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Family Violence Initiative

Funding Pilot Projects

The Family Violence Initiative is a special initiative under the Justice Partnership and Innovation Fund. The Initiative supports the development, implementation, testing and assessment of models, strategies and tools to improve the criminal justice system's response to family violence. It also supports projects that raise public awareness of the issue and encourage public involvement in responding to family violence.

Activities

The Family Violence Initiative funds projects that develop long-term programming, build on lessons learned and support the Department's family violence policy directions. To accomplish this, the Initiative:

• works with other levels of government, non-governmental organizations, front-line services and members of the public in broad-based partnerships
• supports partnerships to implement projects to reduce family violence
• analyzes the results of these projects and disseminates information about project results and lessons learned

What Types of Activities are Considered for Funding?

Funding may be available to organizations that want to conduct pilot projects to develop, test and assess models, strategies and tools to improve the criminal justice system's response to family violence. Funding may also be provided to support Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) projects to promote public access to family violence information, promote public awareness of the factors contributing to family violence, and advance public involvement in the responses to family violence.

Note: All projects must be short term and innovative.

The types of pilot projects and activities that could be funded include:

• assessment of the response of the criminal justice system and professionals to family violence
• development of new strategies, models and tools to improve service/program delivery to family violence victims in crisis
• development and implementation of support for child victims/witnesses of family violence in the criminal justice process
• development of family violence resource tools for service providers, including those in some hard-to-reach communities such as rural and Aboriginal communities
• development of information, strategies and tools for easier access to services relating to family violence to meet the needs of vulnerable groups, such as older adults, people with disabilities and immigrants, etc.

PLEI activities that could be funded include:

• development of information materials and information sessions related to family violence addressing PLEI needs of vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities
• revision, reprint and distribution of existing PLEI materials
• assessment of PLEI materials and activities in the area of family violence
• updating and translation of family violence PLEI materials into more languages

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants for project funding must submit a proposal using the application form available from the Family Violence Web site.

Projects may be submitted at any time during the year. A decision on funding may take up to 12 weeks after the Department has received the completed application. Please take this time into consideration when you are developing your proposal.

Project proposals must be consistent with the federal government's Family Violence Initiative objectives and meet one or more of the following objectives:

• to enhance knowledge, promote development and inform Canadians and the legal community about family violence issues
• to promote access to justice, equality and human rights in Canada by supporting:
  • consultations, research and partnerships
  • development and distribution of information
  • development, testing and implementation of new cost-effective, multidisciplinary approaches, models and pilot projects on the administration and delivery of services, to victims of family violence
• to promote the development and implementation of legislative and socio-legal reforms
• to support the development, testing and implementation of innovative program options, new and multi-disciplinary approaches and models for community involvement and protection from family violence

Projects must also meet the funding criteria established for the Department's Justice Partnership and Innovation Fund.

Note: As resources are limited, it is not possible to fund all projects that meet the eligibility criteria. Projects that demonstrate that they can best meet the information needs of the Department will be given priority consideration.

Note: In support of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act, the Department is committed to facilitating the participation of official language minority communities and their organizations in the development and assessment of the Department's policies, programs and services. The Department encourages contacts between organizations that are applying for or receiving financial assistance and official language minority organizations/groups to ensure that the needs of these communities are considered in the proposed projects.

For further information, please contact us.

Inventories of Funded Projects

• 2004-2005
• 2003-2004
• 2002-2003
• 2001-2002