Funding is always a concern for nonprofit organizations and advocacy programs, especially as state and federal financial support has been whittled down considerably over the last several years.

A key focus in the victim’s services space right now is securing congressional approval of the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act, sponsored by Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO) and co-sponsored by Reps. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Stephanie Bice (R-OK) and Jim Costa (D-CA).

Read on to learn more about the fund, the shortfall and the proposed solution. If you’re moved to action, please reach out to your congressional representatives and express your support for the legislation. You can find your congressional representatives online here.

Background

Congress created the Crime Victims Fund through the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) of 1984 to provide funding for state victim assistance programs. It is not funded by taxpayer dollars, rather it’s primarily financed through the fines, settlements, bonds, and other monetary penalties associated with federal criminal prosecutions.

VOCA supports thousands of victim assistance programs throughout the United States, including child advocacy centers, domestic violence agencies, and rape crisis centers, serving an average of 3.7 million victims of crime each year.

The Problem

While deposits fluctuate annually depending on the cases prosecuted by the Department of Justice, the fund has seen a drastic decline in recent years. According to the Office for Victims of Crime, the end-of-year balance for FY2024 was $1.2 billion—a 90% decrease since FY2017.

As a result of this shortfall, VOCA-supported assistance programs nationwide now face a devastating $600 million cut in funding compared to last year, which will force essential programs to either triage their services, or worse, close their doors entirely.

The Proposed Solution

The Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act directly addresses this problem by redirecting funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA) into the VOCA fund through FY2029.

The FCA authorizes the federal government to hold entities that knowingly defraud government agencies liable for up to three times the damages. Over the last two fiscal years, settlements and judgements under the FCA have totaled nearly $5 billion.

The FCA requires that a portion of the damages collected are first repaid to the defrauded government agency and relevant whistleblowers, however the leftover funds remain unobligated.

The proposed legislation would redirect only those leftover, unobligated funds to VOCA, to stabilize support while retaining the fund’s original intent of being financed by legal fines and fees, not Americans’ tax dollars.

More importantly, this legislation will give victim assistance programs the support necessary to keep their operations running.

Supporting Organizations

The proposed legislation not only has bi-partisan sponsor support, it’s championed by advocacy organizations nationwide.

Again, if you’re so inclined, please reach out to your congressional representatives and express your support for the legislation. You can find your congressional representatives online here.

• National Children’s Alliance
• National Criminal Justice Association
• National District Attorneys Association
• National Alliance to End Sexual Violence
• National Network to End Domestic Violence
• Jewish Women International
• Covenant House International
• Missouri Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
• Just Solutions
• YWCA USA
• Alliance for Safety and Justice
• Crime Survivors of Safety and Justice
• Californians for Safety and Justice
• Mothers Against Drunk Driving
• National Organization for Victim Advocacy
• National Association of VOCA Assistance Administrators
• Legal Momentum
• Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking
• National Domestic Violence Hotline
• ValorUS
• National Resource Center on Domestic Violence