Faith-Based Groups Remain Eligible for DOJ Victim-Legal-Service Grants
Qualifying faith-based organizations were eligible to compete for U.S. Justice Department grants supporting legal assistance for survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, stalking and sexual assault. The application period closed August 4, 2026, and the current record does not identify any faith-based awardees.
The Office on Violence Against Women released its FY 2026 Legal Assistance for Victims notice on June 4, 2026. The program anticipates $45 million across two categories: $40.3 million for approximately 50 standard awards and $4.7 million for approximately 10 awards under the Expanding Legal Services Initiative.
Faith-based organizations could apply on the same basis
The notice states that faith-based organizations meeting the program’s eligibility requirements may apply. The accompanying Justice Department guidance says faith-based organizations may seek OVW awards on the same basis as other organizations and that DOJ will not select recipients for or against an organization because of its religious character, motives or affiliation.
That provision does not mean every religious nonprofit qualifies or that a faith-based group has received an award. Applicants still had to satisfy the program’s organizational and service requirements, provide qualifying legal assistance and submit a required certification concerning the supervision, training and expertise of people providing legal services with grant funds.
Applications also had to include partnerships involving both a victim-service organization and an organization with experience providing attorney representation to victims. The notice says applications without the required partnerships would not be considered for funding.
No matching contribution was required. That could reduce one financial barrier for eligible service providers, including religious nonprofits with limited unrestricted funds.
Federal rules limit how funds may be used
Eligibility comes with civil-rights and program-compliance conditions. DOJ guidance says OVW recipients generally may not discriminate in the delivery of services or benefits on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion or disability, and may not discriminate in service delivery on the basis of age.
Direct federal financial assistance generally may not be used to support explicitly religious activities. Organizations receiving DOJ assistance also may not discriminate against beneficiaries because of their religion, religious belief, refusal to hold a religious belief or refusal to participate in a religious practice.
The guidance also addresses written notice to beneficiaries, accessibility, language access and confidentiality requirements. Those rules would apply if a faith-based applicant is selected for an award.
Applications went through two federal systems
Applicants had to submit materials in two stages. The Grants.gov deadline was July 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. The final JustGrants deadline was August 4, 2026, at 4:59 p.m. Eastern time.
The Office on Violence Against Women now lists the Legal Assistance for Victims opportunity as closed. The program funds comprehensive, direct legal services for adult and youth victims in legal matters relating to or arising from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. It is not a general violence-prevention grant.
Peer review comes before award decisions
Applications are evaluated by subject-matter experts in domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking and related fields. OVW’s 2026 peer-review guidelines say reviewers score applications against the requirements in the funding notice, while their recommendations remain advisory to the agency’s final funding decisions.
OVW anticipates notifying applicants by September 30, 2026. That is an expected notification date, not a guarantee that awards will be announced on that exact day.
For religious service providers, the practical takeaway is limited but clear: qualifying faith-based organizations were allowed to compete for the FY 2026 funding, no match was required, and any recipients will have to follow federal civil-rights, privacy, accessibility and religious-activity rules. The next significant update will be the award list and whether it identifies faith-based organizations among the selected providers.
Sources
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