OVC FY26 Invited to Apply Antiterrorism and Emergency Assistance Program for Crime Victim Compensation and/or Assistance - Providence, Rhode Island (Crisis)

The Office for Victims of Crime, housed within the U.S. Department of Justice, administers federal funding programs intended to support victims of crime across the United States. One of its specialized funding mechanisms is the Antiterrorism Emergency Assistance Program, which is financed through the Antiterrorism Emergency Reserve. This program is designed to provide rapid, supplemental financial assistance to jurisdictions that experience incidents of mass violence or domestic terrorism and are unable to meet victim needs using existing resources. The specific funding opportunity described here is an invited, non-competitive notice directed toward a single applicant in Providence, Rhode Island, following a qualifying crisis event. The purpose of this funding opportunity is to enhance the capacity of local or state systems to respond effectively to victims of mass violence or terrorism. The program focuses on improving access to victim services, including compensation programs, crisis response interventions, and longer-term recovery assistance. The Office for Victims of Crime outlines four primary grant support categories within this program: crisis response, consequence management, criminal justice support, and crime victim compensation. These components may be funded individually or combined into a single application, depending on the needs of the jurisdiction and the determination of the funding agency. Funding under this program is intended to supplement, not replace, existing victim assistance resources. It is specifically reserved for extraordinary events that overwhelm a jurisdiction’s standard capacity to respond. Eligible uses of funds include expanding victim services infrastructure, providing direct financial compensation to victims, supporting law enforcement and judicial processes related to the incident, and delivering coordinated recovery services. The program does not require cost sharing or matching funds, which allows the recipient to fully utilize the federal allocation for eligible expenses. The total funding available for this opportunity is fixed and corresponds to a single award equal to the full program allocation. Eligibility for this opportunity is highly restricted. Only the entity formally invited by the Office for Victims of Crime is permitted to apply. This reflects the program’s design as a rapid-response mechanism rather than an open competitive grant. The Office for Victims of Crime identifies potential applicants based on the scale and characteristics of qualifying incidents, including factors such as unpredictability, indiscriminate targeting, and the extent to which the event exceeds local response capacity. Routine or predictable incidents, such as ongoing community violence or domestic violence cases, are generally expected to be addressed through existing Victims of Crime Act resources rather than this emergency reserve. The application process for this funding opportunity is streamlined due to its non-competitive and invitation-only nature. The invited applicant is expected to submit required documentation through established federal grant submission systems, adhering to the guidelines provided directly by the Office for Victims of Crime. While specific application components are not detailed in the summary, applicants typically must outline the scope of the incident, demonstrate unmet needs, and provide a detailed plan for the use of funds across eligible service categories. Evaluation is conducted internally by the funding agency, focusing on the necessity, scope, and feasibility of the proposed response. The timeline for this opportunity is extremely compressed, reflecting its emergency nature. The notice was posted on July 29, 2026, with an application deadline of July 31, 2026. This short turnaround underscores the urgency associated with crisis response funding. Award decisions are expected to follow promptly after submission to ensure timely deployment of resources. Applicants requiring assistance during the process may contact the OJP Response Center via phone or email during standard business hours. This funding opportunity is not recurring and is issued only in response to specific qualifying incidents, making it highly situational and time-sensitive.