Family Violence Prevention and Services Culturally Specific Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Discretionary Grants | HHS 2023 ACF ACYF EV 0060

Opportunity Information: Apply for HHS 2023 ACF ACYF EV 0060

The Family Violence Prevention and Services (FVPSA) Culturally Specific Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Discretionary Grants opportunity is a discretionary federal funding program run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), specifically the Administration for Children and Families (ACF), Administration on Children, Youth and Families (ACYF), Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB). It is designed to strengthen and expand culturally specific, community-based responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and family violence. The core idea is to fund organizations that are positioned to serve survivors in ways that reflect their lived realities, community contexts, languages, values, and culturally grounded healing practices, while also meeting high standards for trauma-informed and evidence-informed service delivery.

This funding supports the implementation of culturally relevant services and the building of organizational capacity to sustain those services over time. In practice, that means the grants are not only about providing direct help to survivors, but also about strengthening the infrastructure that makes high-quality support possible and consistent. The program emphasizes trauma-informed care, which focuses on understanding how trauma affects behavior, health, and decision-making, and developmentally sensitive services, meaning supports should be appropriate for different ages and stages of development, including children and youth who are impacted directly or indirectly by violence. The opportunity also highlights the importance of culturally relevant approaches, recognizing that survivors from historically marginalized communities may face added barriers such as distrust of systems, language access needs, immigration-related fears, discrimination, or lack of nearby services designed with their community in mind.

A central priority is serving people from diverse, underserved, and historically marginalized communities. The notice states that terms like "underserved population," "underserved communities," and "people who have been historically underserved" should be interpreted according to FVPSA’s statutory and regulatory definitions found in federal law and regulation (42 U.S. Code 10402(14) and 45 CFR 1370.2). The intent is to ensure that the program remains consistent with FVPSA’s established framework for identifying and addressing gaps in access to victim services, particularly for groups that have been excluded from or poorly served by mainstream systems.

The award mechanism is a cooperative agreement, which generally indicates a more hands-on partnership with the federal funding agency than a standard grant. Cooperative agreements often involve ongoing communication, programmatic guidance, and federal involvement in certain aspects of implementation, evaluation, or reporting. While the opportunity description does not list specific required activities in the excerpt provided, the emphasis on capacity-building and implementation of trauma-informed, culturally relevant interventions signals that awardees will be expected to demonstrate both service impact and organizational readiness, along with a plan to deliver and sustain culturally grounded programming.

In terms of funding details, the opportunity number is HHS-2023-ACF-ACYF-EV-0060, and the CFDA (now commonly referred to as Assistance Listing) number is 93.496. The award ceiling is listed as $250,000 per award. The source data also lists an expected 30 awards, although the narrative description notes an intent to award twelve cooperative agreements; this mismatch can happen in postings when different planning scenarios, funding levels, or subsequent updates are reflected in different fields, so applicants typically verify the definitive number and totals in the full notice of funding opportunity. The opportunity was created on June 12, 2023, with an original application closing date of August 11, 2023, and applications were required to be submitted electronically by 11:59 pm Eastern Time on the due date.

Eligible applicants include Native American tribal organizations (other than federally recognized tribal governments), nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education), nonprofit organizations without 501(c)(3) status (also excluding institutions of higher education), and additional eligible entity types referenced under an "Others" category that would be clarified in the full eligibility section of the notice. Overall, the program is aimed at organizations that can credibly demonstrate deep community ties and culturally specific expertise, and that can use federal support to expand trauma-informed services and interventions that reduce the harmful impacts of violence and trauma on individuals and families.

• The Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children Families - ACYF/FYSB in the income security and social services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Family Violence Prevention and Services Culturally Specific Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Discretionary Grants" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.496.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 12, 2023.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 11, 2023 Electronically submitted applications must be submitted no later than 1159 pm Eastern Standard Time on the listed application due date.. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 30 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for HHS 2023 ACF ACYF EV 0060

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