The Victim Assistance program, established by the Victims of Crime Act of 1984, administers grant funding to eligible crime victim assistance programs that provide direct victim assistance to crime victims. The Victim Assistance program gives priority to programs that assist victims of child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault, and to victims who have been identified as underserved. Underserved victims have been classified as victims of elder abuse, victims living in rural areas, victims with disabilities, victims who are of racial or ethnic minorities, survivors of homicide, and victims who identify as LGBT.
Victim service programs include child advocacy centers, domestic violence shelters, sexual assault centers, and other public and private nonprofit organizations that provide services to victims of crime. Current victim services programs may provide services to any one or a combination of the different priority areas. The types of services each victim service program may provide include crisis intervention, counseling, support groups, therapy and treatment, information and referrals, emergency shelter, emergency hotlines, legal advocacy, support within the criminal justice system, personal advocacy, case management, and other related services.
If your organization is seeking funding through this program, you must register your organization in Alabama Grants at https://grants.alabama.gov. After the approval of your registration and completion of your organization profile, you will be able to access funding opportunities as they become available. Announcements of funding opportunities are made through Requests for Applications and are typically issued during the spring of each year. Eligible applicants include public and private nonprofit organizations that demonstrate a successful track record of providing services directly to victims of crime. The Request for Applications will outline additional requirements of the grant program and contain instructions for applying. Applications typically require a 20 percent match and operate on the federal fiscal year of October 1 – September 30.
