Funds awarded by Nevada attorney general

Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt announced that his office has finalized awards for over $1.6 million to non-profit and law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, non-profit service providers and a court through the Services-Officers-Training-Prosecutors grant and the Sexual Assault Services Program grant.

The grant awards are made in an effort to enhance responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking.

In September 2017, the Violence Policy Center released their When Men Murder Women: An Analysis of 2015 Homicide Data report in which Nevada was identified as having the second highest homicide rate among female victims murdered by males in 2015, with a homicide rate of 2.29 per 100,000 females.

Funding through the grants will provide support for prosecutors, investigators and victim advocates in their effort to enhance responses to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault and stalking. Grant funds also support the costs of staff training, safety planning, emergency shelter, advocacy, transportation, court preparation, support groups, therapy and assistance in obtaining temporary protection orders and filing of Victims of Crime Compensation applications.

“Nevada’s statistics on domestic violence are alarming, and we must continue our efforts to address intimate partner violence within our communities and state,” Laxalt said in a statement Aug. 28. “In addition to partnering with local law enforcement to hold offenders accountable for their crimes, my office proactively assists victim service agencies so they can provide resources, support, assistance and accompaniment throughout the criminal justice process.”

Funding through the grants made available by the Office of the Nevada Attorney General support communities in their efforts to develop and strengthen strategies to combat crimes of intimate partner violence. Grant funding is contingent upon available federal funding that may be increased or decreased during the course of the project period.

These federal funds are primarily intended to be used as seed money to initiate new projects and are also used to provide some sustaining support for existing projects. The opportunity to apply for the grants was made available in February of this year, and the application deadline was closed on April 2.

The Office of the Nevada Attorney General was able to award grant funding for 49 local projects, which amounts to 90 percent of all applications for funding during the timeframe July 1, 2018 through June 30, 2019.

Over the last four years, AG Laxalt’s office has provided millions in grant funding for similar projects. For a full list of funded agencies that have received funding, go to bit.ly/2omeNre on the web.