Underserved Technical Assistance Project 
Your Monthly Underserved Grant
Resource Email is here!

December 2018

YEAR IN REVIEW SPECIAL EDITION
This product of the ALSO Underserved TA Project is designed for Underserved grantees to provide them with regular and concise information including resources, training opportunities, open solicitations and more.

Happy Resource & Opportunity Finding!
Your Underserved TA Team

Underserved 2018 Year In Review

We at ALSO want to thank all Underserved Grantees for a wonderful year of outreach & services, of growth & learning, and of hard work & resource sharing. We are grateful for the conversations and ideas shared at all the meetings, trainings, webinars, and individualized TA phone calls throughout this past year. Please take a look at some of the highlights from 2018 as we look forward to 2019!
A Note From Your OVW Program Manager Kara Moller

For many of us this is a time for reflection - both on our accomplishments and future goals. As I'm taking stock of 2018 - our biggest year yet since the program launched in 2016 - I am both humbled and inspired.

In the past 12 months, we've expanded our Technical Assistance Program to include a webinar series, grantee orientations, in-person institutes, and the Underserved web portal. The Underserved team at the Alliance of Local Service Organizations (ALSO) has been an incredible partner in our work, and these accomplishments reflect that. Thank you ALSO!

I've also been reflecting on all I've learned from the incredible grantee pool we have in this program. My transition to taking over this program this last year has been one of the most exciting times in my professional career. The diversity in programs and populations you represent, and all I've learned about them from working with you, as well as your willingness to learn from each other, is something I respect and am thankful for. Thank you Underserved Grantees for all your hard work to serve survivors and address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking in your communities.

The Underserved Program supports populations-specific responses to these issues, with you leading the work in your own communities. I look forward to an exciting 2019 with all of you. Please know, I am here to continue to support you and wish you the very best!

-Kara Moller
2018 Underserved Grantee Orientation 

We hosted our third annual Underserved Grantee Orientation
in Washington, DC on December 11-13, 2018! A total of 41 participants from 15 organizations attended the training to learn about trauma informed work, grants management, and an introduction to the grant team, OVW Program Manager Kara Moller and ALSO TA Project members present at the meeting. 
Image Description: Roomful of tables of grantees with facilitator Lisa Gilmore at the Underserved Grantee Orientation

Image Description: Roomful of tables of grantees in discussion at the Underserved Grantee Orientation
TA Tools and Resources and Online Private Portal for OVW Underserved Grantees

We launched both our new Underserved TA Project Tools and Resources page and our Tools and Resources password-protected Private Portal for Underserved Grantees, which gives grantees access to information beyond all of the content and resources publicly available on our public TA tools and resources page .

To access this private portal, set up your account today! To register, please follow these instructions . If you need help setting this account, please contact us at [email protected].
2018 Underserved Fall Institute 
We were so excited to launch our very first Institute for the Underserved Program this October 9-11 in Chicago, IL! We had  44 grantees from 25 organizations across 16 states convene for sessions focusing on outreach and services.  Read a summary of the 2018 Underserved Fall Institute below.
Image Description: Roomful of tables of grantees, some standing some sitting, in conversations at the Underserved Fall Institute
"Grantees of programs providing outreach and services to underserved populations came together for the ALSO Underserved Institute in Chicago between October 9-11, 2018. This Institute, the first for the program, was hosted in partnership with the Office on Violence Against Women, which funded the program. [...]"
I ndividualized TA Phone Calls
We assign points of contact and have regularly scheduled calls with grantees to provide a more individualized and need-based technical assistance. The information shared in these calls have been an opportunity to hear about advocates working directly with survivors and provide them technical assistance. The needs discussed and the gaps in knowledge addressed directly feed into the development of our webinars, in-person meetings, and resource sharing tools.
ALSO-hosted Webinars
November 7 - Sexual Assault & Holistic Healing Practices For Culturally Specific/Underserved Populations

Kamilah Johnson, SASHA Center Founder/Executive Director 
This webinar, hosted by the ALSO Underserved TA Project, presents information about sexual assault & holistic healing practices for culturally specific and underserved populations, with a focus on African-American experiences. This webinar will provide grantees an opportunity to learn about practices and approaches that potentially could be adapted to the communities they serve, as well as connecting with others doing similar work.

