The tribal sexual assault services program (TSASP), which is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12511(E), is one of five grant programs funded within the sexual assault services program (SASP)

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $675,000 Project Grant under the Tribal Sexual Assault Services Program (CFDA 16.024) to the Red Cliff Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians of Wisconsin. This 3-year grant will expand the tribe's capacity to provide comprehensive sexual assault services, including:

1. Adding a full-time sexual assault victim advocate and a part-time legal advocate to the Family Violence Prevention (FVP) program, with specialized qualifications, training, and experience to serve a range of sexual assault survivors.

2. Expanding access to indigenous healing services for survivors.

3. Implementing a new community-led, culturally appropriate sexual assault crisis hotline.

This award supports the tribe's efforts to create, maintain, and expand sustainable intervention, advocacy, accompaniment, support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault within the Red Cliff tribal lands.

SASP was created by the violence against women and department of justice reauthorization act of 2005 (vawa 2005) and is the first federal funding stream dedicated solely to the provision of direct intervention and related assistance for victims of sexual assault. Overall, the purpose of SASP is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (e.g., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, non-offending family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault. TSASP supports projects to create, maintain, and expand sustainable sexual assault services provided by tribes, tribal organizations, and nonprofit tribal organizations within indian country and alaska native villages. With this funding, the red cliff band of lake superior chippewa, is a federally recognized tribe located in the northernmost point of wisconsin. Red cliff is a small community with a population of 1,313, 88% of whom are american indian or alaska native, primarily red cliff tribal members (2023 census). The reservation comprises approximately 22 square miles nestled against the south shore of lake superior. Through TSASP funding the project will expand capacity for victim advocacy within the family violence prevention (FVP) program by adding one full-time sexual assault victim advocate with the specific qualifications, training and experience to work with a range of survivors of sexual assault; and one part-time legal advocate with the necessary training to assist survivors with legal concerns. The project will also expand access to indigenous healing services for survivors; and will implement a new community-led, culturally appropriate crisis hotline. This award will be a three-year project.