RASA/VOJO 2026 (Year 2 Project) Applications Are Due August 22!

One-year, continuation applications for the Rights and Services Act (RASA) and Victims of Juvenile Offenders (VOJO) 2025-2026 Non-Competitive Funding Announcement are now being accepted. The deadline to submit a continuation application in E-grants is Friday, August 22, 2025, at 11:59pm.  

Continuation applications are open only to subrecipients who currently have a 2025 Award via the RASA/VOJO 2025-2026 Non-Competitive Funding Announcement. OVS will contact each District Attorney for completion of the required 2026 funding recommendation forms. District Attorneys are asked to send a copy of the completed funding recommendation forms to the local victim services program(s) for completion of the application. Any changes to RASA and/or VOJO funding distribution for 2026 will be recommended by the District Attorney and considered for adoption by the Victims Services Advisory Committee (VSAC).

Please utilize the following resources for assistance with your application:  

• The E-grants Help Desk is available to assist with technical or system questions Monday through Friday until 4:00 PM and may be reached by calling (717) 787-5887 or (800) 692-7292, or by emailing RA-egrantsSupport@pa.gov.
• Questions concerning the completion of the continuation application outside of E-grants technical issues may be directed to the PCCD Program and/or Fiscal Contact assigned to the 2025 RASA/VOJO Grant.

• Additional grant application and administrative guides may be accessed on PCCD's website here.

Please Note: 2025 RASA and VOJO funds with the Year 1 project must be expended by December 31,2025.

Cuts Leave Domestic Violence Support Groups Reeling

"As we continue to see reductions in funding, we have to say no".

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Examining The Gun Suicide Epidemic

A new report, Gun Violence in the United States 2023, examined the gun suicide by firearms at record levels.

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How Mandatory Arrest Laws May Be Hurting Domestic Violence Survivors

Mandatory arrest laws were designed to protect victims of domestic violence, but growing evidence suggests they may be having the opposite effect, discouraging victims from seeking help, straining police discretion, and in some cases, escalating the danger for those they're meant to shield.

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Court Grants Motion To Block Administration's Restrictions On Funding

A federal court has granted a request to temporarily block the Trump-Vance administration from adding harmful new restrictions on federal grant programs.

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Urgent Strategies Needed To Combat Human Trafficking

Human trafficking is one of the most organized and profitable criminal enterprises in the U.S. and we are failing to stop it, because we aren't willing to treat it like the systemic, complex threat it is.

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Consolidated Standards Training Videos

Pennsylvania has long been considered a leader when it comes to the OVS Consolidated Standards, in their design to deliver quality services and programming led by skilled advocates and staff.

To better inform the field, OVS has launched a series of recordings that walk program staff through each of the standards. These are short recordings, up to thirty (30) minutes in length. Each recording counts toward OVS annual training requirements. Staff may listen to any number of recordings as they are released. 

All videos can be found on PCCD's Consolidated Victim Service Program Standards webpage, with the latest video, Witness Management, now available.