Effectiveness of Grants Report

Last week the Justice Department submitted a Report to Congress that documents the effectiveness of grant programs authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA).

The “Effectiveness of Grants” report goes beyond straight reporting of numbers of people served and trainings delivered. It also describes specific ways funding is bolstering our ability to pursue justice and apply effective techniques to respond to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking throughout the United States.

Vignettes–submitted by people whose lives have been saved by VAWA funds–illuminate the data in the report. The report shows how communities are using VAWA grants to ensure that the men and women who work inside and outside the justice system have the training they need to effectively administer justice and hold offenders accountable. The report demonstrates, for example, how funds help pay the salaries of detectives and prosecutors who handle domestic violence and sexual assault cases and advocates who help victims get the services they need.

The report also highlights how funds provide the beds that shelter children and their parents who flee violent homes, how funds help ensure that someone who has been sexually assaulted gets specialized care and has evidence collected for a rape kit, and how people who need legal help can get it if their safety hinges on what happens in court.

The “Effectiveness of Grants” report documents two years’ worth of investments in solutions and accomplishments that would have been impossible without VAWA.  But the report also highlights that much work remains to be done. OVW is committed to supporting proven strategies and solutions that further the common goal of ending sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.

Download the Biennial Report to Congress on the Effectiveness of Grant Programs Under the Violence Against Women Act [PDF]