OVW Fiscal Year 2022 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (MEI) Application Guidelines | O OVW 2022 171005

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1) What is the OVW FY 2022 VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (MEI) funding opportunity?

This is a U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) discretionary funding opportunity that supports OVW's Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (MEI). The MEI is focused on operating and continuously improving OVW's performance measurement and reporting infrastructure so OVW can measure, aggregate, and communicate the results of its VAWA-funded grant programs.

2) What is the main purpose of the MEI?

The MEI exists to support OVW's ability to collect, manage, analyze, and report performance information from OVW grantees. It helps OVW meet statutory and internal requirements and strengthens how OVW measures and communicates the results of grant-funded work across its VAWA portfolio.

3) Why does OVW need the MEI for VAWA compliance?

VAWA requires that recipients of VAWA funds report on program effectiveness to the Attorney General, and that the Attorney General report to Congress every two years on the effectiveness of activities supported through these grants. The MEI supports the performance reporting pipeline needed to meet those requirements.

4) What is CFDA 16.526 and how is this opportunity categorized?

The opportunity is offered under CFDA 16.526 and is categorized as technical assistance. The MEI work includes training and technical assistance for grantees, along with data management, analysis, and reporting support for OVW.

5) What laws or statutory authorities are cited for this opportunity?

The application guidelines cite authorization under several provisions of Title 34 of the U.S. Code, including 34 U.S.C. 12291(b)(11), 34 U.S.C. 10238, and 34 U.S.C. 12291(b)(7).

6) What kinds of reporting does OVW use MEI data for?

Based on the provided description, OVW uses progress report data for monitoring grant activities, informing grantees how their performance compares with peers, identifying promising practices, meeting GPRA and related performance reporting requirements, responding to DOJ performance and budget data requests, fulfilling Congressional reporting obligations, and handling additional ad hoc data requests from government and external stakeholders.

7) What are OVW progress reporting forms and what do they capture?

OVW created standardized annual and semi-annual progress reporting forms for each OVW grant program. These forms collect both quantitative and qualitative information tied to the objectives of each program. Quantitative components support consistent aggregation across grantees and programs, while qualitative components capture narrative details such as goals, objectives, major activities, accomplishments, and unmet needs that cannot be reflected in numbers alone.

8) Is this a new, broadly competed initiative or continuation funding?

This FY 2022 opportunity is described as a continuation and supplemental funding action rather than a broadly competed new initiative. It is intended to maintain continuity of OVW performance measurement operations and required reporting.

9) Who has been leading the MEI work under the existing cooperative agreement?

The University of Southern Maine (USM) was competitively selected in FY 2017 to lead the MEI work through a cooperative agreement structured as a five-year (60-month) project.

10) What is the history of the MEI project timeline and prior extensions?

USM initially received 26 months of support through November 30, 2019, followed by an additional 22 months of funding in FY 2019 extending the project through September 30, 2021. OVW later issued an extension to keep the existing award active through January 31, 2022. The FY 2022 application guidelines are intended to provide the remaining 12 months of funding needed to continue the project for roughly one more year.

11) How long is the FY 2022 continuation expected to extend MEI operations?

The FY 2022 funding is described as supporting roughly one more year of work, through approximately January 31, 2023, to ensure continuity of OVW's performance measurement operations and Congressional reporting pipeline.

12) What type of award mechanism is used for this opportunity?

This opportunity is a cooperative agreement. The description notes that a cooperative agreement typically implies substantial federal involvement in shaping or coordinating project activities, rather than a more hands-off grant.

13) What are the key responsibilities during the extension period described in the guidelines?

During the extension period, USM's responsibilities are described as continuing to review, clean, and analyze performance data submitted by OVW grantees; maintaining those data in a database for reliable storage, access, and reporting; working closely with OVW to meet statutory and internal reporting requirements; responding to OVW and DOJ data requests; and providing ongoing training and technical assistance to grantees related to data collection and performance reporting.

14) What does the MEI training and technical assistance (TA) focus on?

The training and TA focus on helping grantees collect data that meaningfully reflect their own performance and ensuring they complete OVW performance reports accurately and consistently. This supports credible aggregation of results across grantees and OVW programs.

15) How does the MEI support reporting to Congress?

The continuation work includes supporting OVW in preparing reports to Congress and producing other analyses and materials related to VAWA-funded activities. This aligns with the stated requirement for the Attorney General to report to Congress every two years on grant effectiveness.

16) What is the funding opportunity number and which agency is offering it?

The funding opportunity number is O-OVW-2022-171005. The agency is the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW).

17) What is the activity category listed for this opportunity?

The activity category is Law, Justice and Legal Services.

18) How many awards does OVW expect to make under this solicitation?

The posting indicates an expected single award.

19) What is the award ceiling for this opportunity?

The award ceiling is $1,254,400.

20) When was the opportunity created and what were the listed closing details?

The opportunity was created on December 21, 2021, with an original closing date of December 29, 2021.

21) Who is eligible to apply based on the posting information?

Eligibility is listed broadly as "Others," with additional eligibility details referenced in the full solicitation. However, the narrative explains that the practical intent of the action is to provide a final year of continued support to the University of Southern Maine (USM) to maintain uninterrupted performance measurement, analysis, reporting, and technical assistance capacity for OVW's VAWA grant portfolio.

22) What problem is this continuation funding trying to prevent?

The stated goal of the FY 2022 continuation is to ensure continuity of OVW's performance measurement operations and Congressional reporting pipeline. In practical terms, it is meant to avoid interruptions in the infrastructure and support needed to collect, manage, analyze, and report performance data from OVW grantees.

23) Why is consistent data collection across OVW grant programs emphasized?

Some OVW programs have additional, program-specific reporting obligations in their authorizing statutes. That increases the need for consistent data collection and analysis across OVW grant programs so OVW can meet multiple overlapping reporting requirements and communicate results reliably.

24) What kinds of data are involved in the MEI work?

The MEI involves quantitative data (used for consistent metrics, aggregation across grantees and programs, and trend tracking over time) and qualitative narrative data (used to describe goals, objectives, major activities, accomplishments, and unmet needs that are not captured through numbers alone).