The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), part of the Department of Justice, has announced a new proposal for collecting information from grantees of programs under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). These changes are explained in a notice published in the Federal Register on July 24, 2025.

What is the New Plan?

The OVW wants to combine 19 current performance reporting forms into one new, streamlined system. This system will collect data from groups that receive money under VAWA. It will cover both “formula” programs, such as STOP and SASP, and “discretionary” programs. This means all grantees and subgrantees will use the same online reporting platform.

Who Will Use This System?

The new system will be used by:

• Formula grant program administrators
• Formula grant subgrantees
• Discretionary grant program grantees

These groups include local, state, and tribal governments, courts, non-profits, schools, colleges, coalitions, and other groups.

How Does It Work?

The new system uses a web-based form. The form is tailored for each grant program. Grantees will only complete sections about activities funded by their grant.

Why Change the Old System?

Currently, 19 different forms are in use, collecting similar or repetitive data in different ways. The new plan will:

• Make reporting easier and faster
• Use clearer questions
• Cut out repeated questions
• Allow electronic submission

This is expected to improve the quality, usability, and consistency of the data. It will also make future updates easier if VAWA or government needs change.

How Much Work Will This Involve?

The estimate for reporting is:

• About 6,112 groups will need to report
• Each form takes about 60 minutes to complete

The workload for each group is:

• Formula administrators: 112 responses per year (once a year per respondent)
• Formula subgrantees: 3,000 responses per year (once per respondent)
• Discretionary grantees: 6,000 responses per year (twice per respondent)

The total amount of reporting time is estimated at 9,112 hours per year.

How Much Does It Cost?

The OVW estimates the total annual cost to review the reports and keep the system running is $800,000.

What Happens Next?

This is a proposed plan. The OVW wants public feedback. Comments will be accepted until September 22, 2025.

If you have questions or want to comment, contact Tiffany Watson at the Office on Violence Against Women at 202-307-6026, or email OVW for a copy of the collection instrument or more information.

Conclusion

The Department of Justice is working to make it easier and faster for groups to report on activities funded by Violence Against Women Act grants. The new system is designed to cut paperwork and improve the way data is collected and used. Groups affected by these changes can learn more and share their feedback before September 22.