FINALSupporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act SubmissionNOFOTemplate 11220020 fac

Supporting Statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submission
Office on Violence Against Women Notice of Funding OpportunityTemplate
A. Justification
1.

Statutorily-Mandated Need for Information

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) is responsible for improving the Nation’s
response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking through the
implementation of the Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) as amended and
reauthorized in 2000, 2005, 2013 and 2022. OVW’s mission is to provide federal leadership in
developing the nation’s capacity to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault,
and stalking and administer justice for and strengthen services to victims of those crimes. To
accomplish this mission, OVW administers federal grant programs that support communities
around the country that are creating programs, policies, and practices aimed at these crimes.
Currently, OVW administers 26 grant programs, four of which are formula grant programs,
and all of which were established under VAWA and subsequent legislation. Since its inception in
1995, OVW has awarded billions in grant funding and cooperative agreements and has launched
a multifaceted approach to implementing VAWA. These programs are designed to develop the
nation’s capacity to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by
strengthening services to victims and holding offenders accountable for their actions. OVW posts
notices of funding opportunities (NOFOs) for these grant programs, and for other funding
opportunities authorized by Congress, performs initial internal reviews after the NOFOs close,
conducts peer reviews, makes funding decisions, and, ultimately, makes awards on a staggered basis
by program according to a master calendar that ensures that awards are made in a timely manner in a
specific fiscal year. The date of the posting of a NOFO is set by working backwards from the goal
date for issuing awards.
OVW developed a NOFO template and an accompanying Application Companion Guide to
assist potential applicants with applying for OVW funding. The NOFO template ensures that all
applicants will be asked to provide uniform information in a consistent manner. The information
addressed in the NOFO template includes: Application for Federal Financial Assistance;
Proposal Abstract; Pre-Award Risk Assessment; Summary Data Sheet; Proposal Narrative;
Budget Detail Worksheet and Narrative; Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (if applicable);
Disclosure of Process Related to Executive Compensation (if applicable); Memorandum of
Understanding (if applicable); Certification Regarding Out-of-Scope Activities; Certification
Regarding Compliance with Federal Immigration Law (if applicable); Letter of Nonsupplanting;
Confidentiality Notice Form; Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable); Summary of
Other Federal Funding (if applicable); Delivery of Legal Assistance Certification (if applicable);
and other program-specific items. Each NOFO will then be tailored to address the specific OVW
funding opportunity so that identification of eligible applicants, availability of funds, award
period, award amount, program scope, other program eligibility requirements; out-of -scope
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activities, and unallowable costs will be consistent with the statutory requirements and funding
amounts authorized for each particular program.
The purpose of the NOFO template is to provide a framework to develop program-specific
announcements soliciting applications for funding. A program NOFO outlines the specifics of
the funding opportunity; describes the requirements for eligibility; instructs an applicant on the
necessary components of an application under a specific program (e.g., project activities and
timeline, proposed budget): and provides registration dates, due dates, and instructions on how to
apply within the designated application system.
OVW, along with the other Department of Justice grantmaking components, has updated its
NOFO template to improve the design; incorporate plain language and improve readability; and
implement strategies to streamline the application process. To achieve these goals, OVW began
with updates according to the revised Part 200, Appendix I of 2 C.F.R., and made further
revisions informed by feedback collected from applicants, industry design principles,
information gathered from the Council on Federal Financial Assistance and the OMB Plain
Language training, and the Simpler NOFOs website. OVW and the other DOJ grantmaking
components then had the revised draft templates reviewed by subject matter and business process
experts, including those who respond to the majority of applicant programmatic and technical
questions around NOFOs. In addition, OVW revised template language to reflect current
Administration priorities and related Executive Orders. Although designed to make NOFOs and
the application process easier to understand, none of these changes to the template affect the
Paperwork Reduction Act hour burden estimates.
2.

Use of Information

OVW will use the information collected to make determinations about funding awards.
The NOFO template is designed so that applicants will be asked to provide specific information
in a consistent manner. For example, in the Proposal Narrative section of the NOFO, all
applicants will be asked to include descriptions of the purpose of application, what will be done,
and who will implement in a separate attachment to the application that may not exceed a
specified number of pages and will be worth a specified number of points.
3.

Use of Information Technology

The collection of information will involve the use of automated, electronic, mechanical or
other technological collection techniques or other forms of information technology.
4.

