U. S. Attorney’s Office Announces Nearly $1.5 Million in Grants for Domestic Violence and Victims Services During Domestic Violence Awareness Month

The U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming joins the U.S. Department of Justice and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) in announcing $1,483,668 in domestic violence and victim services grants to combat intimate partner violence and assist victims of violence, survivors, and their families in Wyoming. This comes as the nation observes October as Domestic Awareness Month.

Domestic violence is prevalent in nearly every Wyoming community, and affects all people regardless of age, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender, race, religion, or nationality. The devastating consequences of domestic violence can cross generations and last a lifetime. Approximately one in four women and one in seven men will experience severe domestic violence in their lifetimes; however, rates are disproportionately higher for American Indian and Alaska Native populations, women of Color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, two-spirit people, and people with disabilities.
Domestic Violence Awareness Month is an opportunity for the U.S. Attorney’s Office to remind the community that the Office is committed to working with the community to ensure that victims and survivors can find safety and justice. The Office collaborates with local partners year-round to strengthen Wyoming’s awareness of available resources, prevent domestic violence and hold offenders accountable.

The following grants were awarded to Wyoming recipients by the Office on Violence Against Women:

The Attorney General of Wyoming received $833,657 for the STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program. It was authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994 and reauthorized by subsequent legislation. The STOP Formula Grant Program encourages partnerships between law enforcement, prosecution, courts, and victim services organizations to enhance victim safety and hold offenders accountable in cases of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The goal of the grant program is to develop and strengthen law enforcement, prosecution, and court strategies to combat violent crimes against women and to develop and strengthen victim services, including community based, culturally specific services, in cases involving domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. This grant will help support the designated special prosecutor in Fremont County announced in September.

The Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault was awarded $367,379 for the OVW State and Territory Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Coalitions Program. This grant supports coordinating victim services activities, collaborating and coordinating with federal, state, territory, and local entities engaged in violence against women activities.

The following grant was awarded by the Office of Justice Program and the Office for Victims of Crime:
The Northern Arapaho Tribe was awarded $282,632 for the OVC FY24 Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside (TVSSA) Formula Program. This grant will be used to implement services for victims of crime that meet needs identified by the community and reflect tribal community values and traditions. This aligns with the Congressional intent for the set-aside from the Crime Victims Fund, which was created in 2018 to improve services for victims of crime in Tribal communities.

The awards announced above are being made as part of the regular end-of-fiscal year cycle and are not a comprehensive list of all grants awarded in Wyoming. More information about these and other OJP awards can be found on the OJP Grant Awards Page.