OVW Calendar Year 2025 Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program | O OVW 2026 172440

Opportunity Information: Apply for O OVW 2026 172440

The OVW Calendar Year 2025 Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program is a federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), designed to reimburse federally recognized Tribal governments for costs they have already incurred while exercising Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (STCJ). In practical terms, this program is meant to help Tribes recover eligible expenses tied to investigating, prosecuting, adjudicating, and otherwise handling certain criminal cases when the defendant is a non-Indian and the offense is one of the covered crimes authorized under federal law. The legal authority referenced for this jurisdiction is 25 U.S.C. 1304 for Indian country, with an additional pathway for Alaska Native Villages through a DOJ pilot program established under 25 U.S.C. 1305(d).

The reimbursement focus is specifically tied to STCJ cases involving a defined set of covered crimes. These include assault of Tribal justice personnel, child violence, dating violence, domestic violence, sexual violence, obstruction of justice, sex trafficking, stalking, and violations of protection orders. The intent is to support Tribal justice systems that are taking on the responsibilities that come with exercising STCJ, recognizing that these cases can require substantial resources for law enforcement response, victim services coordination, legal representation, court operations, detention or corrections-related costs, and other case-driven needs that arise when Tribes prosecute qualifying non-Indian offenders under STCJ.

Eligibility is limited and targeted. Applicants must be federally recognized Tribal governments that are actually exercising Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction over at least one covered crime. This is not a general public safety or victim services grant; it is a reimbursement program tied directly to the exercise of this specific jurisdictional authority. The listing indicates eligible applicants as Native American tribal governments (federally recognized) and “others,” but the narrative eligibility statement narrows the program to federally recognized Tribes exercising STCJ, so the practical eligible applicant pool is Tribes meeting that condition.

The opportunity is categorized under “Law, Justice and Legal Services” and is associated with CFDA number 16.059. It is presented as an “Other” type of funding instrument and an “Other” opportunity category, reflecting that it does not fit neatly into standard grant categories like formula or discretionary project grants and is centered on reimbursement for incurred costs rather than funding a new program build-out.

In terms of scale and timing, OVW expects to make about 20 awards under this opportunity, with an award ceiling listed at $4,400,000. The funding opportunity number is O-OVW-2026-172440. The opportunity was created on June 4, 2026, and the original closing date is July 24, 2026. These dates are important for planning because reimbursement programs often require careful documentation and timely submission aligned with the solicitation requirements, including clear linkage between claimed costs and STCJ-related activities for covered crimes.

Overall, this opportunity is best understood as a way for OVW to offset the real and sometimes significant financial burden Tribes may carry when they assert and implement STCJ authority to hold non-Indian offenders accountable for serious violence-related crimes in Indian country (and, through the referenced pilot framework, in eligible Alaska Native Village contexts).

• The Office on Violence Against Women in the law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "OVW Calendar Year 2025 Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction Reimbursement Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.059.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2026-06-04.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-07-24. (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 $4,400,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 20 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Others.

Apply for O OVW 2026 172440

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