Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative | HHS 2017 IHS DVPI 0001

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2017 IHS DVPI 0001

The Indian Health Service (IHS) Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative (DVPI) grant (Funding Opportunity Number: HHS-2017-IHS-DVPI-0001; CFDA 93.933) is a discretionary health-focused grant designed to strengthen how Tribal communities and Urban Indian settings prevent and respond to domestic violence and sexual violence affecting American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) people. At its core, the program is meant to build and expand coordinated, community-based systems of care so that victims and their families can access timely, culturally relevant, and trauma-informed help. The opportunity emphasizes not only crisis response, but also prevention, education, and improvements to how health systems and community partners work together around safety, healing, and accountability.

The DVPI program lays out six overarching goals that applicants are expected to advance through their proposed projects. These goals include: building Tribal, Urban Indian Organization (UIO), and federal capacity for coordinated community responses; increasing access to prevention services, advocacy, crisis intervention, behavioral health support, and related services for victims and families; promoting trauma-informed approaches; expanding education for health care providers and the broader community; responding directly to the health care needs of victims of domestic and sexual violence; and incorporating culturally appropriate practices and/or faith-based services that align with community values and support healing. Taken together, these goals push applicants to develop projects that improve both the immediate response to violence and the longer-term conditions that support survivor safety and wellbeing.

Applicants must choose one of two purpose areas, which function like two distinct tracks. Purpose Area 1 focuses on domestic and sexual violence prevention, advocacy, and coordinated community responses. Projects under this area can include expanding direct services such as crisis intervention, counseling, advocacy, behavioral health services, and case management. It also prioritizes building and strengthening coalitions and networks so that victim service providers, health care systems, behavioral health programs, law enforcement, courts, child welfare, and other responders are not working in isolation. Another major emphasis is training and education: preparing service providers to understand trauma and the impacts of domestic violence and sexual assault, and conducting prevention-oriented community education for both adults and youth. Purpose Area 1 also calls for organizational and system improvements, such as strengthening internal practices for serving survivors, developing coordinated community response policies and protocols, integrating culturally grounded and/or faith-based supports, and implementing trauma-informed care interventions for victims and their children.

Purpose Area 2 concentrates on forensic health care services, meaning the medical forensic response that may be needed after sexual assault and related violence. This track seeks to expand access to medical forensic services and ensure survivors can receive appropriate examinations either on-site or through reliable referral options, with an explicit expectation that services be available 24/7 year-round. Like Purpose Area 1, it strongly encourages coalition-building and coordination, but here the focus is specifically on coordination among forensic programs and the broader response network so survivors do not fall through gaps. Projects can include training providers to conduct medical forensic exams, educating communities about available forensic services, strengthening health system practices for care coordination between medical and victim service partners, and establishing or improving local policies addressing sexual assault, domestic violence, and child maltreatment. This purpose area also requires culturally appropriate treatment supports to be integrated throughout the forensic exam process, along with trauma-informed care interventions for victims and their children.

A central requirement across both purpose areas is the expectation that applicants use data and evidence to guide program design and implementation. The announcement states that each applicant must identify at least one evidence-based practice, practice-based evidence approach, best or promising practice, and/or a well-supported local effort they plan to implement, and they must describe this in the project narrative. IHS points applicants to the DVPI best practices website (https://www.ihs.gov/dvpi/bestpractices/) as a resource for building on prior work in domestic and sexual violence prevention and treatment, particularly approaches that can be adapted in culturally appropriate ways for Tribal and Urban Indian communities.

Eligibility for this FY2017 opportunity is limited and specifically restricted to "New Applicants." That means current DVPI awardees under this announcement are not eligible to apply. Eligible applicants must fall under definitions in 25 U.S.C. 1603 and include: federally recognized Indian Tribes; Tribal organizations (as defined under the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act framework); and Urban Indian organizations. For Urban Indian organizations, the announcement highlights nonprofit status requirements and indicates applicants must provide proof of nonprofit status with the application (for example, documentation of 501(c)(3) status).

In terms of basic funding details provided, the award ceiling is listed as $208,000. The opportunity was issued by the Indian Health Service, categorized as a discretionary grant within the health funding activity area, with an original closing date of 2017-08-31. Overall, the DVPI grant is structured to help eligible Tribal and Urban Indian entities strengthen survivor-centered, trauma-informed, culturally grounded systems that improve prevention, response coordination, access to services, and forensic health care options for AI/AN victims of domestic and sexual violence.

• The Indian Health Service in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.933.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2017-07-28.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2017-08-31. (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 $208,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Others.

Apply for HHS 2017 IHS DVPI 0001

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