December 2005

In This Issue

• Fiscal Year 2006 Federal Budget
• Federal Funding Opportunities
• Private Foundation Funding
• Funding Tip

Fiscal Year 2006 Federal Budget

Many of the appropriations bills including programs of interest to civil legal services providers have been finalized. The amounts that will be available for those programs in FY 2006 are as follows:

• Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

  The Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) receives $3.75 billion towards its formula grant program for FY 2006. While Congress did not go along with the Bush Administration’s proposal to combine CDBG with several other economic development programs and move the combined program into the Commerce Department, the CDBG formula grant is reduced by approximately $361 million from last year.

  Homeless Assistance Programs are allocated $1.35 billion, an increase of almost $100 million compared to FY 2005. The appropriations bill retains current rules requiring 30 percent of grant dollars go to permanent shelter projects and that there be a 25 percent match requirement for service funds.

  Housing for Persons With AIDS receives $289 million, a $7.3 million increase compared to last year.

  The Housing Counseling program receives level funding at $20 million in FY 2006. The Congress did not fund a revised program proposed by the President.

  Fair Housing Initiatives Programs also remain level at $20 million.

  Rural Housing and Economic Development, a program targeted to be eliminated by the Bush Administration in the consolidation and move to the Commerce Department, survives but is reduced to $17 million for FY 2006, a decrease of $6.8 million from last year.

• Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

  These grant programs administered by the Office on Violence Against Women in the Department of Justice all receive level funding for FY 2006:

  • The STOP Violence Against Women Grant Program at approximately $187 million,
  • Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) Grant Program at approximately $39 million, and
  • Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Program also at approximately $39 million.
  
  
• The appropriations bill for the Department of Health and Human Services has failed to gain final approval by the conference committee as of December 14, 2005.

Federal Funding Opportunities

• FY 2006 Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program
  http://www.usdoj.gov/ovw/ovwfy2006legalassistanceforvictimssolicitation.pdf
  Deadline: January 10, 2006 for required online registration at Grants.gov;
  January 24, 2006 application deadline
  

  The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced the availability of funds for Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) of domestic violence, through its Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). The LAV Program awards grants to law school legal clinics, legal services programs, domestic violence victims' shelters, bar associations, sexual assault programs, private nonprofit entities including faith-based organizations and Indian tribal governments.

  These grants are for providing direct legal services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking in matters arising from the abuse or violence, and for providing enhanced training for lawyers representing these victims. Only FY 2004 grantees, previously unsuccessful applicants, new applicants, and FY 2005 grantees that received a one-year award are eligible to apply for FY 2006 funding. The award period will be for 24 months, with grant amounts varying based upon the size of the area to be served.

  Collaboration with other major players in the service area (e.g., faith-based organizations, victims services organizations, domestic shelters) is important. Although legal services organizations may be considered "first among equals" in applying for these grants, there is a wide range of organizations eligible to receive funding. The competition for LAV funding has grown dramatically in recent years, while the amount available has remained relatively stagnant. Continuation of funding to those who received FY 2004 LAV grants is far from guaranteed. Even well established legal services programs that have submitted solid applications for continued LAV funding have not received successive awards.

  Applications must be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. Application instructions are located at http://www.usdoj.gov/ovw.

• FY 2006 Rural Domestic Violence and Child Victimization Enforcement Grant Program
  http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/docs/fy2006ruraldomesticviolencesolicitation.pdf
  Deadline: December 22, 2005 for required online registration at Grants.gov;
  January 12, 2006 application deadline
  

  The primary purpose of the Rural Program is to enhance the safety of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, and child victimization by supporting projects uniquely designed to address and prevent these crimes in rural jurisdictions.

  Priority areas include:

  1. Establishing or improving partnerships that provide services for rural victims, including transitional housing, immigration assistance, job training and educational assistance.
  2. Increasing collaboration between law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim advocacy groups and social service/health/education providers.
  3. Developing public awareness campaigns to inform victims of available services.
  4. Improving the coordination of domestic violence and child victimization services, with an emphasis on addressing the impact of violence on children.
  5. Pushing for greater involvement by faith-based and other community programs.

  In those states defined as "rural" by statute, (Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, and Wyoming), state and local governments, Indian tribes, and nonprofits, including faith-based and community-based organizations serving rural communities are eligible to apply for grants under the Rural Program.

  Although community-based nonprofits may apply for funds, applicants must have in place a formal collaborative agreement with their state agency and are encouraged to partner with other faith- and community-based organizations. If a rural state government elects to submit an application, the state agency is required to enter into a formal collaboration with faith- and community-based organizations.

  In non-rural states (all other states and territories), the state government may apply on behalf of one or more of its rural jurisdictions. By statute, the only eligible applicants from non-rural states are the state government or Indian tribal governments. Non-rural state government applicants are also required to enter into a formal collaboration with faith- and community-based organizations serving victims of domestic violence, dating violence or child victimization.

  Applications must be submitted electronically using Grants.gov. Application instructions are located at http://www.usdoj.gov/ovw.

• FY 2006 Prisoner Reentry Initiative
  http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/BJA/grant/06PRIsol.pdf
  Deadline: January 26, 2006
  

  The DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), Office of Justice Programs will award competitive grants to state agencies only to provide pre-release assessment and services, and post-release supervision, as well as aid in the increased use of transition planning for prisoners who will be returning to the communities that receive funding through U.S. Department of Labor’s FY 2005 Prisoner Reentry Initiative.

  Awards will be made to state agencies that partner with prisons, faith-based organizations and community-based organizations that have the capacity to provide assistance under this initiative. The target population includes individuals ages 18 to 35 who have never been convicted of a violent offense and who are being incarcerated in state or federal prisons, and county jails.

