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Rural Program Fact Sheet

Rural Program

The Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program (Rural Program) supports efforts to identify, assess, and appropriately respond to child, youth, and adult victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities and supports projects uniquely designed to address and prevent these crimes in rural areas. This program encourages collaboration among law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, victim services providers, health professionals, and other community organizations to address sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking in rural communities. The program also supports strengthening programs addressing sexual assault, including the lack of access to quality sexual assault examinations by trained health care providers.

Rural Program funding information

The Rural Program funds projects that:

  • Implement a collaborative response;
  • Support victim services; and/or
  • Create a direct response to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in rural communities.

Applications must propose to serve a rural area or rural community. The Violence Against Women Act defines the terms “rural area” and “rural community” as: 

  • Any area or community, respectively, no part of which is within an area designated as a standard metropolitan statistical area by the Office of Management and Budget;
  • Any area or community, respectively, that is — (i) within an area designated as a metropolitan statistical area or considered as part of a metropolitan statistical area; and (ii) located in a rural census tract; or
  • Any federally recognized Indian Tribe. 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(32). 

All applicants (other than federally recognized Indian Tribes, which are statutorily defined as “rural”), whether from statutorily defined rural states or non-rural states, must submit eligibility and service area documentation. 

Pursuant to 34 U.S.C. § 12341(d)(5), no less than 75% of Rural Program funding must support projects in states that are defined as “rural states” by the U.S. Census. The term “rural state” means a state that has a population density of 57 or fewer persons per square mile or a state in which the largest county has fewer than 250,000 people, based on the most recent decennial census. 34 U.S.C. 12291(a)(33). 

The following states and U.S. territories are designated as rural based on the definition of rural state and the 2020 Census: 

  • Alaska
  • Colorado
  • Idaho
  • Kansas
  • Maine
  • Mississippi
  • Montana
  • Nebraska
  • Nevada
  • New Mexico,
  • North Dakota
  • Oregon
  • South Dakota
  • Utah
  • Vermont
  • West Virginia
  • Wyoming
  • American Samoa
  • Guam
  • Northern Mariana Islands
  • Virgin Islands. 

Visit the Rural Program webpage for more information about past awards and funding amounts.

Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include:

  • States
  • Units of local government
  • Indian Tribes
  • Tribal nonprofit organizations
  • Nonprofit (public or private) organizations

Apply for this grant

Updated March 6, 2025