Duplication of Information Request

In order to make federal funding decisions, OVW collects information through the
submission of applications for its funding opportunities after posting the NOFO online. The only
mechanism to apply for funding under OVW programs is participation in the NOFO process.
5.

Impact on Small Entities
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There is no impact on small businesses.
6.

Consequences to Federal Programs or Policy

The NOFO process, including the collection and submission of information from
applicants in a consistent and uniform manner and the utilization of specified selection criteria
ensures that federal funding decisions are made in an appropriate, effective, and fair manner
consistent with the statutorily authorized purposes of the programs and with the funding
authorizations from Congress.
7.

Special Circumstances

There are no special circumstances as identified in the specific instructions for a
supporting statement for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions.
8.

Federal Register Publication

OVW has consulted with persons outside the agency who have advised that the
information proposed to be collected is available to potential recipients, the annual collection of
and submission of such information is not burdensome, and the NOFO template is clear. OVW
has solicited public comment on this form in accordance with the requirements of the Paperwork
Reduction Act. A 30-day notice was published in the Federal Register on (Federal Register,
Volume , page ) and a 60-day notice was published on December 2, 2024 (Federal Register,
Volume 89, page 95240).
OVW received a single public comment questioning the accomplishments of the federal
funding for these grant programs and calling for the defunding of these grants. In recognition of
the severity of the crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking and the inconsistent
response across the country at the state and local level, Congress passed the Violence Against
Women Act of 1994 (VAWA 1994) as part of the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement
Act of 1994 to improve criminal justice responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, and
stalking and to increase the availability of services for victims of these crimes at the state, tribal
and local level. In 2000, 2005,2013, and 2022, Congress reauthorized existing VAWA programs
and established new programs, recognizing the important role that this federal funding has in
ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in communities across the
country. The collection of the information via a NOFO template enables OVW to make funding
determinations for programs authorized by VAWA in an efficient, consistent, and appropriate
fashion consistent with the statutory provisions outlined by federal law. Pursuant to statute,
OVW also reports to Congress on the effectiveness of activities carried out with these funds,
including the number of persons served and the number of persons seeking services who could
not be served; these reports are available on the OVW website at:
https://www.justice.gov/ovw/reports-congress.
9.

Payment or Gift to Respondents
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There will no payment or gift to respondents.
10.

Confidentiality

Although this information is needed for funding decisions, it will not involve any
personal information about victims that could identify them as specific individuals. However,
anecdotal, non-identifying information about the effectiveness of individual programs may be
included. There is no assurance to confidentiality.
11.

Specific Questions

The NOFO template will not contain any questions of a personal, sensitive nature such as
sexual behavior and attitudes, religious beliefs, and other matters that are commonly considered
private.
12.

Hour Burden of the Collection of Information

It is estimated that it will take approximately 1800 applicants approximately 30 hours to
complete an application according to the data collected under the provisions of the NOFO. Thus,
the annual reporting and recordkeeping hour burden is 54,000 hours. Applicants are informed
about the data collection requirements during the NOFO process.
OVW is seeking basic information that is routinely kept by the applicants in the normal
course of their operations. Thus, the requirement that grantees complete this application in the
time period outlined in the NOFO is not overly burdensome. OVW estimates that it will take
approximately 30 hours for an applicant to complete an application. OVW developed this
estimate based on the fact that information of this nature is already kept by applicants and that
the applicants have been informed of these data collection requirements during the NOFO
process.
13.

Cost Burden of the Collection of Information

OVW does not believe that there is any cost burden on respondents or recordkeepers
resulting from the collection of this information.
14.

Annualized Costs to the Federal Government

The annualized costs to the Federal Government resulting from the OVW staff review of
the applications is $201,600.
15.

Program Changes or Adjustments

There are no program changes or adjustments for the estimates identified in Section 13
and in Section 14. This is an information collection that is necessary for OVW to make funding
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determinations.
16.

Published Results of Information Collections

There will be no complex analytical techniques used in connection with the publication
of information collected under the request.
17.

Display of the Expiration Date of OMB Approval

OVW will display the Expiration Date of OMB Approval in the DOJ system used to
submit applications (the JustGrants System) and on the right hand corner of the NOFO.
18.

Exception to the Certification Statement

OVW is not seeking any exception to the certification statement identified in Item 19,
Certification for Paperwork Reduction Act Submissions, of OMB Form 83-I.

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