Sexual Assault Services Program Grant

The Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) was created by the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (VAWA 2005), 42 U.S.C. §14043g, and is the first federal funding stream solely dedicated to the provision of direct intervention and related assistance for victims of sexual assault. The SASP encompasses four different funding streams for states and territories, tribes, state sexual assault coalitions, tribal sexual assault coalitions, and culturally specific organizations. Overall, the purpose of SASP is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (e.g., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by the sexual assault.

The Sexual Assault Services Formula Grant Program (SASP Formula Grant Program) directs grant dollars to states to assist them in supporting rape crisis centers and other nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, including faith-based and other community organizations that provide core services, direct intervention, and related assistance to victims of sexual assault. Funds provided through the SASP Formula Grant Program are designed to supplement other funding sources directed at addressing sexual assault on the state level. Rape crisis centers and other nonprofit organizations, such as dual programs providing both domestic violence and sexual violence intervention services, play a vital role in assisting sexual assault victims through the healing process, as well as assisting victims through the medical, criminal justice, and other social support systems. In order to provide comprehensive services to victims of sexual assault, the SASP Formula Grant Program will assist states in supporting rape crisis centers and other nonprofit organizations in the provision of direct intervention and related assistance.

Losses not covered by the program include, but are not limited to: stolen or damaged property; pain and suffering; crime scene clean-up; relocation; house payments; rent; utilities; food and/or clothing costs; tuition reimbursement or monetary losses from investment schemes.

Allocation of Funds

The SASP Program funds are to be distributed to nongovernmental agencies to carry out programs and projects specified under the eligible statutory purposes. In distributing funds, states must:

1. Give priority to areas of varying geographic size with the greatest showing of need. In assessing need, states must consider the range and availability of existing sexual assault programs in the population and geographic area to be served in relation to the availability of such programs in other such populations and geographic areas;
2. Take into consideration the population of the geographic areas to be served by a subgrantee;
3. Equitably distribute monies on a geographic basis, including non-urban and rural areas of various geographic sizes;
4. Ensure that the needs of previously underserved populations are identified and addressed.

Statutory Purpose Areas

The Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) - Grant funds will support the establishment, maintenance, and expansion of sexual assault services by non-governmental victim services programs to assist those victimized by sexual assault.

The purpose of the Sexual Assault Services Program (SASP) is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (i.e. accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance for adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault, family and household members of victims, and those collaterally affected by sexual assault, except for the perpetrator of such victimization.

Intervention and related assistance may include:

• 24-hour hotline services providing crisis intervention services and referral;
• Accompaniment and advocacy through medical, criminal justice, and social support systems, including medical facilities, police, and court proceedings;
• Crisis intervention, short-term individual and group support services, and comprehensive service coordination and supervision to assist sexual assault victims and family or household members;
• Information and referral to assist the sexual assault victim and family or household members;
• Community-based, linguistically and culturally specific services and support mechanisms, including outreach activities for underserved communities; and
• The development and distribution of materials on issues related to the services described in the previous bullets.

Subgrantee Organization Eligibility Requirements

• Be a non-governmental nonprofit victim services organization.
• Provide direct services to sexual assault victims
• Comply with the applicable provisions of SASP, the Program Guidelines, and the requirements of the DOJ financial guide.
• Maintain statutorily required civil rights statistics on victims served.
• Applicants are discouraged from proposing projects that include activities that may compromise victim safety.

Allowable Services

Overall, the purpose of the SASP is to provide intervention, advocacy, accompaniment (e.g., accompanying victims to court, medical facilities, police departments, etc.), support services, and related assistance to:

1. Adult, youth, and child victims of sexual assault;
2. Family and household members of such victims; and
3. Those collaterally affected by the victimization, except for the perpetrator of such victimization (e.g., friends, coworkers, classmates).