The OVW state and territory domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions program, authorized by 34 U.S.C. § 10441(C), supports the critical work of state and territory domestic violence and…

The Department of Justice Offices Boards and Divisions Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) awarded $267,469 under the State Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions program (CFDA #16.556) to the Virgin Islands Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault Council (DVSAC) for the period of October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023.

The award will support DVSAC's work coordinating victim services activities and collaborating with federal, state, and local entities engaged in violence against women initiatives in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Specifically, funding will enable DVSAC to provide training and technical assistance to member organizations, expand technological capacity, develop culturally appropriate standards of care, conduct regional meetings for victim advocates and criminal justice representatives, identify service gaps, promote coalition-building, and coordinate with judicial and law enforcement agencies.

The OVW state and territory domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions program, authorized by 34 U.S.C. § 10441(C), supports the critical work of state and territory domestic violence and sexual assault coalitions and is a set-aside program under the OVW stop violence against women formula grant program statute. These organizations play an important role in advancing the goal of ending domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Grant funds may be used for the following activities: providing training and technical assistance to member organizations, expanding the technological capacity of coalitions and/or member organizations, developing or enhancing appropriate standards of services for member programs, including culturally appropriate services for underserved populations, conducting statewide, regional and/or community-based meetings or workshops for victim advocates, survivors, legal service providers, and criminal justice representatives, bringing local programs together to identify gaps in services and to coordinate activities, increasing the representation of underserved populations in coordination activities, engaging in activities that promote coalition-building at the local and/or state level, or coordinating at the federal, state and territory level with judicial or local law enforcement agencies to develop or enhance strategies. This program also includes a statutory set aside from the sexual assault services program (SASP) statute, specifically for state and territory sexual assault coalitions (34 U.S.C. § 12511(D)).