Office for Victims of Crime
Community-level Replication Guide
 September 2012 Text size: decrease font size increase font size   Send e-mail icon

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Step 7. Sustaining the Momentum

Seek Funding

You can do much of this work without funding, but additional support can pay for more staff training time as well as cover costs for interpreters and for other accommodations. Funding tips include the following:

  • Include accessibility costs (e.g., for interpreters) in grant applications.
  • Build relationships with current and potential funders to discuss ways that funding could increase services for crime victims with disabilities.
  • Talk to the agency’s board of directors about including funds for accessibility (e.g., American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters, emergency attendant care) in the annual budget.
  • Some federal, state, and local funds are available for agencies interested in changing their community’s approach to serving crime victims with disabilities. Check with your state Developmental Disability Council for potential grants, and become familiar with federal grant opportunities, including those from the Office for Victims of Crime, U.S. Department of Justice.

Two of the pilot sites were awarded funding from public and private sources:

  • Family Crisis Services received $5,000 in funding from United Way for ASL interpreters.
  • Domestic Abuse Intervention Programs and its partners entered into a 3-year collaborative agreement with the Office on Violence Against Women Disability Grant Program, U.S. Department of Justice.