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 $950,000 to the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault, Inc. (doing business as The Network) on October 1, 2025, under the Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Assistance Program (CFDA 16.589).

This is a continuation project grant. The Network will provide victim services and support to survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural South Dakota communities. The grant funds identification, assessment, and appropriate response to child, youth, and adult victims; establishment and expansion of victim services in rural areas; increased safety and well-being of women and children through direct response and prevention strategies; and development or improvement of sexual assault forensic medical examination or sexual assault nurse examiner programs. The Network must implement at least one of the program's authorized strategies, which include establishing cooperative efforts among law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim service providers; providing treatment, counseling, advocacy, legal assistance, and victim services; developing community education and prevention strategies; strengthening sexual assault programs; or focusing on victims in remote, geographically isolated areas.

The period of performance runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2028. Work is performed in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The assistance type is a project grant.

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 south dakota network against family violence and sexual assault (the network), in partnership with beacon center, brookings domestic abuse shelter, domestic violence network of the lakes, ginny's house , missouri shores domestic violence center, river city domestic violence center, safe harbor, safe place of eastern south dakota, victims of violence intervention program, and winner resource center for families, will implement the rural outreach in south dakota project. This victim services project addresses the following purpose area(S): 1, 2, and 3 for 41 rural south dakota counties. Specific activities will include: 1) conducting organizational assessments on capacity to serve sexual assault survivors; 2) community assessments to identify resources, partnerships, and community victimization patterns; 3) developing quality short and long-term sexual assault services; 4)assessing current sexual assault response teams (SART) and create plans for development including practice, policy, and membership with a focus on non-intimate partner sexual assault ,developing opportunities for new and developing sarts to learn from existing, strong sarts; 5) providing specialized focus on advocacy solely for sexual assault survivors; and 6) receiving specialized training and technical assistance (TA) to identify human trafficking, and best practices for victim safety and confidentiality, and connecting prevention trainers to stakeholders to facilitate trainings in their communities.