This bill creates a federal grant program to set up and run a National Faith-Based Resource Center on domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The Attorney General, through the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), may award grants to a consortium of eligible organizations. Eligible consortia must include multiple faith-based organizations representing different underserved faith communities and a culturally specific organization. The center would give training, technical assistance, and resources to faith communities, victim service providers, legal and justice system actors, and other stakeholders. The bill defines terms like "spiritual abuse," "religious divorce denial," and "victim with faith," and it bars grantees that prioritize family cohesion or similar concerns over victim safety.
The bill also requires the Attorney General to develop model State legislative language to address religious divorce denial, and it requires annual reports from grantees to the Attorney General and biennial summary reports to Congress. The bill includes a one-year establishment phase for initial operations and a rule that grant funds cannot be used to proselytize or promote religion.
The bill authorizes $2,000,000 per year for each of fiscal years 2027 through 2031 to carry out the program. Funds remain available until expended. No publicly available information on estimated total program costs beyond this authorized amount or on any expected administrative offsets.
The bill’s findings say faith and faith communities often play a central role in survivors’ lives and can strengthen recovery. Proponents argue training faith leaders and coordinating faith communities with mainstream victim services can improve outcomes, address spiritual sources of resilience, and help reach underserved or culturally specific populations.
No publicly available information.