OVW Fiscal Year 2025 Research and Evaluation Initiative

closed

This NOFO invites applications under two separate initiatives, the Research and Evaluation Initiative and the Research and Evaluation Capacity-building Project. Research and Evaluation Initiative The purpose of the Research and Evaluation (R&E) Initiative is to study approaches to preventing and addressing domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking (also referred to in this NOFO as “gender-based violence”). By generating more knowledge about strategies for serving victims and holding offenders accountable, communities that benefit from VAWA funding will be better equipped to align their work with practices that are known to be effective as well as build their own capacity to evaluate new and promising ways of doing their work. The initiative is designed to support researcher-practitioner partnerships and a broad range of research and evaluation methods, including qualitative, mixed-method, quasi-experimental, and experimental designs. Because OVW has limited funds to support research and evaluation, this initiative prioritizes topics for which a stronger evidence base would help OVW recipients use federal funds most effectively. Some publications from R&E-funded projects are here: https://www.vawamei.org/report/studying-vawas-impact/. Special Initiative: Research and Evaluation Capacity-building Project OVW anticipates funding a special initiative: the Research and Evaluation Capacity-building Project (Capacity-building Project). This project will enhance the gender-based violence field’s ability to identify effective practices, recognize service gaps, and develop and use evidence to improve prevention efforts and responses to gender-based violence. The goal is to foster collaboration and knowledge sharing among practitioners and emerging scholars and develop their skills in evidence-informed decision-making. Practitioners will gain insights into approaches and tools to apply in their roles, while emerging scholars will gain first-hand field experience they can use for doing research in real-world contexts. One of the objectives of the Capacity-building Project is to facilitate lasting connections among people whose work addresses gender-based violence, which will include the implementation of strategies for building sustainable networks.