The legal assistance for victims (LAV) grant program, authorized by 34 U.S.C. 20121, is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid victims…

The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded $750,000 to Stanislaus Family Justice Center Foundation under the Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) grant program (CFDA 16.524) on October 1, 2025.

The Foundation will provide comprehensive civil and criminal legal services to victims and survivors ages 11 and older of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Stanislaus County, California. Legal assistance covers family, tribal, territorial, immigration, employment, administrative agency, housing, and campus administrative matters; protection and stay-away order proceedings; criminal justice investigations, prosecutions, and post-trial matters including sentencing, parole, and probation; alternative dispute resolution and restorative practices; and post-conviction relief proceedings in state, local, tribal, or territorial court where conviction of a victim relates to or arises from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or sex trafficking.

Performance occurs in Modesto, California through September 30, 2028. Stanislaus Family Justice Center Foundation, a tax-exempt nonprofit registered to receive federal awards since February 2010, operates the award as part of a multidisciplinary hub providing collocated partner agency services, with staffing including attorneys, paralegals, client coordinators, navigators, and support personnel dedicated to victim intake, assessment, and comprehensive case management.

The legal assistance for victims (LAV) grant program, authorized by 34 U.S.C. 20121, is intended to increase the availability of civil and criminal legal assistance needed to effectively aid victims (ages 11 and older) of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by providing funds for comprehensive direct legal services to victims in legal matters relating to or arising out of that abuse or violence. Legal assistance includes assistance to victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in: a) family, tribal, territorial, immigration, employment, administrative agency, housing matters, campus administrative, or protection or stay away order proceedings, and other similar matters; b) criminal justice investigations, prosecutions, and post-trial matters (including sentencing, parole, and probation) that impact the victims safety and privacy; c) alternative dispute resolution, restorative practices, or other processes intended to promote victim safety, privacy, and autonomy; and d) post-conviction relief proceedings in state, local, tribal, or territorial court where the conviction of a victim is related to or arising from domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, or SEX trafficking. 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(24)(c). Through this new legal assistance for victims project, stanislaus family justice center foundation will provide full comprehensive legal services to victims and survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and/or stalking in stanislaus county, california.