STOP (Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors) Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program (STOP Grant)

The U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) provides funding to states and territories through the STOP formula grant, authorized by the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994, to encourage the development and improvement of effective law enforcement, prosecution strategies, victim advocacy, and services in the cases involving violent crimes against women.  The STOP grant is designed to develop the capacity to reduce domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking by strengthening services to victims and holding offenders accountable.  The Department of the Attorney General, Grants & Planning Branch, is the State Administering Agency (SAA) for the STOP Violence Against Women Formula Grant Program.  Each state and territory must allocate 25% of funds to law enforcement, 25% to prosecutors, 30% to victim services (of which at least 10% must be distributed to culturally specific community-based organizations), 5% to state and local courts, and 15% for discretionary distribution.  The Department of the Attorney General has added the 15% discretionary distribution to the 30% for victim services.

MATCH REQUIREMENT

The STOP grant requires a 25% match for State and local government subrecipients.  Twenty-five percent of the project cost must have a non-Federal cash or in-kind match. Sub-awards made under this grant program may support up to 75% of the total cost of each project.  Matching funds are not required of 501(c)(3) nonprofit victim service providers.

VAWA FEDERAL PURPOSE AREAS AND STATE PRIORITY AREAS

The STOP Program Formula Grants are awarded to states to develop and strengthen the criminal justice system’s response to violence against women and to support and enhance services for victims. The STOP Program continues to emphasize the implementation of comprehensive strategies addressing violence against women that are sensitive to the needs and safety of victims and hold offenders accountable for their crimes. When applying for STOP Program funds, applicants must fall under one of the VAWA Federal Statutory Purpose Areas.

Applicants must also fall under one of the State Implementation Plan Funding Priority Areas:

FOR VICTIM SERVICES AGENCIES

1) Develop an effective coordinated community response for domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and/or stalking.

2) Support and develop core services, including, but not limited to:

  • Advocacy
  • Case Management
  • Counseling
  • Crisis Response
  • Legal Assistance
  • Legal Advocacy
  • Shelter
  • Transitional Services
  • Prevention, Outreach, and Education (not to exceed five percent of the total STOP Formula grant)
  • Increased accessibility by special populations or underserved including:
    • Immigrants and migrants with limited English proficiency
    • Victims in rural areas where access to services can be limited
    • LGBTQ population
    • Elderly population
    • Individuals with disabilities including victims with substance abuse and/or mental health issues
    • Youth – ages 11 and older

FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE AGENCIES

  • Develop an effective coordinated community response for domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence, and/or stalking
  • Improve system response to stalking
  • Promote offender accountability
  • Develop and sustain training in areas on violence against women
  • Standardize and enhance data collection
  • Develop and share departmental policies, standard operating procedures, and protocols on domestic violence, sexual violence, stalking, and dating violence as applicable
  • Involve and integrate probation services into STOP-funded activities
  • Improve system response (court security and interpreter services for victims)
  • Improve enforcement of protection orders
  • Conduct domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence or stalking prevention, education and/or outreach activities (not to exceed five percent of the total STOP Formula grant)
  • Improve system response to disarming abusers in civil protection order cases
  • Support underserved/marginalized communities including:
    • Immigrants and migrants with limited English proficiency
    • Victims in rural areas where access to services can be limited
    • LGBTQ population
    • Elderly population
    • Individuals with disabilities including victims with substance abuse and/or mental health issues
    • Youth – ages 11 and older

ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

STOP Program formula grants are intended for use by state and local courts; units of local government; and nonprofit, nongovernmental victim services programs with IRS 501(c)(3) status, including faith-based organizations.

APPLICATION AND AWARDS

Below is a list of the FY 2021 and FY 2022 VAWA sub-grantee awards.

FY 2022 VAWA CRIMINAL JUSTICE SUB-GRANTEE AWARDS
Agency Awarded Title of Application Award
City and County of Honolulu Department of the Prosecuting Attorney Felony Domestic Violence Prosecution $83,501
Hawaii County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Domestic Violence Prosecution $53,368
Maui County Department of the Prosecuting Attorney Domestic Violence Investigations $52,915
Kauai County Office of the Prosecuting Attorney Domestic Violence Prosecution Unit $48,330
Honolulu Police Department Domestic Violence/Sex Crime Training and Equipment $83,501
Hawaii Police Department Hawaii SAFE/SANE Coordination and Training $53,368
Maui Police Department Addressing Intimate Partner Violence $52,915
 Kauai Police Department SANE Exams, Supportive Funding, and DNA Analysis $48,330
The Judiciary A Multi-Pronged Approach to Addressing DV $47,623
FY 2021/FY 2022 VAWA NON-PROFIT SUB-GRANTEE AWARDS
Agency Awarded Title of Application Award
Child & Family Service Continuing Core Victim Services for Survivors of Domestic Violence on Hawaii Island $400,000
Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children/SATC Charting the Path from Victim to Survivor $309,317
Legal Aid Society of Hawaii Enhanced Rural Legal Advocacy for Paternity Cases $324,990

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN

As a result of changes in VAWA 2013, all states must have an updated implementation plan and include it with their State application every year.

Below is the FY 2023-2025 Implementation Plan for the State of Hawaii.

State of Hawaii FY 2023-2025 STOP Implementation Plan

Below is the FY 2018-2021 STOP Implementation Plan for the State of Hawaii.

State of Hawaii FY 2018-2021 STOP Implementation Plan

COMMUNITY SAFETY ASSESSMENT

Mapping a Pathway to Safety: A Community Safety Assessment of the City and County of Honolulu Protective Order Process (June 2016)

This report was partially supported by a Violence Against Women Act Subgrant Number 12-WF-07 awarded by the Hawaii Department of the Attorney General to the Hawaii State Judiciary.

The Honolulu Community Safety Assessment (CSA) Project is a problem-solving process for determining a more effective intervention in domestic violence cases with the goals of enhancing safety of families and communities, while ensuring accountability when intervening in cases involving intimate partner violence. The project uses the nationally recognized model developed by Praxis International, and is based on the premise that workers are institutionally organized to do their jobs in particular ways — they are guided by the forms, policies, philosophy, and routine work practices of their respective institution. The CSA is designed to allow an interagency assessment team to work with a multidisciplinary body of public and domestic violence advocacy organizations, to identify how problems are produced in the structure of case processing and management. The process focused on the critical Assessment Question: How does our Temporary Restraining Order/Protection Order application and issuance process allow us to keep victims safe, and thereby hold offenders accountable?

Mapping a Pathway to Safety:  A Community Safety Assessment of the City and County of Honolulu Protection Order Process

RELATED TRAININGS & EVENTS

REPORTING REQUIREMENTS

STOP Program recipients are required to submit the following reports:

Program Reporting

Fiscal Reporting

VAWA Frequently Asked Questions

VAWA FORMS

VAWA INFORMATION LINKS

 VAWA STATUTORY CERTIFICATIONS