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Tribal Jurisdiction Program

The Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction (Tribal Jurisdiction Program) provides support and technical assistance to Indian tribes for planning and implementing changes in their criminal justice systems necessary to exercise “special tribal criminal jurisdiction” (STCJ) and funds to exercise the jurisdiction.

Prior to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (VAWA 2013), if a victim was Indian and the perpetrator was non-Indian, the crime could be prosecuted only by the United States or, in some circumstances, by the state in which the tribe’s Indian Country is located. VAWA 2013 included a provision recognizing the authority of participating tribes to exercise “special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction” over certain defendants, regardless of their Indian or non-Indian status, who commit crimes of domestic violence or dating violence or violate certain protection orders in Indian Country. The Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Act of 2022 expanded this jurisdiction to cover additional crimes, including assault of tribal justice personnel, child violence, obstruction of justice, sexual violence, sex trafficking, and stalking and renamed it to “special tribal criminal jurisdiction."

The Tribal Jurisdiction Program is designed to enhance the ability of tribes to implement and exercise STCJ. The program encourages collaborations among tribal leadership, courts, prosecutors, attorneys, defenders, law enforcement, probation, victim services providers, and other partners to ensure that victims find safety and justice and that non-Indians who commit the covered crimes in the Indian Country of the tribe are held accountable.

Eligible applicants are limited to: governments of Indian tribes that have jurisdiction over Indian country.

In 2023, the Tribal Jurisdiction Program gave out four awards totaling $6 million. The program's Targeted Support for Alaska Native Tribes Special Initiative gave out 2 awards totaling $3 million.

Once posted, the solicitation to apply for this program can be found on OVW’s website. Members of the public can also sign up for notifications on that website, and grant announcements are posted to OVW’s Twitter.

This program is authorized by the Indian Civil Rights Act of 1968, as amended, 25 U.S.C. § 1304(h)(2).

Tribal Jurisdiction Awards

Pascua Yaqui Tribe Tucson Arizona $1,500,000
Tolowa Dee-Ni Nation Smith River California $1,500,000
Kickapoo Tribe Of Oklahoma Mcloud Oklahoma $1,500,000
Tulalip Tribes Of Washington Tulalip Washington $1,500,000
  Total Award Amount   $6,000,000
  Total Number of Awards   4

Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community Educational SE, The Scottsdale Arizona $449,999
Fort Peck Assiniboine & Sioux Tribes Poplar Montana $186,365
Muscogee (Creek) Nation, The Okmulgee Oklahoma $449,976
Klamath Tribes, The Chiloquin Oregon $447,256
  Total Award Amount   $1,533,596
  Total Number of Awards   4

Penobscot Indian Nation Indian Island Maine $433,731.00
Comanche Nation Lawton Oklahoma $299,960.00
  Total Award Amount   $733,691.00
  Total Number of Awards 2

Targeted Support for Alaska Native Tribes Special Initiative Awards

Chickaloon Native Village Chickaloon Alaska $1,500,000
Village Of Dot Lake Fairbanks Alaska $1,500,000
  Total Award Amount   $3,000,000
  Total Number of Awards   2

 

For awards issued before 2021, you can visit our grant awards program page.

Contact Us

If you have questions about the Tribal Jurisdiction Program, you can email us or call 202-307-6026.