Ayuda

Ayuda is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization registered with SAM.gov since December 2005 that provides comprehensive legal and social services to low-income immigrant victims of violence and trafficking. The organization specializes in delivering culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and linguistically appropriate services addressing the unique needs of immigrant communities facing domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, stalking, and human trafficking. Through its work across the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia, Ayuda serves as a leading source of multilingual legal assistance for vulnerable immigrant populations who face significant barriers to accessing justice and social services.

Ayuda's federal contract work has been limited, consisting primarily of subcontract awards from the Acacia Center for Justice. The organization received three subcontract awards between May 2024 and September 2025 for legal services, including work under the Legal Assistance for Survivors of Trafficking (LASRF) Program and services for unaccompanied children's programs. These subcontracts demonstrate Ayuda's capacity to deliver specialized legal services in partnership with other organizations, though the organization's primary federal funding mechanism remains grant-based support rather than direct federal contract procurement.

Ayuda's primary federal funding comes through grant awards from the Department of Justice, specifically the Office on Violence Against Women and the Victims of Crime office, supporting a diverse portfolio of victim services programs. The organization currently holds multiple active prime grants including a $750,000 Legal Assistance for Victims (LAV) grant serving domestic violence and sexual assault victims in Washington, DC and Maryland (October 2025-September 2028); a $500,000 Transitional Housing Assistance grant providing 30 scattered-site housing units with support services (October 2025-September 2028); and a $382,500 Sexual Assault Services Culturally Specific Program grant serving diverse racial and ethnic communities (October 2024-September 2027). Additional active grants include human trafficking survivor services from the Victims of Crime office serving Washington, DC and Virginia (October 2024-September 2027). Past completed and expiring grants encompassed similar program areas, including LAV grants for Virginia immigrants (2023-2026), culturally specific services for domestic violence victims (2022-2024), and human trafficking survivor programs in Maryland serving Montgomery and Prince George's Counties (2022-2025). Ayuda has also served as a subgrantee on multiple federal awards from state and local agencies, including the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services, Virginia Department of Social Services, DC Office of Victim Services, Executive Office of the State of Maryland, and the Maryland Department of Health, receiving subgrants for crime victim assistance, sexual assault survivor programs, domestic violence services for underserved populations, and U visa initiative projects targeting immigrant victims of crime. These grants collectively support Ayuda's provision of legal representation, case management, behavioral health services, safety planning, emergency financial assistance, and community education focused on immigrant survivors of violence and trafficking throughout the Mid-Atlantic region.