ACF grants $4.5 million to domestic violence prevention organizations

The Administration for Children and Families (ACF) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced the award of $4.5 million in Family Violence Prevention and Services Act grants geared toward domestic violence victims and organizations.

“These grant awards will help provide states, community-based organizations and academic institutions with the financial support, training and technical assistance needed to assist children and families across the country.”

"Promoting positive growth and development of children, youth and their families is a key priority of our agency," said David A. Hansell, HHS acting assistant secretary for children and families, who delivered a speech at HHS headquarters today observing Domestic Violence Awareness month. "These grant awards will help provide states, community-based organizations and academic institutions with the financial support, training and technical assistance needed to assist children and families across the country."

The grant awards include:

• Expanding Services for Children and Youth: Four grants totaling $600,000 will be awarded to four state domestic violence coalitions to expand and enhance responses to and local services available for children exposed to domestic violence across selected states and tribes. Grantees will each receive an award of $150,000 and work within the following states - Alaska, Idaho, New Jersey and Wisconsin.

• Expanding Leadership Opportunities within the Domestic Violence Field for Members of Underrepresented Groups: The award of $500,000 will support a collaboration of technical assistance providers to develop a leadership academy and promote leadership within the domestic violence field by members of underrepresented groups. The Women of Color Network of the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence was selected to develop the first federally funded leadership academy within the domestic violence field by collaborating with four partners representing diverse communities, including immigrant, tribal and LGBT communities.

• National Domestic Violence Hotline: A grant of $3.2 million will be awarded to the National Council on Family Violence to provide 24-hour information and referral services, counseling and assistance to victims of domestic violence, their children and other family members, and others affected by such violence; and to enable callers to find safety and protection in crisis situations.

• Technical Assistance and Resource Development to Expand Services for Children and Youth: The award of $250,000 to the Family Violence Prevention Fund will be used to help gather and disseminate information on best practices and available technical assistance for programs serving children and support the evaluation process for recipients of the Expanding Services for Children and Youth grantees.

For more information on the Administration on Children, Youth and Families visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/familyviolence/factsheet.htm.

For more information on the National Resource Centers on Family Violence visit http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/fysb/content/familyviolence/centers.htm.

Note: All ACF news releases, fact sheets and other materials are available at http://www.acf.hhs.gov/opa/index.html.