March 29 - Facilitated Discussion on Providing Sexual Assault Services to Underserved Populations

Lisa Gilmore, ALSO Consultant
This discussion based webinar is a follow-up to the topical webinar that the ALSO Underserved TA Project hosted on February 22nd that presented information about providing sexual assault services. This highly interactive follow-up webinar will provide grantees an opportunity to further discuss issues they face in providing services in their communities, and connect with others doing similar work.

February 22 - Providing Sexual Assault Services to Underserved Populations

Mira Yusef, Executive Director of Monsoon  |  Yasmeen Hamza, Community Programs Director of WomanKind
Topical discussion on providing sexual assault services to underserved populations, on experiences establishing and implementing sexual assault services to a variety of underserved populations.

You can access all archived webinars through the Online Private Portal for Underserved Grantees.
OVW Open Solicitations

The Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) invites you to apply for their programs. Please be aware that open solicitations are now out for the FY19 Underserved program (due February 13, 2019):

Please check OVW's website to stay informed about it and other OVW programs. 
Muskie Grant Management Webinar

Title:  Report it Right: Underserved Program 
Host:  University of Southern Maine Violence Against Women Act Measuring Effectiveness Initiative
Date: January 9, 2019
Time: 2:00pm - 4:00pm EDT
The VAWA Measuring Effectiveness Initiative (VAWA MEI) at the Muskie School of Public Service, University of Southern Maine, provides training and technical assistance on the semiannual progress reporting forms used by OVW grantees.  Training sessions for individual grant programs will be held in January 2019.  Each online webinar will have closed captioning in English, and the audio also will be offered over a toll-free phone line.  We will review the reporting form for your program and respond to questions. 

Please note that Muskie reporting is due January 30, 2019.

Conferences*

Title:  Embracing Change & Growth: Strengthening Services for Survivors of Sexual Violence with Lessons from the Sexual Assault Demonstration Initiative
Host:  Iowa Coalition Against Sexual Assault
Dates: March 12 - 14, 2019
Location: Chicago, Illinois 
This conference will provide opportunities for participants to explore in-depth the eight overall lessons learned in the SADI about the organizational practices needed to grow and enhance healing services for survivors of sexual violence.
Title: International Conference on Sexual Assault, Intimate Partner Violence and Increasing Access
Host: End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI)
Dates:  April 22 - 24, 2019
Location: San Diego, CA
EVAWI's annual conferences focus on sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, human trafficking and elder abuse. They consistently bring together law enforcement personnel, prosecutors, victim advocates, judges, parole and probation officers, rape crisis workers, health care professionals, faith community members, educators, researchers and others in this three day conference highlighting promising practices and emerging issues to effectively respond to these crimes in all of our communities.
*To use OVW grant funds for any training & technical assistance opportunities, you must send an email to your OVW Program Manager, Kara Moller, at [email protected] to request approval. ALSO Underserved TA Project webinars and in-person trainings (including New Grantee Orientation) do not need prior approval.
Have Questions?

We are here to help!

Image Description: ALSO's Underserved TA team posing in hallway at Grantee Orientation. From L-R: Quenette Walton, Lori Crowder, Lisa Gilmore, Cristina Damiani, Zarena LeBlanc, Topher Williamson

For questions about grant administration: Contact your OVW Grant Manager Kara Moller at  [email protected].
For technical assistance support related to substantive and programmatic issues: Contact your ALSO Underserved TA team at [email protected].  
Your feedback is important to us!

Any ideas you have on how to improve this Resource Email or any other aspect of our TA and trainings, please send them to us at  [email protected] .
 
If you have any programmatic highlights, or noteworthy news that you would like to see in future Resource Emails please reach out to your point of contact or email the Underserved team directly. 
Underserved TA Project | ALSO | 773.235.5705 | Email | Website

This project is supported by Grant No. 2016-TA-AX-K034 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, Department of Justice.
STAY CONNECTED: