The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently released its 2026 Brief Update on Status of Tribal Recommendations, prepared for the September 9-11 annual government-to-government consultation on violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women in Tulalip, Washington. The update describes new steps the Department is taking to respond to Tribal recommendations on federal grant administration and data collection, including a planned fall 2026 process to support Tribal-led research on violence in Tribal communities.
Tribal-led data collection. After conferring with the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), DOJ’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) developed a plan to fund Tribal-led collection of data on the prevalence of crimes against Indian women in Indian country and Alaska Native Villages. OVW expects to release a call for concept papers in fall 2026. Its Tribal Affairs Division will administer the grants, with NIJ providing scientific expertise. DOJ anticipates using current-year and carryforward balances from OVW’s Violence Against Indian Women Research appropriation to support Tribes’ own data collection and a statistical support hub to assist with collection and analysis.
The initiative follows continued Tribal concern about delays in the federally mandated National Baseline Study. Tribal leaders expressed differing views on the best approach: some supported community-specific, Tribal-led data collection, while others noted that not all Tribes have the same capacity to conduct this work. The proposed support hub is meant to help address those capacity differences. DOJ has not yet announced further application details.
Changes to Tribal grant administration. OVW has reduced reporting requirements for its Tribal programs by more than 70 percent and moved reporting to a web-based tool. It has also transferred administration of all OVW grants to Tribes, including grants under programs that are not exclusively Tribal, to its Tribal Affairs Division, and each Tribe now has one OVW grant manager. DOJ’s grantmaking offices are also working toward a more uniform approach to grant review and administration beginning in FY 2027.
Tribes interested in the data initiative should watch for the fall concept-paper announcement, including details on eligibility, funding levels, Tribal data governance, technical assistance, and permitted uses of funds. DOJ posts consultation and funding opportunity updates on the OVW Tribal Affairs Division web page.
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Inquiries may be directed to:
Autumn Parrott (aparrott@hobbsstraus.com)
