Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program

(1) to identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities, by encouraging collaboration among—
(A) domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking victim service providers;
(B) law enforcement agencies;
(C) prosecutors;
(D) courts;
(E) other criminal justice service providers;
(F) human and community service providers;
(G) educational institutions; and
(H) health care providers, including sexual assault forensic examiners;
(2) to establish and expand nonprofit, nongovernmental, State, tribal, territorial, and local government victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims;
(3) to increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by—
(A) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking occurring in rural communities; and
(B) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and
(4) to develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs.

States, Indian tribes, Territories, local governments, and nonprofit, public or private entities, including tribal nonprofit organizations, are eligible to carry out programs serving rural areas or rural communities that address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.

Beneficiaries include eligible applicants who propose to serve victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence,and stalking in a rural area or rural community, as defined by 34 U.S.C., § 12291(a)(32) to mean (a) any area or community, respectively, no part of which is within an area designated as a standard metropolitan statistical area by the Office of Management and Budget; or (b) any area or community, respectively, that is (i) within an area designated as a metropolitan statistical area or considered part of a metropolitan statistical area; and (ii) located in a rural census tract.

Applicants must apply through the on-line Grants.gov portal and the Department of Justice's JustGrants System.

Upon approval by the Office on Violence Against Women, online notification is sent to the applicant agency. The Authorized Representative must accept the award online.

Applicants will be notified before the end of the fiscal year.