The grants to enhance culturally specific services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 20124

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $475,000 Project Grant under the Culturally and Linguistically Specific Services Program (CFDA 16.016) to Kan-Win, a non-profit organization based in Park Ridge, Illinois. Through this 3-year grant (October 1, 2024 to September 30, 2027), Kan-Win will implement a project addressing multiple statutory purpose areas, including:

1. Developing culturally relevant education and prevention strategies focused on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Asian American communities;
2. Providing culturally specific resources and services to address safety, economic, housing, and workplace needs of Asian survivors, including emergency assistance; and
3. Examining the dynamics of culture and its impact on victimization and healing for Asian survivors across multiple Illinois counties.

Key activities will involve peer-to-peer education, sexual violence education, youth empowerment programs, and training for grassroots leaders. This grant builds on Kan-Win's expertise in delivering linguistically and culturally relevant support to underserved Asian American populations in Illinois.

This program supports the maintenance and replication of existing successful community-based programs providing culturally specific services to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, as well as the development of innovative culturally specific strategies to enhance access to services and resources for victims who face obstacles to using more traditional programs. Culturally specific services means community-based services that include culturally relevant and linguistically specific services and resources to culturally specific communities which are statutorily defined as american indians (including alaska natives, eskimos, and aleuts); asian americans; native hawaiians and other pacific islanders; blacks; and hispanics. Projects must address at least one of the programs statutory purpose areas. Through this continuation culturally specific services program project, KAN-win will implement a project addressing multiple purpose areas including: purpose area 5 - working in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies highlighting culturally specific issues and resources regarding victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; purpose area 7 - providing culturally specific resources and services that address the safety, economic, housing, and workplace needs of victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, or stalking, including emergency assistance; and purpose area 8 - examining the dynamics of culture and its impact on victimization and healing for asian survivors in cook, dupage, lake, will, mchenry, and kane counties in illinois. The project will address priority area 2: strengthening efforts to prevent and end sexual assault. Specific activities will include: 1) peer-to-peer education; 2) education about sexual violence; 3) youth empowerment programs; and 4) training for grassroots leaders.