OVC FY 2026 Services for Victims of Crime Grant: Up to $500,000 for Victim Service Programs

The U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) has opened its flagship FY 2026 Services for Victims of Crime solicitation (opportunity number O-OVC-2026-172620), making competitive funding available to develop, expand, and strengthen programs that deliver direct services to victims of crime across the United States and its territories. If you run or support a victim service program at a city, county, tribe, or nonprofit, this is one of the most flexible crime victim services grant opportunities of the federal cycle.

This OVC grant does not stand alone. OVC released two companion notices of funding opportunity (NOFOs) under the same Crime Victims Fund authority — one focused on technology-facilitated abuse and one focused on technology to support victim services. All three close on the same Grants.gov deadline, so a single organization can evaluate where its needs fit best across three distinct award ceilings. This guide centers on the flagship Services for Victims of Crime NOFO and explains how the companions relate to it.

About OVC and the Crime Victims Fund

The Office for Victims of Crime administers discretionary grant programs supported by the Crime Victims Fund. A key point for budget-conscious leaders: the Fund is financed by federal criminal fines, forfeited bail bonds, penalties, and special assessments collected from convicted federal offenders — not by taxpayer appropriations. Under Assistance Listing 16.582 (Crime Victim Assistance/Discretionary Grants), OVC sets aside a portion of these deposits to support demonstration projects and to strengthen services delivered by eligible crime victim assistance programs.

The FY 2026 Services for Victims of Crime program channels that funding directly to the front lines: the advocates, shelters, clinics, legal-aid teams, and government agencies that survivors turn to in the moments and months after a crime. OVC discretionary awards of this type typically run on multi-year project periods, so applicants should plan a project narrative and budget that span the full performance window described in the official NOFO.

Who Can Apply

Eligibility for this crime victim services grant is broad, which is one reason it is so widely pursued by local-government and nonprofit victim-service providers. Eligible applicants generally include:

• City and township governments
• County governments
• Special district governments
• States
• Federally recognized tribal governments and tribal organizations
• Nonprofit organizations (with and without 501(c)(3) status, per the NOFO)
• Faith-based and community organizations, which OVC has long encouraged to apply

For municipalities and counties, the program is a natural fit for victim-witness units, district attorney victim advocates, law enforcement–based advocacy programs, and human services departments. For nonprofits, it supports domestic violence and sexual assault programs, child advocacy centers, elder-abuse coalitions, and community-based service organizations. Always confirm your organization type against the exact eligibility language in the official NOFO before investing in a full application.

What the Services for Victims of Crime Grant Funds

The flagship NOFO supports the development, expansion, and strengthening of programs that provide direct services to all victims of crime. Funded activities commonly include:

• Emergency assistance and crisis response
• Case management and coordination of care
• Shelter and transitional or emergency housing
• Medical and dental care related to victimization
• Victim advocacy and accompaniment
• Transportation to services, court, or appointments
• Childcare that enables a victim to access services
• Legal services and legal advocacy
• Employment assistance and economic-stability support

The program is intentionally inclusive of underserved populations, including child and youth victims and victims of elder abuse, fraud, and exploitation. The defining feature is that funds reach survivors directly through services that aid recovery, safety, and stability.

One critical exclusion: human trafficking projects are not eligible under this NOFO. OVC maintains separate funding lines for services to victims of human trafficking, so trafficking-specific proposals should be directed to those opportunities rather than this one.

The Two Companion NOFOs

Two additional FY 2026 OVC opportunities share the same Crime Victims Fund authority and the same June 23, 2026 Grants.gov deadline. They are worth reviewing because the right fit may unlock a higher award ceiling than the flagship $500,000:

1. Services for Victims of Technology-Facilitated Abuse (O-OVC-2026-172619), with an award ceiling of $1,000,000. This NOFO addresses technology-facilitated abuse (TFA), including image-based sexual abuse, non-consensual distribution of intimate images, sextortion, synthetic intimate images (often called “deepfakes”), and online stalking, harassment, and abuse.
2. Technology to Support Services for Victims of Crime (O-OVC-2026-172618), with an award ceiling of $1,100,000. This NOFO funds creating, expanding, or enhancing technology that victim service organizations use to improve victim interaction, service quality, and accessibility. It is not for off-the-shelf equipment purchases, duplicating existing services, or investigation and prosecution activities.

