FY 2021 National Census of Victim Service Providers | O BJS 2021 70001

Opportunity Information: Apply for O BJS 2021 70001

The FY 2021 National Census of Victim Service Providers (NCVSP) grant opportunity is a Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), U.S. Department of Justice solicitation to fund the development and administration of the second national census of organizations that provide services to victims of crime or abuse. The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the selected recipient would work closely with BJS and carry out the project with substantial federal involvement and coordination. The overall purpose is to strengthen the nation s statistical picture of victim service capacity and operations by building a consistent, repeatable data collection that can track how the field changes over time. This work supports DOJ priorities around civil rights, access to justice, victim support, public safety, and community trust.

At the center of the project is the 2022 NCVSP, which follows the first census conducted in 2017. The 2017 effort aimed to reach all agencies that had provided crime victim services within the prior six months, whether victim services were the organization s main mission or delivered through dedicated staff or specialized programs. That first census established a baseline profile of the victim services landscape, giving policymakers and practitioners a starting point for understanding what services exist, who provides them, and how broadly they are available. The 2022 collection is intended to update and expand that baseline so BJS can monitor trends, identify gaps, and improve national knowledge about the availability and use of services designed to help victims.

A major theme of the solicitation is the diversity of victim service providers included in the census. The NCVSP frame is not limited to traditional victim advocacy nonprofits. It explicitly spans criminal justice agencies such as law enforcement, prosecutor offices, and corrections; other government entities such as child protective services or adult protective services; nonprofit and faith-based organizations; tribal organizations; hospitals and other medical facilities; and educational institutions. Because victims may access help through many different doors, the census is designed to capture that broad ecosystem rather than focusing on a single sector.

The funded work covers four primary tasks. First, the recipient must research and update the NCVSP frame, essentially rebuilding and improving the national contact list and eligibility structure of organizations that may provide victim services. This is a critical component because the victim services field is dynamic, with agencies opening, closing, merging, changing names, or shifting service models. Second, the recipient must revise the NCVSP survey instrument, updating questions and content to ensure the data collected remain relevant, comparable over time, and capable of addressing current information gaps. Third, the revised instrument must be cognitively tested, a standard survey development process used to confirm that different types of respondents interpret questions consistently and can provide accurate answers. Fourth, the recipient must administer the census to roughly 12,500 victim service providers nationwide and conduct screening to remove ineligible entities, which BJS estimates could be around 1,500 to 2,500 organizations. The screening step matters because the frame will inevitably include some organizations that do not actually provide victim services as defined by the project, no longer operate, or otherwise fall outside the eligibility rules for inclusion in the census counts.

From a funding and administrative standpoint, this is a discretionary DOJ opportunity under the Information and Statistics activity category, tied to CFDA 16.734. BJS anticipates making a single award, with an award ceiling of $2,100,000. The opportunity was posted April 26, 2021, with an original application deadline of June 14, 2021. Eligible applicants are broad and include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofit organizations with or without 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in those categories), for-profit organizations other than small businesses, and small businesses. The opportunity number is O-BJS-2021-70001.

In practical terms, the solicitation is looking for a capable research and data collection organization with strong survey methodology expertise, experience building and maintaining large national frames, and the operational capacity to manage a high-volume census-style outreach effort. The end goal is not a one-off research report, but an improved national statistical infrastructure around victim services that can be repeated and compared over time, helping BJS and the broader justice community understand where services are available, how providers are structured, and where unmet needs may exist.

• The Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2021 National Census of Victim Service Providers" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 16.734.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 26, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jun 14, 2021. (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 $2,100,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, 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, Private institutions of higher education, For profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses.

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