The District of Columbia Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants (OVSJG) is currently accepting applications for grant peer reviewers. OVSJG provides grants to District agencies and community-based organizations that provide services to victims of crime, justice involved individuals, and programs addressing juvenile delinquency prevention and truancy reduction. If selected, reviewers will have up to 30 days to read and score applications. 

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

Reviewer Application

Peer Reviewer Applicant Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: Who can apply to become a peer reviewer? 

A: Peer reviewers may be DC government staff, community-based service providers, subject matter experts in justice or victim services, grants specialists in the public of private sectors, graduate students, or interested and qualified community members. 

Q: When are applications due for prospective peer reviewers? 

A: Applications are accepted on a rolling basis year-round. To be eligible for the Fiscal Year 2027 reviewing period, peer reviewer applications must be submitted no later than May 18, 2026. 

Q: What traits are you looking for on someone’s resume when selecting folks to be peer reviewers? 

A: Some of the things we look for on the peer reviewer application are: 

• Grant management and grant writing experience 
• Experience working, studying, or being a stakeholder in the fields of victim services and criminal justice, particularly in the District 

Q: Can non-District residents apply to become peer reviewers? 

A: Yes. However, preference will be given to those applicants who are DC residents. 

Q: What kinds of projects and organizations has OVSJG funded in the past? 

A: For examples of past projects that have received OVSJG grant funding in the past, please see the Funding Recipients Page. 

Q: What is the average time commitment per application? 

A: Peer reviewers should expect to spend an average of about 3 hours on each application they review. 

Q: What do peer reviewers do?  

A: Peer reviewers read and score grant applications submitted during OVSJG’s Request for Application period to help OVSJG make informed, community-centered funding decisions for the coming fiscal year. 

Q: When is the peer review period? 

A: All peer reviewing of applications will take place between June and August of 2026. 

Q: Why are peer reviewers included in the process? 

A: The purpose of including peer reviewers in the application process is to ensure that all public funding decisions are transparent, community-centered, and free from internal bias. 

Q: Are peer reviewers compensated? 

A: Peer reviewers who are accepted into the FY27 OVSJG Peer Reviewer Cohort will be compensated $100 per application they review. DC Government employees, JJAG members, and federal DOJ reviewers will not be compensated. Please note that application assignments are capped at 10 applications per reviewer. 

Q: Do I have to attend training on how to review? 

A: All peer reviewers are required to attend a virtual, mandatory peer reviewer orientation training from 10 am – 12 pm on Tuesday, June 9. If a peer reviewer is unable to attend the live training due to schedule conflicts, they will be required to view the training recording and complete a subsequent knowledge check. 

Q: If I attended the orientation training last year, do I still have to come to this year’s orientation? 

A: Yes. All peer reviewers, including unpaid peer reviewers (JJAG, DOJ, DC employees), are required to attend the mandatory peer reviewer orientation training from 10 am – 12 pm on Tuesday, June 9 (or watch the training recording after and complete a knowledge check). The Requests for Application are updated annually, as is the training content, so it is essential to attend every year as there might be new information on funding constraints and the scoring process.  

Q: What is the maximum number of applications I will be assigned to review? 

A: Application assignments are capped at 10 applications per reviewer. 

Q: Who should I contact if I have any more questions about the peer review process? 

A: Please reach out to [email protected]. If you have any questions about the peer reviewer process.