FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 13, 2021) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear and the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet announced that applications for grant funding under the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Services, Training, Officers, Prosecution (STOP) Formula Grant Program will be available Aug. 2.

"Significant funding and collaboration with law enforcement, prosecutors and victim services are required to put a stop to acts of violent crime and provide justice for all of Kentucky's survivors," said Gov. Beshear. "With this grant funding, we will be able to take another step forward on our journey to make Kentucky a safer place for all of our families."

VAWA STOP formula grant funds may be used to develop and strengthen effective law enforcement, prosecution, judicial strategies and victim services throughout Kentucky in cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and/or dating violence. Funds are received from the Office on Violence Against Women, a component of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Funding priority is given to victim advocacy services, prosecution, law enforcement, courts and discretionary programs. These funds should be used for projects that serve or focus on adults and youth (age 11 to 24) who are victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault or stalking. However, they may also support complementary new initiatives and emergency services for victims and their families, including children 10 and under. State agencies, local units of government and private not-for-profit organizations may apply for these funds.

Applications and related information are available on the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet's website.

All applications must be submitted online via the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet's Electronic Grants Management System, Intelligrants 10.0 (IGX). New applicants are strongly encouraged to establish a user account and familiarize themselves with the system well in advance of the due date. Please note, validation of new user accounts may take 48 to 72 hours.

Applications must be submitted no later than 6 p.m. EDT, on Wednesday, Sept. 15, 2021.

Assistance with the application process may be obtained by contacting grants management staff at JUSGMB@ky.gov.

"This federal grant funding application furthers my administration's commitment of providing direct services to victims and survivors of all types of crimes as they walk the path toward healing and recovery," said Gov. Beshear. "I strongly encourage victim advocacy services, law enforcement agencies, local units of governments and other eligible applicants to apply. Let's work together to end domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking once and for all."

Recently, Gov. Beshear announced $1.5 million in U.S. Department of Justice grants has been awarded to the commonwealth to form the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Investigative Team. To leverage existing investigative resources within the KSP Crime Lab, statewide investigative jurisdiction and existing connections with local law enforcement agencies, three trained investigators and a criminal intelligence analyst are moving from the Office of the Attorney General to KSP. The team will continue to focus on investigating and identifying sexual offenders to further assist in the fight to end domestic violence against all Kentuckians. To learn more, see the full release.

Since taking office, Gov. Beshear has awarded more than $30 million in grant funding to victim service agencies across the commonwealth that work to prevent future acts of intimate partner violence and ensure the safety of survivors, while also providing victims access to and choice of domestic violence shelters and resources.

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