OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Research Initiative | O OVW 2025 172292

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2025 172292

The OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Research Initiative (SAFE Research Initiative) is a discretionary funding opportunity from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), offered as a cooperative agreement. It is authorized under 34 U.S.C. 40723 and is intended to support one recipient in designing, carrying out, and sharing a national-focused body of research about how sexual assault medical forensic care is delivered and accessed. The goal is to produce credible, usable findings that OVW can translate into a formal report to Congress, briefing materials, and content for a public-facing webpage on OVW's site.

At its core, the project funds research that maps both availability and access to Sexual Assault Forensic Exams (SAFEs), with particular attention to the workforce and systems that make exams possible. The funded entity is expected to study how available trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) are, along with other qualified clinicians who perform medical forensic exams (MFEs) or sexual assault forensic examinations. That includes identifying where sexual assault medical forensic services are offered, what staffing coverage looks like (for example, whether there is reliable on-call coverage, 24/7 capacity, and sufficient staffing to avoid delays), and what real-world barriers patients face when trying to obtain this care. Barriers may include geography, transportation, hospital participation, staffing shortages, limited hours, referral practices, and other practical obstacles that affect whether a patient can actually obtain an exam when it is needed.

The initiative also directs the research to look closely at state-level policy and practice frameworks that shape service quality and consistency. This includes compiling and analyzing state requirements, minimum standards, and protocols governing SANEs and sexual assault forensic care, as well as identifying what training is available to SANEs. In addition, the project must examine the presence and availability of sexual assault victim advocates at the locations where exams are provided, recognizing that advocacy support is often a critical part of patient-centered care during and after the forensic exam process.

Another major element of the research agenda is cost and sustainability. The awardee is expected to gather information on the annual cost of conducting SAFEs and document funding opportunities that support SANE training and continuing education. In other words, the work is not limited to describing service gaps; it is also meant to clarify what it costs to operate these services and where financial support currently comes from (or could come from), especially as it relates to training pipelines and maintaining clinical competency over time.

Only certain types of applicants are eligible. Eligible entities include nonprofit organizations (including those with 501(c)(3) status and those without 501(c)(3) status) and institutions of higher education, whether private, public, or state-controlled. Foreign governments, foreign organizations, and foreign institutions of higher education are not eligible to apply.

Key opportunity details include the funding opportunity number O-OVW-2025-172292, CFDA number 16.064, and an activity focus in Law, Justice, and Legal Services. OVW expects to make a single award with an award ceiling of $1,500,000. The application closing date is June 27, 2025, and the opportunity was created on May 15, 2025. Because the instrument is a cooperative agreement, applicants should expect substantial involvement from OVW in project coordination, deliverables, and how findings are packaged for congressional and public communication purposes.

• The Office on Violence Against Women in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Sexual Assault Forensic Exam Research Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.064.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2025-05-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-06-27. (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 $1,500,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Others.

Apply for O OVW 2025 172292

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