The rural domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking program (rural program) is authorized by 34 U.S.C. 12341

The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women awarded the Maine Coalition To End Domestic Violence $750,000 on October 1, 2025, under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589), a continuation project grant extending through September 30, 2028, with place of performance in Augusta, Maine.

The award funds identification, assessment, and appropriate response to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural Maine communities; establishment and expansion of victim services; and development, expansion, and improvement of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. The program requires grantees to employ at least one strategy including cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; provision of treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and long-term and short-term victim services; community-based education and prevention strategies; or programs addressing the specific needs of victims in remote rural and geographically isolated areas.

The Maine Coalition To End Domestic Violence, a tax-exempt nonprofit serving as Maine's primary domestic violence and sexual assault coalition, passes sub-awards to four sub-recipients effective May 5, 2026: The Next Step Domestic Violence Project Inc., Family Violence Project, Hope Justice Project, and New Hope For Women, Inc. Sub-recipients deliver victim identification and assessment, counseling and advocacy, legal assistance, shelter and transitional housing support, coordination with law enforcement and courts, safety planning, and prevention programming across rural Maine counties including Hancock, Aroostook, Kennebec, Somerset, Knox, and Lincoln.

Rural program funds are used to support programs that: 1) identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities; 2) establish and expand victim services in rural communities to child, youth, and adult victims; 3) increase the safety and well-being of women and children in rural communities, by (a) dealing directly and immediately with domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and stalking; and (B) creating and implementing strategies to increase awareness and prevent these crimes; and 4) develop, expand, implement, and improve the quality of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. Grantees must use at least one of the following strategies in implementing their projects: 1) implement, expand, and establish cooperative efforts and projects among law enforcement officers, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other related parties to investigate and prosecute incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking; 2) provide treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and other long-term and short-term victim and population specific services to adult and minor victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities; 3) work in cooperation with the community to develop education and prevention strategies directed toward such issues; 4) develop, enlarge, or strengthen programs addressing sexual assault; and 5) develop programs and strategies that focus on the specific needs of victims of who reside in remote rural and geographically isolated areas. Through this continuation OVW rural program project, the maine coalition to end domestic violence, in partnership with the maine department of health and human services, office of child & family services (OCFS), and regional domestic violence resource centers (DVRC), family violence project, hope and justice project, new hope midcoast, and next step domestic violence project will implement the maine DV-CPS program. This victim service project addresses the following purpose areas: 1 and 3 for aroostook, hancock, kennebec, knox, lincoln, somerset, waldo, and washington counties in maine. Specific activities will include: 1) employing four advocates CO-located between domestic violence organizations and child protection agencies; 2) providing direct services to domestic violence victims engaged with children protective services (CPS); 3) collaborating with CPS supervisors by assigning a supervisor on each DV-CPS liaison team; 4) employing a mcedv program coordinator to ensure grant activities are occurring and provide regular technical assistance to local organizations and CPS agencies; 5) enhancing domestic violence (DV) offender accountability by making referrals to certified domestic violence intervention programs in partnership with OCFS; 6) participating in statewide citizen oversight communities and multi-disciplinary panels to increase collaboration regarding DV and child welfare; 7) encouraging collaboration among dvrcs and tribal domestic and sexual violence advocacy centers; and 8) ensuring people with limited english proficiency in rural maine have access to programs and activities. During the project, the recipient will develop the following products: outcome evaluations and trainings.