Washington, D.C. 20531

I am pleased to present to you the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Fiscal Year 2002 Discretionary Grant Application Kit. The OVC Application Kit complements the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP) 2002 Program Plan, which contains funding announcements for all the bureaus and program offices that make up OJP, the research and funding arm of the U.S. Department of Justice. The solicitations that follow constitute the competitive projects being supported by OVC this year.

The programs advertised in this Application Kit reflect OVC's and OJP's desire to support efforts on the local level to reach out to victims of crime. You will see initiatives that seek to strengthen partnerships with institutions of faith, where victims and others in crisis go in great numbers for support. You will find emphasis placed on services to crime victims in urban neighborhoods, where violent crime is high in frequency and intensity. Conversely, you will notice the attention given to improving the response of law enforcement in rural areas, where resources for victims are scarce. A disabilities project will aid up to 10 communities in improving their responses to victims with physical and intellectual disabilities with an emphasis on increasing these victims' participation in the criminal justice system and ensuring that needed services are available and accessible. Funds will also support an initiative to educate state legislatures on issues related to criminal victimization. We will build on the success of the state Victim Assistance Academies and provide funding for the planning phase of four additional academies. Once again, the Training and Technical Assistance for Victim Assistance in Indian Country Grantees program will bolster efforts on the tribal level to meet victims' needs. Finally, OVC is requesting proposals to develop a national marketing strategy to inform the public about the rights and needs of crime victims.