award. · Broad applicant classes include states/territories, tribes, local governments, and nonprofits; public universities may be eligible only if they fit one of those classes. · Focus on rural communities and collaboration across victim services, justice system, and related partners.
Unit fits — one characterization, each unit's own rules
| IPPRA | 54 partial | peripheral portfolio topic: public_health; signature methods: community engaged, policy analysis; social/behavioral work is substantial; funds service delivery, not research (capped); capped at 54 (non-research funding) |
| Physical Sciences & Engineering (demo) | 25 weak | technical depth: minor; funds service delivery (capped) |
| Tom Love Innovation Hub | 5 none | no commercialization signal |
Description
The Rural Grant 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.
Eligibility
States and territories; Indian Tribes; local governments; and nonprofit (public or private) entities, including Tribal nonprofit organizations
Apply
View on Grants.gov → CONTACT: Office on Violence Against Women <OVW.Rural@usdoj.gov>
Proposal brief SEE AN EXAMPLE →
A one-page internal memo: fit assessment, submission requirements, document scaffold, and next steps dated back from the deadline — tailored to your project idea if you add one.
Proposal shell · Federal (generic) conventions SEE A FEDERAL EXAMPLE →
Funder-faithful document skeletons — Federal (generic)'s document set with section headings, page limits, reviewer guidance, and writing prompts; add a project idea to get [DRAFT] starter bullets. Download as .md for Word or Overleaf.