STOP Violence Against Women Act Grant

The Services Training Officers Prosecutors (STOP) Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) Formula Grant Program (STOP Program), promotes a coordinated, multidisciplinary approach to improving the criminal justice system’s response to violent crimes against women. The STOP Program encourages the development and strengthening of effective law enforcement and prosecution strategies to address violent crimes against women and the development and strengthening of victim services in cases involving violent crimes against women. The STOP Program is administered at the federal level by the Office on Violence Against Women, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice and at the state level by the Missouri Department of Public Safety, Office of the Director.

The STOP Program Funds are to be distributed to public and nonprofit agencies to carry out programs and projects specified under the eligible statutory purposes. States must allocate at least 25 percent of each year’s grant award to law enforcement programs, at least 25 percent to prosecution programs, at least 5 percent for court programs, and at least 30 percent to nonprofit, nongovernmental victim service programs. The remainder of the funds may be spent at the discretion of the state to address the statutory program purposes of this program.

Statutory Purpose Areas

• Training law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel, and prosecutors to more effectively identify and respond to violent crimes against women
• Developing, training, or expanding units of law enforcement officers, judges, other court personnel, and prosecutors specifically targeting violent crimes against women
• Developing and implementing more effective police, court, and prosecution policies, protocols, orders, and services specifically devoted to preventing, identifying, and responding to violent crimes against women, including the crimes of sexual assault and domestic violence
• Developing, installing, or expanding data collection and communication systems for the purpose of identifying and tracking arrests, protection orders, violations of protection orders, prosecutions, and convictions for violent crimes against women;
• Developing, enlarging, or strengthening victim services programs;
• Developing, expanding, or strengthening programs addressing stalking;
• Supporting formal and informal statewide, multidisciplinary efforts to coordinate the response of agencies to violent crimes against women;
• Training of sexual assault forensic medical personnel examiners in the collection and preservation of evidence;
• Developing, enlarging, or strengthening programs to address the needs and circumstances of older and disabled women who are victims of domestic violence or sexual assault;
• Providing assistance to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in immigration matters.

Match Requirements

State and Local units of government must provide 25% of the total project cost in cash or in-kind match.

Subgrantee Organization Eligibility Requirements

• Be a public or nonprofit organization, or a combination of such organizations.
• Comply with the applicable provisions of STOP, the Program Guidelines, and the requirements of the OJP Financial Guide.
• Maintain statutorily required civil rights statistics on victims served.
• Grantees and subgrantees shall develop a plan for implementation.
• Applicants and grantees must certify that its laws, policies, and practices do not require that the victim bear the costs associated with the filing of criminal charges against the offender, or the costs associated with the filing, issuance, registration, or service of a warrant, protection order, petition for a protection order or witness subpoena, whether issued inside or outside the state.
• Applicants are discouraged from proposing projects that include activities that may compromise victim safety.

Eligible Subgrantee Organizations

State and local units of government and public and private nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive STOP funds.

Allowable Services

In general, STOP Program funds may support personnel, training, technical assistance, evaluation, data collection, and equipment costs to enhance the apprehension, prosecution, and adjudication of persons committing violent crimes against women, and enhance services that meet the needs of women victimized by violence.