  A 25 percent match is required for this grant program. Officials hope to award 20 grants up to $450,000 to eligible recipients for a grant period of 24 months. Funding is limited to jurisdictions in which grants were awarded to community- and faith-based organizations through the U.S. Department of Labor’s FY 2005 Prisoner Reentry Initiative (see http://www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/eta/eta20052123list.htm ).

• Helping Outreach Programs to Expand (HOPE) II, 2006
  http://www.mdcrimevictims.org
  Deadline: January 31, 2006
  

  The DOJ’s Office of Victims of Crime (OVC), through a cooperative agreement with the Maryland Crime Victims’ Resource Center (MCVRC), is currently soliciting proposals from faith-based and community-based organizations to establish 48 sub-grantee sites in urban, high crime areas across the United States. MCVRC will sub-award each of the selected sites up to $50,000 to:

  • increase the number of crime victims served in the target community;
  • increase training opportunities for service providers assisting victims of crime; and
  • increase the ability of agencies providing services to crime victims to collaborate and form networks with victim service agencies.

  The award period is from April 2006 to September 2006. This project has the potential for additional funding or an additional award period contingent on new federal funding. More information and the required application forms are located on the MCVRC Web site.

• Food Stamp Program Outreach
  http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/outreach/grants/2006/
  Deadline: April 3, 2006
  

  The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has at least $1 million, contingent upon availability in FY 2006, for an outreach grant competition. The maximum grant award is $75,000.

  The purpose of the grant is to implement and study effective strategies to inform and educate potentially eligible low income people not currently participating in the Food Stamp Program (FSP) about the benefits of the program, eligibility rules, and how to apply. Applicants should develop proposals to design and implement a community food stamp outreach and education program targeted to one or more of the following populations: the working poor, seniors or immigrants.

  Competition may be tougher than in the past; funding for the program has fallen from $5 million in FY 2002 to $1 million for FY 2006. USDA has been particularly interested in projects that use new technologies or community-based partnerships to support outreach activities.

  Recipients of FNS outreach grants under the Food Stamp Program Research Grants to Improve Access through the Use of New Technology and Partnerships awarded in FY 2001 and 2002, and recipients of FNS Outreach Grants awarded in FY 2004 and 2005 may not apply or participate as sub-grantees to another applicant.

  The due date for optional letters of intent to apply is January 6, 2006.

Private Foundation Funding

• Partnerships in Law and Aging Program
  http://www.abanet.org/aging
  Deadline: March 1, 2006
  

  The American Bar Association Commission on Law and Aging and the Borchard Foundation Center on Law and Aging are pleased to announce a new cycle of funding under the Partnerships in Law and Aging Program.

  Now in its eighth year, the Partnerships in Law and Aging Program is designed to spur collaboration and develop effective partnerships among providers of law-related services to older persons; to enhance legal awareness and autonomy and promote the rights of elders who are poor or otherwise isolated; to improve elder access to the legal system; and to serve as a catalyst for development of effective, permanent partnerships and resources and replication of successful projects.

  The program will fund up to ten projects of $7,500 each from July 1, 2006 through June 30, 2007. The Request for Proposals is available on the ABA Commission on Law and Aging Web site.

• After Prison Initiative
  http://www.soros.org/initiatives/justice/focus_areas/after_prison/guidelines
  Inquiries are accepted on a rolling basis.
  

  The Open Society Institute is accepting letters of inquiry for its After Prison Initiative. The initiative promotes public policies and private initiatives that support successful reentry and reintegration of people returning from prison. The initiative will consider proposals from advocacy groups, community groups, scholarly or research institutions, government agencies, associations of elected officials, and nonprofit business associations or initiatives. Priority will be given to organizations in which people with criminal convictions have a leadership role and/or meaningful participation.

• Giving Guidelines by Altria Expected by March 2006
  http://www.altria.com/responsibility/4_9_1_1_2_1_domviolprograms.asp
  

  By early March 2006, the Altria Group will issue its giving priorities for 2006, including the extent of any new competition under the Doors of Hope domestic violence program. It remains to be seen whether the company again will limit proposals to those invited by Altria, or whether it will return to the competitive RFP process.

  Regional Grants

  
  
• Disaster Relief Legal Fellowships Program
  http://www.equaljusticeworks.org/disaster-relief
  Deadline: December 23, 2005

  Equal Justice Works has established the Disaster Relief Legal Fellowships Program to send up to nine experienced public interest lawyers for two years to the Gulf Coast areas hardest hit by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

  This new Fellowships Program will place lawyers at nonprofit organizations located in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and Alabama, in order to help the hundreds of thousands of people left without homes, jobs and social services due to the damage from the hurricanes.

  If your organization is not eligible to host a Disaster Relief Legal Fellowship but has specific resources or expertise you would like to offer to his new program, Equal Justice Works would like to hear from you. Please send an email to disaster-relief@equaljusticeworks.org, describing who you are and the specific ways you can contribute to this program.

Funding Tip

The Chicago Metropolitan Battered Women’s Network has published a new guidebook, Responding to Domestic Violence: An Interfaith Guide to Prevention & Intervention. This guidebook is designed to help clergy and other spiritual leaders recognize and respond more effectively to members of their congregations who are at risk for, or are affected by, domestic violence. However the information on using faith-based organizations to help address domestic violence could be of use to all of those preparing applications for VAWA programs, especially since establishing or improving collaborations with faith-based organizations is one of OVW’s priorities this year.