NEW REQUIREMENTS - The Professional Development Scholarship Program has been revised. Please review below for details on requirements.

Program guidelines—

• Scholarship funds are available for reimbursement of professional development expenses of up to $1,500 for individuals, $2,500 for individuals whose traveling to or from the contiguous United States, and up to $7,500 for multidisciplinary teams.
• Scholarships are limited to available program funds and processed in the order in which applications are received.
• Only one scholarship per person and per organization will be awarded in any 12-month period from the event start date.
• Scholarships are not transferable.
• Professional Development Scholarship funds are provided through a reimbursement process after the event.
• Scholarship awards do not cover licensing or credentialing fees or bachelor/graduate degrees.

Eligibility Requirements

Eligible applicants for the OVC Professional Development Scholarship Program include service providers from any organization, public, nonprofit, or faith-based, who provide direct victim services within the United States, the District of Columbia, and the following U.S. territories: American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Eligible applicants include:

• Crime victims and survivors (who have provided direct victim services for a year)
• Victim service providers and advocates
• Social service providers
• Mental health workers
• Health care professionals
• Substance abuse workers
• Law enforcement professionals
• Prosecutors
• Multidisciplinary teams (MDT) of victim service providers (up to five individuals)

Individuals as well as MDT's of up to five individuals (e.g. prosecutors, victim service providers, law enforcement professionals, health care providers), may apply.

Ineligible applicants include:

• OVC consultants
• Federal employees
• Active Duty Military personnel
• Students or individuals seeking degrees/certification/licensure
• Individuals featured as speakers or trainers at the event for which they are requesting support
• Individuals who do not provide direct services to victims of crime
• Applicants or organizations who have received a scholarship within 12 months before the event start date

Please note: OVC TTAC is federally prohibited from providing technical assistance that may be used to participate in, support, or advocate for the legalization or practice of prostitution.

Award Criteria and Requirements for Individual Applicants

• OVC TTAC must receive the completed Individual or Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) scholarship application(s) at least 30 calendar days in advance of the event start date, no exceptions granted.
• The applicant currently provides direct services to victims of crime and has been doing so for at least 1 year.
• The applicant's organization has insufficient funds for training.
• The applicant's supervisor supports the request for attendance and post-event requirements.
• The event furthers OVC's organizational mission and professional objectives for victim services staff.
• A credible organization is sponsoring, hosting, or delivering the event.
• The event focuses primarily on developing skills related to providing direct victim services.

Please note: Scholarship approval is not a certainty. Scholarship applicants are encouraged to check other sources of financial assistance and combine aid from various sources whenever possible. OVC reserves the right to deny scholarships to individuals or MDTs seeking financial support to attend a training or event supported by other OVC discretionary or formula grant funding.

Award Criteria and Requirements for Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Applicants

An MDT consists of up to five individuals from various disciplines and organizations who are collaborating to assist victims. MDT applicants have the same award criteria and requirements that apply to individual applicants, plus these additional requirements:

• No single discipline can be represented more than once on the team.
• No more than two individuals can be from the same organization.
• All MDT applications must be submitted within a 48-hour period.
• Incomplete MDT submissions will be denied.
• The MDT must designate one member as the team leader to ensure all applications are submitted within a 48-hour period. The MDT leader also serves as the main point of contact for any followup questions.
• All MDT members must complete their own applications using information specific to their organizations' budget and requested expenses.

Post-Event and Reimbursement Requirements

Recipients must complete these action items and return documentation to OVC TTAC within 14 calendar days after the event to receive reimbursement for expenses. The recipient's supervisor must support the fulfillment of all post-event requirements.

Scholarship recipients must provide the following—

• Reimbursement Form
  Fill out the form based on all incurred costs from attending the event, as outlined by the line item maximums in the award email. Meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) are reimbursed up to the full or travel M&IE per diem rates for the approved time allotted. Please visit www.gsa.gov/mie for current rates and additional information. We do not cover any meals provided by the event organizers. These meals will be removed from the M&IE reimbursement subtotal.
• Evaluation Form
  Scholarship recipients are required to complete the online SurveyMonkey survey in order to provide feedback on the scholarship application process. Note: We will delay processing your reimbursement until we receive confirmation that you completed the survey.
• Post-Event Summary Report
  As a scholarship recipient, you are required to complete a report explaining how you plan to implement the skills and knowledge you acquire from attending the event in your ongoing work with crime victims.

Please consult the CDC travel guidelines and adhere to any guidelines provided by the conference that you are attending. If you have been awarded a scholarship, and the conference is cancelled/postponed, please contact us for guidance at ttac@ovcttac.org.

By applying for an OVC Professional Development Scholarship, applicants take on the risk associated with travel to in-person conferences or trainings.