An organization with both direct-service needs and a technology modernization goal could, in principle, build distinct projects across these NOFOs — but each requires its own tailored application and budget aligned to that opportunity’s purpose.

Key Timeline

1. Now – early June 2026: Confirm or complete your SAM.gov registration and verify you hold an active Unique Entity Identifier (UEI). These steps gate everything downstream and can take time to process.
2. Early June 2026: Complete or confirm your Grants.gov registration and ensure your authorized organization representative and JustGrants entity profile are current.
3. Mid-June 2026: Finalize the project narrative, budget, and budget narrative, and gather required attachments such as letters of support and memoranda of understanding.
4. On or before June 23, 2026: Submit the SF-424 and application materials through Grants.gov by the Grants.gov deadline.
5. On or before June 29, 2026: Complete and submit the full application in JustGrants by the application deadline.

Treat the June 23 Grants.gov deadline as your hard target. The two-step Grants.gov–then–JustGrants process trips up many applicants who assume a single submission completes their application.

Tips for a Competitive Application

1. Lead with the gap, then the outcome. Use local data to show the specific service gap your project closes and define measurable outcomes for the survivors you will serve.
2. Match the project to the right NOFO. If your core need is direct services, the $500,000 flagship is your home. If it is countering image-based abuse or modernizing service technology, the companion NOFOs offer higher ceilings and a tighter purpose fit.
3. Avoid the exclusions. Keep human trafficking activities out of this flagship application, and keep off-the-shelf equipment and investigation/prosecution costs out of the technology NOFO.
4. Build a clean, justified budget. Tie every line item to a project activity, stay within the $500,000 ceiling, and write a budget narrative that explains the “why” behind each cost.
5. Show capacity and partnerships. Document your organization’s track record and include letters or MOUs from partners who will help deliver or refer services.
6. Plan for sustainability and data. Reviewers favor projects with a credible plan to measure performance and continue serving victims after the award period ends.
7. Start the registrations early. SAM.gov, UEI, Grants.gov, and JustGrants issues are the most common cause of missed deadlines — resolve them weeks in advance.

How to Apply

1. Review the full Services for Victims of Crime NOFO on the OVC Current Funding Opportunities page and confirm your eligibility and project fit.
2. Ensure your SAM.gov registration is active and your UEI is valid.
3. Confirm your Grants.gov and JustGrants accounts are set up with the correct authorized roles.
4. Prepare the project narrative, budget detail worksheet, budget narrative, and all required attachments per the NOFO instructions.
5. Submit the SF-424 and SF-LLL through Grants.gov by June 23, 2026.
6. Complete and submit the full application in JustGrants by June 29, 2026.
7. For questions, contact the OJP Response Center at OJP.ResponseCenter@usdoj.gov or 1–800–851–3420.

Related Resources

• DOJ BJA Mental Health and Crisis Response Grant
• FEMA SAFER Grant for Firefighter Staffing
• FEMA Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG)

How Avila Can Help

Avila helps local governments, tribes, and nonprofits discover and write competitive grant proposals like the OVC FY 2026 Services for Victims of Crime program. Our platform matches your organization to the right NOFO — flagship direct services, technology-facilitated abuse, or technology to support victim services — flags eligibility issues and exclusions before you invest in writing, and helps you draft a narrative and budget aligned to OVC’s review criteria, all ahead of the June 23, 2026 deadline. Book a demo to see how Avila can strengthen your next victim services application.