OVW FY 2020 Sexual Assault Forensic-Medical and Advocacy Services for Tribes (FAST) Initiative | OVW 2020 17592

Opportunity Information: Apply for OVW 2020 17592

The OVW FY 2020 Sexual Assault Forensic-Medical and Advocacy Services for Tribes (FAST) Initiative is a discretionary grant program from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), created to strengthen tribal responses to sexual assault by expanding access to two critical resources in Indian Country: trained Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs) and trained sexual assault victim advocates. The core aim is to make sure survivors in tribal communities, including Alaska Native villages, can receive timely, trauma-informed medical forensic exams and consistent advocacy support, even in areas where geography, limited infrastructure, and workforce shortages make these services difficult to provide.

FAST funding is meant to help communities build out the practical capacity to deliver sexual assault medical forensic exams and victim services, whether that involves launching a new program, sustaining an existing one, or expanding services into additional locations. In addition to clinical and advocacy capacity, the opportunity also supports the development and strengthening of Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs). SARTs are multidisciplinary partnerships that typically bring together healthcare providers, victim advocates, law enforcement, prosecutors, and other community partners to coordinate a survivor-centered response. By supporting SART formation and improvement, the initiative emphasizes coordinated practices that reduce gaps in care, improve communication across agencies, and help survivors navigate the aftermath of assault with fewer barriers.

A notable feature of this opportunity is its explicit priority for innovative approaches that address the realities of remote and rural tribal communities. OVW signals that preference will be given to applicants proposing creative, workable models for connecting experienced SAFEs with hard-to-reach locations. Examples specifically highlighted include traveling SAFEs who can rotate through multiple sites, telemedicine models that extend expert guidance and support across distance, and rural preceptorships that help train and retain providers in underserved areas. This emphasis reflects the program's practical focus on overcoming distance, staffing shortages, and limited local training opportunities that often prevent survivors from receiving a high-quality exam soon after an assault.

Administratively, this is a grant (not a contract), with an award ceiling of $2,000,000 and an expectation of making about 6 awards under this solicitation. The opportunity was posted on November 4, 2019, and had an original closing date of January 10, 2020. The program aligns with the broad funding activity category of Health, Law, Justice, and Legal Services, and is associated with CFDA number 16.841. The funding opportunity number is OVW 2020 17592, and the title is OVW FY 2020 Sexual Assault Forensic-Medical and Advocacy Services for Tribes (FAST) Initiative.

Eligibility is broad and includes federally recognized Native American tribal governments and tribal organizations, as well as state, county, and local governments; public and private institutions of higher education; and nonprofit organizations, including both 501(c)(3) and non-501(c)(3) nonprofits (excluding institutions of higher education in those nonprofit categories). Even with this wide eligibility list, the program is clearly oriented toward improving services within tribal communities, so competitive applications would generally be expected to demonstrate strong collaboration with tribal partners and a clear plan for delivering culturally responsive, victim-centered services in the community or communities being served.

Overall, FAST is designed to address a specific, well-documented service gap: survivors in many tribal and Alaska Native communities cannot reliably access trained forensic examiners and specialized advocacy when they need it most. By funding the establishment, continuation, and expansion of forensic medical and advocacy programs, and by encouraging coordinated SART models and innovative service delivery strategies like telehealth and traveling examiner programs, the initiative aims to improve both immediate care and the longer-term justice and healing pathways available to survivors.

• The Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women in the health, law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW FY 2020 Sexual Assault Forensic-Medical and Advocacy Services for Tribes (FAST) Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.841.
• This funding opportunity was created on Nov 04, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 10, 2020. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $2,000,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 6 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for OVW 2020 17592

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