Violence Against Women Formula Grants

The Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women funds the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program (CFDA 16.588) to strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, court, and victim services responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, with the most recent awards issued July 1, 2025.

The program has sustained consistent activity since 1995 with 2,173 total awards and stable annual disbursements of approximately 56 awards per year over the past five years. The Office on Violence Against Women dominates the portfolio, funding 1,990 awards totaling $3.08 billion in federal dollars obligated, representing 91 percent of awards and 89 percent of federal dollars. The remaining 183 awards funded through other Department of Justice offices (Office of Justice Programs and higher-level DOJ administrative units) account for $386.9 million. Combined federal dollars obligated across the program total $3.47 billion, with $70 million in non-federal matching or cost-share contributions from recipients.

Formula Grants comprise the majority of the portfolio at 53 percent of awards (1,143 awards), while Project Grants make up 45 percent (974 awards) and Cooperative Agreements represent 3 percent (56 awards). Recent awards show substantial variance in magnitude—recent FY 2025 grants to states range from $617 thousand to $16.7 million federal dollars obligated, with many jurisdictions receiving awards between $1 million and $5 million. Selected recipients include awards of $14.5 million to one state and $16.7 million to another, both obligated July 1, 2025. Several awards include supplemental funding components under the Sexual Assault Survivors Bill of Rights (SASBR) or Rape Survivor Child Custody Act (RSCCA) for qualified states, allowing up to four occasions for additional funding.

Eligibility is limited to states, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, the Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the District of Columbia, applying through Grants.gov and the Department of Justice JustGrants system. Applications are submitted annually, with award approval and online acceptance occurring 120 to 180 days after receipt.

A grant opportunity was posted June 3, 2026 (O-OVW-2026-172631) with a due date of July 10, 2026, for the FY 2026 STOP Formula Grant Program. This represents the most recent open solicitation. Prior fiscal years have followed a consistent pattern of opportunity posting in mid-April through early June with application deadlines in mid-June, indicating a predictable annual cycle aligned with federal fiscal years.