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Victim Offender Dialogue Fiscal Year 2026-2028

Grantor:
CA Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Portal ID:
154536
Status:
Active
Opportunity Type:
  • Grant
Last Updated:
 | 
Categories:

Details

Purpose:

The purpose of the Victim Offender Dialogue Program Grants is to provide grants to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide facilitation services within the CDCR VOD program. The funding is designed to help maintain and increase the number of facilitators to sustain quality and restorative justice opportunities for California crime victims.

Description:

This project will provide $1 million in grants per year for two years ($2 million total) to eligible nonprofit organizations to provide facilitation services within the CDCR VOD program. The grant period begins on July 1, 2026 and ends on June 30, 2028.

The Victim-Offender Dialogue (VOD) is a victim-centered, offender-sensitive facilitated preparation and dialogue process typically involving victims or the surviving family members, the offender who committed the offense and a facilitator. VOD supports personal justice and healing by empowering victims to meet with the offender in a safe and secure environment and address the personal impacts of violent crimes. VOD also encourages interested offenders to express remorse, develop empathy and accept full responsibility for the harm caused to the victims and their family. The VOD facilitator will arrange individual preparatory meetings over the course of several months with the victim and offender separately to prepare them for the face-to-face meeting.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible Applicants:

  • Nonprofit

To meet the purposes of this grant, the program’s experience should demonstrate all of the following criteria:

·       A focus on recognized restorative justice principles;

·       Experience with helping those responsible for harm realize the impact of crime which includes awareness, accountability, and remorse; and,

·       A Victim-Centered approach to healing and providing survivors a safe opportunity to voice their trauma and experiences.

Eligible Geographies:

Applications will be accepted at all CDCR locations throughout California and all counties.

This designation is only for the purposes of this RFA. Applicants must serve a minimum of 5 facilities and should designate these locations in the application packet. 

Important Dates

The date (and time, where applicable) by which all applications must be submitted to the grantmaker. Time listed as “00:00” equates to midnight.
The date on which the grantor expects to announce the recipient(s) of the grant.
March 1, 2026
The length of time during which the grant money must be utilized.
Two Years

Funding Details

The total projected dollar amount of the grant.
$2,000,000
A single grant opportunity may represent one or many awards. Some grantors may know in advance the exact number of awards to be given. Others may indicate a range. Some may wish to and wait until the application period closes before determining how many awards to offer; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Grant opportunities representing multiple awards may offer awards in the same amount or in varied amounts. Some may wish to wait until the application period closes before determining per-award amounts; in this case, a value of “Dependent” will display.
Dependent
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) provide a letter of intent.
No
Certain grants require that the recipient(s) be able to fully or partially match the grant award amount with another funding source.
No
The funding source allocated to fund the grant. It may be either State or Federal (or a combination of both), and be tied to a specific piece of legislation, a proposition, or a bond number.
  • State

Funding Source Notes:

The 2025-26 Budget provides $1 million per year from the Inmate Welfare Fund to fund grants for the Victim Offender Dialogue Program. The grants will be awarded for a two-year period for a total of $2 million.

The manner in which the grant funding will be delivered to the awardee. Funding methods include reimbursements (where the recipient spends out-of-pocket and is reimbursed by the grantor) and advances (where the recipient spends received grant funds directly).
  • Reimbursement(s)

Funding Method Notes:

Individual grants are limited to no more than $500,000 per grant (25% of $1 million annual grant authority). Applicants should only request the amount of funds needed to support their proposal and not base their request on the total amount of grant funding available. The allowable costs are defined in the budget proposal section in this RFA.

How to Apply

State agencies/departments recommend you read the full grant guidelines before applying.

Resources

For questions about this grant, contact:
Victim Offender Dialogue Program, 1-877-256-6877, OVSRS_VOD@cdcr.ca.gov

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